A Study of Recall and Retention of Accelerated Lecture Presentation

Subjects were 118 students in Human Behavior and Development classes at State University College at Buffalo. Two lectures, which represented part of the course content, were recorded by the Ss’regular professor. Ss were divided into three groups. Lecture number one was presented to Group A (control) at normal word speed (21 minutes duration). The same lecture was presented to Group B (experimental), but at increased word speed (14 minutes duration). Group C (non-treatment) was not exposed to the tape recorded lecture. Rotational design was used for the second lecture presentation to adjust for possible inter-group differences. A thirty item recall test was administered to groups A and B immediately after presentation, and to the non-treatment group. Two to three weeks after each lecture a twenty item retention test was administered to groups A and B. Analysis of variance was computed on the raw test scores of control, experimental, and non-treatment groups for Recall Test I and II. A significant F-ratio (p <.001) was found for group comparisons on both tests. T-tests were calculated on the raw test scores of control and experimental groups for Recall Test I, Recall Test II, Retention Test I and Retention Test II. The results of these calculations did not demonstrate any significant differences between control and experimental groups for any of the four tests. It appears that lecture presentations, on a college level, can be increased in word rate, with a reduction in presentation time by one-third without any significant loss in recall or retention.     

Effects of hypnosis on P300 olfactory-evoked potential amplitudes.

From a sample of 93 undergraduates, 4 high- and 5 low-hypnotic-susceptibility (the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C) Ss were exposed to a waking condition and a hypnotic induction condition that included a suggestion for anosmia. ANOVAs of the P300 showed significant amplitude increases for weak and strong odors for high-hypnotizable Ss in hypnosis, but not for high-hypnotizable Ss in the waking state. No such amplitude increases were found for the low-hypnotizable Ss. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of hypnosis and distraction in severely ill children undergoing painful medical procedures.

An ethnically diverse sample of high and low hypnotizable children (N?=?27) suffering from cancer or blood disorders and their parents were trained to use both distraction and hypnosis to reduce pain and anxiety. Measures of pain and anxiety were obtained from the children and their parents. Independent raters also judged participants' video-taped distress responses. Data were collected during painful medical procedures, for baseline, distraction, and hypnosis conditions. Supporting E. R. Hilgard's (1977, 1992) neodissociation theory, hypnotizable children showed significantly lower pain, anxiety, and distress scores in response to hypnosis in contrast to low hypnotizable children. Distraction produced significant positive effects for observer-rated distress scores for the low hypnotizable children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of active alert and relaxation hypnotic inductions on cold pressor pain.

Contrasted relaxation and active alert hypnotic inductions with or without a specific suggestion for cold pressor pain analgesia. Groups of high (n?=?38) and low (n?=?27) hypnotizable Ss were tested; hypnotizability had been determined from results of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C. Cold pressor pain data were obtained after counterbalanced exposure to relaxation and active alert inductions. Highly hypnotizable Ss demonstrated lower pain scores than did low hypnotizable ones. Pain reports did not differ between induction conditions. Highly hypnotizable Ss given an analgesic suggestion showed lower pain scores than did those exposed only to hypnosis. The findings, conceptualized within E. R. Hilgard's (1977) neodissociation theory, show that relaxation is not necessary for hypnotic analgesia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cortical event-related potentials show the structure of hypnotic suggestions is crucial

Electroencephalographic cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) are affected by information processing strategies and are particularly appropriate for the examination of hypnotic alterations in perception. The effects of positive obstructive and negative obliterating instructions on visual and auditory P300 ERPs were tested. Twenty participants, stringently selected for hypnotizability, were requested to perform identical tasks during waking and alert hypnotic conditions. High hypnotizables showed greater ERP amplitudes while experiencing negative hallucinations and lower ERP amplitudes while experiencing positive obstructive hallucinations, in contrast to low hypnotizables and their own waking imagination-only conditions. The data show that when participants are carefully selected for hypnotizability and responses are time locked to events, rather robust physiological markers of hypnosis emerge. These reflect alterations in consciousness that correspond to participants' subjective experiences of perceptual alteration. Accounting for suggestion type reveals remarkable consistency of findings among dozens of researchers.     

Alkanosulfonylated Starches

Syntheses of alkanosulfonylated starches are presented with alkane moiety being 1-propyl-, 1-butyl-, 1-octyl, 1-decyl- and 1-octadecyl. Some properties of these compounds are described and results of their biological screening against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus are given.     

Suppression of NtZIP4A/B Changes Zn and Cd Root-to-Shoot Translocation in a Zn/Cd Status-Dependent Manner

In tobacco, the efficiency of Zn translocation to shoots depends on Zn/Cd status. Previous studies pointed to the specific contribution of root parts in the regulation of this process, as well as the role of NtZIP4A/B (from the ZIP family; Zrt Irt-like Proteins). Here, to verify this hypothesis, NtZIP4A/B RNAi lines were generated. Then, in plants exposed to combinations of Zn and Cd concentrations in the medium, the consequences of NtZIP4A/B suppression for the translocation of both metals were determined. Furthermore, the apical, middle, and basal root parts were examined for accumulation of both metals, for Zn localization (using Zinpyr-1), and for modifications of the expression pattern of ZIP genes. Our results confirmed the role of NtZIP4A/B in the control of Zn/Cd-status-dependent transfer of both metals to shoots. Furthermore, they indicated that the middle and basal root parts contributed to the regulation of this process by acting as a reservoir for excess Zn and Cd. Expression studies identified several candidate ZIP genes that interact with NtZIP4A/B in the root in regulating Zn and Cd translocation to the shoot, primarily NtZIP1-like in the basal root part and NtZIP2 in the middle one.     

Thiosemicarbazones of Starch Dialdehyde and Their Biological Activity

Starch dialdehyde thiosemicarbazones of various degree of substitution were prepared and their biological activity studied against some saprophytes, fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.     

Studies on Mutagenicity of Caramel

Caramels laboratory-prepared by thermolysis of pure α-D-glucose, D-fructose and sucrose as well as of these sugars with some nitrogen-containing and nitrogen-free catalysts were tested against Escherichia coli strains. These caramels exhibit free- radical character independently of the mode of their preparation. Biological functions of Escherichia coli in 10 subsequent generations grown without caramel and with caramel added to a nutrient broth were tested in a standard scope of 15 biological tests. Neither growth nor biological functions of all generations of this bacterium were influenced by caramels added.