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Aim To investigate if more patients in the intervention group attended specialized alcohol treatment compared with a treatment-as-usual group (TAU). Methods Pragmatic randomized controlled trial where consecutive patients, admitted to somatic hospitals, filled out a lifestyle questionnaire with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) embedded. Patients scoring 8+ on AUDIT were included in the study. Included patients were randomized to either a Danish screening brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) called the Relay model or TAU depending on date of admission. The Relay group was offered a brief alcohol intervention by an outreach alcohol therapist. Patients scoring 16 points and above on the AUDIT test also received referral to alcohol treatment. Outcome was attendance at specialized outpatient alcohol treatment centres after discharge from hospital. Information on patients was gathered from municipal databases at 18 months follow-up. Results A total of 3534 patients completed the questionnaire, and 609 patients (17%) scored AUDIT 8+. 48 patients were lost to follow-up, and the final sample had 561 patients. Only 33 patients (6%) attended outpatient treatment at 18-months follow-up, but significantly more patients in the Relay group sought alcohol treatment than in the TAU group (OR = 2.5 [1.2;5.2] (p = 0.017)). Number needed to treat (NNT) was 20 [95% CI 11.2;112.3]. Conclusion The Relay intervention was associated with more patients attending specialized treatment, but further research is needed to establish if general hospitals are an excellent platform for performing SBIRT.

BackgroundSocial phobia (SP) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders among patients entering treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUD). However, few studies have examined the association between SP and alcohol-related treatment outcomes in naturalistic settings.AimsThe aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of co-morbid SP and to investigate the impact of the co-morbidity on the treatment course, dropout rates and treatment outcomes in a large sample of AUD patients treated in an outpatient alcohol treatment clinic.MethodsThe study was conducted as an observational cohort study. A consecutive sample of 3.197 treatment-seeking outpatients, with an AUD diagnosis according to the ICD-10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research, was assessed by means of the Addiction Severity Index at treatment start and at treatment conclusion.ResultsApproximately 15% of the patients suffered from SP when entering treatment and patients with and without SP did not differ on the treatment course, compliance or dropout rates. SP did not predict any alcohol-related treatment outcomes either, where no association was found on change scores for abstinence, drinking days and days with excessive drinking relative to AUD patients without co-morbidity.ConclusionAUD patients with and without co-morbid SP were equally likely to achieve benefits when treated similarly with evidence-based pharmacological and psychosocial approaches in a naturalistic setting

Introduction A paternalistic approach to treatment planning is common, but there is a growing interest in involving clients in the planning of their own treatment, both in medical care and psychotherapy. Several studies on matching patients to treatment have failed to improve outcome. Studies on Shared Decision-Making in mental health are encouraging but somewhat ambiguous in addiction treatment. Objective This study investigated whether self-matching (Informed Choice) to treatment improves alcohol consumption, retention, and quality of life. Method 402 consecutive clients (female 46.7 %, mean age 47.4) seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder at the outpatient clinic in Odense, Denmark were enrolled in this single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Clients randomized to the intervention group watched an 8-minute video presentation of the treatments and then chose the treatment they preferred. Clients in the treatment as usual (TAU) group were allocated to treatment by an evidence-based algorithm. Measurements on alcohol consumption, quality of life, and retention in care were completed at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Results There was no significant difference on primary and secondary outcome measures between the Informed Choice group and TAU group at 6-month follow-up. 80 % of clients in the Informed Choice group were satisfied with being randomized to self-matching whereas 24 % in the TAU group were satisfied with being assigned by expert matching. Conclusion Our hypothesis, that outcome is improved if clients choose their own treatment, was not supported. However, an important finding is that client self-matching is just as beneficial as expert matching.

An extended and improved theory is presented for marked and weighted empirical processes of residuals of time series regressions. The theory is motivated by 1-step Huber-skip estimators, where a set of good observations are selected using an initial estimator and an updated estimator is found by applying least squares to the selected observations. In this case, the weights and marks represent powers of the regressors and the regression errors, respectively. The inclusion of marks is a non-trivial extention to previous theory and requires refined martingale arguments.

A uniform weak consistency theory is presented for the marked and weighted empirical distribution function of residuals. New and weaker sufficient conditions for uniform consistency are derived. The theory allows for a wide variety of regressors and error distributions. We apply the theory to 1-step Huber-skip estimators. These estimators describe the widespread practice of removing outlying observations from an initial estimation of the model of interest and updating the estimation in a second step by applying least squares to the selected observations. Two results are presented. First, we give new and weaker conditions for consistency of the estimators. Second, we analyze the gauge, which is the rate of false detection of outliers, and which can be used to decide the cut-off in the rule for selecting outliers.

We show tightness of a general M-estimator for multiple linear regression in time series. The positive criterion function for the M-estimator is assumed lower semi-continuous and sufficiently large for large argument: Particular cases are the Huber-skip and quantile regression. Tightness requires an assumption on the frequency of small regressors. We show that this is satisfied for a variety of deterministic and stochastic regressors, including stationary an random walks regressors. The results are obtained using a detailed analysis of the condition on the regressors combined with some recent martingale results.

A complement of experimental characterization techniques – positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), transmission electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and elevated temperature ac and dc magnetic measurements – were applied to the study of melt-quenched stoichiometric Nd 2 Fe 14 B ribbons modified by various amounts of the alloying additions Ti and C. These alloying additions are known to enhance the glass-forming ability in Nd 2 Fe 14 B melts, allowing for a wider processing window to produce homogeneous nanoscale materials with tailored magnetic properties. The experimental techniques used in this study reveal the complex multi-phase and multi-scale nature of the ribbons, a result that had escaped detection by lower-resolution techniques. The as-quenched ribbons were found to consist of at least three phases: α-Fe nanocrystals, poorly crystalline Nd 2 Fe 14 B and glass. The measured weight fraction of glass does not show a direct correspondence with quenching wheel speed, a result attributed to the complexity of the melt-spinning heat-transfer process. The Curie temperature of the glassy component of the ribbons varies in a non-systematic way with both Ti and C alloying addition content and wheel speed. PAS provides quantitative measurements of the S (or ‘shape’)-parameter which represents the size of a void or open volume in the material volume probed. The experimental results indicate that an excess of free volume in the glass is associated with increased glass stability, a counterintuitive conclusion. However, the results are consistent with the model of Sietsma and Thijsse [Phys. Rev. B 52 (5) (1995) 3248] who propose that thermal relaxation in glass causes the larger free volume regions in the amorphous structure to break up into smaller voids, which necessarily increases the total number of voids, but decreases the volume per void. This void breakup fosters the processes of cooperative diffusion and subsequent devitrification. It is concluded that the free volume concentration in the amorphous component of melt-spun Nd 2 Fe 14 B alloys produced by the highest quenching wheel speeds and Ti/C alloying addition content is thus not sufficient to allow cooperative diffusion to take place, resulting in an increased stability against devitrification.

The measured value of the Doppler profile of the electron–positron annihilation radiation depends on the resolution function of the detectors used in the experiment. This is illustrated by the results of calculations of the profile convoluted with resolution functions of different FWHM. These results are compared with Doppler broadening measurements for Al. The calculated results agree qualitatively with the experimental data. The positions of the peaks in the curves which give the ratio of a Doppler profile to a reference profile are found to shift towards higher momenta when the width of the resolution for the reference material was increased. Since the peaks in the ratio curves are used for identifying the chemical species, it is important that the peak positions be unambiguously characterized. Hence, the detector resolution should be carefully measured and quoted when reporting and comparing results of Doppler profiles.

A higher herd prevalence of antibodies (ELISA) to Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 was found in conventional slaughter production (86.0% seropositive herds) than in conventional farrow-to-finish herds (53.1% seropositive herds). The herd prevalence of antibodies to Y. enterocolitica in multiplying herds (56.1%) was similar to the level in the conventional farrow-to-finish herds. An epidemiological study in conventional pig herds demonstrated that farrow-to-finish production (odds ratio, OR = 0.15) was an important protective factor. Using under-pressure ventilation (OR = 0.33) and manual feeding of slaughter pigs (OR = 0.44) also lowered the herd prevalence. The most expressed risk factor was using an own farm vehicle for transport of slaughter pigs to abattoirs (OR = 12.92). Separation between clean and unclean section in herds (OR = 2.67), daily observations of a cat with kittens on the farm (OR = 2.41) and using straw bedding for slaughter pigs (OR = 2.25) were other factors that increased the risk. In conclusion, the epidemiological data suggest that it is possible to reduce the herd prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 by minimising contact between infected herds and non-infected herds. Further, attempts to reduce the prevalence at the top levels of the breeding pyramids may be beneficial for the industry as a whole. The meat industry may use serological tests as a tool to lower the prevalence in the pig population by limiting the contact between seropositive and seronegative herds. However, because of the high prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in pig herds, a strict slaughter hygiene will remain an important means to reduce carcass contamination with Y. enterocolitica O:3 as well as other pathogenic micro-organisms.

New insight into damage formation in Si(100) during self-ion irradiation is gained from elevated temperature implant (up to 450°C) studies and dual implants. Ion-induced damage is shown to bifurcate at high temperatures into two distinctly different layers; a heavily dislocated region near the ion range, and a shallower layer which is dislocation-free but contains vacancy-type clusters. A model to account for these defects and their distribution is presented. The formation of a layer with a preponderance of vacancy clusters provides opportunities to study aspects of damage growth which have, heretofore, been impossible. Samples in which a vacancy-rich region had been formed were used as starting substrates for implantation to investigate ion-solid interaction phenomena. The preexisting vacancy clusters are shown to provide recombination sites for subsequently implanted ions. Recombination at 450°C is sufficiently effective that no additional damage is formed by direct implantation into the vacancy-rich region, at least up to the dose that can be accommodated by the vacancy distribution. This result establishes the role of defect excesses in the formation of ion-induced damage, even at temperatures approaching ambient.

The effects of lattice structure on the high momentum part of the Doppler broadening of the positronelectron annihilation radiation was studied for a number of materials. The momentum distribution of the annihilation radiation was measured using two Ge detectors to record “in coincidence” the energies of both the upshifted and downshifted gamma rays. First-principles calculations were performed to complement the experimental data. We present results for diamond and graphite, α and β Sn, amorphous and crystalline Si, well-annealed and deformed Cu, and Fe, with and without vacancy clusters. The bulk systems provide a good test case for the present approach, since the delocalized positron has no effect on the surrounding lattice. These results show that the two-detector technique, which exhibits enhanced elemental sensitivity, can also be used as a probe of the geometry of the annihilation environment, and hence can be used for identifying defect structures.

We review recent asymptotic results on some robust methods for multiple regression. The regressors include stationary and non-stationary time series as well as polynomial terms. The methods include the Huber-skip M-estimator, 1-step Huber-skip M-estimators, in particular the Impulse Indicator Saturation, iterated 1-step Huber-skip M-estimators and the Forward Search. These methods classify observations as outliers or not. From the asymptotic results we establish a new asymptotic theory for the gauge of these methods, which is the expected frequency of falsely detected outliers. The asymptotic theory involves normal distribution results and Poisson distribution results. The theory is applied to a time series data set.

It is well-known that convergence of Laplace transforms in a neighbourhood of the origin is a sufficient criteria for weak convergence. It is worthwhile to note that the interior of the set of convergence points is convex. This provides a link to exponential family theory. As an example an autoregressive model is studied.

Silicon-implanted thermal SiO2 layers were studied using depth-resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM observations show the presence of silicon nanocrystals (Sinc) in the region between 200 nm and 300 nm. The defect annealing behavior is studied by means of PAS. For 1 000°C annealed samples at a depth for which Sinc are observed, a distinctive PAS signal is detected and ascribed to the Sinc/SiO2 interface.

The Forward Search is an iterative algorithm concerned with detection of outliers and other unsuspected structures in data. This approach has been suggested, analysed and applied for regression models in the monograph Atkinson and Riani (2000). An asymptotic analysis of the Forward Search is made. The argument involves theory for a new class of weighted and marked empirical processes, quantile process theory, and a fixed point argument to describe the iterative element of the procedure.

Polymer coatings, both with and without pigments, have been subjected to solar radiation and water spray weathering. The degrees of penetration of the weathering effects have been measured by injecting positrons of varying energy, i.e. to variable depths, into the films and observing the Doppler broadening of the annihilation radiation. The method is capable of detecting changes due to weathering effects at very early stages, long before visual examination reveals degradation. As little as one week of exposure caused measurable changes in the polymer structure, which were reflected in the Doppler broadening. Given further development, positron spectroscopy could possibly become a useful complement to the other methods of determining weatherabilities of protective polymer coatings.

The results of several positron annihilation (Doppler broadening) experiments have been analyzed using the BNL Monte Carlo implantation profiles and the program VEPFIT. The program VEPFIT has been modified so that scaled, parameterized multilayer profiles can also be used as the initial condition for the diffusion equation solution. We have looked at both elemental (e.g. amorphous silicon) and multilayer (e.g. Pd Si ) systems. Strong correlations between the input implantation profile parameters and the fitted values obtained for the diffusion lengths and overlayer thicknesses for the multilayer systems have been found. The effect of uncertainties in the mean depth on the value of the diffusion length and hence the defect concentrations will be discussed. The impact of reimplanting backscattered positrons on both the implantation profiles and the fitted diffusion lengths will also be presented.

Iterated one-step Huber-skip M-estimators are considered for regression problems. Each one-step estimator is a re-weighted least squares estimators with zero/one weights determined by the initial estimator and the data. The asymptotic theory is given for iteration of such estimators using a tightness argument. The results apply to stationary as well as non-stationary regression problems.

Understanding the load pattern created by compact fluorescent lamps is key to evaluating the impact on the utility's system peak demand and calculating energy savings. A household survey was distributed to consumers involved in a Danish CFL programme. The primary goal was to map the daily patterns of CFL and incandescent lamp use in the residential sector throughout the year. A secondary aim was to evaluate consumers' acceptance of the CFLs. Two CFLs were offered free of charge to each of the utility's 240,000 residential customers. The participation rate was 90% (1.8 CFLs per home). Although this represents only 7% of the total number of lamps per home, the CFL's long burning hours accounted for nearly 20% of the total burning time of all lamps. Total annual household electricity savings consumption for lighting due to the CFLs is approximately 15%, or 125 kWh per home. During afternoon peak hours on winter days, up to 80% of the CFLs are in use. During the morning peak hours, however, only 30% of the CFLs are in use.

Volume selective magnetic resonance (MR) proton spectroscopy was used to investigate changes in the haemopoietic bone marrow in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). Significant changes could be detected in the spectra 14 days after the beginning of treatment, before any response was seen in the haemoglobin concentration of peripheral blood. The spectral changes indicate an alteration in cellular composition of haemopoietic bone marrow with an increase in the amount of haemopoietic active tissue. One patient showed a major change in the spectrum four days after treatment began, indicating that MR spectroscopy may detect early changes in the cellular composition of the bone marrow. This noninvasive method may be useful in evaluating treatment effects of recombinant human haemopoietic growth factors in the bone marrow, as well as investigating bone marrow response from different modes of rHuEPO administration.

A low energy positron beam (few keV) has been used to study device quality dry thermal SiO 2 layers (∼ 50 nm thick) on Si(100). By tuning the beam energy over the range 0–10 keV to vary implantation depth, and by accounting for positron diffusion as well as annihilation in SiO 2 and Si, depth profiles of material properties are obtained which sense material, defect, and electric field properties. The unusual observation of ortho-positronium 3γ-decay at the interface demonstrates that microvoids > 1 nm in size are present in these oxides, apparently an intrinsic consequence of the thermal oxidation process. The microvoid signal increases with annealing, possibly due to initiation of the interfacial oxide decomposition reaction. Reversible hydrogen uptake and desorption are also observed, illustrating the interface sensitivity of positron studies.

Doppler and slow positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) techniques were used to investigate defect structures, as a function of composition and deposition sputtering power, in TiN x (0.48 ⩽ x ⩽ 1.11) thin films fabricated by physical vapor deposition methods. The recovery of the defect structures during a 1 h anneal at 900 °C was also studied. The present data, together with previous positron lifetime data (for the same samples), indicate that PAS has the potential to become an extremely useful technique for the characterization of atomic-scale defects in these materials. The conventional bulk PAS techniques yield consistent data if the results are corrected for the substrate contribution to the measured S parameters and the films have thicknesses greater than a few microns. For films with thicknesses on the order of 1 – 2 μm the slow PAS technique must be used.

Slow positron annihilation spectroscopy of an AlGaAs/GaAs thin film heterostructure has been performed as a function of applied external bias. The defect density profile with zero bias indicates the presence of surface trap states and a high concentration of defects at the AlGaAs/GaAs interfaces. The defects are thought to be dislocations created by the lattice mismatch at the interface. Application of an external bias changes the observed Doppler parameter as a result of an apparent electical activity of a variety of trapping mechanisms within the film.