Photo-excited charge carrier lifetime enhanced by slow cation molecular dynamics in lead iodide perovskite FAPbI3_3

Using muon spin relaxation ($\mu$SR) measurements on formamidinium lead iodide [FAPbI$_3$, where FA denotes HC(NH$_2)_2$] we show that, among the five structurally distinct phases of FAPbI$_3$ exhibited through two different temperature hysteresis, the reorientation motion of FA molecules is quasi-static below $\approx50$ K over the time scale of 10$^{-6}$ s in the low-temperature (LT) hexagonal (Hex-LT, $<160$ K) phase which has relatively longer photo-excited charge carrier lifetime ($\tau_{\rm c}\sim$10$^{-6}$ s). In contrast, a sharp increase in the FA molecular motion was found above $\approx50$ K in the Hex-LT phase, LT-tetragonal phase (Tet-LT, $<140$ K), the high-temperature (HT) hexagonal phase (Hex-HT, 160-380 K), and the HT-tetragonal phase (Tet-HT, 140-280 K) where $\tau_{\rm c}$ decreases with increasing temperature. More interestingly, the reorientation motion is further promoted in the cubic phase at higher temperatures ($>380/280$ K), while $\tau_{\rm c}$ is recovered to comparable or larger than that of the LT phases. These results indicate that there are two factors that determine $\tau_{\rm c}$, one related to the local reorientation of cationic molecules that is not unencumbered by phonons, and the other to the high symmetry of the bulk crystal structure.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Development and Validation of the Combined Action Observation and Motor Imagery Ability Questionnaire

Combined use of action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) is an increasingly popular motor-simulation intervention, which involves observing movements on video while simultaneously imagining the feeling of movement execution. Measuring and reporting participant imagery-ability characteristics are essential in motor-simulation research, but no measure of AOMI ability currently exists. Accordingly, the AOMI Ability Questionnaire (AOMI-AQ) was developed to address this gap in the literature. In Study 1, two hundred eleven participants completed the AOMI-AQ and the kinesthetic imagery subscales of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 and Vividness of Motor Imagery Questionnaire-2. Following exploratory factor analysis, an 8-item AOMI-AQ was found to correlate positively with existing motor-imagery measures. In Study 2, one hundred seventy-four participants completed the AOMI-AQ for a second time after a period of 7-10 days. Results indicate a good test-retest reliability for the AOMI-AQ. The new AOMI-AQ measure provides a valid and reliable tool for researchers and practitioners wishing to assess AOMI ability

Structural Relationships Among Mental Boundaries, Childhood Imaginary Companions, Creative Experiences, and Entity Encounters

This study investigated relationships between thin mental boundary functioning, creativity, imaginary companions (ICs), and anomalous ‘(entity) encounter experiences.’ A convenience sample of 389 respondents completed the Revised Transliminality Scale, Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, Creative Experiences Questionnaire, Survey of Strange Events, and a measure of Childhood Imaginary Companions. Competing testing with path analysis found that the best-fitting model was consistent with the causal chain of ‘Thin Boundaries (transliminality and schizotypy) → Creative Experiences → ICs → (Entity) Encounter Experiences.’ These results suggest that deep-types of ICs (i.e., showing apparent independent agency) are perhaps most accurately characterized as syncretic cognitions versus hallucination-like experiences. The authors examine these findings relative to study limitations, as well as discussing the need for future research that approaches ICs as a special mental state that can facilitate allied altered-anomalous experiences. In this context, this study furthered understanding of relationships between conscious states related to mental boundaries, childhood imaginary companions, creative experiences, and entity encounters

Understanding Consumer Enchantment via Paranormal Tourism: Part I—Conceptual Review

© The Author(s) 2020. Tourism-hospitality businesses sometimes market consumer experiences in terms of “enchantment,” although this phrase is often used vaguely or variously. Therefore, we approached the issue conceptually by examining prior research on the experience economy, extraordinary architectural experiences, and accounts of paranormal tourism. Our critical overview suggests that we are dealing with a phenomenon rooted in environment-person bidirectional (or enactive) effects. We subsequently argue for the term “situational-enchantment” to denote a distinct and progressive arousal state characterized by dis-ease or dissonance that facilitates a sense of connection or oneness with a “transcendent agency, ultimate reality, or Other.” An iterative Content Category Dictionary exercise based on target literature specifically mapped this hypothesized state in terms of five competing features: (a) Emotional, (b) Sensorial, (c) Timeless, (d) Rational, and (e) Transformative. We frame this phenomenology within Funder’s Realistic Accuracy Model, which we propose drives an epiphanic process involving attentional, perceptual, attributional, and social mechanisms. Our synthesis of the multidisciplinary literature in this domain helps to clarify the nature and relevance of enchantment as an individual difference that varies across people and is subject to a variety of contextual influences. Accordingly, we discuss how this hypothesized state can be manipulated to an extent within certain people by creating or reinforcing conditions that spur experiential and rational engagement with ambiguous or unexpected stimuli

Time-odd components in the mean field of rotating superdeformed nuclei

Rotation-induced time-odd components in the nuclear mean field are analyzed using the Hartree-Fock cranking approach with effective interactions SIII, SkM*, and SkP. Identical dynamical moments ${{\cal J}^{(2)}}$ are obtained for pairs of superdeformed bands $^{151}$Tb(2)--$^{152}$Dy(1) and $^{150}$Gd(2)--$^{151}$Tb(1). The corresponding relative alignments strongly depend on which time-odd mean-field terms are taken into account in the Hartree-Fock equations.Comment: 23 pages, ReVTeX, 6 uuencoded postscript figures include

Anomalous Experiences and Paranormal Attributions: Psychometric Challenges in Studying Their Measurement and Relationship

© 2019 American Psychological Association. Research on the psychology of paranormal, religious, and delusional belief has been stifled by a lack of careful distinction between anomalous experiences and their corresponding attributions. The Survey of Anomalous Experience (SAE; Irwin, Dagnall, & Drinkwater, 2013) addresses this nuance by measuring proneness to anomalous experience (PAE) and proneness to paranormal attribution (PPA). Using data (351 men, 1,026 women) from 7 previously published studies, we examined the SAE's internal validity via Rasch scaling and differential item functioning analyses. PPA showed good Rasch model fit and no item bias, but it lacked adequate reliability. Several PAE items showed misfit to the Rasch model or gender bias, though deleting 5 items produced a scale with acceptable reliability. Finally, we failed to validate a 3-category rating scale version with the goal of improving the SAE's psychometric properties. All 3 formulations revealed a secondary factor related to the items' extremity rather than contents, suggesting that future research should consider the intensity of respondents' anomalous experiences and paranormal attributions

The Moderating Effect of Mental Toughness: Perception of Risk and Belief in the Paranormal

This research demonstrates that higher levels of mental toughness provide cognitive-perceptual processing advantages when evaluating risk. No previous research, however, has examined mental toughness in relation to perception of risk and paranormal belief (a variable associated with distorted perception of causality and elevated levels of perceived risk). Accordingly, the present paper investigated relationships between these factors. A sample of 174 participants completed self-report measures assessing mental toughness, general perception of risk, and paranormal belief. Responses were analyzed via correlations and moderation analyses. Results revealed that mental toughness correlated negatively with perception of risk and paranormal belief, whereas paranormal belief correlated positively with perception of risk. For the moderation effects, simple slopes analyses indicated that high levels of MT and subfactors of commitment and confidence reduced the strength of association between paranormal belief and perceived risk. Therefore, MT potentially acts as a protective factor among individuals who believe in the paranormal, reducing the tendency to perceive elevated levels of risk

Relative spins and excitation energies of superdeformed bands in 190Hg: Further evidence for octupole vibration

An experiment using the Eurogam Phase II gamma-ray spectrometer confirms the existence of an excited superdeformed (SD) band in 190Hg and its very unusual decay into the lowest SD band over 3-4 transitions. The energies and dipole character of the transitions linking the two SD bands have been firmly established. Comparisons with RPA calculations indicate that the excited SD band can be interpreted as an octupole-vibrational structure.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 4 figures available via WWW at http://www.phy.anl.gov/bgo/bc/hg190_nucl_ex.htm