Quality management for psychology services in health care facilities.

Describes a model of quality management, designed by a task force of the Canadian Psychological Association, to meet revised standards of the Canadian Council on Health Facilities Accreditation for psychology services. The incorporation of aspects of Continuous Quality Improvement, Total Quality Management, Indicators, and Benchmarking are discussed in relation to their application to psychology services in health care facilities. The Quality Management Model is based on the assumptions that everyone wants to do their job well and improve in their job performance; that the improvement in the quality of services is everyone's responsibility; and that psychological service provision in a health care facility involves complex linkages between providers, suppliers, and customers. The model also assumes that the major problems affecting quality of service are usually those same linkages, or the customers themselves; and that identifying and monitoring these linkages is crucial to understanding how to improve quality. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The migration hypothesis: A rebuttal to Silverman and Saunders.

Reports the results of a study with 65 psychiatric patients that was conducted in order to investigate the results obtained by I. Silverman and D. Saunders (see record 1982-01855-001), from which they concluded that a mental hospital in or nearby a community seems to create a mental illness culture and that psychiatric facilities foster not the detection, but the perception, of mental illness. The present results render Silverman and Saunders's conclusions unsubstantiated and do not support the supposed simplicity of their concept of mental illness. A reply by Silverman and Saunders is included. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of the WAIS—R: Psychiatric and standardization samples.

Performed factor analysis on the responses of 114 psychiatric inpatients (mean age 28.9 yrs) to the WAIS—R. Results show clearly dichotomized Verbal and Performance subtests in a 2-factor solution and evidence of the previously found Freedom From Distractibility dimension in a 3-factor solution. Since both solutions were comparable to those obtained from the standardized sample, it is suggested that results validate clinical interpretations based on the factor structure. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the origin of the blue/green color of blast‐furnace slag‐based materials: Sulfur K‐edge XANES investigation

Slag‐based materials including mortars, concretes, Ca‐geopolymers, etc., are known to display a fascinating blue/green color upon hydration. This specific color is of particular concern in applications where visual esthetics are important. Yet only limited studies have been devoted to this phenomenon so far and its origin remains unexplained. It has sometimes been attributed, without any experimental evidence, to the presence of polysulfur species in the slag. To address the origin of this coloration, sulfur K‐edge X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used to investigate the evolution of the speciation of sulfur during slag hydration. Three methods of slag activation were considered: thermal, portland cement, and sodium silicate. The impact of the activation method on the sulfur K‐edge XANES spectrum was examined first. Then, a comparison was made between the XANES of blue and white samples or zones with or without the blue color within the same sample. Independently of the activation route, the blue color was found to be unambiguously related to the presence of a prepeak in the corresponding XANES spectrum. This feature was absent for white samples or white zones. The prepeak, which was located at lower energy than the peak corresponding to the most common reduced sulfur species, was attributed to the presence of the trisulfur radical anion S₃^?. This blue chromophore is known to be at the origin of the deep blue color of the stone lapis lazuli or the ultramarine pigment (derived from lazurite).     

Characteristics of industrial and laboratory meat and bone meal ashes and their potential applications

This paper reports the characterization of four meat and bone meal (MBM) ashes obtained from specific incineration (laboratory) and from co-incineration (industrial process). Three out of the four MBM ashes were mainly composed of calcium phosphates (hydroxyapatite and whitlockite). Their compositions (major and trace) were in the range for natural phosphate rocks. Trace element contents, including heavy metals, were below 0.6% and industrial ashes contained much more heavy metals than laboratory ash. The amounts of leached elements were low, especially for laboratory ash. According to the European classification of waste to be landfilled, the laboratory ash can be classified as an inert waste. Two industrial ashes are mostly inert. Only one ash is highly leachable and needs a stabilization treatment to be classified at least in the category of hazardous waste. It seems, from these results, that possibilities other than landfilling could be considered to give economic value to these ashes.     

Selective and quantitative detection of influenza virus proteins in commercial vaccines using two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection

In this work, we report on the applicability of two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (2D-HPLC) for the comprehensive characterization of inactivated influenza vaccine proteins. This novel procedure features minimal sample treatment and combines the on-line coupling of size exclusion HPLC to reversed-phase HPLC. A comparative analysis of commercial vaccines from three different manufacturers showed the method to be highly selective by providing characteristic reproducible chromatographic profiles for each vaccine. In addition, the method provided enhanced sensitivity for most constituents as a result of the use of native fluorescence detection in the reversed-phase HPLC step. The limits of detection (at a signal-to-noise ratio of >3) for hemagglutinin (HA) antigens were 105 and 172 ng/mL for influenza A/New Caledonia/20/99 and B/Jiangsu/10/2003 strains, respectively. The potential of this 2D-HPLC procedure in terms of quantitative antigen analysis was assessed by determination of the HA content of commercial vaccines. Results provided very good correlation with nominal HA values. The reproducibility (RSD) of the whole procedure was also evaluated and was found to be better than 2 and 3% for calculated antigen concentrations expressed as micrograms of HA per milliliter in commercial vaccines for samples of the same lot (n = 5) or different lots (n = 3), respectively. In addition, it allowed the selective detection of several influenza constituents including nucleoproteins from type A and B viruses and the highly hydrophobic matrix protein 1 from both virus strains.     

Impact psychologique de l'horaire de travail et de la participation aux taches familiales chez des couples à double carrière.

The present research examined the joint impact of characteristics of the work schedule and the participation in household work on psychological distress and parental role strain as well as stress crossover. A total of 93 dual-earner couples with at least one child living at home participated. Multiple regression analyses revealed that predictive variables of the psychological distress or the parental role strain differed for men and women and that the parental role strain was related to the psychological distress for both men and women. Results partially support the hypothesis of stress crossover since no characteristics of work schedule of the husband's and wife's were related to parental role strain of the spouses, but women's participation in the children's care was associated with men's higher parental role strain. These results underline the importance of studying strains associated with specific social roles of women and men with respect to effects of both work schedule and family strains related to psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of the nature of reaction products in the differing behaviours of fine glass powders and coarse glass aggregates used in concrete

This paper deals with the incorporation of glass cullet in cement-based materials. The aim is to help understand the differing behaviours observed depending on the particle size of the glass: the use of fine powders usually improves the concrete properties due to pozzolanic reaction, while coarse aggregates are generally detrimental for concrete due to alkali-silica reaction. It is shown that the lack of swelling of gels resulting from the reaction of glass fines can be partly due to the nature of these gels. The comparative investigation carried out on reaction products resulting from glass grains of various sizes, in the presence of both portlandite Ca(OH)₂ and C₃S (tricalcium silicate: 3CaO · SiO₂), has shown that glass aggregates produce detrimental gels while glass fines produce gels that help to improve concrete properties.