Customer satisfaction and self-reported treatment outcomes among psychiatric inpatients

OBJECTIVE: Relationships among different dimensions of patient satisfaction and selected demographic, clinical, and outcome variables were explored in a sample of severely ill people receiving inpatient psychiatric services. METHOD: The sample consisted of 81 patients admitted to and discharged from an inpatient psychiatric unit at a midwestern Veterans Affairs medical center. Stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between patient satisfaction and self-reported changes in quality of life, symptomatology, and level of functioning as measured by the Treatment Outcome Profile. Other variables such as diagnosis, length of stay, employment, living situation, and prior psychiatric and substance abuse treatment were also considered. A subsample of the most satisfied and dissatisfied patients was chosen to further explore variables contributing to satisfaction with services. RESULTS: Patient satisfaction was related to initial level of functioning, certain diagnoses, and treatment gains. Clinicians were highly accurate in identifying patients who were satisfied, based on blind chart reviews. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the significant relationships between patient satisfaction, psychiatric diagnosis, and other outcome measures, and argues for the validity and utility of patient satisfaction measures in assessing the efficacy of inpatient care.     

Analysis of yagi-uda-type antennas

A method of analyzing Yagi-Uda-type antennas is presented. Since the Yagi-Uda array is a fairly well-known antenna, it is used as an example to demonstrate the application and accuracy of the method. However, the method of solution is not limited to a planar array, such as the Yagi, but can be applied to arrays of nonplanar linear elements. The approach taken in analyzing Yagi-Uda antennas is based on rigorous equations for the electric field radiated by the elements in the array. All interactions are taken into account. Calculated results are presented for the Yagi-Uda array that show excellent agreement with experimental results reported in the literature. In addition, the dependence of the far-field patterns on the phase velocity is shown. It is also demonstrated that the phase velocity is generally nonuniform along the array.     

An exact method to quantify the information transmitted by different mechanisms of correlational coding

We derive a new method to quantify the impact of correlated firing on the information transmitted by neuronal populations. This new method considers, in an exact way, the effects of high order spike train statistics, with no approximation involved, and it generalizes our previous work that was valid for short time windows and small populations. The new technique permits one to quantify the information transmitted if each cell were to convey fully independent information separately from the information available in the presence of synergy-redundancy effects. Synergy-redundancy effects are shown to arise from three possible contributions: a redundant contribution due to similarities in the mean response profiles of different cells; a synergistic stimulus-dependent correlational contribution quantifying the information content of changes of correlations with stimulus, and a stimulus-independent correlational contribution term that reflects interactions between the distribution of rates of individual cells and the average level of cross-correlation. We apply the new method to simultaneously recorded data from somatosensory and visual cortices. We demonstrate that it constitutes a reliable tool to determine the role of cross-correlated activity in stimulus coding even when high firing rate data (such as multi-unit recordings) are considered.     

Analytical methods for thorium determination: a journey from conventional methods to novel applications

Thorium may be determined using a variety of analytical methods. These may be based on chemical or physical principles or may make use of the radioactive decay of the individual thorium isotopes. The method to be used for a certain analytical purpose is selected as a function of the matrix of the sample and of the concentration of thorium. The present paper describes different methodologies, their range of application and discusses selected results. The methods described cover a concentration range of more than twelve orders of magnitude, i.e. from concentrated solutions to micrometre-sized particles. Emphasis is given to active radiometric techniques, chemical and instrumental analysis.     

The induction of c-Fos in the NTS after taste aversion learning is not correlated with measures of conditioned fear.

The induction of c-Fos-like immunoreactivity (c-FLI) in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) has been shown to be correlated with behavioral expression of a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). However, because this cellular response is also dependent on an intact amygdala, it may represent the activation of a stress-related autonomic response. The present experiments addressed this possibility by evaluating the correlation between c-FLI in the intermediate division of the NTS (iNTS) and 2 measures of conditioned fear: freezing and changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR). Exposure to the taste conditioned stimulus (CS) resulted in a marked induction of c-FLI in the iNTS, whereas exposure to a fear CS did not. Further, exposure to a taste CS did not selectively lead to increases in MAP or HR. Results suggest that induction of c-FLI in the iNTS may reflect the activation of a cell population whose function is unique to the CTA paradigm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interference-aware scheduling in the multiuser MIMO-OFDM downlink - [topics in radio communications]

With the introduction of orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing and multiple antennas in cellular networks, there are new opportunities to adapt the transmission to propagation and interference conditions. In this article we describe a practical approach using space-frequency-selective multiuser MIMO scheduling. Frequency-selective feedback is provided on achievable data rates for preferred single- and multistream transmission modes. The base station selects the best mode while providing instantaneous fairness. We observe that multiuser transmission increases the probability of using multistream transmission. Besides the benefits from optimal combining at the physical layer, there is an additional gain at the MAC layer since the estimation of achievable rates becomes more precise. Altogether, 93 percent of the theoretical throughput can be realized by synchronizing the base stations and providing cell-specific reference signals. We have implemented essential functions of the approach in real time on an experimental 3GPP LTE prototype in 20 MHz bandwidth. Feasibility of the key features is proven in laboratory and field trials.