The current state of empirical support for the pharmacological treatment of selective mutism.

This article reviews the current state of evidence for the psychopharmacological treatment of children diagnosed with selective mutism within the context of its link to social anxiety disorder. An increased focus on potential medication treatment for this disorder has resulted from significant monetary and resource limitations in typical practice, parental choice in utilizing treatment from medical personnel, and children who fail to respond to psychosocial interventions. A total of 21 publications within the English literature were located. From these, data for only 57 children between the ages of 4 to 17 years have been reported, with the majority of studies utilizing single-case design or case study methodology. Yet, pharmacological data appear promising for treatment resistant cases of selective mutism. The need for additional research via efficacy/effectiveness methodologies remains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individualism-collectivism and accountability in intergroup negotiations.

This research incorporates the theory of individualism-collectivism into research on accountability in intergroup negotiations. Given that accountability is fundamentally a norm enforcement mechanism and that norms and standards for behavior vary for individualists and collectivists (H. R. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991; H. C. Triandis, 1995) it was predicted that accountability would differentially affect individualists and collectivists in intergroup negotiations. In support of this, results from a laboratory study (with Caucasians and Asian Americans) and from a judgment study (in the United States and Estonia) found that collectivism moderated the effects of accountability on negotiators' psychological states, behaviors, and outcomes. In contrast to previous research, the results illustrate that accountability does not necessarily produce competitive behavior, but rather produces the behavior most normative for individuals in their sociocultural experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Soft-Output Demodulation on Frequency-Selective Rayleigh Fading Channels Using AR Channel Models

This paper is a study of high-performance soft-output demodulation for slow or moderate frequency-selective and flat Rayleigh fading using an autoregressive (AR) channel model. For channel taps modeled as AR processes, the discrete-time-equivalent channel model is derived for a matched filter (matched to the transmit pulse) and symbol rate-sampled receiver front end. The optimum symbol-by-symbol demodulator is then derived and shown to consist of a joint data and Kalman filter (KF) channel estimator. Additionally, a symbol-by-symbol demodulator with an extended KF is proposed that jointly identifies and tracks the channel and the unknown parameters in AR channel models. A simulation study shows that the proposed algorithms offer significant advantages in performance or complexity compared to several previously proposed algorithms. The algorithms do not exhibit a significant error floor, provide soft-output metrics needed for interleaved coded modulation, provide high performance with a blind initialization, are capable of blind operation with fast acquisition though compatible with pilot-symbol-assisted modulation, and are robust to parameter mismatch.     

Synthesis and characterization of layered and scrolled amine-templated vanadium oxides

In order to fully understand the formation mechanism, structure, and role of structural curvature of vanadium oxide nanotubes (VONTs), two isostructural materials (one planar and the other curved)—ethylenediammonium (enH₂) intercalated V₇O₁₆ and vanadium oxide nanourchins (VONUs)—were synthesized and characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. The synthesis route to (enH₂)V₇O₁₆ is developed using vanadium pentoxide as a starting material and employing pH control. VONUs are synthesized using n-dodecylamine as an amine template for the first time. We demonstrate that the structure of the vanadium oxide layer in these compounds is similar to that of VONTs and their magnetic properties all fit to the same model including the temperature-independent, Curie–Weiss, and spin ½ antiferromagnetic dimer contributions. The vanadium oxidation state in tubular structures appears to be higher than in planar compounds such as (eH₂)V₇O₁₆ and BaV₇O₁₆. The role of the template and vanadium reduction in the formation of nanotubes is discussed.     

Dynamic Functional Unit Assignment for Low Power

A hardware method for functional unit assignment is presented, based on the principle that a functional unit's power consumption is approximated by the switching activity of its inputs. Since computing the Hamming distance of the inputs in hardware is expensive, only a portion of the inputs are examined. Integers often have many identical top bits, due to sign extension, and floating points often have many zeros in the least significant digits, due to the casting of integer values into floating point, and other reasons. The accuracy of these approximations is studied and the results are used to develop a simple, but effective, hardware scheme.     

ANA HEp-2 cells image classification using number,size, shape and localization of targeted cell regions

The ANA HEp-2 medical test is a powerful tool in autoimmune disease diagnostics. The last step of this test, the interpretation of immunofluorescent images by trained experts, represents a potential source of errors and could theoretically be replaced by automated methods. Here we present a fully automatic method for recognition of types of immunofluorescent images produced by the ANA HEp-2 medical test. The proposed method makes use of the difference in number, size, shape and localization of cell regions that are targeted by the antinuclear antibodies – the humoral components of immune system that bind human antigens as a result of the immune system malfunction. The method extracts morphological properties of stained cell regions using a combination of thresholding-based and thresholding-less approaches and applies a conventional machine-learning algorithm for image classification.     

Physiologic reactivity to startling tones in women with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Autonomic and eyeblink reactivity to startling tones were investigated in women with histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Twenty-one women with current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 23 with lifetime but not current PTSD, and 13 women who never had PTSD listened to 15 95-dB, 500-ms, 1000-Hz tones with a 0-ms rise time while heart rate (HR), skin conductance (SC), and orbicularis oculi electromyogram (EMG) responses were measured. Participants in the current and lifetime PTSD groups produced larger HR responses across tones and showed slower absolute habituation of SC response magnitude compared with the never PTSD group. EMG response magnitudes did not differ among groups. Women with CSA-related PTSD showed increased autonomic reactivity and slower habituation to high-intensity tones similar to that observed in primarily male, combat PTSD samples. This suggests that heightened autonomic responsivity to startling stimuli in PTSD is not gender or event specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)