Risky recreation: synthetic cannabinoids have dangerous effects

Use of synthetic marijuana (also known as spice, K2, aroma, and eclipse) is often viewed by young people as harmless recreation. Until recently, the substance was freely available in U.S. convenience stores and head shops, and it is still available via the Internet. Emerging evidence shows a wide range of responses to the drug, including paranoia, aggressive behavior, anxiety, and short-term memory deficits. Synthetic cannabinoids are not currently detectable via standard toxicology tests. Recognition and management of synthetic cannabinoid use are discussed.     

CCR or BCC: what if we are in the wrong model?

The CCR model by Charnes et al. (Eur J Oper Res 2:429–444, 1978) together with the BCC model by Banker et al. (Manag Sci 30:1078–1091, 1984) are the most popular approaches of measuring efficiency among a group of decision making units, DMUs, in data envelopment analysis, DEA. The right choice of a DEA model—CCR or BCC—often, if not always, is a difficult decision. To evaluate a DMU’s efficiency for both models might be helpful, but it does not always capture the essential issues at stake. In this paper we propose a comparative analysis of both concepts: How does activity scaling under constant BCC-efficiency influence CCR-efficiency. And inversely, how does BCC-efficiency behave when activity scaling under constant CCR-efficiency is applied. Such findings of mutual effects improve a DMU’s ability to reassess upsizing and downsizing of activities. Moreover, it allows for exact calculations of the resulting economic effects, and these effects give new insights beyond classical DEA. Finally, scale efficiency turns out to be the ideal concept to control these activity changes, rather than just CCR- or BCC-efficiency. We use a little numerical example to emphasize advantages of the new concept and sketch the new findings for a theater scenery.     

Can we immunize children against violence?

Psychiatric nurses should support best practices to prevent youth violence. The magnitude and significance of youth violence gives us both social and moral mandates to proceed. Health care professionals have made giant strides in sparing our children from the ravages of childhood diseases. Let us try to do the same by preventing the development of violent behaviors.     

A measure of community members’ perceptions of the impacts of research partnerships in health and social services

Currently, there are no psychometrically sound outcome measures by which to assess the impacts of research partnerships. This article describes the development of a 33-item, survey questionnaire measuring community members’ perceptions of the impact of research partnerships addressing health or social issues. The Community Impacts of Research Oriented Partnerships (CIROP) was developed using information from the literatures on health promotion, community development, research utilization, and community-based participatory research, and from focus groups involving 29 key informants. Data from 174 community members were used to determine the factor structure, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the four CIROP scales, and to provide evidence of construct validity. The CIROP informs research partnerships about the extent of their impact in the areas of Personal Knowledge Development, Personal Research Skill Development, Organizational/Group Access To and Use of Information, and Community and Organizational Development, allowing them to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies. As well, the CIROP can be used as a research tool to assess the effectiveness of knowledge sharing approaches, determine the most influential activities of research partnerships, and determine structural characteristics of partnerships associated with various types of impact. The CIROP provides a better understanding of community members’ perspectives and expectations of research partnerships, with important implications for knowledge transfer and uptake.     

Top 10 reasons to take your graduate program in psychiatric nursing online

1. Removing barriers to graduate psychiatric nursing education is possible by delivering courses via the Internet. 2. The Internet is full of valuable resources for graduate psychiatric nursing education. 3. Successful online learning environments involve a paradigm shift on the part of faculty from traditional teaching to facilitating the learning of adult students. 4. Increasing the number of advanced practice psychiatric nurses through Web-based education will transform the delivery of mental health care.     

Authors’ response: on the role of data,statistics and decisions in a pandemic

AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis -     

How is My Partner Feeling in Different Daily-Life Settings? Accuracy of Spouses' Judgements about Their Partner's Feelings at Work and at Home

How accurately do spouses know their partner's feelings when the partneris not physically present, but in a specific setting (at work, or at home)?This question addresses a special kind of empathic inference that relies mainly on content knowledge and projection rather than perception. We answered this question using a computer assisted diary approach. A total of 190 husbands and wives outof 95 couples simultaneously recorded how they were feeling and what they thought their partner was feeling, six times each day during an ordinary week. They also recorded where they were, who they were with, and where they thought their partner was. This enabled us to assess measures of accuracy and assumed similarity under natural conditions in spouses' daily lives. Results showed that the spouses' judgements of the absent partner's feelings relied on their own feelings (assumed similarity). Despite this they were often quite accurate, even when assumed similarity was controlled. In general, our findings indicate that spouses have a basic knowledge about their partner's feelings when they are apart. However, the specific situation, the items being judged, and the gender of the spouses also need to be taken into account.