Expecting dirt but saying dart: The creation of a blend memory

During a naming task, time pressure and a manipulation of the proportion of related prime-target pairs were used to induce subjects to generate an expectation to the prime. On some trials, the presented target was orthographically and generally phonologically similar to the expected tal-get. The expectancy manipulation was barely detectable in the priming data but was clearly evident on a final recognition test. In addition, the recognition data showed that the nearly simultaneous activation of an expectation and sensory information derived from the orthographically and phonologically similar target produced a false memory. It is argued that this represents a blend memory.

Working memory in schizophrenia and mania: Correlation with symptoms during the acute and subacute phases

Objective: The aims of this study were to examine working memory in the acute-subacute phase of schizophrenia and mania and to examine correlations between working memory and specific symptom domains. Method: Visuospatial working memory and symptom profiles were assessed in three groups (schizophrenia group, n=19; mania, n=12; controls, n=19) on two occasions separated by 4 weeks. Results: Both patient groups had significant deficits on working memory compared to the well controls and the schizophrenia and mania groups were equally impaired. All groups showed equivalent improvement over time. In the patient groups, impaired working memory was significantly correlated with the presence of both negative symptoms and positive thought disorder. Conclusion: Impaired wet-king memory is found in both schizophrenia and mania during the acute-subacute phases. Further research is required in order to clarify the neurocognitive mechanisms linking impaired working memory with both negative symptoms and positive thought disorder.

Improving pain management by nurses: A pilot peer intervention program

Significant pain continues to be reported by many hospitalized patients despite the numerous and varied educational programs developed and implemented to improve pain management. A theoretically based Peer Intervention Program was designed from a predictive model to address nurses' beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, perceived control and intentions in the management of pain with p.r.n. (as required) narcotic analgesia. The pilot study of this program utilized a quasi-experimental pre-post test design with a patient intervention, nurse and patient intervention and control conditions consisting of 24, 18 and 19 nurses, respectively. One week after the intervention, significant differences were found between the nurse and patient condition and the two other conditions in beliefs, self-efficacy, perceived control, positive trend in attitudes, subjective norms and intentions. The most positive aspects of the program were supportive interactive discussions with peers and an awareness and understanding of beliefs and attitudes and their roles in behavior.

Managing the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay: an integrated research/management program to reduce impacts on an Australian estuary

The Brisbane River and Moreton Bay Study, an interdisciplinary study of Moreton Bay and its major tributaries, was initiated to address water quality issues which link sewage and diffuse loading with environmental degradation. Runoff and deposition of fine-grained sediments into Moreton Bay, followed by resuspension, have been linked with increased turbidity and significant loss of seagrass habitat. Sewage-derived nutrient enrichment, particularly nitrogen (N), has been linked to algal blooms by sewage plume maps. Blooms of a marine cyanobacterium, Lyngbya majuscula, in Moreton Bay have resulted in significant impacts on human health (e.g., contact dermatitis) and ecological health (e.g., seagrass loss), and the availability of dissolved iron from acid sulfate soil runoff has been hypothesised. The impacts of catchment activities resulting in runoff of sediments, nutrients and dissolved iron on the health of the Moreton Bay waterways are addressed. The Study, established by 6 local councils in association with two state departments in 1994, forms a regional component of a national and state program to achieve ecologically sustainable use of the waterways by protecting and enhancing their health, while maintaining economic and social development. The Study framework illustrates a unique integrated approach to water quality management whereby scientific research, community participation and the strategy development were done in parallel with each other. This collaborative effort resulted in a water quality management strategy which focuses on the integration of socioeconomic and ecological values of the waterways. This work has led to significant cost savings in infrastructure by providing a clear focus on initiatives towards achieving healthy waterways. The Study's Stage 2 initiatives form the basis for this paper.

The number of long-lasting functional memory CD8(+) T cells generated depends on the nature of the initial nonspecific stimulation

The mechanism of generation of memory cytotoxic T cells (CTL) following immunization remains controversial. Using tumor protection and IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays in mice to detect functional CTL, we show that the initial effector CTL burst size after immunization is not directly related to the amount of functional memory CTL formed, suggesting that memory CTL are unlikely to arise stochastically from effector CTL. Induction of MHC class II-restricted T helper cells at the time of immunization by inclusion of a T helper peptide or protein in the immunogen, is necessary to generate memory CTL, although no T helper cell induction is required to generate effector CTL to a strong MHC class I-binding peptide. Host protective T cell memory correlates with the number of CTL epitope responsive IFN-gamma-secreting memory T cells as measured in an ELISPOT assay at the time of tumor challenge. We conclude that a different antigen presenting environment is required to induce long-lasting functional memory CTL, and non-cognate stimulation of the immune system is essential to allow generation of a long-lasting host protective memory CTL response.

Genetic sources of covariation among P3(00) and online performance variables in a delayed-response working memory task

Genetic and environmental sources of covariation among the P3(00) and online performance elicited in a delayed-response working memory task, and psychometric IQ assessed by the multidimensional aptitude battery, were examined in an adolescent twin sample. An association between frontal P3 latency and task performance (phenotypic r = -0.33; genotypic r = -0.49) was indicated, with genes (i.e. twin status) accounting for a large part of the covariation ( > 70%). In contrast, genes influencing P3 amplitude mediated only a small part (2%) of the total genetic variation in task performance. While task performance mediated 15% of the total genetic variation in IQ (phenotypic r = 0.22; genotypic r = 0.39) there was no association between P3 latency and IQ or P3 amplitude with IQ. The findings provide some insight into the inter-relationships among psychophysiological, performance and psychometric measures of cognitive ability, and provide support for a levels-of-processing genetic model of cognition where genes act on specific sub-components of cognitive processes.

Read-only-memory-based quantum computation: Experimental explorations using nuclear magnetic resonance and future prospects

Read-only-memory-based (ROM-based) quantum computation (QC) is an alternative to oracle-based QC. It has the advantages of being less magical, and being more suited to implementing space-efficient computation (i.e., computation using the minimum number of writable qubits). Here we consider a number of small (one- and two-qubit) quantum algorithms illustrating different aspects of ROM-based QC. They are: (a) a one-qubit algorithm to solve the Deutsch problem; (b) a one-qubit binary multiplication algorithm; (c) a two-qubit controlled binary multiplication algorithm; and (d) a two-qubit ROM-based version of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm. For each algorithm we present experimental verification using nuclear magnetic resonance ensemble QC. The average fidelities for the implementation were in the ranges 0.9-0.97 for the one-qubit algorithms, and 0.84-0.94 for the two-qubit algorithms. We conclude with a discussion of future prospects for ROM-based quantum computation. We propose a four-qubit algorithm, using Grover's iterate, for solving a miniature real-world problem relating to the lengths of paths in a network.