3 results
The use of new technology in prevention and treatment of psychiatric diseases - preliminary results
- A. Häussl, F. Fellendorf, E. Fleischmann, S. Guggemos, E. Schönthaler, T. Stross, I. Zwigl, D. Albert, J. Mosbacher, K. Stix, S. Draxler, G. Lodron, T. Orgel, M. Pszeida, S. Russegger, M. Schneeberger, M. Uray, W. Weiss, M. Fellner, T. Fruhmann, R. Hartmann, P. Hauptmann, R. Pfiszter, G. Pötz, U. Prattner, N. Saran, S. Spat, E. Zweytik, T. Lutz, S. Lindner-Rabl, R. Roller-Wirnsberger, S. Schüssler, J. Zuschnegg, K. Ceron, M. Danilov, C. Grossegger, M. Macher, O. Sokolov, S. Egger-Lampl, B. Roszipal, L. Paletta, M. Lenger, N. Dalkner, E. Reininghaus
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- Journal:
- European Psychiatry / Volume 66 / Issue S1 / March 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 July 2023, pp. S853-S854
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- Article
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Introduction
The COVID-19 outbreak is a serious global public health issue with wide-ranging negative effects on people’s lives, which is reflected in steadily rising mental health problems. In order to appropriately respond to the increased occurrence of psychiatric illness, protect mental health and strengthen resilience it is necessary to include new technologies, such as extended reality (XR) or socially assistive robots (SAR) in not only psychiatric treatment but also in the prevention of psychiatric diseases. In this context, the use of new technologies offers innovative ways to strengthen resilience, self-efficacy and stress coping skills and plays an important role in improving psychological wellbeing.
ObjectivesPreliminary results from studies at the Clinical Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine in Graz, Austria, dealing with new technologies in psychiatry, show new options for psychiatric settings.
MethodsProject AMIGA: The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of a cognitive training session, conducted with the SAR named Pepper. In this randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of SAR on depressive symptoms and correlates is evaluated in a sample of 60 individuals with major depression. While the intervention group will receive cognitive training with the SAR Pepper, the control group will receive “treatment-as-usual” therapy with a common PC software. Participants will receive 30 minutes of training 2 times per week over a period of 3 weeks.
Project XRes4HEALTH: The aim of this study is to develop an XR resilience training to increase resilience and stress coping mechanisms in healthcare workers. A total of 40 people will be included. To test the effectiveness of the resilience training, 3 XR training sessions of 15 minutes each will be held. A pre-post measurement will test the effectiveness of the training on wellbeing and stress levels as well as the acceptance and satisfaction with the training.
Project AI-REFIT: The overall goal of this study is to explore key information to increase resilience in healthy individuals who are at increased risk for mental health problems. Through a usability study, the artificial intelligence-based prototype app of the resilience training will be tested for acceptance, usability, functionality, and efficiency. During the resilience training, participants are wearing a smartwatch which measures psychophysiological parameters. Conclusions about the success of the therapy can be drawn based on digital data acquisition.
ResultsNew technologies including XR and SAR support classical psychiatric treatment in the topics of resilience and cognitive training as an add-on therapy in times of reduced availability of healthcare workers.
ConclusionsThe rapid development of new technologies holds a lot of potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, which is why it is important to scientifically evaluate those innovative tools.
Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Sinking, merging and stationary plumes in a coupled chemotaxis-fluid model: a high-resolution numerical approach
- A. Chertock, K. Fellner, A. Kurganov, A. Lorz, P. A. Markowich
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 694 / 10 March 2012
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 February 2012, pp. 155-190
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Aquatic bacteria like Bacillus subtilis are heavier than water yet they are able to swim up an oxygen gradient and concentrate in a layer below the water surface, which will undergo Rayleigh–Taylor-type instabilities for sufficiently high concentrations. In the literature, a simplified chemotaxis–fluid system has been proposed as a model for bio-convection in modestly diluted cell suspensions. It couples a convective chemotaxis system for the oxygen-consuming and oxytactic bacteria with the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations subject to a gravitational force proportional to the relative surplus of the cell density compared to the water density. In this paper, we derive a high-resolution vorticity-based hybrid finite-volume finite-difference scheme, which allows us to investigate the nonlinear dynamics of a two-dimensional chemotaxis–fluid system with boundary conditions matching an experiment of Hillesdon et al. (Bull. Math. Biol., vol. 57, 1995, pp. 299–344). We present selected numerical examples, which illustrate (i) the formation of sinking plumes, (ii) the possible merging of neighbouring plumes and (iii) the convergence towards numerically stable stationary plumes. The examples with stable stationary plumes show how the surface-directed oxytaxis continuously feeds cells into a high-concentration layer near the surface, from where the fluid flow (recurring upwards in the space between the plumes) transports the cells into the plumes, where then gravity makes the cells sink and constitutes the driving force in maintaining the fluid convection and, thus, in shaping the plumes into (numerically) stable stationary states. Our numerical method is fully capable of solving the coupled chemotaxis–fluid system and enabling a full exploration of its dynamics, which cannot be done in a linearised framework.
16 - Passive and Active Bystandership across Grades in Response to Students Bullying Other Students
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- By D. Fellner, J. Berry, K. Morange
- Ervin Staub, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
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- Book:
- The Psychology of Good and Evil
- Published online:
- 07 May 2010
- Print publication:
- 21 July 2003, pp 240-243
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Summary
The previous selection is about student life in middle school. However, we actually did the study described in that selection in the whole school system, from grades two to twelve. Here, we will briefly describe some striking findings about students and teachers witnessing and responding to bullying, and changes in this over the years. We regard positive bystandership to be of great importance in reducing bullying – which may be defined as negative behavior such as harassment, intimidation, and verbal or physical aggression, especially when this is repeatedly directed at the same persons.
In general, the findings of the study across all grades were similar to the findings in middle school. For example, positive behaviors directed at students were associated with each other, and negative behavior directed at students were associated with each other, at every grade level. However, there were also differences. For example, fewer students reported that they were bullied in the previous week in the lower grades, before the fifth grade, than in subsequent grades (see Figure 16.1).
When someone is badly treated, the response of a witness can have an enormous impact on the severity and frequency of such negative behavior. A witness who does not act when he or she sees one student bullying another we consider a “passive bystander.” Active bystanders react in a positive or helpful manner, such as trying to stop the bullying, speaking on the behalf of the victim, or alerting an authority figure.