A wide star-black-hole binary system from radial-velocity measurements.

All stellar-mass black holes have hitherto been identified by X-rays emitted from gas that is accreting onto the black hole from a companion star. These systems are all binaries with a black-hole mass that is less than 30 times that of the Sun. Theory predicts, however, that X-ray-emitting systems form a minority of the total population of star-black-hole binaries.

The SOFIA Study: Negative Multi-center Study of Low Dose Fluoxetine on Repetitive Behaviors in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Disorder.

Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that reduces obsessive-compulsive symptoms. There is limited evidence supporting its efficacy for repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of fluoxetine in 158 individuals with ASD (5-17 years).

Neural systems mediating decision-making and response inhibition for social and nonsocial stimuli in autism.

Autism is marked by impairments in social reciprocity and communication, along with restricted, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Prior studies have separately investigated social processing and executive function in autism, but little is known about the brain mechanisms of cognitive control for both emotional and nonemotional stimuli. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify differences in neurocircuitry between individuals with high functioning autism (HFA) and neurotypical controls during two versions of a go/no-go task: emotional (fear and happy faces) and nonemotional (English letters).

Puzzling accretion onto a black hole in the ultraluminous X-ray source M 101 ULX-1.

There are two proposed explanations for ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) with luminosities in excess of 10(39) erg s(-1). They could be intermediate-mass black holes (more than 100-1,000 solar masses, M sun symbol) radiating at sub-maximal (sub-Eddington) rates, as in Galactic black-hole X-ray binaries but with larger, cooler accretion disks. Alternatively, they could be stellar-mass black holes radiating at Eddington or super-Eddington rates.

Abnormal cingulum bundle development in autism: a probabilistic tractography study.

There is now considerable evidence that white matter abnormalities play a role in the neurobiology of autism. Little research has been directed, however, at understanding (a) typical white matter development in autism and how this relates to neurocognitive impairments observed in the disorder. In this study we used probabilistic tractography to identify the cingulum bundle in 21 adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers.

Baseline factors predicting placebo response to treatment in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: a multisite randomized clinical trial.

Importance: The finding of factors that differentially predict the likelihood of response to placebo over that of an active drug could have a significant impact on study design in this population.

Objective: To identify possible nonspecific, baseline predictors of response to intervention in a large randomized clinical trial of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial of citalopram hydrobromide for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and prominent repetitive behavior.

Exploring the manifestations of anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders.

This study explores the manifestation and measurement of anxiety symptoms in 415 children with ASDs on a 20-item, parent-rated, DSM-IV referenced anxiety scale. In both high and low-functioning children (IQ above vs. below 70), commonly endorsed items assessed restlessness, tension and sleep difficulties.

Design and subject characteristics in the federally-funded citalopram trial in children with pervasive developmental disorders.

The Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment Network conducted a randomized trial with citalopram in children with Pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). We present the rationale, design and sample characteristics of the citalopram trial. Subjects (128 boys, 21 girls) had a mean age of 9.

Lack of efficacy of citalopram in children with autism spectrum disorders and high levels of repetitive behavior: citalopram ineffective in children with autism.

Context: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are widely prescribed for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of citalopram hydrobromide therapy for repetitive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Design: National Institutes of Health-sponsored randomized controlled trial.

Strong association of de novo copy number mutations with autism.

We tested the hypothesis that de novo copy number variation (CNV) is associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We performed comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on the genomic DNA of patients and unaffected subjects to detect copy number variants not present in their respective parents. Candidate genomic regions were validated by higher-resolution CGH, paternity testing, cytogenetics, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and microsatellite genotyping.

Multisystem study of 20 older adults with Williams syndrome.

To address the natural history of Williams syndrome (WS), we performed multisystem assessments on 20 adults with WS over 30 years of age and documented a high frequency of problems in multiple organ systems. The most striking and consistent findings were: abnormal body habitus; mild-moderate high frequency sensorineural hearing loss; cardiovascular disease and hypertension; gastrointestinal symptoms including diverticular disease; diabetes and abnormal glucose tolerance on standard oral glucose tolerance testing; subclinical hypothyroidism; decreased bone mineral density on DEXA scanning; and a high frequency of psychiatric symptoms, most notably anxiety, often requiring multimodal therapy. Review of brain MRI scans did not demonstrate consistent pathology.