Deficits in emotion-regulation skills predict alcohol use during and after cognitive–behavioral therapy for alcohol dependence.

Objective: As emotion regulation is widely considered to be a primary motive in the misuse of alcohol, our aim in the study was to investigate whether deficits in adaptive emotion-regulation skills maintain alcohol dependence (AD). Method: A prospective study investigated whether emotion-regulation skills were associated with AD and whether these skills predicted alcohol use during and after treatment for AD. Participants were 116 individuals treated for AD with cognitive–behavioral therapy. Emotion regulation and severity of AD symptoms were assessed by self-report. Alcohol use during treatment was assessed by Breathalyzer and urine analysis for ethyl glucuronide; alcohol use during the 3-month follow-up interval was assessed by self-report. Results: Pretreatment emotion-regulation skills predicted alcohol use during treatment, and posttreatment emotion-regulation skills predicted alcohol use at follow-up, even when controlling for other predictors potentially related to emotion regulation. Among a broad range of specific emotion-regulation skills, the ability to tolerate negative emotions was the only skill that negatively predicted subsequent alcohol consumption when controlling for the other skills. Individuals in the AD sample reported significantly larger deficits in emotion-regulation skills than did those in a nonclinical control sample but significantly less than did those in a sample of individuals exclusively meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. Conclusions: Enhancement of general emotion-regulation skills, especially the ability to tolerate negative emotions, appears to be an important target in the treatment of AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental Investigation of the Flow in a Continuous-Casting Mold under the Influence of a Transverse,Direct Current Magnetic Field

This article describes laboratory experiments aimed at investigations of flow structures and related transport processes in the continuous-casting mold under the influence of an external direct current (DC) magnetic field. The main value of cold metal laboratory experiments consists in the capabilities to obtain quantitative flow measurements with a reasonable spatial and temporal resolution. The experimental results presented here were obtained using a physical model operating with the room-temperature alloy GaInSn. According to the concept of the electromagnetic brake, the impact of a DC magnetic field on the outlet flow from the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) has been studied up to Hartmann numbers of approximately 400. The effect of the magnetic field on the flow structure turned out to be complex. The flow measurements do not manifest a general braking effect, which would be expected as an overall damping of the flow velocity and the related fluctuations all over the mold volume. Variations of the wall conductivity showed a striking impact on the resulting flow structures. The experiments provide a substantial database for the validation of respective numerical simulations.     

Characterizing cerebral oxygen metabolism employing oxygen-17 MRI/MRS at high fields

This article provides a comprehensive overview of oxygen (¹⁷O) magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging, including the advantages and challenges offered by the different methods developed thus far. The physiological role and relevance of oxygen, and its participation in aerobic metabolism, are addressed to emphasize the importance of the investigations and the efforts related to these developments. Furthermore, a number of methods employed in the determination of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen in neural cells will be presented, focusing primarily on methodologies enabling absolute quantification.     

Structural characterization of octadecyl modified MCM-41 silica by NMR and FTIR

Mesoporous MCM-41 silica spheres were prepared via the pseudomorphic route, using commercial prontosil silica spheres. Surface modification offers a great opportunity to adjust both the pore structure and surface properties of MCM-41 type materials which results in materials of improved hydrothermal and mechanical stability to make them promising candidates for chromatographic applications. In the present context, the obtained MCM-41 silica spheres were surface modified with octadecyl (C₁₈) alkyl chains, by using direct grafting and surface polymerization methods, in order to vary the degree of surface hydrophobicity. The resulting materials were characterized before and after surface modification using various characterization techniques, with special emphasis on NMR and FTIR spectroscopies, for studying the attachment, mobility and the conformational order of the attached alkyl chains.     

Photokatalytische Bildung von Wasserstoff aus Thiolen in Gegenwart von Vitamin B12-Modellverbindungen mit Azid als photochemischem Opferliganden

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Formation from Thioles in the Presence of Vitamin-B₁₂ Model Complexes with Azide as Photochemical Sacrificial Ligand The photolysis of [N₃Co(chelat)B] complexes ( 1–3 ) (chelat = dimethylglyoxime, dmg; N,N′-o-phynylenebis(salicylidenimine), salphen; N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylidenimine), salen; B = pyridine) leads by homolytic cleavage of the Co–N₃ bond to both coordinatively unsaturated cobalt(II) chelates [Co(chelat)B] and N₃ ligand radicals that undergo fast decay to dinitrogen. The photolysis of the cobalt (III) complexes 1–3 in the presence of thiophenole and other thioles proceeds catalytically and yields the corresponding disulphides and dihydrogen. The mechanism of this photocatalytic generation of dihydrogen is due to the catalytic activity of the coordinatively unsaturated cobalt(II) species formed photochemically. A photocatalytic cycle is proposed describing the generation of hydrogen. Possible photochemical and thermal steps of that cycle are discussed.     

Chromatographische Untersuchungen zur Polydispersität von Hydroxyethylstärke

Chromatographic Studies on the Polydispersity of Hydroxyethyl Starch. A representative sample of clinically used hydroxyethyl starch was separated by semipreparative HPSEC into narrow fractions in the range of approx. 3.000 to 800.000 D. The original sample and selected fractions were characterised by gaschromatographic methylation analysis according to their substitution degrees MS and DS, which were differentiated by the substitution positions at C2, C3 and C6 of the anhydroglucoses and their kind of glycosidic bonding α-1, α-1,4 or α-1,4,6, respectively. Furthermore, polydispersity in relations to the degree of branching was determined. Mark-Houwink and molecular weight distribution parameters determined by multi-detection HPSEC are reported. The presented data demonstrate a extensive homogeneity of the original sample. The clinical relevance is discussed.     

Photochemische Untersuchungen von Vitamin B12-Modellverbindungen mit Azid bzw. Thiolat als Axialliganden – Precursorverbindungen für koordinativ ungesättigte Cobalt(II)-Komplexe

Photochemistry of Azido and Thiolato Vitamin-B₁₂ Model Complexes as Precursor Compounds for Coordinatively Unsaturated Cobalt(II) Complexes The photolysis of [LCo(chelat)B] complexes ( 1–3 ) (L = azide, N; thiolate, RS⁻; chelat = dimethylglyoxime, dmg; N,N′-o-phenylene-bis(salicylidenimine), salphen; N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylidenimine), salen; B = pyridine, imidazole, triphenylphosphine) leads upon the homolytic cleavage of the Co L bond to both coordinatively unsaturated reactive cobalt(II) chelates [Co(chelat)B] and ligand radicals L^•. The efficiency of these photochemical redox reactions is described in relation to the structure of the cobalt(III) chelates, the wavelength of irradiation, the light-intensity as well as the solvents and substrates used during the photochemical experiments. Further, sensitization experiments using [Ru(bipy)₃]Cl₂ as sensitizer are described and the redox potentials of the investigated complexes are discussed.