The generator coordinate method in the unrestricted Hartree-Fock formalism

The generator coordinate method was implemented in the unrestricted Hartree-Fock formalism. Weight functions were built from Gaussian generator functions for 1s, 2s, and 2p orbitals of carbon and oxygen atoms. These weight functions show a similar behavior to those found in the generator coordinate restricted Hartree-Fock method, i.e., they are smooth, continuous, and tend to zero in the limits of integration. Moreover, the weight functions obtained are different for spin-up and spin-down electrons what is a result from spin polarization. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012

Skin picking and trichotillomania in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The objective of this study was to compare patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) associated with pathologic skin picking (PSP) and/or trichotillomania, and patients with OCD without such comorbidities, for demographic and clinical characteristics. We assessed 901 individuals with a primary diagnosis of OCD, using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Axis I disorders. Diagnoses of PSP and trichotillomania were made in 16.3% and 4.9% of the sample, respectively. After the logistic regression analysis, the following factors retained an association with OCD-PSP/trichotillomania: younger (odds ratio [OR] = 0.979; P = .047), younger at the onset of compulsive symptoms (OR = 0.941; P = .007), woman (OR = 2.538; P < .001), with a higher level of education (OR = 1.055; P = .025), and with comorbid body dysmorphic disorder (OR = 2.363; P = .004). These findings support the idea that OCD accompanied by PSP/trichotillomania characterizes a specific subgroup. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Avaliação morfométrica e hemodinâmica comparativa dos vasos envolvidos no shunt portossistêmico congênito em cães

Foram realizados o estudo morfométrico e o estudo hemodinâmico da veia porta em vinte cães clinicamente normais, de idade igual e inferior a 120 dias e em quatorze cães portadores de shunt portossistêmico, de idades entre 90 e 360 dias. Nos cães do grupo controle, as margens hepáticas apresentaram-se entre 1,50cm e 3,00cm caudalmente à margem costal. Os diâmetros médios da veia porta (VP), veia cava caudal (VCC) e aorta abdominal (AO) obtidas foram respectivamente, 0,38cm, 0,37cm e 0,41cm. As proporções entre os diâmetros médios VP/VCC e VP/AO apresentaram médias de 1,10 e 0,94, respectivamente. As médias das áreas da VP, VCC e AO resultaram respectivamente em 0,12cm2 , 0,11cm2 e 0,14cm2. No estudo hemodinâmico da VP destes animais, utilizando-se o ultrassom Doppler, a velocidade média de fluxo sangüíneo portal (VMFSP) mediu 17,76cm/s. A média de fluxo sangüíneo portal (FSP) resultou em 83,11ml/min/kg. O índice de congestão (IC) apresentou média de 0,006. Para o grupo de cães portadores de shunt portossistêmico, o fígado apresentou redução de seu volume, sendo as margens hepáticas visibilizadas entre 1,00cm e 2,00cm cranialmente à margem costal. No estudo morfométrico, as médias dos diâmetros médios obtidos de VP, VCC e AO resultaram respectivamente em 0,40cm, 0,74cm e 0,56cm. As proporções entre os diâmetros médios VP/VCC e VP/AO resultaram respectivamente em 0,54 e 0,69. As médias das áreas de VP, VCC e AO resultaram respectivamente em 0,14cm2, 0,31cm2 e 0,25cm2. Ao ultrassom Doppler a VMFSP mediu 22,29cm/s e a média do IC da VP obtido foi de 0,006.

Augmented Lagrangian method with nonmonotone penalty parameters for constrained optimization

At each outer iteration of standard Augmented Lagrangian methods one tries to solve a box-constrained optimization problem with some prescribed tolerance. In the continuous world, using exact arithmetic, this subproblem is always solvable. Therefore, the possibility of finishing the subproblem resolution without satisfying the theoretical stopping conditions is not contemplated in usual convergence theories. However, in practice, one might not be able to solve the subproblem up to the required precision. This may be due to different reasons. One of them is that the presence of an excessively large penalty parameter could impair the performance of the box-constraint optimization solver. In this paper a practical strategy for decreasing the penalty parameter in situations like the one mentioned above is proposed. More generally, the different decisions that may be taken when, in practice, one is not able to solve the Augmented Lagrangian subproblem will be discussed. As a result, an improved Augmented Lagrangian method is presented, which takes into account numerical difficulties in a satisfactory way, preserving suitable convergence theory. Numerical experiments are presented involving all the CUTEr collection test problems.

The scent of stress: Pintado catfish differentially respond to chemical cues from stressed conspecifics

We examined whether pintado catfish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) can discriminate between scents of non-injured conspecifics stressed by a predator or by confinement and how fish use this information in the trade-off between feeding and predator avoidance. In the confinement stress condition, fish ingested the food, whereas in the predator stress condition, fish did not eat. This finding and comparisons of the latency to food ingestion and the time spent swimming between the confinement and predator-stress conditions indicated that pintado catfish can discriminate between conspecifics stressed by a predator or confinement using chemical cues, and use this information for adjusting the trade-off between food intake and predator avoidance.

Social Skills and Psychological Disorders: Converging and Criterion-Related Validity for YSR and IHSA-Del-Prette in Adolescents at Risk

This study evaluated indexes of converging and criterion-related validity for the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) in two samples: one referring to clinical service (CLIN), with 28 adolescents (64.3% boys), 11 through 17 years old (M = 13.75; SD = 1.74), and the other referring to a psycho-educational program (PME = 46.2%), mainly composed of boys (91.7%) aged 13 through 17 (M = 15.33; SD = 1.47). Both samples completed the two inventories. Results showed a high incidence of psychological disorders in both samples (between 4% and 79% in the borderline or clinical range on YSR scales) and accentuated deficits in the general and subscale scores of IHSA-Del-Prette, especially on the frequency scale (25% to 58%). The correlations between the instruments in the two groups supported criterion-related and converging validity. Some issues concerning the differences between the samples and about the construct of social competence, underlying these inventories, are discussed. Key words authors:

Clinical Efficacy of a New Automated Hemoencefalographic Neurofeedback Protocol

Among the ongoing attempts to enhance cognitive performance, an emergent and yet underrepresented venue is brought by hemoencefalographic neurofeedback (HEG). This paper presents three related advances in HEG neurofeedback for cognitive enhancement: a) a new HEG protocol for cognitive enhancement, as well as b) the results of independent measures of biological efficacy (EEG brain maps) extracted in three phases, during a one year follow up case study; c) the results of the first controlled clinical trial of HEG, designed to assess the efficacy of the technique for cognitive enhancement of an adult and neurologically intact population. The new protocol was developed in the environment of a software that organizes digital signal algorithms in a flowchart format. Brain maps were produced through 10 brain recordings. The clinical trial used a working memory test as its independent measure of achievement. The main conclusion of this study is that the technique appears to be clinically promising. Approaches to cognitive performance from a metabolic viewpoint should be explored further. However, it is particularly important to note that, to our knowledge, this is the world's first controlled clinical study on the matter and it is still early for an ultimate evaluation of the technique.