<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> There are currently no approved drug interventions for social behavior dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous trials investigating effects of daily intranasal oxytocin treatment have reported inconsistent results and have not combined it with positive social interaction. However, in two preclinical studies we established that treatment every other day rather than daily is more efficacious in maintaining neural and behavioral effects by reducing receptor desensitization. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> We aimed to establish whether a 6-week intranasal oxytocin compared with placebo treatment, followed by a period of positive social interaction, would produce reliable symptom improvements in children with ASD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A pilot double-blind, randomized, crossover design trial was completed including 41 children with ASD aged 3–8 years. Primary outcomes were the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) and social responsivity scale-2 (SRS-2). Secondary measures included cognitive, autism- and caregiver-related questionnaires, and social attention assessed using eye-tracking. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Significant improvements were found for oxytocin relative to placebo in primary outcome measures (total ADOS-2 and SRS-2 scores, <i>p</i>s &#x3c; 0.001) and in behavioral adaptability and repetitive behavior secondary measures. Altered SRS-2 scores were associated with increased saliva oxytocin concentrations. Additionally, oxytocin significantly increased time spent viewing dynamic social compared to geometric stimuli and the eyes of angry, happy, and neutral expression faces. There were no adverse side effects of oxytocin treatment. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Overall, results demonstrate that a 6-week intranasal oxytocin treatment administered every other day and followed by positive social interactions can improve clinical, eye tracking, and questionnaire-based assessments of symptoms in young autistic children.

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This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2015.12.038This paper examines the cost and profit efficiency of four types of Chinese commercial banks over the period from 2002 to 2013. We find that the cost and profit efficiencies improved across all types of Chinese domestic banks in general and the banks are more profit-efficient than cost efficient. Foreign banks are the most cost efficient but the least profit efficient. The profit efficiency gap between foreign banks and domestic banks has widened after the World Trade Organization transition period (2007-2013). Ownership structure, market competition, bank size, and listing status are the main determinants of the efficiency of Chinese banks. We also find a causal relationship between efficiency and SROE by using the panel auto regression method. The evidence from the shadow return on equity (SROE) suggests that policy makers should be cautious of the adjustment costs imposed by the recapitalization process, which offsets the efficiency gains.authorsversionPeer reviewe