Density functional theory using an optimized exchange-correlation potential

We have performed self-consistent calculations for first and second row atoms using a variant of density-functional theory, the optimized effective potential method, with an approximation due to Krieger, Li and Iafrate and a correlation-energy functional developed by Colle and Salvetti. The mean absolute deviation of first-row atomic ground-state energies from the exact non-relativistic values is 4.7 mH in our scheme, as compared to 4.5 mH in a recent configuration-interaction calculation. The proposed scheme is significantly more accurate than the conventional Kohn-Sham method while the numerical effort involved is about the same as for an ordinary Hartree-Fock calculation.Comment: To be published in Chemical Physics Letters (1995), latex, 15 pages, no figure

Testing a German Adaption of the Entrapment Scale and Assessing the Relation to Depression

The construct of entrapment is used in evolutionary theory to explain the etiology of depression. The perception of entrapment can emerge when defeated individuals want to escape but are incapable. Studies have shown relationships of entrapment to depression, and suicidal tendencies. The aim of this study was a psychometric evaluation and validation of the Entrapment Scale in German (ES-D). 540 normal subjects completed the ES-D along with other measures of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and distress. Good reliability and validity of the ES-D was demonstrated. Further, whereas entrapment originally has been regarded as a two-dimensional construct, our analyses supported a single-factor model. Entrapment explained variance in depressive symptoms beyond that explained by stress and hopelessness supporting the relevance of the construct for depression research. These findings are discussed with regard to their theoretical implications as well as to the future use of the entrapment scale in clinical research and practice

E-Mental Health: Chancen und Herausforderungen

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Prognostic Risk Factors in Randomized Clinical Trials of Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Psychotherapy for Depression

Importance Variables such as severe symptoms, comorbidity, and sociodemographic characteristics (eg, low educational attainment or unemployment) are associated with a poorer prognosis in adults treated for depressive symptoms. The exclusion of patients with a poor prognosis from RCTs is negatively associated with the generalizability of research findings. Objective To compare the prognostic risk factors (PRFs) in patient samples of RCTs of face-to-face therapy (FTF) and internet-based therapy (IBT) for depression. Data Sources PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL, and reference lists of published meta-analyses were searched from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2021.Study SelectionRCTs that compared FTF (individual or group therapy) and IBT (guided or self-guided interventions) against a control (waitlist or treatment as usual) in adults with symptoms of depression were included. Data Extraction and Synthesis Data were extracted by 2 independent observers. The Cochrane revised risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The study was preregistered with OSF Registries and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the standardized mean difference (Hedges g effect size) in depressive symptoms at treatment termination (assessed with standard patient self-report questionnaires), with a positive standardized mean difference indicating larger improvements in the intervention compared with those in the control group. Meta-regression analyses were adjusted for the type of control group. Three preregistered and 2 exploratory sensitivity analyses were conducted. A prognostic risk index (PROG) was created that calculated the sum of 12 predefined individual indicators, with scores ranging from 0 to 12 and higher scores indicating that a sample comprised patients with poorer prognoses. Results This systematic review and meta-regression analysis identified 105 eligible RCTs that comprised 18 363 patients. In total, 48 studies (46%) examined FTF, and 57 studies (54%) examined IBT. The PROG was significantly higher in the RCTs of FTF than in the RCTs of IBT (FTF: mean [SD], 3.55 [1.75]; median [IQR], 3.5 [2.0-4.5]; IBT: mean [SD], 2.27 [1.66]; median [IQR], 2.0 [1.0-3.5]; z = −3.68, P < .001; Hedges g = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.36-1.15). A random-effects meta-regression analysis found no association of the PROG with the effect size. Sensitivity analyses with outliers excluded and accounting for risk of bias or small-study effects yielded mixed results on the association between the PROG and effect size. Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this systematic review and meta-regression analysis suggest that samples of RCTs of FTF vs IBT differ with regard to PRFs. These findings have implications for the generalizability of the current evidence on IBT for depression. More RCTs of internet-based interventions with clinically representative samples are needed, and the reporting of PRFs must be improved

Optimizing the context of support of web-based self-help in individuals with mild to moderate depressive symptoms: A randomized full factorial trial.

Web-based self-help programs for individuals with depressive symptoms are efficacious. Differences in effect sizes and adherence rates might be due to contextual factors. This randomized factorial trial investigated the effects of four potentially supportive contextual factors on outcome and adherence. Two factors were provided through human contact (guidance and a diagnostic interview), and two factors were provided without human contact (a motivational interviewing module and automated emails). We recruited 316 adults with mild to moderate depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score: 5-14). All participants received access to a problem-solving therapy program. Participants were randomized across the four experimental factors (present or absent), resulting in a 16-condition design. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms 10 weeks after baseline. The secondary outcome was program adherence. Overall, results showed significant symptom reduction for the primary depression measure (Cohen's d = 0.38-0.91). Guided participants showed significantly less severe symptoms of depression at post-treatment (d = 0.15) and higher treatment adherence (d = 0.53). At follow-up, these differences were no longer present. The remaining three factors did not influence primary outcome and adherence. These findings indicate that guidance leads to a faster reduction of depressive symptoms and higher treatment adherence

Intelligent vehicle diagnosis using variable test sequences

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt ein System zur Diagnose elektrischer Systeme im Fahrzeug. Zur Ermittlung der Fehlerkandidaten kommt ein wahrscheinlichkeitsbasiertes Verfahren auf Basis von Bayes-Netzen zum Einsatz. Ausgehend von den Fehlerkandidaten werden automatisch Prüfanweisungen zur Eingrenzung der Fehlerursache generiert und zu einer Sequenz kombiniert, die eine kosten- und zeitoptimale Fehlersuche ermöglicht. Eine Besonderheit der eingesetzten Verfahren ist, dass sie ohne vorher erstelltes Expertenwissen (wie es bei heutigen Systemen üblich ist) auskommen. Im Beitrag wird gezeigt, wie das Diagnosesystem fahrzeugindividuelle und variantenspezifische Informationen automatisch berücksichtigen kann und dadurch in der Lage ist, exaktere Diagnosen und präzisere Prüfanweisungen ausgeben zu können, als dies heute möglich ist.This article introduces a system for the diagnosis of electrical systems in vehicles. The system utilizes probability based detection of failure causes based on Bayesian Networks. Test steps for concluding to the failure cause are generated automatically for each failure candidate. These test steps will then be combined to a sequence leading to a cost and time optimal failure search. The specialty of the utilized methods is that they are independent of manually built expert knowledge bases like it is utilized in nowadays systems. This article shows how the diagnosis system can take information about the individual vehicle and its specific variant into account. Thus the system is able to deliver a more exact diagnosis and more precise test steps than nowadays systems do

Intensity of Treatment as Usual and Its Impact on the Effects of Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Psychotherapy for Depression: A Preregistered Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction: Treatment as usual (TAU) is the most frequently used control group in randomized trials of psychotherapy for depression. Concerns have been raised that the heterogeneity of treatments in TAU leads to biased estimates of psychotherapy efficacy and to an unclear difference between TAU and control groups like waiting list (WL). Objective: We investigated the impact of control group intensity (i.e., amount and degree to which elements of common depression treatments are provided) on the effects of face-to-face and internet-based psychotherapy for depression. Methods: We conducted a preregistered meta-analysis (www.osf.io/4mzyd). We included trials comparing psychotherapy with TAU or WL in patients with symptoms of unipolar depression. Six indicators were used to assess control group intensity. Primary outcome: Standardized mean difference (SMD) of psychotherapy and control in depressive symptoms at treatment termination. Results: We included 89 trials randomizing 14,474 patients to 113 psychotherapy conditions and 89 control groups (TAU in 42 trials, WL in 47 trials). Control group intensity predicted trial results in preregistered (one-sided ps < 0.042) and exploratory analyses. Psychotherapy effects were significantly smaller (one-sided p = 0.002) in trials with higher intensity TAU (SMD = 0.324, CI 0.209 to 0.439) than in trials with lower intensity TAU (SMD = 0.628, CI 0.455 to 0.801). Psychotherapy effects against lower intensity TAU did not differ from effects against WL (two-sided p = 0.663). Conclusions: Our results suggest that variation in TAU intensity impacts the outcome of trials. More scrutiny in the design of control groups for clinical trials is recommended

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Guided and Unguided Internet-Based Self-help Intervention for Chronic Loneliness: Protocol for a 3-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND Loneliness, or perceived social isolation, is prevalent in both the general population and clinical practice. Although loneliness has repeatedly been associated with mental and physical health, research on interventions that reduce loneliness effectively is still rather scarce. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a guided and an unguided version of the same internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help program for loneliness (SOLUS-D) for adults. METHODS A total of 250 participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 intervention groups (SOLUS-D with guidance or SOLUS-D without guidance) or a wait-list control group (2:2:1 allocation ratio). Adult participants experiencing high levels of loneliness will be recruited from the general population. Individuals currently experiencing at least moderately severe depressive symptoms, an ongoing severe substance use disorder, previous or current bipolar or psychotic disorder, or acute suicidality will be excluded from the trial. Assessments will take place at baseline, 5 weeks (midassessment), and 10 weeks (postassessment). The primary outcome is loneliness assessed using the 9-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale at the posttreatment time point. Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, symptoms of social anxiety, satisfaction with life, social network size, and variables assessing cognitive bias and social behavior. The maintenance of potentially achieved gains will be assessed and compared at 6 and 12 months after randomization in the 2 active conditions. Potential moderators and mediators will be tested exploratorily. Data will be analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS Recruitment and data collection started in May 2021 and are expected to be completed by 2022, with the 12-month follow-up to be completed by 2023. As of the time of submission of the manuscript, 134 participants were randomized. CONCLUSIONS This 3-arm randomized controlled trial will add to the existing research on the efficacy of loneliness interventions. Furthermore, it will shed light on the role of human guidance in internet-based treatments for individuals with increased levels of loneliness and the possible mechanisms of change. If SOLUS-D proves effective, it could provide a low-threshold, cost-efficient method of helping and supporting individuals with increased levels of loneliness. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04655196; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04655196. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/36358

Evaluation of Offboard-Diagnostic Systems Applied to a Memory Based Diagnostic Approach

Die Komplexität und die Vielzahl von Systemen im Fahrzeug steigt kontinuierlich. Dies sorgt dafür, dass die heute eingesetzten Offboard-Diagnosesysteme in absehbarer Zeit an ihre Grenzen stoßen. Aus diesem Grund sind neue innovative Diagnoseverfahren und Systeme notwendig. Voraussetzung für eine erfolgreiche Einführung neuer Diagnosesysteme ist ein geeignetes Evaluationsverfahren. Der Beitrag stellt ein erweitertes dreistufiges Evaluationsverfahren vor, das beispielhaft an zwei neuartigen Diagnoseverfahren angewendet wurde.The complexity and diversity of systems in vehicles increases continuously. This results in the fact, that nowadays offboard diagnostic systems will face their limits soon. That's why new innovative diagnostic methods and systems are necessary. Condition for the successful introduction of new diagnostic systems is a suitable evaluation method. This paper introduces a three stage evaluation method which was applied to two new diagnostic methods

Human contact in internet-based interventions for depression: A pre-registered replication and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Introduction Internet-based self-help interventions have shown to be effective in the treatment of depression. Several meta-analyses indicated that human contact has a crucial impact on adherence and outcome. While most research focused on the role of guidance during interventions, a review by Andersson and Johansson (2012) suggested that contact before the intervention too may play an important role. Objective We investigated the impact of the degree of contact in internet-based interventions (IBIs) for depression on outcome in adults suffering from elevated symptoms of depression. Methods We conducted a preregistered meta-analysis (www.osf.io/4mzyd) and included trials comparing IBIs for depression against control conditions (treatment as usual [TAU] or waiting list [WL]) in patients with symptoms of unipolar depression searching the databases PsycINFO and Cochrane's Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) limited to entries from EMBASE and PubMed. Following Andersson and Johansson (2012), contact before an intervention was defined as having had a diagnostic interview before the IBI, and contact during intervention was defined as having received guidance during the IBI. IBIs were grouped as providing (0) no contact, (1) contact before the IBI, (2) contact during the IBI, or (3) contact both before and during the IBI. The primary outcome was standardized mean difference (SMD) of the IBI and control in depressive symptoms at treatment termination. Secondary outcomes were study dropout and adherence to the IBI. Results We included 56 eligible trials that randomized 13,335 patients to 75 internet-based intervention conditions and control groups (TAU in 23 trials, WL in 33 trials). In total, 44 trials (78.57 %) were judged to show some concerns or a high risk of bias. Overall heterogeneity was high regarding the primary outcome (I2s < 66 %) and even higher for secondary outcomes (I2s < 91 %). Degree of contact was a robust predictor of outcome and adherence in all pre-registered and exploratory analyses. We found the effect of the IBI to increase with higher degree of contact. However, in pair-wise contrasts, only IBIs offering both contact before and during the intervention (SMD = 0.573, 95 % CI: 0.437, 0.709) significantly outperformed interventions offering no contact (SMD = 0.224, 95 % CI: 0.090, 0.340). Conclusions The results suggest that contact before and during an intervention increases the effects of IBIs. The combination of contact before and during the intervention seems to a pivotal role regarding adherence as well as treatment outcome for patients suffering from depression