Long-term course and outcome of obsessive-compulsive patientsafter cognitive-behavioral therapy in combination with eitherfluvoxamine or placebo: A 7-year follow-up of a randomized double-blind trial

Longitudinal studies with very long follow-up periods of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have received adequate treatment are rare. In the current study, 30 of 37 inpatients (81%) with severe OCD were followed up 6-8 years after treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in combination with either fluvoxamine or placebo in a randomized design. The significant improvements (with large effectsizes) in obsessive-compulsive symptoms from pre- to post-treatment (41% reduction on the Y-BOCS) remained stable at follow-up (45 %). Responder rates, defined as ≥35% reduction on the Y-BOCS, were 67% and 60%, respectively. Depressive symptoms decreased significantly not only from pre- to post-treatment but also during follow-up. Re-hospitalization, which occurred in 11 patients (37 %), was associated with more severe depressive symptoms at pre-treatment and living without a partner. Full symptom remission at follow-up, defined as both Y-BOCS total score ≤ 7 and no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for OCD, was achieved by 8 patients (27 %). Patients without full remission at follow-up had a significantly longer history of OCD, assessed at pretreatment, compared to remitted patients. The shortterm treatment outcome had no predictive value for the long-term course. Throughout the naturalistic follow-up, nearly all patients (29 patients) received additional psychotherapy and/or medication. This might indicate that such chronic OCD patients usually need additional therapeutic support after effective inpatient treatment to maintain their improvements over long period

Viking Age garden plants from southern Scandinavia: diversity, taphonomy and cultural aspects

Plant finds recovered from archaeological sites in southern Scandinavia dated to the Viking Age reflect the diversity of useful plants that were cultivated and collected. This review presents the results of 14 investigations of deposits that are dated between AD 775 and 1050. The site types are categorized as agrarian, urban, military and burials. Garden plants are unevenly distributed, as the greatest diversity is recorded in features from urban contexts. We argue that taphonomic processes played an important role in the picture displayed. Archaeobotanical research results from neighbouring regions suggest that Viking Age horticulture has its roots in older traditions, and that the spectrum of garden plants is influenced by central and north-western European horticultural customs, which were to a great extent shaped by Roman occupation

New AMS 14C dates track the arrival and spread of broomcorn millet cultivation and agricultural change in prehistoric Europe

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is not one of the founder crops domesticated in Southwest Asia in the early Holocene, but was domesticated in northeast China by 6000 bc. In Europe, millet was reported in Early Neolithic contexts formed by 6000 bc, but recent radiocarbon dating of a dozen 'early' grains cast doubt on these claims. Archaeobotanical evidence reveals that millet was common in Europe from the 2nd millennium bc, when major societal and economic transformations took place in the Bronze Age. We conducted an extensive programme of AMS-dating of charred broomcorn millet grains from 75 prehistoric sites in Europe. Our Bayesian model reveals that millet cultivation began in Europe at the earliest during the sixteenth century bc, and spread rapidly during the fifteenth/fourteenth centuries bc. Broomcorn millet succeeds in exceptionally wide range of growing conditions and completes its lifecycle in less than three summer months. Offering an additional harvest and thus surplus food/fodder, it likely was a transformative innovation in European prehistoric agriculture previously based mainly on (winter) cropping of wheat and barley. We provide a new, high-resolution chronological framework for this key agricultural development that likely contributed to far-reaching changes in lifestyle in late 2nd millennium bc Europe

Complex Deformation During Arc–Continent Collision: Quantifying Finite Strain in the Accreted Alisitos Arc, Peninsular Ranges Batholith, Baja California

The Early Cretaceous Alisitos island arc, located in the western part of the Peninsular Ranges batholith, Baja California, accreted to North America during the mid-Cretaceous. A syn- to post-collisional fold-thrust belt dominated by sinistral transpression and orthogonal convergence developed along the northern and eastern edges of the arc, respectively. Field observations across the fold-thrust belt show a deformation gradient with stronger planar and linear fabrics, fold tightening, and greater finite strain towards the arc–continent suture. Flattening strains dominate and finite strain intensity ranges from 0.08 to 2.71 and generally increases towards the suture. In detail, the fold-thrust belt narrows southward from ∼12 km to ∼3 km. Furthermore, finite strain is heterogeneous reflecting a heterogeneous fold-thrust belt characterized by local high strain zones near faults, folds, and igneous intrusions. Finite strain data and field observations allow several conclusions: (1) the colliding arc deformed significantly as a result of collision; (2) strain contributes to bulk shortening and crustal thickening in the collision zone; (3) geometry, composition, and tectonic setting of the continental margin prior to collision control along-strike variations in the fold-thrust belt; and (4) narrowing of the fold-thrust belt southward is offset by increased deformation in continental margin units

Verminderung des Schadstoffgehaltes insbesondere an PCDD/PCDF in den Abgasen eines Elektrostahlwerkes; Untersuchung der Auswirkungen verschiedener Einflussgroessen auf das Emissionsverhalten der Anlage und zur Festlegung der optimalen Fahrweise Abschlussbericht

Dioxins and furans may form when melting down scrap in a DC electric arc furnace. This may have major consequences on the content of harmful substances of the waste gas produced. An innovative process-integrated concept was chosen to minimize the content of harmful substances in the waste gas of Salzgitter AG's new electric steel plant. It includes a combination of primary (afterburner chamber, air quenching) and secondary measures (highly efficient fibrous filter). An wide range of measurements were carried out within the framework of the project in order to examine the efficiency of the chosen system, using a variety of scrap menus. The aim was to find out operating conditions allowing to respect the PCDD/F threshold value of 0,1 ngTE/Nm"3 even during continous production operations. The design and the mode of operation of the waste gas treatment system were continuously optimized and adapted to new findings. The interdependence between the PCDD/F content in the purified gas and the temperature conditions in the waste gas treatment system already described in literature references could also be observed in the present project. (orig.)Beim Einschmelzen von Schrott im Gleichstrom-Lichtbogenofen koennen sich Dioxine und Furane bilden. Der Schadstoffgehalt des entstehenden Abgases kann dadurch massgeblich beeinflusst werden. Zur Minimierung des Schadstoffgehaltes im Abgas des neuen Elektrostahlwerkes der Salzitter AG wurde ein innovatives prozessintegriertes Konzept gewaehlt. Es besteht aus einer Kombination von Primaer- (Nachbrennkammer, Luftquenche) und Sekundaermassnahmen (hochwirksames Gewebefilter). Im Rahmen des Untersuchungsvorhabens wurde durch ein umfangreiches Messprogramm bei wechselnden Schrottmenues die Wirksamkeit des gewaehlten Systems ueberprueft. Ziel war, Betriebsbedingungen zu ermitteln, bei denen die Einhaltung des PCDD/F-Grenzwertes von 0,1 ngTE/Nm"3 auch waehrend des laufenden Produktionsbetriebes gewaehrleistet ist. Konzeption und Betriebsweise des Abgassystems wurden waehrend des Untersuchungsvorhabens staendig optimiert und den neuen Erkenntnissen angepasst. Die bereits in der Litertur beschriebene Abhaengigkeit zwischen PCDD/F-Gehalt im Reingas und den Temperaturverhaeltnissen im Abgasbehandlungssystem wurde auch in diesem Untersuchungsprogramm beobachtet. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RO 2148(2069) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

Long–term course and outcome of obsessive–compulsive patients after cognitive–behavioral therapy in combination with either fluvoxamine or placebo

Longitudinal studies with very long follow-up periods of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have received adequate treatment are rare. In the current study, 30 of 37 inpatients (81%) with severe OCD were followed up 6-8 years after treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in combination with either fluvoxamine or placebo in a randomized design. The significant improvements (with large effectsizes) in obsessive-compulsive symptoms from pre- to post-treatment (41% reduction on the Y-BOCS) remained stable at follow-up (45 %). Responder rates, defined as ≥35% reduction on the Y-BOCS, were 67% and 60%, respectively. Depressive symptoms decreased significantly not only from pre- to post-treatment but also during follow-up. Re-hospitalization, which occurred in 11 patients (37 %), was associated with more severe depressive symptoms at pre-treatment and living without a partner. Full symptom remission at follow-up, defined as both Y-BOCS total score ≤ 7 and no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for OCD, was achieved by 8 patients (27 %). Patients without full remission at follow-up had a significantly longer history of OCD, assessed at pretreatment, compared to remitted patients. The shortterm treatment outcome had no predictive value for the long-term course. Throughout the naturalistic follow-up, nearly all patients (29 patients) received additional psychotherapy and/or medication. This might indicate that such chronic OCD patients usually need additional therapeutic support after effective inpatient treatment to maintain their improvements over long period