Development and validation of a new multidimensional measure of inspiration:associations with risk for bipolar disorder

Background: Individuals at risk for, and diagnosed with, bipolar disorder (BD) appear to have heightened levels of creativity. Although inspiration is creativity, the ways in which individuals appraise and respond emotionally to inspiration in BD remain unexplored. Method: The present study reports on a new measure of inspiration (External and Internal Sources of Inspiration Scale - EISI). The reliability and validity of EISI were explored along with associations between EISI and BD risk. Results: Among a cross-national student sample (N = 708) 5 inspiration factors were derived from EISI (self, other, achievement, prosocial and external inspiration). Reliability, concurrent validity and convergent/divergent validity were good. Total EISI and all subscales were associated with increased positive rumination, and total EISI and the achievement EISI subscale were associated with impulsivity. Total EISI, self and prosocial EISI subscales were independently associated with BD risk and current mania symptoms. Conclusion: This new measure of inspiration is multidimensional, reliable and valid. Findings suggest that self and prosocial focused inspiration are particularly associated with risk for BD after controlling for current manic symptoms. Future studies in clinical populations may illuminate the relationships between inspiration and creativity in BD

Autotrophic net productivity patterns at four artificial reef sites in the Mississippi Sound

Nearshore artificial reefs are common coastal features, for instance the Mississippi Sound has 67 inshore artificial reefs, the goal of which is to increase fisheries production. The success of artificial reefs depends in part on the primary production potential available to support the reef-based food web. In this study, we used settlement plates to estimate periphyton community net productivity, chlorophyll-a (chl-a), and biomass at sites adjacent to four artificial reefs in the Mississippi Sound in order to evaluate the potential of these artificial reefs to enhance local primary production. Water column primary productivity, chl-a, and biomass were also measured to assess the contribution of phytoplankton to total net primary production at these four sites. The largely negative net productivity measurements obtained for the periphyton community suggest that artificial structures deployed in the Mississippi Sound are potentially net heterotrophic and that the autotrophic component of the periphyton is not likely to be a major source of primary production to the reef food web for much of the year except in winter. The higher water column productivity measurements suggest that phytoplankton is a more important source of primary production to the reef food web than the benthic periphyton community especially during the summer