scholarly journals Some Approaches to the Evaluation of Milieu Therapy

1971 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Lewis ◽  
P. R. Beck ◽  
Hinda King ◽  
Lyn Stephen
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Scientific Evaluation ◽  
Pilot Projects ◽  
Milieu Therapy ◽  
General Application ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Research Consortium ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Structure And Functions

Milieu therapy is an increasingly popular approach to the treatment of psychiatric patients and a model of general application. It places emphasis on social and group interaction, on the sharing of responsibility and decision-making, on the freeing of communication on both vertical and horizontal planes and on dealing with the realities of the here-and-now. Its introduction has been accompanied by considerable enthusiasm and a sense of ‘rightness’ which parallel the existence of comparable movements in society as a whole. Partly because of this fervour, and mainly because of the methodological problems involved, intensive scientific evaluation of this mode of therapy has been difficult, though necessary. This paper describes the beginnings of a number of ongoing multidisciplinary studies, conducted on six wards in three institutions - the purpose being to provide a definition of milieu therapy, to describe its methods and objectives and to establish means of evaluation. The broad areas of the research project are: a statistical review of patients discharged before and following the adoption of milieu therapy; an in-depth analysis of the structure and functions of each of the units in the research setting; and a comparative study of the process and thera. peutic results of the six wards including two wards of other collaborating hospitals. Several constituent pilot projects have been reviewed. The advantages of an ongoing inhospital research consortium are discussed, and it is suggested that every sizeable unit should have one in the interests of the assessment of service. All that may be required is the mobilization of already existing personnel and volunteers, summer students and petty funds.

Computed Tomography in the Elderly: 1. the Normal Population

1980 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin J. Jacoby ◽  
Raymond Levy ◽  
John M. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Normal Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Global Rating ◽  
Computed Tomographic ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Ct Data ◽  
Healthy Community

SummaryComputed tomographic (CT) and brief psychometric findings on 50 psychiatrically and neurologically healthy community residents over 60 years old are presented. The need for normative CT data is emphasized, and the methodological problems in obtaining them are discussed. Measures of ventricular size were generally found to be greater than those reported by other workers, and variation with age was also found to be less marked than hitherto reported. A reciprocal relationship was found between a global rating of cortical atrophy and a test of memory and orientation. This communication forms the basis for comparison with groups of psychiatric patients to be presented in subsequent articles.

scholarly journals Metabolic syndrome in psychiatry: advances in understanding and management

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrus S. H. Ho ◽  
Melvyn W. B. Zhang ◽  
Anselm Mak ◽  
Roger C. M. Ho
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Unhealthy Lifestyle ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryMetabolic syndrome comprises a number of cardiovascular risk factors that increase morbidity and mortality. The increase in incidence of the syndrome among psychiatric patients has been unanimously demonstrated in recent studies and it has become one of the greatest challenges in psychiatric practice. Besides the use of psychotropic drugs, factors such as genetic polymorphisms, inflammation, endocrinopathies and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the association between metabolic syndrome and a number of psychiatric disorders. In this article, we review the current diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome and propose clinically useful guidelines for psychiatrists to identify and monitor patients who may have the syndrome. We also outline the relationship between metabolic syndrome and individual psychiatric disorders, and discuss advances in pharmacological treatment for the syndrome, such as metformin.LEARNING OBJECTIVES•Be familiar with the definition of metabolic syndrome and its parameters of measurement.•Appreciate how individual psychiatric disorders contribute to metabolic syndrome and vice versa.•Develop a framework for the prevention, screening and management of metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients.

scholarly journals ‘A transverse scar on the neck’ – psychosomatic approach in the differential diagnosis and surgical treatment of hyperthyroidism in post-war Finland

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-156
Author(s):  
Eve-Riina Hyrkäs
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Differential Diagnostics ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Surgical Interventions ◽  
Somatic Illness ◽  
Post War ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Mind

AbstractIn the Finnish medical discussion during the middle decades of the twentieth century, the challenging differential diagnostics between hyperthyroidism and various neuroses was perceived to yield a risk of unnecessary surgical interventions of psychiatric patients. In 1963, the Finnish surgeon Erkki Saarenmaa claimed that ‘the most significant mark of a neurotic was a transverse scar on the neck’, a result of an unnecessary thyroid surgery. The utterance was connected to the complex nature of thyroid diseases, which seemed to be to ‘a great extent psychosomatic’. Setting forth from this statement, the article aims to decipher the connection between hyperthyroidism, unnecessary surgical treatment and the psychosomatic approach in Finnish medicine. Utilising a wide variety of published medical research and discussion in specialist journals, the article examines the theoretical debate around troublesome diagnostics of functional complaints. It focuses on the introduction of new medical ideas, namely the concepts of ‘psychosomatics’ and ‘stress’. In the process, the article aims to unveil a definition of psychosomatic illness that places it on a continuum between psychological and somatic illness. That psychosomatic approach creates a space with interpretative potential can be applied to the historiography of psychosomatic phenomena more generally. Further inquiry into the intersections of surgery and psychosomatics would enrich both historiographies. It is also argued that the historical study of psychosomatic syndromes may become skewed, if the term ‘psychosomatic’ is from the outset taken to signify something that is all in the mind.

scholarly journals SOCIO-GEOGRAPHICAL ESSENCE OF THE MILITARY SPHERE OF UKRAINE

2020 ◽  
pp. 50-57
Author(s):  
Taras Kravets
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Military Industrial Complex ◽  
Military Geography ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Military ◽  
General Method

The purpose of the article is to analyze the existing approaches to understanding the terms military sphere, military-industrial complex, defense-industrial complex, security and defense sector, military sector, determining the positioning of the military sphere and its position relative to other natural-geographical areas, joints and overlaps, identification of its functions and problems that interfere with proper functioning. Development of directions and prospects for the development of the military sphere and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in general. Method. The research was conducted on the basis of the analysis of available literature sources on this topic and the application of a spherical approach to the analysis of the positioning of the military sphere and the definition of its components. The available domestic and foreign literary sources and the ratio of these concepts within this literature are studied. Results. Theoretical and methodological problems of comparing concepts related to the military sphere and their interchangeability and interconnectedness are studied. The scheme of correlation of concepts of military sphere, defense-industrial complex and military-industrial complex is offered. Based on the spherical approach, we propose a scheme of the military sphere, which we consider as a sphere formed within the geosphere at the junction of social and natural spheres, at the intersection of demographic, informational, spiritual, environmental, technical, economic, political and social spheres. Within each oblast forming the sphere, three main sectors with the greatest influence on the military sphere are singled out. Six main functions of the sphere are singled out and arranged in order of importance on the basis of the proposed scheme. Scientific novelty. The need for this study is due to the fact that despite the fact that since 2014 and to date, fighting has been going on in the east of our country, in many universities the discipline of military geography and related disciplines is being stolen, the term military sphere has not been proposed. clear positioning of the military sphere among other social spheres. To date, the functions performed by the military sphere and the factors contributing to the improvement and development of this sphere have not been determined, which is what led to the implementation of this study. Practical meaning. Based on modeling and analysis, the main areas that affect the military sphere as such and to what extent are identified, the areas of greatest influence and sectors of influence within the regions are identified. The functions of the military sphere and the main factors influencing its development and transformation are highlighted, as well as what measures need to be implemented to improve the situation. The results of the research are developed for planning by the state structures of the program of development of the military sphere and for teaching the discipline "Military Geography". The geographical features of the military sphere are singled out, to which the greatest attention should be paid when analyzing the transformation of the military sphere.

scholarly journals On the Applicability of Speaker Diarization to Audio Indexing of Non-Speech and Mixed Non-Speech/Speech Video Soundtracks

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Mertens ◽  
Po-Sen Huang ◽  
Luke Gottlieb ◽  
Gerald Friedland ◽  
Ajay Divakaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Feature Space ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Speaker Diarization ◽  
Concept System ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Audio Indexing ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Video Concept Detection

A video’s soundtrack is usually highly correlated to its content. Hence, audio-based techniques have recently emerged as a means for video concept detection complementary to visual analysis. Most state-of-the-art approaches rely on manual definition of predefined sound concepts such as “ngine sounds,” “utdoor/indoor sounds.” These approaches come with three major drawbacks: manual definitions do not scale as they are highly domain-dependent, manual definitions are highly subjective with respect to annotators and a large part of the audio content is omitted since the predefined concepts are usually found only in a fraction of the soundtrack. This paper explores how unsupervised audio segmentation systems like speaker diarization can be adapted to automatically identify low-level sound concepts similar to annotator defined concepts and how these concepts can be used for audio indexing. Speaker diarization systems are designed to answer the question “ho spoke when?”by finding segments in an audio stream that exhibit similar properties in feature space, i.e., sound similar. Using a diarization system, all the content of an audio file is analyzed and similar sounds are clustered. This article provides an in-depth analysis on the statistic properties of similar acoustic segments identified by the diarization system in a predefined document set and the theoretical fitness of this approach to discern one document class from another. It also discusses how diarization can be tuned in order to better reflect the acoustic properties of general sounds as opposed to speech and introduces a proof-of-concept system for multimedia event classification working with diarization-based indexing.

scholarly journals Logical and Methodological Issues Affecting Genetic Studies of Humans Reported in Top Neuroscience Journals

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara R. Grabitz ◽  
Katherine S. Button ◽  
Marcus R. Munafò ◽  
Dianne F. Newbury ◽  
Cyril R. Pernet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Multiple Comparisons ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Standardized Reporting ◽  
Supplementary Material ◽  
Methodological Problems

Genetics and neuroscience are two areas of science that pose particular methodological problems because they involve detecting weak signals (i.e., small effects) in noisy data. In recent years, increasing numbers of studies have attempted to bridge these disciplines by looking for genetic factors associated with individual differences in behavior, cognition, and brain structure or function. However, different methodological approaches to guarding against false positives have evolved in the two disciplines. To explore methodological issues affecting neurogenetic studies, we conducted an in-depth analysis of 30 consecutive articles in 12 top neuroscience journals that reported on genetic associations in nonclinical human samples. It was often difficult to estimate effect sizes in neuroimaging paradigms. Where effect sizes could be calculated, the studies reporting the largest effect sizes tended to have two features: (i) they had the smallest samples and were generally underpowered to detect genetic effects, and (ii) they did not fully correct for multiple comparisons. Furthermore, only a minority of studies used statistical methods for multiple comparisons that took into account correlations between phenotypes or genotypes, and only nine studies included a replication sample or explicitly set out to replicate a prior finding. Finally, presentation of methodological information was not standardized and was often distributed across Methods sections and Supplementary Material, making it challenging to assemble basic information from many studies. Space limits imposed by journals could mean that highly complex statistical methods were described in only a superficial fashion. In summary, methods that have become standard in the genetics literature—stringent statistical standards, use of large samples, and replication of findings—are not always adopted when behavioral, cognitive, or neuroimaging phenotypes are used, leading to an increased risk of false-positive findings. Studies need to correct not just for the number of phenotypes collected but also for the number of genotypes examined, genetic models tested, and subsamples investigated. The field would benefit from more widespread use of methods that take into account correlations between the factors corrected for, such as spectral decomposition, or permutation approaches. Replication should become standard practice; this, together with the need for larger sample sizes, will entail greater emphasis on collaboration between research groups. We conclude with some specific suggestions for standardized reporting in this area.

Exploring the Relation between the Use of HRIS and their Implementation in Spanish Firms

2011 ◽  
pp. 967-975
Author(s):  
José Antonio Fernández-Sánchez ◽  
Susana de Juana-Espinosa ◽  
Jorge Valdés-Conca
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Resource Information ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Information Products ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Practical Implications

An information system (IS) is “a set of people, procedures, and resources that collects, transforms, and disseminates information in an organization. A system that accepts data resources as input and processes them into information products as output” (O’Brien & Marakas, 2005). Likewise, the definition of human resource information Systems (henceforth HRIS) can be expressed as an IS that deals only with information related directly to the human resource management (HRM) area (Tannenbaum, 1990). Initially, computerized HRIS were only useful for administrative purposes. However, in the course of the last decade, that tendency has changed markedly and a strategic re-orientation of these applications is nowadays considered desirable and necessary for companies competing in today’s uncertain, complex and ever-developing environment. This phenomenon has turned HRIS into a major strategic means, capable of providing information about the actual capacity of the firm, its potential, and the potential of its competitors. This research paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of HRIS usage as a tool for assisting in recruitment decisions. This was carried out in accordance with the empirical findings of a quantitative research on selection and recruitment processes in Spanish firms. This paper reports and evaluates the major results of this current study and discusses its theoretical and practical implications with a view to increasing the effectiveness of HRIS usage for its recruitment processes.

Towards a New Definition of Social Innovation

2015 ◽  
pp. 130-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Ettorre ◽  
Nicola Bellantuono ◽  
Barbara Scozzi ◽  
Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Business Objectives ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter focuses on social innovation, a topic that the literature has been increasingly discussing in the last decade. The authors revise the many available (and, to some extent, too general) definitions as well as identify the main features that have been claimed as relevant for social innovation (e.g. Mumford, 2002), which concur in providing its definition. By doing so, they pursue the assessment of a less fuzzy definition of social innovation and make a first attempt to focus on the role that companies play in developing as well as scaling social innovations. The adopted approach exploits the literature review and is based on an in-depth analysis of the definitions of social innovation: the authors collected and catalogued them, so identifying the main dimensions of analysis. Clarifying what social innovation is and the role that companies play in social innovation initiatives can increase companies' awareness of what they (can) do with respect to social innovation, possibly taking advantage of this in terms of business objectives.

scholarly journals The Nigerian Public Officers Protection Act: An Anachronistic Legislation Yearning for Reforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 219
Author(s):  
Abiodun Odusote
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
General Application ◽  
The Public ◽  
Unequal Treatment ◽  
Dual Protection ◽  
Law And Justice ◽  
Private Corporations ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Special Protection

The Nigerian Public Officers Protection Act, (POPA) is part of statute of general application and is deeply rooted in the Public Authorities Protection Act of 1893 which has been repealed in England. The original intendment of POPA is to offer special protection to public officers in the performance of their public duties by entrenching a three-month limitation period for action against public officers in the performance of their duties. However, the emerging jurisprudence has interpreted the definition of person to include artificial persons, thereby bringing in more public entities under the protection. In addition, many public authorities enjoy further protection by reason of entitlement to pre action notice as entrenched in their enabling Acts. The effects of the dual protection are the seeming discriminatory and unequal treatment of private corporations and individual vis a vis public authorities. Hence, the widely held view that the dual protection is anachronistic and a clog in the wheel of justice as many litigants have been left without remedy on procedural grounds of non-issuance of pre action notice or failure to institute an action within the three-month limitation period. This paper makes enquiries on whether the dual protection being enjoyed by public officers and institutions constitute impediments to access the court of law and justice. The paper adopts a comparative analysis to investigate the contemporary approaches of a number of countries that have repealed or revised the dual protection offered public authorities. Lessons learned from other jurisdictions formed the basis of final recommendations of the paper which primarily calls for an urgent review of POPA.

scholarly journals Drug treatment in Swedish prisons – moving towards evidence-based interventions?

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Åke Nylander ◽  
Claes Holm ◽  
Elma Jukic ◽  
Odd Lindberg
Keyword(s):  
Drug Treatment ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Scientific Evaluation ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Milieu Therapy ◽  
Evidence Based Treatment ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Drug Problems

Aim This article reviews the development in Sweden of prison-based drug treatment (PBDT) from the 1970s to the present situation. Data The data consists of committee reports, white papers, research reports and interviews with two senior managers from the Swedish Prison and Probation Services (SPPS). Results The 1970s and 1980s trials with milieu therapy in prisons were followed by the introduction of cognitive programmes in the 1990s. Due to the growing number of prisoners with drug problems, the Prison Anti-Drug Effort increased the number of places and programmes for drug treatment in prisons. As of 2000, the scientific evaluation of all prison-based drug treatment has been strongly emphasised. Drug control has increased since 2004, and the very concept of PBDT is now approached rather more rigorously and scientifically. Conclusion The SPPS programme evaluations are scientifically formed, but changes in practice are slow to emerge. The SPPS runs a more restricted policy compared to treatment outside, which leads to some evidence-based treatment methods being rejected. Also, PBDT is somewhat under threat by changes in the prisons’ internal organisation with growing specialisation in different wings, as well as by the poor financial situation of the SPPS.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document