Predictors of violent incidents amongst patients in psychiatric intensive care units: A review of global evidence

Aim: The objective is to identify key predictors of violent behaviour amongst patients admitted to PICUs. Methods: A literature search was carried out in five online databases using a predefined strategy with terms relevant to the setting and population. Articles were screened based on the inclusion criteria and quality assessed using the Hawker critical appraisal tool. A thematic matrix was prepared from the final articles to highlight the pivotal predictors for violent behaviour in PICUs. Results: Initial search without duplicates retrieved 152 articles, of which 120 were excluded after screening their title and abstract. The full-text of 32 articles was read of which a total of 10 studies with 4733 participants were included in the literature review. These studies had good designs and methodological quality. The key predictors of violent incidents were a longer duration of in-patient stay, higher readmission rate, non-voluntary admission to PICUs, previous history of violence and substance misuse, permanent staff absences, being a single young male, having low level of education and having schizophrenia. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a variety of different factors contribute to violent incidents in PICUs. Our results may assist in the development of community and hospital-based interventions including situation management regular staff training, promoting a friendly environment and post-incident debriefs that can prevent future violent incidents in PICU

From Lexical Tone to Lexical Stress: A Cross-Language Mediation Model for Cantonese Children Learning English as a Second Language

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Efficacy and cost of atypical antipsychotics in treatment and management of dementia

There is a significant lack of pharmacoeconomic research on using atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of dementia. Further comprehensive research should be carried out into this field. We have found a good number of studies exploring the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia using a decision-analytical model. However, there were only a couple of studies which have focused on the use of AAs for dementia and that too with several limitations. Therefore, it is pertinent to undertake further systematic and comprehensive research on the safety and efficacy of atypical antipsychotics for the management of BPSD. This is essential in improving clinical practice and suggesting better pathways for dementia treatment as well as in mitigating the adverse impacts on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers

Land Grant Application- Leher, Peter (Washington)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office on behalf of Peter Leher for service in the Revolutionary War, by their widow Catherine.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1554/thumbnail.jp

STUDY OF ELECTRODEPOSITION OF COPPER-INDIUM MATERIAL FOR FABRICATION OF CIS THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLS

Abstract Copper-Indium material for the fabrication of CIS/CIGS thin-film solar cells and for applications as an alloy is one of the most auspicious materials currently being studied and has attracted significant interest in solar energy and other industries. In the past, there have been several methods used for the fabrication of chalcopyrite thin-film solar cells. However, one of the best methods in the industry is electrodeposition, which employs the principles of electrochemistry to deposit materials on a working electrode. The cyclic voltammetry and constant potential deposition studies have been conducted for the electrodeposited copper indium material. In order to better understand the electrochemistry behind the deposition of copper and indium, a systematic cyclic voltammeteric study was undertaken on a carbon electrode. In this thesis, several aspects of copper indium deposition have been studied which can be used as an elementary study to optimize parameters to get the final composition which will give maximum conversion efficiency. This study would also be an elementary study for further researches which would increase the efficiency of the CIS thin-film solar cells. The characterization was done by SEM, EDS, and XRD studies. Moreover, the effect of the addition of two different complexing agents, namely EDTA and trisodium citrate was studied. Complexing agents assist in the co-deposition process. Thus, in this research, samples with and without the usage of complexing agents were studied. Cyclic voltammograms produced reduction peaks around -0.2 V and -1 V versus SSC respectively for copper and indium using both trisodium citrate and EDTA complexing agents. The position of the peaks is similar using both the complexing agents proving the efficacy of EDTA as a suitable complexing agent. EDS studies provided compositional analysis for the films deposited by the constant deposition method. pH studies indicate no prominent peaks at more acidic pH. This could be attributed to the poor stability of the electrolyte solution at higher pH. Thus, it could be concluded that additional compounds need to be added to increase the stability of the solution if the pH has to be increased. The reason to perform SEM, EDS, and XRD characterization was to help identify the reaction mechanism, structure, and morphology of the films deposited under different conditions. Results of SEM studies showed that the grain size was small (2-20 μm) and there were cracks on the surface which could be avoided by changing the parameters. XRD analysis shows the presence of the CuIn layer and that (200) is the preferential plane to the growth of the CuIn films

The political development nexus of economic peace in the Middle East:Paris protocol to the Oslo accords

This thesis examines if economic benefits, especially trade, can help shape the course of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict towards peace. It does so by scrutinizing the premise of economic peace directly derived from the liberal peace paradigm as the way to achieve economic development in the Middle East region. According to the liberal peace theory, economic interdependence leading to mutual benefits will support peace, irrespective of the comparative level of benefits achieved by each side. However, this thesis contends that in asymmetric conflicts, benefits should be relative to the balance of power between the two sides. It grounds its argument in the political-development nexus, accounting for temporal considerations. The thesis analyzes past economic and trade relations, along with trade policies, to assess their historical role in supporting liberal economic peace in the region. Subsequently, it investigates the potential for reshaping these mechanisms to contribute to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Based on trade potential, the thesis outlines a pathway to economic peace in asymmetric conflicts through the economic diplomacy framework. This framework encompasses economic interdependence, incentives, and international law, that is positive sanctions and external sovereignty, as tools to facilitate progress towards peace

The political development nexus of economic peace in the Middle East:Paris protocol to the Oslo accords

This thesis examines if economic benefits, especially trade, can help shape the course of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict towards peace. It does so by scrutinizing the premise of economic peace directly derived from the liberal peace paradigm as the way to achieve economic development in the Middle East region. According to the liberal peace theory, economic interdependence leading to mutual benefits will support peace, irrespective of the comparative level of benefits achieved by each side. However, this thesis contends that in asymmetric conflicts, benefits should be relative to the balance of power between the two sides. It grounds its argument in the political-development nexus, accounting for temporal considerations. The thesis analyzes past economic and trade relations, along with trade policies, to assess their historical role in supporting liberal economic peace in the region. Subsequently, it investigates the potential for reshaping these mechanisms to contribute to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Based on trade potential, the thesis outlines a pathway to economic peace in asymmetric conflicts through the economic diplomacy framework. This framework encompasses economic interdependence, incentives, and international law, that is positive sanctions and external sovereignty, as tools to facilitate progress towards peace

Acanthamoeba induces cell-cycle arrest in host cells

Acanthamoeba can cause fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and eye keratitis. However, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of these emerging diseases remain unclear. In this study, the effects of Acanthamoeba on the host cell cycle using human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) and human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) were determined. Two isolates of Acanthamoeba belonging to the T1 genotype (GAE isolate) and T4 genotype (keratitis isolate) were used, which showed severe cytotoxicity on HBMEC and HCEC, respectively. No tissue specificity was observed in their ability to exhibit binding to the host cells. To determine the effects of Acanthamoeba on the host cell cycle, a cell-cycle-specific gene array was used. This screened for 96 genes specific for host cell-cycle regulation. It was observed that Acanthamoeba inhibited expression of genes encoding cyclins F and G1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6, which are proteins important for cell-cycle progression. Moreover, upregulation was observed of the expression of genes such as GADD45A and p130 Rb, associated with cell-cycle arrest, indicating cell-cycle inhibition. Next, the effect of Acanthamoeba on retinoblastoma protein (pRb) phosphorylation was determined. pRb is a potent inhibitor of G1-to-S cell-cycle progression; however, its function is inhibited upon phosphorylation, allowing progression into S phase. Western blotting revealed that Acanthamoeba abolished pRb phosphorylation leading to cell-cycle arrest at the G1-to-S transition. Taken together, these studies demonstrated for the first time that Acanthamoeba inhibits the host cell cycle at the transcriptional level, as well as by modulating pRb phosphorylation using host cell-signalling mechanisms. A complete understanding of Acanthamoeba–host cell interactions may help in developing novel strategies to treat Acanthamoeba infections