Recognition of facial emotions among maltreated children with high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine processing of facial emotions in a sample of maltreated children showing high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Maltreatment during childhood has been associated independently with both atypical processing of emotion and the development of PTSD. However, research has provided little evidence indicating how high rates of PTSD might relate to maltreated children's processing of emotions. METHOD: Participants' reaction time and labeling of emotions were measured using a morphed facial emotion identification task. Participants included a diverse sample of maltreated children with and without PTSD and controls ranging in age from 8 to 15 years. Maltreated children had been removed from their homes and placed in state custody following experiences of maltreatment. Diagnoses of PTSD and other disorders were determined through combination of parent, child, and teacher reports. RESULTS: Maltreated children displayed faster reaction times than controls when labeling emotional facial expressions, and this result was most pronounced for fearful faces. Relative to children who were not maltreated, maltreated children both with and without PTSD showed enhanced response times when identifying fearful faces. There was no group difference in labeling of emotions when identifying different facial emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Maltreated children show heightened ability to identify fearful faces, evidenced by faster reaction times relative to controls. This association between maltreatment and atypical processing of emotion is independent of PTSD diagnosis.     

Age and gender differences in children's and adolescents' adaptation to sexual abuse

OBJECTIVE: How children manifest psychological distress following the discovery of sexual abuse requires a better understanding of individual differences in developmental capacities and vulnerabilities. This study examined how age at the time of the abuse discovery and gender of victim are related to psychological distress. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-nine participants (96 children, 73 adolescents) were interviewed within 8 weeks of discovery of the abuse. Multivariate analyses were used to examine how age at discovery, and gender, with abuse characteristics as covariates, were related to shame, attribution style, depression, self-esteem, and traumatic events sequelae. RESULTS: Adolescents compared to children report a higher level of depressive symptoms, negative reactions by others, and lower levels of self-esteem, social support, and sexual anxiety. Girls compared to boys report higher levels of intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, sexual anxiety, personal vulnerability, and perceiving the world as a dangerous place and lower levels of eroticism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the importance of considering individual differences in age and gender for understanding patterns of symptom expression. Treatment strategies need to reflect these individual differences in adjustment, such as targeting issues of sexual anxiety for girls and self-esteem for adolescents.     

“Doing What I can,but I got no Magic Wand:” A Snapshot of Early Childhood Educator Experiences and Efforts to Ensure Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Early Childhood Education Journal - The COVID-19 pandemic impacted early childhood programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in dramatic ways. After temporarily closing, many educators...     

Symbolic Management of the Degree of Information Security by Integer Splitting

This paper demonstrates the application of module arithmetic for controlling the level of information security by a new technique referred as integer splitting. The basic definitions and concepts of the method are provided. The mathematical function of arising transformation is described in detail; its properties were studied and the basic theorems were proven that justify the use of splitting in practical applications. An active system was designed and characteristic cases of its operation are considered.     

超高含水原油混合流动及初始沉积特性

使用自行设计的实验装置,对超高含水原油的流动特性和初始沉积过程进行探究。系统研究实验温度、混合流速和体积含水率对超高含水原油初始沉积过程的影响,分析不同温度下原油的运动形态和初始沉积方式。初始沉积过程可分为蔓延沉积过程和粘连沉积过程,根据沉积特点和压降曲线的变化趋势将初始沉积过程分为3个阶段：沉积诱导期、快速沉积期和沉积动态平衡期。通过对沉积物碳数分布的分析,得知超高含水原油初始沉积过程中,同时存在剪切剥离作用、胶凝作用和分子扩散作用。实验温度和体积含水率主要通过改变胶凝作用和分子扩散来影响初始沉积过程,混合流速通过改变剪切剥离强度来影响初始沉积过程。     

一个统一混沌系统及其研究

发现了一个新的混沌系统,它是介于著名的Lorenz系统和Chen系统之间的临界系统.同时,提出了一个单参数的统一混沌系统--Lorenz系统族,它包含Lorenz系统和Chen系统作为参数区间的两个极端系统,临界系统作为一个过渡系统.基于线性耦合多振子互同步问题的研究,提出了研究这一类问题的新方法--模式分解法,并首次从理论上给出了上述3个典型系统混沌同步的几个严格的充分条件.还提出了一类新的简单的切换分段线性反控制器,它能够使一个简单的线性系统在三维空间中同时产生n个,或一个具有多吸引域融合的复杂混沌吸引子.     

Case Study on the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano,Italy

Bozen/Bolzano is situated in a trilingual region in Italy of which the three mother tongue languages are German, Italian, and Ladin (the latter only spoken by 4 percent of the population). The aim of the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, which was founded in 1997 and launched its first programmes in 1998, is to offer its students a multilingual, practice-oriented education that meets the demands of the local and the European labour market. Trilingual educational activities are conducted in German, Italian, and English in the case of the School of Economics and its courses and in the course programmes in Industrial Engineering. The only exception is found in the Faculty of Education. This Faculty offers the German-, Italian-, and Ladin-speaking students separate training sections.