The relationship between disgust sensitivity, anxiety and obsessions

Three hundred participants, including volunteers from an obsessional support group, filled in questionnaires relating to disgust sensitivity, health anxiety, anxiety, fear of death, fear of contamination and obsessionality as part of an investigation into the involvement of disgust sensitivity in types of obsessions. Overall, the data supported the hypothesis that a relationship does exist between disgust sensitivity and the targeted variables. A significant predictive relationship was found between disgust sensitivity and total scores on the obsessive compulsive inventory (OCI; Psychological Assessment 10 (1998) 206) for both frequency and distress of symptomatology. Disgust sensitivity scores were significantly related to health anxiety scores and general anxiety scores and to all the obsessional subscales, with the exception of hoarding. Additionally, multiple regression analyses revealed that disgust sensitivity may be more specifically related to washing compulsions: frequency of washing behaviour was best predicted by disgust sensitivity scores. Washing distress scores were best predicted by health anxiety scores, though disgust sensitivity entered in the second model. It is suggested that further research on the relationship between disgust sensitivity and obsessionality could be helpful in refining the theoretical understanding of obsessions.

The relationship between internet identification, internet anxiety and internet use

This paper reports a study investigating the relationship between Internet identification, Internet anxiety and Internet use. The participants were 446 students (319 females and 127 males) from two universities in the UK and one university in Australia. Measures of Internet identification and Internet anxiety were developed. The majority of participants were NOT anxious about using the Internet, although there were approximately 8% who showed evidence of Internet anxiety. There was a significant and negative relationship between Internet anxiety and Internet use. Those who were more anxious about using the Internet used the Internet less, although the magnitude of effect was small. There was a positive and significant relationship between Internet use and Internet identification. Those who scored high on the measure of Internet identification used the Internet more than those who did not. There was also a significant and negative relationship between Internet anxiety and Internet identification. Finally, males had a significantly higher Internet identification score than females. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Biological controls on resuspension and the relationship between particle size and the Kolmogorov length scale in a shallow coastal sea

Measurements of suspended particle matter (SPM) and turbulence have been obtained over five tidal surveys during spring and summer 2010 at station L4 (5025 degrees N 04.22 degrees W, depth 50 m), in the Western English Channel. The relationship between turbulence intensity and bed stress is explored, with an in-line holographic imaging system evaluating the extent to which material is resuspended. Image analysis allows for the identification of SPM above a size threshold of 200 pm, capturing particle variability across tidal cycles and the two seasons. Dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, which exceeds 10(-5) W kg(-1), yields maximum values of bed stress of between 0.17 and 0.20 N m(-2), frequently resulting in the resuspension of material from the bed. Resuspension is shown to promote aggregation of SPM into flocs, where the size of such particles is theoretically determined by the Kolmogorov microscale, l(k). During the spring surveys, flocs of a size larger than lk were observed, though this was not repeated during summer. It is proposed that the presence of gelatinous, biological material in spring allows flocculated particles to exceed l(k). This suggests that under specific circumstances, the limiting factor on the growth of flocculated SPM is not only turbulence, as previously thought, but the presence or absence of certain types of biological particle.

Relationship Between Infestation By Mytilicola-Intestinalis Steuer (Copepoda Cyclopoidea) And Condition Index Of Mytilus-Edulis In Southwest England

Seasonal cycles in the condition index of Mytilus edulis from three sites in southwest England are described. These are analysed in relation to host length, stage of gonad development and parasite burden by linear regression analysis. An effect on the condition index due to the presence of Mytilicola intestinalis can be detected only in the sublittoral mussels in those few winter months when the mean intensity of infestation is over about 25 parasites per host. In all cases studied, the magnitude of the effect due to variation in host length, stage of gonad development, seasonal cycles and environmental factors is greater than that due to parasitism.