The potential of ambulatory assessment, network analysis, and single-case experimental designs for psychotherapy research: A delphi study

We conduct a Delphi study to collect and discuss expert opinions concerning the potential and obstacles that ambulatory assessment, network analysis, and single-case experimental designs hold for the future of psychotherapy research

Mind the gap - Ideas for making clinical research more relevant for practitioners and patients

The limited practical relevance of “typical clinical trials” - that often compare a small to medium sized group of patients diagnosed according to a standard clinical manual to a waiting list control condition - has been the matter of longstanding debate in clinical psychology. In this letter we present five reasons for why most clinical research might have gotten a reputation as “one source of many” and “oftentimes not relevant” for the everyday practice of clinical psychologists. More importantly we present novel ways for addressing major problems in our field based on recent developments. In short, we describe why addressing the research-practice gap requires a shift towards dismantling the effect of specific therapeutic techniques on better-operationalized transdiagnostic mechanisms. Further we discuss why monitoring individual trajectories and using causal inference in routine care can provide valuable insights into therapy effectiveness, if needed at an individual level. Finally, we believe that the active involvement of non-scientists in participatory science programs can be utilized to create research that is interesting and engaging to practitioners and patients alike

Nickel and platinum in high-temperature H2O + HCl fluids: Implications for hydrothermal mobilization

International audienc

Leveraging Single-Case Experimental Designs to Promote Personalized Psychological Treatment: Step-by-Step Implementation Protocol with Stakeholder Involvement of an Outpatient Clinic for Personalized Psychotherapy

Our objective is to implement a single-case experimental design (SCED) infrastructure in combination with experience-sampling methods (ESM) into the standard diagnostic procedure of a German outpatient research and training clinic. Building on the idea of routine outcome monitoring, the SCED infrastructure introduces intensive longitudinal data collection, individual effectiveness measures, and the opportunity for systematic manipulation to push personalization efforts further. It aims to empower psychotherapists and patients to evaluate their own treatment (idiographic perspective) and to enable researchers to analyze open questions of personalized psychotherapy (nomothetic perspective). Organized around the principles of agile research, we plan to develop, implement, and evaluate the SCED infrastructure in six successive studies with continuous stakeholder involvement: In the project development phase, the business model for the SCED infrastructure is developed that describes its vision in consideration of the context (Study 1). Also, the infrastructure's prototype is specified, encompassing the SCED procedure, ESM protocol, and ESM survey (Study 2 and 3). During the optimization phase, feasibility and acceptability are tested and the infrastructure is adapted accordingly (Study 4). The evaluation phase includes a pilot implementation study to assess implementation outcomes (Study 5), followed by actual implementation using a within-institution A-B design (Study 6). The sustainability phase involves continuous monitoring and improvement

Copper complexation and solubility in high-temperature hydrothermal fluids: A combined study by Raman, X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray absorption spectroscopies and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations

Data for the solubility of CuS (reacting to Cu2S), Cu, and bornite + chalcopyrite + pyrite (reacting to Cu-Fe-S solid solution) in H2O + NaCl fluids were determined in situ using synchrotron-radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) spectroscopy. The aqueous Cu concentrations ranged between 25 ppm at 500 degrees C, 320 MPa, 0.5 m NaCl and 760 ppm at 500 degrees C, 310 MPa, 4.78 m NaCl, increased with temperature along an isochore and with NaCl molality, and decreased with pressure. The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of the fluid from dissolution of CuS or Cu in H2O + NaCl at 500 degrees C are nearly identical with published spectra of CuCl2- (aq), but differ significantly from reported spectra of Cu(I) in Cl-free hydrosulfide solutions. Raman spectra of H2O + HCl +/- NaCl fluids reacted with CuS or, for comparison, metallic Cu were measured at temperatures to 600 degrees C and pressures to 2 GPa to test if this technique can provide additional information on the complexation of Cu(I) and on the solubility of copper in hydrothermal fluids. These spectra showed that CuCl2- (aq) was the most abundant Cu(I) species at all conditions. In addition, CuCl32-(aq) was observed at high HC1 concentrations, but the Raman spectra provided no convincing evidence for Cu(I) complexation with H2S or S-3(-) (HS-(aq) was below detection in these acidic fluids). Generally, there was an increase in the sum of the integrated intensities of the bands assigned to Cu complexes with increasing HCl concentration, and a decrease if sulfide was present. At all fluid compositions, the intensity of the Raman bands from Cu-Cl stretching vibrations decreased with increasing pressure at constant temperature for single-phase fluids, without formation of additional bands. Based on ab initio modeling, the complexes CuCl2-(aq), Cu(HS)(2)(-)(aq), and Cu(HS)Cl (aq) are not distinguishable by Raman spectroscopy, but the stretching vibration of Cu(I) complexes with H2S should occur at significantly lower wavenumbers. Overall, the results indicate that Cu(I) is transported predominantly as CuCl2-(aq) in reducing sulfur-free or H2S +/- S-3(-)-bearing chloridic hydrothermal fluids. The decrease in the Cu solubility in H2O + HCl +/- NaCl +/- H2S fluids with increasing pressure without a detectable change in speciation is caused by decrease in the formation constant of CuCl2-(aq) with pressure. Changes in the copper speciation and depressurization can be ruled out as causes for hydrothermal copper ore formation at high fluid densities above the critical density. At this condition, copper ore may precipitate by dilution, cooling in the presence of H2S, increase in pH, and/or an increase in the H2S activity

Cu and Ni solubility in high-temperature aqueous fluids

Copper and nickel are generally associated in magmatic sulfide ores formed byimmiscibility in mafic and ultramafic magmas. In contrast, hydrothermal Cu-Ni deposits are uncommon andthese elements usually occur in separate Cu-Fe-sulfide and Ni-Co-Ag-Bi-As-S mineralizations. Among theporphyry-type deposits formed at high temperatures to about 700 °C, there are many copper but no nickeldeposits [1], pointing to a higher solubility of Cu relative to Ni in aqueous fluids at such conditions. The aim ofthis study is to measure the solubilities of Cu and Ni sulfides in high-temperature hydrothermal fluids in-situusing synchrotron-radiation micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.Synthetic CuS or NiS crystals were partly dissolved in aqueous NaCl, NaCl+HCl, or CaCl2 solutions attemperatures of 400 to 600 °C and pressures between 70 and 900 MPa using a modified hydrothermaldiamond-anvil cell with a recess in one diamond [2]. Consecutive XRF spectra of the fluid in the recess werecollected in a confocal mode to exclude signal contributions from the crystals in the sample chamber [3].Equilibrium was assumed if the determined concentrations of the dissolved metals indicated that a steadystate was attained.The measured dissolved Cu concentrations ranged between 22 ppm at 70 MPa, 500 °C and 235 ppm at 306MPa, 600 °C in 0.5 to 1.6 m NaCl solutions. We observed a decrease in Cu concentration with increasingpressure at constant temperature, and for 1.6 m NaCl an increase by a factor of two along an isochore from120 MPa, 500 °C to 306 MPa, 600 °C. Higher Cu solubilities were determined in more concentrated solutions.A preliminary run with a more acidic NaCl+HCl solution (pH ~1) revealed a dramatic increase in the dissolvedCu concentration to 7898 ppm at 170 MPa, 500 °C.The measured dissolved Ni concentrations ranged between 3 ppm at 200 MPa, 500 °C in a 1 m NaCl solutionand 33 ppm at 411 MPa, 500 °C in a 0.75 m CaCl2 solution. A solubility maximum at 500 °C along anisochore was observed for both solutions. The Ni solubility increased with pressure at constant temperature.Experiments with aqueous CaCl2 solutions resulted in higher dissolved Ni concentrations compared to NaClsolutions at similar pressure-temperature conditions.Our experiments suggest that the solubility of Cu and Ni in aqueous fluids is mainly governed by fluidcomposition. For both elements, solubility increased in more chlorine-rich fluids, which could reflect metalchlorinecomplexation. Preliminary results for Cu indicate a strong dependence of the solubility on the pH ofthe fluid. A contrasting solubility behavior of Cu and Ni was observed with increasing pressure, which might beone reason for the difference in hydrothermal ore deposit formation.[1] Barnes (1979) Geochemistry of hydrothermal ore deposits, Wiley. [2] Schmidt and Rickers (2003) Am.Mineral. 88, 288-292. [3] Wilke el al. (2010) J. Synchrotron Rad. 17, 669-675