Perceived control, locus of control and preparatory information: effects on the perception of an acute pain stimulus

This study investigated the effects of differences in a pre-procedure briefing (providing or withholding preparatory information and explicit control) on the perception of the second of two identical acute pain stimuli. 61 healthy participants were allocated to one of three conditions: Information + Control (I+C), Information - No Control (I-NC) or No information - No Control (NINC). Baseline measures of Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) and pain rating using Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) were taken, as was a measure of general internal/external Locus of Control (LOC). Participants were read the briefing and subjected to a second pain stimulus of identical intensity to their baseline measures. Participants rated the second stimulus using the VASs, and compared it to the first using comparison scales. Results show that differences in a pre-procedure briefing significantly altered participants' perception of the pain stimulus. Participants in the I-NC group rated the second stimulus more painful than the first, and participants in the NI-NC group rated the second stimulus as less painful than the first. There is also suggestive evidence that these differences may relate to individual LOC style. We recommend encouragement of patient participation to engender at least the perception of control in clinical situations involving acutely painful procedures

Impact averaging and social facilitation : the effects of a heterogeneous audience on anxiety and task performance

Evaluation apprehension approaches to social facilitation have long contended that increasing audience size should either increase or have no effect on evaluation apprehension or anxiety. Changes in evaluation apprehension are generally inferred from altered task performance within this paradigm. This research has relied predominantly on audiences of homogeneous composition. The effects of heterogeneous audiences on evaluation apprehension or anxiety have received only scant attention. The averaging/summation model of evaluation addresses this issue. According to one aspect of this model, increasing audience size could result in decreased anxiety or evaluation apprehension. This would be the case if a performer concentrates on the average of the individuals in the audience. In this situation, the inclusion of low evaluative members in a highly evaluative audience could result in an average audience impact that is less than that of a high status audience of fewer members. The predictions of the averaging/summation model are, however, based on role play situations utilizing verbal reports of anxiety. The inconsistent predictions of the evaluation apprehension approaches to social facilitation and the averaging/summation model could, therefore, be due to differences in these two experimental paradigms

Mise en œuvre de façon 'synergique' des mécanismes d'accès et de partage des avantages dans le cadre du Traité sur les ressources phytogénétiques, de la Convention sur la diversité biologique et du Protocole de Nagoya

Le Traité international sur les ressources phytogénétiques pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (TIRPAA) et la Convention sur la diversité biologique (CDB) engagent leurs Etats-membres à mettre en œuvre des systèmes d'accès et de partage des avantages très différents : d’un côté, le système établi en vertu du TIRPAA vise à renforcer la mise en commun et le partage au niveau international de la diversité génétique ; de l’autre côté, le système de la CDB a pour objectif de maximiser le contrôle souverain de chaque pays sur ses ressources génétiques. La mise en œuvre nationale de ces deux systèmes s'est révélée relativement lente. Ce retard est notamment dû au fait que dans de nombreux pays les décideurs nationaux ne savent pas vraiment comment gérer l'interface entre ces deux systèmes d'accès et de partage des avantages. Sur la base des recherches et des expériences en matière d’élaboration des politiques conduites dans plusieurs pays, les auteurs identifient en premier lieu les questions que les décideurs politiques nationaux doivent aborder et les étapes qu’ils doivent suivre pour la mise en œuvre du Système multilatéral d'accès et de partage des avantages du TIRPAA. En second lieu, les auteurs analysent les points d'intersection, au niveau national, entre le Système multilatéral d'accès et de partage des avantages du TIRPAA et les mécanismes mis en place (ou qui sont actuellement élaborés) en application de la CDB et de son Protocole de Nagoya, récemment adopté. En troisième lieu, les auteurs analysent les facteurs qui contribuent dans de nombreux pays à un manque de coordination entre les institutions publiques nationales chargées de l’environnement et celles chargées de l’agriculture qui ont pour mandat de diriger la mise en œuvre nationale de ces accords internationaux

Mental imagery in chronic pain:Prevalence and characteristics

Research into mental imagery has increased our understanding of a range of psychological problems. However, there has been little study into the spontaneous mental images experienced in response to chronic pain. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and characteristics of these pain-related mental images

Impact of controllability on pain and suffering

Introduction: Chronic pain and pain-related suffering are major health problems. The lack of controllability of experienced pain seems to greatly contribute to the extent of suffering. This study examined how controllability affects the perception of pain and pain related suffering, and the modulation of this effect by beliefs and emotions such as locus of control of reinforcement, pain catastrophizing, and fear of pain. Methods: Twenty-six healthy subjects received painful electric stimulation in both controllable and uncontrollable conditions. Visual analogue scales and the “Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure” were used to assess pain intensity, unpleasantness, pain-related suffering, and the level of perceived control. We also investigated nonverbal indicators of pain and suffering such as heart rate, skin conductance, and corrugator electromyogram. Results: Controllability selectively reduced the experience of pain-related suffering, but did not affect pain intensity or pain unpleasantness. This effect was modulated by chance locus of control but was unrelated to fear of pain or catastrophizing. Physiological responses were not affected by controllability. In a second sample of 25 participants,we varied the instruction. The effect of controllability on pain-related suffering was only present when instructions focused on the person being able to stop the pain. Discussion: Our data suggest that the additional measure of pain-related suffering may be important in the assessment of pain and may be more susceptible to the effects of perceived control than pain intensity and unpleasantness. We also show that this effect depends on personal involvement

Sea water air conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base Guam: cost-benefit analysis and acquisition strategy

MBA Professional ReportThe purposes of this research are to determine whether it is financially feasible and attractive to install sea water air conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base (NB) Guam, which the Naval Facilities Engineering Command currently deems to be true; to develop an acquisition strategy that NB Guam would be able to use to procure a SWAC system; and to identify any environmental obstacles associated with installing a SWAC system at NB Guam. This includes environmental impact studies and potential long-term schedule effects of environmental research. This research provides the analytic underpinning for the SWAC-driven reduction of electricity consumption at a significant number of naval facilities, and it provides a significant contribution towards meeting the Secretary of the Navy’s renewable energy goals.http://archive.org/details/sewaterirconditi1094544542Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, United States Air ForceApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Twenty First Century Challenges for the U.S. Electric Industry [video]

NPS Defense Energy Seminar, Presenter Mark Crisso