Zonal Winds Between 25 and 120 Km Retrieved from Solar Occultation Spectra

Atmospheric winds at heights between 25 and 120 km have been retrieved with precisions of 5/ms from the Doppler shifts of atmospheric absorption lines measured from a satellite-borne instrument. Lines of the upsilon 3 CO2 and upsilon 2 H2O rotation-vibration bands caused by gases in the instrument allowed the instrumental frequency scale to be absolutely calibrated so that accurate relative speeds could be obtained. By comparing the positions of both sets of instrumental lines the calibration of the frequency scale was determined to be stable to a precision of less than 2 x 10(-5) cm during the course of each occultation. It was found that the instrumental resolution of 0.015 cm after apodization, the signal to noise ratio of about 100 and stable calibration allowed relative speeds to be determined to a precision of 5 ms or better by using small numbers of absorption lines between 1600 and 3200 cm. Absolute absorption line positions were simultaneously recovered to precisions of 5 x 10(-5) cm or better. The wind speed profiles determined from four sunset occultations and one sunrise occultation show remarkable similarities in the magnitudes and directions of the zonal wind velocities as functions of height. These wind profiles appear to be manifestations of atmospheric tides

Hydropower Development and Involuntary Displacement: Toward a Global Solution

This Note addresses the effects of hydropower development projects on displaced persons globally. This Note recognizes that the increasing global energy demand puts great strain on nations to provide their people with electricity, but it also suggests that sustainable energy development projects can be carried out in a way that is fair to the indigenous populations surrounding hydropower dams. The current global trend in involuntary displacement involves ignoring certain groups of affected persons while undercompensating directly displaced persons, leading to homelessness, social stigmatization, and extreme poverty for millions of people worldwide. Thus far, there has been no sufficient global solution to this displacement problem, as current solutions do not focus on rehabilitating the communities that lose everything for the construction of these projects. This Note suggests that individual nations must take responsibility for the displacement of indigenous populations in building hydropower development projects for the benefit of the nation, and an international actor, such as the World Bank, must use its resources and discretionary project funding to protect global human rights during the development of hydropower projects

The effects of using an off-task paper as a nonverbal intervention for inappropriate disruptive behavior

The following study took place within the Academic Compliance Training program at Cathey Middle School in McAllen, Texas. Off-task papers were implemented as a nonverbal intervention during inappropriate behavior occurring after students were given directions for independent assignments. An A-B design was utilized to demonstrate a functional relationship between the independent variable, off-task papers administered as a nonverbal intervention, and dependent variable, operationally defined as all academically off-task behavior. The results of this study suggest that using off-task papers as a nonverbal intervention effectively reduces academically off-task behavior during independent seatwork

Test-retest reliability and Practice Effect of the Leuven Perceptual Organisation Screening Test

Visual diagnostic tests must have a high degree of consistency in its measurements (high reliability) to ensure accurate assessment of perceptual abilities. The current study assessed test-retest reliability and practice effects in Leuven Perceptual Organisation Screening Test (L-POST) in 144 healthy volunteers with time intervals between 0 and 756 days. We used correlation analysis, Bland-Altman analysis, and multi-level modelling. Results from our three analyses converged and supported an adequate reliability of L-POST. Multi-level modelling demonstrated an absence of practice effect, suggesting that the LPOST is suitable for repeat administration. This study suggests that Leuven Perceptual Organisation Screening Test has adequate reliability and is suitable for repeat administration even at short intervals. This study provides the basis for a more systematic evaluation for neuropsychological assessments, which can lead to the development of more reliable assessment batteries

Taking a break in response to pain : an experimental investigation of the effects of interruptions by pain on subsequent activity resumption

Abstract Background and aims Interrupting ongoing activities with the intention to resume them again later is a natural response to pain. However, such interruptions might have negative consequences for the subsequent resumption and performance of the interrupted activity. Activity interruptions by pain may be more impairing than interruptions by non-painful stimuli, and also be subjectively experienced as such. These effects might be more pronounced in people high in pain catastrophizing. These hypotheses were investigated in two experiments. Methods In Experiment 1, healthy volunteers (n = 24) performed an ongoing task requiring a sequence of joystick movements. Occasionally, they received either a painful electrocutaneous or a non-painful vibrotactile stimulus, followed by suspension of the ongoing task and temporary engagement in a different task (interruption task). After performing the interruption task for 30 s, participants resumed the ongoing task. As the ongoing task of Experiment 1 was rather simple, Experiment 2 (n = 30) included a modified, somewhat more complex version of the task, in order to examine the effects of activity interruptions by pain. Results Participants made more errors and were slower to initiate movements (Experiment 1 &amp; 2) and to complete movements (Experiment 2) when they resumed the ongoing task after an interruption, indicating that interruptions impaired subsequent performance. However, these impairments were not larger when the interruption was prompted by painful than by non-painful stimulation. Pain catastrophizing did not influence the results. Conclusions Results indicate that activity interruptions by pain have negative consequences for the performance of an activity upon its resumption, but not more so than interruptions by non-painful stimuli. Potential explanations and avenues for future research are discussed. Implications Interrupting ongoing activities is a common response to pain. In two experiments using a novel paradigm we showed that activity interruptions by pain impair subsequent activity resumption and performance. However, this effect seems to not be specific to pain. </jats:sec

Do fundamental fears differentially contribute to pain-related fear and pain catastrophizing? An evaluation of the sensitivity index

Three fundamental fears - anxiety sensitivity (AS), injury/illness sensitivity (IS) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) - have been proposed to underlie common fears and psychopathological conditions. In pain research, the relation between AS and (chronic) pain processes was the subject of several studies, whereas the possible role of IS has been ignored. The current research examines the role of IS with respect to various pain-related variables in two studies. In the first study, 192 healthy college students completed the Sensitivity Index (SI; a composite measure assessing the three fundamental fears) and various pain-related questionnaires. In a second study, 60 students out of the original sample took part in a pain induction procedure and completed the SI as well. We first examined the properties of the SI. Factor analysis on the SI replicated the proposed factor structure [Taylor S. The structure of fundamental fears, J Behav Ther Exp, Psychiat 1993;24:289-99]. However, some items of the ASI did show problematic loadings and were therefore excluded in subsequent analyses. The main hypothesis of the current study states that IS is a stronger predictor than AS of pain catastrophizing and fear of pain as assessed by self-report measures, and of pain tolerance and anticipatory fear of pain as assessed in a pain induction study. This hypothesis could be confirmed for all variables, except for pain tolerance, which was not predicted by any of the three fundamental fears. The current study can be considered as an impetus for devoting attention to IS in future pain research