Characterization of the Optical Properties of Photoluminescent Turbid Media Using an Integrating Sphere and Monte Carlo Simulations.

In this paper, we report on the measurement of the optical properties (absorption and scattering coefficients) of photoluminescent turbid media using a homemade integrating sphere setup equipped with a tunable monochromatic light source. The hemispherical reflectance and transmission data are analyzed with the radiative transfer equation using a Monte Carlo simulation-based lookup table to obtain the optical properties of the sample. The results are compared with the optical properties received from a classical integrating sphere setup equipped with a broadband white light source.

[A comparison of direct admissions to inpatient-equivalent home treatment with transfers from psychiatric wards].

Aim: Different access routes to inpatient-equivalent home treatment (IEHT) were examined.

Methods: Baseline differences were examined using exploratory group comparisons, treatment effects by type of admission using regression analysis.

Results: Of 200 StäB users, 144 (72%) were admitted directly to IEHT, while 56 (28%) were transferred.

[Involuntary treatment under guardianship law in psychiatric hospitals in Germany: results of an online survey].

Aim Of The Study: To determine the circumstances of involuntary treatment under the German Civil Code (BGB) in psychiatric hospitals serving a catchment area.

Method: Medical directors of psychiatric hospitals in Germany, including psychiatric departments at general hospitals and university clinics, were interviewed by means of an online survey.

Results: The response rate among the N=397 institutions addressed was 43%.

[Psychedelics in psychiatry: an open debate].

The application of psychedelics in psychiatry and psychotherapy is increasingly the subject of scientific evaluation and discussion in national and international professional and general society, and, internationally, has already been partly applied in the clinical setting. The manuscript provides a basic description of the state of the art regarding evidence and clinical issues; law, ethics and economics are addressed; therapeutic qualification of potential users and a potentially clinical embedding in psychiatry are discussed, taking into consideration current challenges. Thus, the discussion will cover the circumstances under which the application of psychedelics might have a potential to broaden the spectrum of treatments in certain psychiatric conditions, particularly in the context of chronicity and treatment resistance to current methods.

[Job-Related Health Check for Employees Aged 45 and Older: Is there a Need for Carers?].

Purpose: High levels of physical and psychological stresses experienced by those in the care profession can have a negative impact on their health. The pilot project "Health Check for Carers in the region of Karlsruhe" offered nurses aged 45 and above - based on their self-assessed ability to work using the Work Ability Index (WAI) - the opportunity to participate in a job-related health check, based on their work ability index result. This study looks at the occupational and health situation of older carers, the (subjective) need for a Ü45 health check and draws a comparison between particpants and non-participants.

[Bacterial cutaneous infections in diabetes mellitus and treatment].

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a debilitating, life-limiting disease. According to recent estimates, 415 million adults currently suffer from the disease. This number is expected to rise to 642 million by 2040.

[Implementation of the guidelines on the prevention of violence and coercion: pre-post analysis of the randomized controlled PreVCo study].

Aim Of The Study: This study examines the extent to which a structured implementation of guidelines for the prevention of coercion leads to an improvement in guideline-compliant work and the reduction of coercion in routine clinical practice.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the shift of outcomes in the PreVCo study, which was conducted on 55 psychiatric wards throughout Germany.

Results: The number of coercive measures decreased significantly during the observation period.

Development of silicone-based phantoms for biomedical optics from 400 to 1550 nm.

This work describes the development of silicone-based evaluation phantoms for biomedical optics in the wavelength range from 400 to 1550 nm. The absorption coefficient and the reduced scattering coefficient were determined using an integrating sphere setup. Zirconium dioxide pigments were used as scatterers and carbon black as absorbers.

The Need for Standardization of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Performance Evaluation: An Opinion by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Continuous Glucose Monitoring.

Metrics derived from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems are often discordant between systems. A major cause is that CGM systems are not standardized; they use various algorithms and calibration methods, leading to discordant CGM readings across systems. This discordance can be addressed by standardizing CGM performance assessments: If manufacturers aim their CGM systems at the same target, then CGM readings will align across systems.

Auto Aligning, Error-Compensated Broadband Collimated Transmission Spectroscopy.

Broadband spectral measurements of the ballistic transmission of scattering samples are challenging. The presented work shows an approach that includes a broadband system and an automated adjustment unit for compensation of angular distortions caused by non-plane-parallel samples. The limits of the system in terms of optimal transmission and detected forward scattering influenced by the scattering phase function are investigated.

[Housing Situation of People with Severe Mental Illnesses].

Objective: People with mental illness should live independently in the community. This study analyzed the housing situation and the use and need of psychiatric housing facilities of people with severe mental illness.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional study with 397 people with severe mental illness from two Bavarian districts were used and analyzed descriptively.

Spectral density modulation and universal Markovian closure of fermionic environments.

The combination of chain-mapping and tensor-network techniques provides a powerful tool for the numerically exact simulation of open quantum systems interacting with structured environments. However, these methods suffer from a quadratic scaling with the physical simulation time, and therefore, they become challenging in the presence of multiple environments. This is particularly true when fermionic environments, well-known to be highly correlated, are considered.

Can sheep help to improve positive emotions, mindfulness, and self-efficacy expectancy? A pilot study of animal-assisted intervention as an enhanced CBT-based therapy for substance use disorders.

Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common, and there is evidence of clinically significant benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The efficacy of CBT in SUDs has been confirmed, although relapse rates of 40%-60% have been reported. An enhancement of CBT-based therapy through an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) with sheep to normalize the occurrence of negative emotions and improve positive emotions as well as mindfulness and self-efficacy expectancy was investigated.

Monitoring of the Analytical Performance of Four Different Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems: A Post-market Performance Follow-Up Study.

Introduction: A sizeable minority of commercially available blood glucose monitoring (BGM) systems fail to satisfy regulatory accuracy requirements, such as ISO 15197:2013, after approval. This study assessed whether the BGMs tested could consistently meet these ISO requirements by investigating their accuracy in a non-standardized setting.

Methods: In this 18-month post-market performance study, using the ISO criteria, healthcare professionals tested the accuracy of four CE-marked BGM systems (Roche Diabetes Care, Mannheim, Germany) on European adults with diabetes mellitus.

Consensus Considerations and Good Practice Points for Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems in Hospital Settings.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems provide frequent glucose measurements in interstitial fluid and have been used widely in ambulatory settings for diabetes management. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, regulators in the U.S.

[IEHT vs. Regular Treatment - Are there Differences between the Two forms of Treatment in the Retrospective Course with regard to Individual Objective and Subjective Outcome Variables?].

This retrospective follow-up study over one year (after discharge from the index treatment), compares the effects of inpatient-equivalent home treatment (IEHT) and regular psychiatric treatment using subjective and objective quality indicators. Using a 1:1 matching of cohorts (diagnosis, age, gender, number of previous treatments and severity of illness), 732 IEHT patients were assigned to a comparison group. Outcome data was taken from the routine data of the clinic database and the in-house basic documentation.

[Self-help offers for people with severe mental illness: who uses which format?].

Background: Self-help can play an important supplementary role in the treatment of people with severe mental illness; however, little is known about the utilization of the various approaches.

Objective: This study describes the use of various self-help options by patients with severe mental illness and examines potential predictors.

Material And Methods: As part of the observational cross-sectional study on patients with severe mental illness (IMPPETUS, N = 397), trained staff collected sociodemographic, illness-associated and treatment-associated data between March 2019 and September 2019.

Control of Grain Boundary Formation in Atomically Resolved Nanocrystalline Carbon Monolayers: Dependence on Electron Energy.

In this study, we explore the dynamics of grain boundaries in nanocrystalline carbon monolayers, focusing on their variation with electron beam energy and electron dose rate in a spherical and chromatic aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope. We demonstrate that a clean surface, a high-dose rate, and a 60 keV electron beam are essential for precise local control over the dynamics of grain boundaries. The structure of these linear defects has been evaluated using neural network-generated polygon mapping.

[Developing An Initial Best Practice Model For Inpatient Equivalent Psychiatric Home Treatment From The Perspective Of Service Users: Consensus Process With Participatory Features].

Aim: Inpatient-Equivalent Home Treatment (IEHT) for mental health is new in Germany and therefore requires quality development. A best practice model (BPM) for IEHT is being developed from a service user perspective.

Methods: 1.

[Mental healthcare in South Tyrol].

Mental healthcare in South Tyrol, as everywhere in Italy, is still characterized by Law 180, which came into force in 1978 under the leadership of Franco Basaglia and Bruno Orsini. The Ministry of Health subsequently set a target number of beds of 10/100,000 inhabitants. Unlike in other parts of Italy, private clinics play a minimal role in South Tyrol.

An SMS-Guided Basal Insulin Titration in People with Type 2 Diabetes New on Insulin.

Introduction: The shortage of general practitioners (GPs) and the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes create significant pressure on primary healthcare services. To enable that medical services are available to all that need it, innovative solutions are needed. One of those, a Short Message Service (SMS)-supported basal insulin titration service is investigated in this study.