Strategies for designing effective psychotherapeutic gaming interventions for children and adolescents

A range of face-to-face therapies and interventions for children and adolescents with mental health problems have been developed over the years and include cognitive-behavioral therapy, play therapy and applied behavior analysis. The popularity of computer games has grown exponentially in the last decade and has been widely accepted by children, adolescents and adults alike. Mental health professionals have therefore been exploring the use of these games to complement traditional treatment methods. To date however, there has been little known concrete evidence of the effectiveness of computer games for the treatment of children and adolescents with mental health conditions. Key to the success of such games is that at the outset, they must be well-designed. This paper reviews extant relevant computer gaming literature to propose a set of guidelines and strategies for the design of psychotherapeutic games targeted at children and adolescents. The issues raised concern both the game player as well as the game itself. As part of this review, limitations of existing work and areas of future research are also discussed.     

Prenatal expectations and marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood.

Associations among prenatal expectations, the extent to which expectations were confirmed or disconfirmed, and trajectories of marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood were assessed 7-11 times in a sample of newlywed couples. Piecewise growth curve analyses were conducted to examine levels of marital satisfaction at the beginning of marriage and rates of change over 2 periods: from the beginning of marriage through the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy through 18 months postpartum. Postpartum marital decline was greater than decline from marriage through pregnancy. Spouses who were more satisfied at the beginning of marriage reported higher expectations. There was marked variability in the extent to which prenatal expectations were confirmed; some expectations were unfulfilled, others were met, and still others were surpassed. Associations between the extent to which expectations were confirmed and rates of change in marital decline differed as a function of the specific type of expectation. Implications for understanding vulnerability and resiliency in couples negotiating the transition to parenthood are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing models of the structure and development of future time perspective: Maintaining a focus on opportunities in middle age.

A core construct in socioemotional selectivity theory is future time perspective (FTP), conceptualized as a unidimensional and bipolar construct ranging from expansive to limited. Change in FTP across adulthood has been treated as linear, with older adults showing more limited FTP. Studies 1 and 2 showed that a 2-factor model fit better, with focus on opportunities and focus on limitations as distinct dimensions. These dimensions changed differentially with age. In cross-sectional Study 3, focus on opportunities was higher in young adulthood than in early middle age but did not drop further in late middle age. Focus on limitations was the same in young adulthood and early middle age but was higher in late middle age. In longitudinal Study 4, focus on limitations increased from early to late middle age, and focus on opportunities was again maintained, rather than showing the decrease one would assume from a 1-factor model of FTP. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family life stress and insomnia symptoms in a prospective evaluation of young adults.

The present study prospectively investigated the association between family life stress and insomnia symptoms among 115 undergraduates, ages 17-22 years. Participants completed the following questionnaires at 2 study time points, spaced 3 weeks apart: the Insomnia Severity Index, the Negative Life Events Questionnaire (NLEQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory. First, family life stress at baseline was hypothesized to predict elevated insomnia symptoms 3 weeks later, above and beyond depressive symptoms. Second, compared with academic stressors, negative family and social life events were expected to best predict increased insomnia. Regression analyses were conducted to test study predictions. Hypotheses were partially supported. Family life stress was significantly associated with increased insomnia symptomatology, even after controlling for depression. Results also revealed that negative family life events, together with academic stress, predicted the highest levels of insomnia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against orf virus with other parapoxviruses and the identification of a 39 kDa immunodominant protein

A panel of 27 mouse monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) was raised against orf virus. Sixteen of these Mabs reacted with a protein with a molecular mass of 65 kDa, 8 reacted with a protein with a molecular mass of 39 kDa and three remain uncharacterised. Reactivity of the Mabs with a library of recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing various regions of the NZ-2 orf virus genome identified the approximate positions of the genes encoding these 2 immunodominant orf virus proteins. The gene encoding the 39 kDa protein was identified and sequenced. The protein was detected in an envelope fraction of orf virus and was shown to be homologous to the envelope protein encoded by the H3L gene of vaccinia virus. The 65 kDa protein has not been fully chracterised, but the gene encoding it has been localised to a 10 kbp region of the orf virus genome. The Mabs were used to discriminate 4 parapoxviruses derived from sheep, 2 from cattle and 1 each from a seal and squirrel. Eighteen Mabs reacted with all 4 sheep viruses, 19 Mabs reacted with both cattle viruses, 6 recognised seal parapoxvirus and 2 recognised the squirrel parapoxvirus. Only one of the 27 Mabs reacted with all 8 parapoxviruses suggesting it recognises a conserved epitope within the genus.     

Computationally efficient methods for two multivariate fractionally integrated models

Abstract.  We discuss two distinct multivariate time-series models that extend the univariate ARFIMA (autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average) model. We discuss the different implications of the two models and describe an extension to fractional cointegration. We describe algorithms for computing the covariances of each model, for computing the quadratic form and approximating the determinant for maximum likelihood estimation and for simulating from each model. We compare the speed and accuracy of each algorithm with existing methods individually. Then, we measure the performance of the maximum likelihood estimator and of existing methods in a Monte Carlo. These algorithms are much more computationally efficient than the existing algorithms and are equally accurate, making it feasible to model multivariate long memory time series and to simulate from these models. We use maximum likelihood to fit models to data on goods and services inflation in the United States.     

Statistical simulation of random dopant induced threshold voltage fluctuations for 35 nm channel length MOSFET

Intrinsic parameter fluctuations have become a very important problem for the scaling and integration of future generations of nano-CMOS transistors impacting on circuit and systems yield and reliability. In this paper random discrete dopant (RDD) induced threshold voltage variations have been studied using the Glasgow 3D atomistic drift/diffusion simulator. For the first time, we have carried out statistical simulation based on groundbreaking sample of 100,000 transistors which may assess more than 4σ of the statistical distribution. In order to correctly access the accuracy and the confidence level of the statistical parameters, we have carried out comprehensive statistical analysis using state-of-art statistical tools amenable to our problem. We use the first four moments to fit distribution of RDD induced fluctuations in the threshold voltage by means of several statistical approaches.     

Mechanical behavior of alumina and alumina-feldspar based ceramics in an acetic acid (4%) environment

This study investigates the mechanical properties of alumina-feldspar based ceramics when exposed to an aggressive environment (acetic acid 4%). Alumina ceramics containing different concentrations of feldspar (0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, or 40%) were sintered at either 1300, 1600, or 1700 °C. Flaws (of width 0%, 30%, or 50%) were introduced into the specimens using a saw. Half of these ceramic bodies were exposed to acetic acid. Their flexural strength, K_IC, and porosity were measured and the fractured samples were evaluated using scanning electronic- and optical microscopy. It was found that in the ceramic bodies sintered at 1600 °C, feldspar content up to 10% improved flexural strength and K_IC, and reduced porosities. Generally, it was found that acetic acid had a weakening effect on the flexural strength of samples sintered at 1700 °C but a beneficial effect on K_IC of ceramics sintered at 1600 °C. It was concluded that alumina-based ceramics with feldspar content up to 10% and sintered at higher temperatures would perform better in an aggressive environment similar to oral cavity.     

Recent extensions to crystal-field and transition-intensity models

Recent extensions to the one-electron model of crystal-field interactions and the second-order theory of transition intensities are discussed. These include the development of correlation crystal field models and the inclusion of correlation and spin-dependent effects in calculations of both one-photon and two-photon transition intensities.