Investigation of the Effect of Accelerated Hydrothermal Aging on the Cu Sites in a Cu-BEA Catalyst for NH3-SCR Applications

The influence of hydrothermal aging between 500 and 900 °C for 3 h, on the structure of a Cu-Beta catalyst was studied in this work. The XRD measurements indicated a structural breakdown of the zeolite upon 900 °C hydrothermal aging. This was confirmed from the loss of surface area as measured by BET method. The temperature for the zeolite structure break down was different between the powder bed as opposed to the sample that was washcoated on a cordierite monolith, which was most likely due to slightly different aging conditions and the presence of binders. The strong increase in the intensity of the Cu2p XPS peak indicated that the surface is enriched of copper at higher temperatures due to the zeolite structure collapse. The presence of CuO is usually accompanied by a satellite peak, which was clearly observed at higher binding energies for the catalysts aged at 800 and 900 °C. The XPS results are in good agreement with the UV–Vis experiments, which also point to the formation of copper oxide after high temperature aging.     

Modeling longitudinal data from a rolling therapy group program with membership turnover: Does group culture affect individual alliance?

Many community- and hospital-based group treatment programs have an open enrolment, that is, a rolling admissions structure, in which a group member who drops out or successfully completes therapy is replaced by another individual. Although practically efficient and perhaps clinically useful, the interdependence of these group participants' data may result in incorrect inferences drawn from the data analyses if this interdependence is not accounted for. We present an analytic strategy that uses time varying covariates in multilevel models to illustrate a methodology to address these data analysis problems. Participants were adults with eating disorders (N = 229) who attended an average of 12 weeks of a rolling admissions group-based day hospital program during an 8-year period, and who completed a group therapy alliance measure weekly. Individual alliance to the group increased from week to week, and this growth remained significant even after controlling for the time varying level of other group members' alliance to the group. Further, the level of an individual's alliance score during any given week was positively related to the group's alliance during that week. The multilevel time varying covariate models presented here add to a very small but emerging set of analytic strategies available for researchers to address some of the hurdles to correctly analyze data from rolling admissions group-based treatment programs. Results from this study provide evidence that a group's culture is passed on and affects an individual's alliance to the group despite changes in group membership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of attachment theory and research for the assessment and treatment of eating disorders.

In this paper, we review the research literature on attachment and eating disorders and suggest a framework for assessing and treating attachment functioning in patients with an eating disorder. Treatment outcomes for individuals with eating disorders tend to be moderate. Those with attachment-associated insecurities are likely to be the least to benefit from current symptom-focused therapies. We describe the common attachment categories (secure, avoidant, anxious), and then describe domains of attachment functioning within each category: affect regulation, interpersonal style, coherence of mind, and reflective functioning. We also note the impact of disorganized mental states related to loss or trauma. Assessing these domains of attachment functioning can guide focused interventions in the psychotherapy of eating disorders. Case examples are presented to illustrate assessment, case formulation, and group psychotherapy of eating disorders that are informed by attachment theory. Tailoring treatments to improve attachment functioning for patients with an eating disorder will likely result in better outcomes for those suffering from these particularly burdensome disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Book reviews

TOWARDS COSMOPOLIS: Planning for Multicultural Cities. Leonie Sandercock. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, 1998. ISBN 0471971987 (paperback). 258 pp.; bibliography. RRP $41.15.

THE MYTH OF THE POWERLESS STATE: Governing the Economy in a Global Era. Linda Weiss. Polity/Blackwell, Cambridge, 1998. ISBN 0745615821 (paperback). 260 pp.; index and bibliography. RRP $37.95.

SOCIAL CHANGE, SUBURBAN LIVES: An Australian Newtown 1960s to 1990s. Lois Bryson and Ian Winter. Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1998. ISBN 1864486996 (paperback). 238 pp.; index and bibliography. RRP $29.95.

CONTESTING THE AUSTRALIAN WAY: States, Markets and Civil Society. Paul Smyth and Bettina Cass (eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998. ISBN 0521633060 (hardback). 280 pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $90.00.

THE ECOLOGICAL CITY AND THE CITY EFFECT: Essays on the Urban Planning Requirements for the Sustainable City. Franco Archibugi. Ashgate, Aldershot, UK, 1997. ISBN 1859726534 (hardback). 243 pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $96.50.

CITIES FOR TOMORROW: Integrating Land Use, Transport and the Environment. Hans L. Westerman. Austroads, Sydney, 1998. ISBN 0855885033 (paperback). Resource Document 202 pp.; Better Practice Guide. 394 pp.; index. RRP $180.00.

EAST WEST PERSPECTIVES ON 21ST CENTURY URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Sustainable Eastern and Western Cities in the New Millennium. John Brotchie, Peter Newton, Peter Hall and John Dickey (eds). Ashgate, Aldershot, UK, 1999. ISBN 1840143177 (hardback). 432 pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $122.00.

MADE IN LANCASHIRE: A History of Regional Industrialisation. Geoffrey Timmins. Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1998. ISBN 0719045398. 334 pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $145.00.     

Psychotherapy in the veterans health administration: Missed opportunities?

Informed by data on the dose-response effect, the authors assessed use of psychotherapy in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). The authors identified 410,923 patients with newly diagnosed depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder using VA databases (October 2003 through September 2004). Psychotherapy encounters were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes for the 12 months following patients' initial diagnosis. Psychotherapy was examined for session exposure received within the 12-month follow-up period and time (in days) between diagnosis and treatment. Of the cohort, 22% received at least one session of psychotherapy; 7.9% received four or more sessions; 4.2% received eight or more sessions; and 2.4% received 13 or more sessions. Delays between initial mental health diagnosis and initiation of care averaged 57 days. Patient variables including age, marital status, income, travel distance, psychiatric diagnosis, and medical-illness burden were significantly related to receipt of psychotherapy. Treatment delays and general underuse of psychotherapy services are potential missed opportunities for higher-quality psychotherapeutic care in integrated health care settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding a link between sexual harassment and eating disorder symptoms: A mediational analysis.

Using data from 3 samples of working women and men, the present study examines the association between sexual harassment and eating disorder symptoms by studying the processes that may underlie this relationship. The results of structural equation modeling suggest a link between sexual harassment and eating disorder symptoms among women and indicate that this relationship is mediated by psychological distress, self-esteem, and self-blame. Further, sexual harassment was found to predict eating disorder symptoms among women even when experiences of sexual assault were included in the model. No relationship was found between sexual harassment and eating disorder symptoms among men. The theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ein einfacher Extraktionsapparat

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

L'effet du niveau d'experiencing du client et de l'aidant sur l'abandon d'un processus thérapeutique.

Studied the effect of client and therapist level of experiencing, beginning with the initial stage of psychological counseling, on early termination of therapy. Human subjects: 32 male and female Canadian adults (mean age 30–32 yrs) (personality disorders, neuroses, or interpersonal problems) (clients of therapists). 19 normal male and female Canadian adults (mean age 31 yrs) (graduate students) (therapists). Clients were subdivided into 2 groups: those who had terminated therapy (early or late), and those who had not terminated therapy. Ss were interviewed. Levels of experiencing were compared for the 2 groups of clients and for therapists who had counseled these clients. Tests used: The Global Assessment Scale, Psychiatric Symptom Index (F. Ilfeld, 1976), and Experiencing Scale (P. Mathieu-Coughlan and M. Klein, 1984). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking cessation may not improve quality of life in atherosclerotic patients.

The benefits of smoking cessation on patients' medical conditions are well documented. Cardiovascular patients who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of a new event compared with those who continue smoking. Several studies have found that smoking is related to poor quality of life (QoL). In cardiovascular patients, however, less attention has been given to the effect of smoking cessation on patients' QoL. The present study examined the extent to which smoking cessation leads to changes in QoL in these patients within the first year of follow-up. Data were collected in the context of a randomized clinical trial. Smoking outpatients (N = 346) with atherosclerotic disease were included and received medical treatment. They were randomized to receive either nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or NRT plus a behavioral intervention meant to promote smoking cessation. At baseline, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were established. Generic and disease-specific QoL as well as smoking status were assessed at baseline and with three follow-up measurements. Multilevel modeling showed that generic and disease-specific QoL in atherosclerotic patients improved significantly within the first year of follow-up. No main differences were found between quitters and smokers in terms of improvement in QoL. In fact, some subgroups reported a poorer QoL after smoking cessation: More highly educated patients reported lower general QoL (p < .05), and patients suffering from coronary artery disease who had a low level of education (p < .01) and patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease who had low nicotine dependency (p < .01) reported lower disease-specific QoL. Atherosclerotic patients' QoL improved significantly but was not enhanced by smoking cessation activities.