Effect of some nitrophenols on the respiration of Myrothecium verrucaria spores.

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Evaluation of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test with a Social Phobic Population

The convergent and discriminant validity of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test (SISST) were evaluated in a sample of men and women awaiting treatment for fear and avoidance of social interactions. Partial correlations revealed that negative, but not positive, self-statement scores were generally related to self-report measures of anxiety and depression. Heart rate and subjective anxiety ratings derived from a behavioral simulation of a personally relevant anxiety-provoking situation were unrelated to SISST scores. However, subjects’ reports of negative thoughts obtained via the thought-listing procedure were related to the SISST negative self-statement scores, suggesting that the negative subscale of the SISST and the thought-listing procedure tap similar dimensions. Finally, the negative subscale of the SISST discriminated between social phobics whose primary fear involved social interactions and social phobics whose anxiety was confined to public-speaking situations. The findings support the use of the SISST with clinically socially anxious patients

DSM-III-R Subtypes of Social Phobia: Comparison of Generalized Social Phobics and Public Speaking Phobics

Social phobic patients who fear most or all social interaction situations are labeled generalized social phobics in DSM-III-R. Thirty-five patients who met this criterion were compared with 22 social phobic patients whose fears were restricted to public-speaking situations. Generalized social phobics were younger, less educated, and less likely to be employed, and their phobias were rated by clinical interviewers as more severe than those of public-speaking phobics. Generalized social phobics appeared more anxious and more depressed and expressed greater fears concerning negative social evaluation. They performed more poorly on individualized behavioral tests and differed from public-speaking phobics in their responses to cognitive assessment tasks. The two groups showed marked differences in their patterns of heart rate acceleration during the behavioral test. The implications of these findings for the classification and treatment of social phobic individuals are discussed

Resonance fluorescence in a band gap material: Direct numerical simulation of non-Markovian evolution

A numerical method of calculating the non-Markovian evolution of a driven atom radiating into a structured continuum is developed. The formal solution for the atomic reduced density matrix is written as a Markovian algorithm by introducing a set of additional, virtual density matrices which follow, to the level of approximation of the algorithm, all the possible trajectories of the photons in the electromagnetic field. The technique is perturbative in the sense that more virtual density matrices are required as the product of the effective memory time and the effective coupling strength become larger. The number of density matrices required is given by $3^{M}$ where $M$ is the number of timesteps per memory time. The technique is applied to the problem of a driven two-level atom radiating close to a photonic band gap and the steady-state correlation function of the atom is calculated.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Cognitive Behavioral Group Treatment for Social Phobia: Comparison with a Credible Placebo Control

Forty-nine patients participated in a study comparing cognitive-behavioral group treatment (CBGT) for social phobia with a credible placebo control. CBGT consisted of exposure to simulated phobic events, cognitive restructuring of maladaptive thoughts, and homework for self-directed exposure and cognitive restructuring between sessions. Control patients received a treatment package consisting of lecture-discussion and group support that was comparable to CBGT on measures of treatment credibility and outcome expectations. At pretest, posttest, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups, patients completed assessments that included clinician ratings, self-report measures, and behavioral physiological and cognitive-subjective measures derived from a behavioral simulation of a personally relevant phobic event. Both groups improved on most measures, but, at both posttest and follow-up, CBGT patients were rated as more improved than controls and reported less anxiety before and during the behavioral test. At follow-up, CBGT patients also reported significantly fewer negative and more positive self-statements than controls on a thought-listing task following the behavioral test. Regardless of treatment condition, follow-up changes in clinician-rated phobic severity were significantly related to changes on the thought-listing measure

Bose-enhanced chemistry: Amplification of selectivity in the dissociation of molecular Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the photodissociation chemistry of a quantum degenerate gas of bosonic triatomic $ABC$ molecules, assuming two open rearrangement channels ($AB+C$ or $A+BC$). The equations of motion are equivalent to those of a parametric multimode laser, resulting in an exponential buildup of macroscopic mode populations. By exponentially amplifying a small differential in the single-particle rate-coefficients, Bose stimulation leads to a nearly complete selectivity of the collective $N$-body process, indicating a novel type of ultra-selective quantum degenerate chemistry.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Effects of vessel traffic on relative abundance and behaviour of cetaceans : the case of the bottlenose dolphins in the Archipelago de La Maddalena, north-western Mediterranean sea

Acknowledgements This study was part of the Tursiops Project of the Dolphin Research Centre of Caprera, La Maddalena. Financial and logistical support was provided by the Centro Turistico Studentesco (CTS) and by the National Park of the Archipelago de La Maddalena. We thank the Natural Reserve of Bocche di Bonifacio for the support provided during data collection. The authors thank the numerous volunteers of the Caprera Dolphin Research Centre and especially Marco Ferraro, Mirko Ugo, Angela Pira and Maurizio Piras whose assistance during field observation and skills as a boat driver were invaluable.Peer reviewedPostprin