A componential approach to individual differences in hypnotizability

Although responsiveness to hypnotic suggestions (hypnotizability) typically is conceptualized and studied as a singular homogeneous capability, numerous lines of evidence suggest instead that it is a hierarchically structured cognitive capacity comprising a core superordinate ability and ancillary subordinate component abilities. After reviewing current approaches to the measurement of hypnotizability and componential approaches to other cognitive capabilities, we highlight outstanding questions in the field and argue for a componential approach to the study of hypnotizability. Such an approach assumes that hypnotizability is not a unitary construct but is rooted in multiple subabilities that interact to give rise to individual differences that are expressed within specific contexts. We revisit previous componential work on hypnotizability and propose a series of steps by which a componential model can be more rigorously interrogated and integrated with contemporary advances in our understanding of human cognition

Growth of delta-doped layers on silicon CCD/S for enhanced ultraviolet response

The backside surface potential well of a backside-illuminated CCD is confined to within about half a nanometer of the surface by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to grow a delta-doped silicon layer on the back surface. Delta-doping in an MBE process is achieved by temporarily interrupting the evaporated silicon source during MBE growth without interrupting the evaporated p+ dopant source (e.g., boron). This produces an extremely sharp dopant profile in which the dopant is confined to only a few atomic layers, creating an electric field high enough to confine the backside surface potential well to within half a nanometer of the surface. Because the probability of UV-generated electrons being trapped by such a narrow potential well is low, the internal quantum efficiency of the CCD is nearly 100% throughout the UV wavelength range. Furthermore, the quantum efficiency is quite stable

TRADEOFF ANALYSIS OF BACKUP POWER GENERATION SOLUTIONS FOR MILITARY BASES

Energy security is becoming increasingly important as the DOD relies on energy to build and project combat power from military installations. Installation energy managers currently ensure uninterrupted power to mission-critical facilities through emergency stand-alone diesel generators. Research has recently indicated that networks of smaller diesel generators offer greater energy security benefits than a network of a few large diesel generators. However, existing research has not compared or analyzed the cost and resilience between the two strategies. This capstone examines the cost and resilience of centralized and decentralized power architectures by developing a general methodology to capture comprehensive life-cycle costs and metrics. It examines resilience for various configurations of networked diesel generators. Installation power managers can apply this method to quantitatively compare life-cycle cost and resilience of emergency diesel generator solutions to improve energy security within the unique constraints of an installation. The capstone then applied this methodology to the aging diesel generator power plant at Naval Station, Rota, Spain, which demonstrated that decentralized architecture was the most cost-effective strategy for resilience. Finally, the capstone presents these findings and general methodology for future application.Navy Shore Energy Technology Transition and Integration (NSETTI), Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC), Port Hueneme, CA, 93043Captain, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyCaptain, United States ArmyCaptain, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Effect of nutrient restriction and re-feeding on calpain family genes in skeletal muscle of Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).

Background: Calpains, a superfamily of intracellular calcium-dependent cysteine proteases, are involved in the cytoskeletal remodeling and wasting of skeletal muscle. Calpains are generated as inactive proenzymes which are activated by Nterminal autolysis induced by calcium-ions. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, we characterized the full-length cDNA sequences of three calpain genes, clpn1, clpn2, and clpn3 in channel catfish, and assessed the effect of nutrient restriction and subsequent re-feeding on the expression of these genes in skeletal muscle. The clpn1 cDNA sequence encodes a protein of 704 amino acids, Clpn2 of 696 amino acids, and Clpn3 of 741 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis of deduced amino acid sequences indicate that catfish Clpn1 and Clpn2 share a sequence similarity of 61%; catfish Clpn1 and Clpn3 of 48%, and Clpn2 and Clpn3 of only 45%. The domain structure architectures of all three calpain genes in channel catfish are similar to those of other vertebrates, further supported by strong bootstrap values during phylogenetic analyses. Starvation of channel catfish (average weight, 15\u201320 g) for 35 days influenced the expression of clpn1 (2.3-fold decrease, P,0.05), clpn2 (1.3-fold increase, P,0.05), and clpn3 (13.0- fold decrease, P,0.05), whereas the subsequent refeeding did not change the expression of these genes as measured by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. Calpain catalytic activity in channel catfish skeletal muscle showed significant differences only during the starvation period, with a 1.2- and 1.4- fold increase (P,0.01) after 17 and 35 days of starvation, respectively. Conclusion/Significance: We have assessed that fasting and refeeding may provide a suitable experimental model to provide us insight into the role of calpains during fish muscle atrophy and how they respond to changes in nutrient supply

Using the Conservation Planning Tool to Effectively Recover Northern Bobwhites: An Example for States to Effectively Step-Down the NBCI Plan

The National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) 2.0 provides a sound foundation for recovering northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) range-wide, regionally and, to some extent, even locally. However, the NBCI does not provide detailed guidance to states on how to step-down the plan for efficacious delivery of on-the-ground management actions prescribed via biologists within the plan itself. States often must incorporate multiple planning efforts (e.g., state wildlife action plans) and geospatial layers not directly included in the NBCI plan (see NBCI Appendix in these Proceedings) to make tenable decisions which best guide allocation of resources and benefit multiple species of greatest conservation concern. The Conservation Planning Tool (CPT), developed as part of NBCI 2.0, provides the infrastructure for states and conservation organizations to capture biologist information coalesced in the plan while incorporating other data (e.g., species emphasis areas, current CRP implementation, etc.) germane to conservation planning. We use 3 states (Kansas, Florida, and Virginia) to demonstrate the utility of the CPT and to develop a step-down implementation plan, via creation of a habitat prioritization model, for recovery of bobwhites in each state. We explore the implications associated with creation of focal areas with respect to high versus medium ranked areas and underscore the importance of inclusion of major land-use opportunities and constraints prescribed within the plan to garner successful bobwhite recovery. We propose a framework for the integration of monitoring efforts into the step-down model to assess bird response and evaluate NBCI success through estimating bobwhite population density

A simple clinical scoring system to improve the sensitivity and standardization of the diagnosis of mycosis fungoides type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: logistic regression of clinical and laboratory data

Background  The diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF) is notoriously difficult to establish because in the early stages, histological features may be nonspecific or merely suggestive. Objectives  To standardize the diagnosis of MF. Methods  We studied 138 patients with suspected MF referred over a 7-year period to a university department of a dermatology-based cutaneous lymphoma clinic. Six diagnostic criteria were evaluated: clinical morphology, clinical distribution, skin biopsy T-cell receptor gene rearrangement (TCR-GR), skin biopsy pan T-cell marker loss ≥ 2, skin biopsy CD4/CD8 ratio ≥ 6, and skin biopsy diffuse epidermal HLA-DR expression. These six clinical and laboratory criteria were compared by logistic regression analysis in patients with histologically diagnosed MF and those with benign disease. Results  Of the 138 patients, 74 had histology of MF, 47 of benign dermatoses and 17 were indeterminate. Close associations were found between a histological diagnosis of MF and TCR-GR (odds ratio 14·4), classical morphology (7·5), classical distribution (2·5) and diffuse epidermal HLA-DR expression (2·8). Logistic regression models were developed depending on the availability of data (either TCR-GR or HLA-DR). Probabilities for correctly diagnosing MF compared with histology as the ‘gold standard’ were derived from these logistic regression models. A scoring system assigning point values based on these probabilities was then created in order to assist the clinician in making the diagnosis. If using TCR-GR data, a positive TCR-GR = 2·5 points, the presence of classical morphology = 2·0 points, and the presence of classical distribution = 1·5 points. A total score of ≥ 3·5 points assigns a high probability (> 85%) of having MF. If using HLA-DR expression, then the presence of classical morphology = 2·5 points, a positive diffuse epidermal HLA-DR expression = 2·0 points, and the presence of classical distribution = 1·5 points. In this case, a total score of ≥ 4·0 points assigns a high probability (> 85%) of MF. Conclusions  The logistic regression models and scoring systems integrate clinical and laboratory assessments, allow rapid probability estimation, and provide a threshold for the diagnosis of MF in an objective, standardized manner.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75520/1/j.1365-2133.2003.05458.x.pd

Increased positive and disorganised schizotypy in synaesthetes who experience colour from letters and tones.

Synaesthesia is a condition in which one property of a stimulus induces a conscious experience of an additional attribute. For example, in grapheme-colour synaesthesia, a visually presented grapheme results in synaesthetic experiences of colour. These experiences occur in approximately 4% of the population (Simner et al., 2006) and the authenticity of the condition is well established (Cohen Kadosh and Henik, 2007). Despite this, our understanding of the neuropsychiatric profiles of synaesthetes remains limited and surprisingly few studies have addressed whether synaesthesia is linked to more widespread abnormalities in perception that extend beyond the synaesthetic experience itself. There is, however, growing evidence to suggest that synaesthesia may be linked to a broader phenotype. For example, synaesthetes who experience colour show early processing differences to stimuli which do not evoke synaesthesia (Barnett et al., 2008); and the presence of synaesthesia has been linked with other phenotypic manifestations including out-of-body experiences (Terhune, 2009), creativity (Ward et al., 2008), mental imagery (Barnett and Newell, 2008), and mitempfindung (Burrack et al., 2006). Here, we examined the relationship between synaesthesia involving colour and the abnormal perceptions observed in schizophrenia by assessing levels of schizotypy in synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes. We report that synaesthesia for colour is associated with greater levels of positive and disorganised schizotypy (Fig. 1A), suggesting widespread perceptual differences in synaesthesia that extend beyond the synaesthetic concurrent

Evolution of Linear Absorption and Nonlinear Optical Properties in V-Shaped Ruthenium(II)-Based Chromophores

In this article, we describe a series of complexes with electron-rich cis-{Ru^(II)(NH_3)_4}^(2+) centers coordinated to two pyridyl ligands bearing N-methyl/arylpyridinium electron-acceptor groups. These V-shaped dipolar species are new, extended members of a class of chromophores first reported by us (Coe, B. J. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 4845−4859). They have been isolated as their PF_6− salts and characterized by using various techniques including ^1H NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry. Reversible Ru^(III/II) waves show that the new complexes are potentially redox-switchable chromophores. Single crystal X-ray structures have been obtained for four complex salts; three of these crystallize noncentrosymmetrically, but with the individual molecular dipoles aligned largely antiparallel. Very large molecular first hyperpolarizabilities β have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) with an 800 nm laser and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense, visible d → π^* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) and π → π^* intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) bands. The latter measurements afford total nonresonant β_0 responses as high as ca. 600 × 10^(−30) esu. These pseudo-C_(2v) chromophores show two substantial components of the β tensor, β_(zzz) and β_(zyy), although the relative significance of these varies with the physical method applied. According to HRS, β_(zzz) dominates in all cases, whereas the Stark analyses indicate that β_(zyy) is dominant in the shorter chromophores, but β_(zzz) and β_(zyy) are similar for the extended species. In contrast, finite field calculations predict that β_(zyy) is always the major component. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations predict increasing ILCT character for the nominally MLCT transitions and accompanying blue-shifts of the visible absorptions, as the ligand π-systems are extended. Such unusual behavior has also been observed with related 1D complexes (Coe, B. J. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 3880−3891)

Emergence of qualia from brain activity or from an interaction of proto-consciousness with the brain: which one is the weirder? Available evidence and a research agenda

This contribution to the science of consciousness aims at comparing how two different theories can explain the emergence of different qualia experiences, meta-awareness, meta-cognition, the placebo effect, out-of-body experiences, cognitive therapy and meditation-induced brain changes, etc. The first theory postulates that qualia experiences derive from specific neural patterns, the second one, that qualia experiences derive from the interaction of a proto-consciousness with the brain\u2019s neural activity. From this comparison it will be possible to judge which one seems to better explain the different qualia experiences and to offer a more promising research agenda

Myths and misconceptions about hypnosis and suggestion: Separating fact and fiction

We present 21 prominent myths and misconceptions about hypnosis in order to promulgate accurate information and to highlight questions for future research. We argue that these myths and misconceptions have (a) fostered a skewed and stereotyped view of hypnosis among the lay public, (b) discouraged participant involvement in potentially helpful hypnotic interventions, and (c) impeded the exploration and application of hypnosis in scientific and practitioner communities. Myths reviewed span the view that hypnosis produces a trance or special state of consciousness and allied myths on topics related to hypnotic interventions; hypnotic responsiveness and the modification of hypnotic suggestibility; inducing hypnosis; and hypnosis and memory, awareness, and the experience of nonvolition. By demarcating myth from mystery and fact from fiction, and by highlighting what is known as well as what remains to be discovered, the science and practice of hypnosis can be advanced and grounded on a firmer empirical footing