4,451 research outputs found
Interview with Shannon Araya
No full textShannon Araya, Human Resources Coordinator at Wake Forest University, interviewed by Thomas Coo
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Intolerance of uncertainty and novelty facilitated extinction: the impact of reinforcement schedule
No full textIndividuals who score high in Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) display reduced threat extinction. Recently, it was shown that replacing threat associations with novel associations during extinction learning (i.e. presenting a novel tone 100% of the time) can promote threat extinction retention in individuals with high IU. This novelty facilitated extinction (NFE) effect could be driven by the tone’s novelty or reliability. Here we sought to address this question by adjusting the reliability of the novel tone (i.e., the reinforcement rate) during NFE. We measured skin conductance response during an associative learning task in which participants (n = 92) were assigned to one of three experimental groups: standard extinction, NFE 100% reinforcement or NFE 50% reinforcement. For standard extinction, compared to NFE 100% and 50% reinforcement groups, we observed a trend for greater recovery of the conditioned response during extinction retention. Individuals with high IU relative to low IU in the standard extinction group demonstrated a larger recovery of the conditioned response during extinction retention. These findings tentatively suggest that NFE effects are driven by the novelty rather than the reliability of the new stimulus. The implications of these findings for translational and clinical research in anxiety disorder pathology are discussed
The History of Wake Forest College, Volume IV, 1943-1967
No full textThe Shaw volume contains much information, although it is not as detailed as the first three books. It is also more readable and wanders less often than the earlier ones. It covers the years of World War II, the admission of female students, the return of the veterans, the decision to move to Winston-Salem, the move itself, and the "fruitful years of the Tribble administration." One reviewer summarized: "Scores of names and dozens of pictures, as well as sections on student life, athletics and departmental histories complete the fabric of life at Wake Forest." A review by Linda Brinson (WFU '69) in the Winston-Salem Journal September 4, 1988, H6 concluded: "Perhaps the greatest strength of Vol. IV is that Shaw does what he states as his purpose in the preface: 'to give the whole picture of the life of the college.'" Wake Forest should be well pleased with this chronicle of the years that did so much to shape its future. Anyone with an interest in the college would find this new history a valuable source of both information and understanding. (J. Edwin Hendricks)Biographical information about the author is available in Linda Brinson, "Gentle Man of the Press," Wake Forest University Magazine, September 2, 2002. p. 46
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Quantification choices for individual differences: an example of mapping self-report to psychophysiological responses
No full textA popular focus in affective neuroscience research has been to map the relationships between individual differences (e.g. personality and environmental experiences) and psychophysiological responses, in order to further understand the effect of individual differences upon neurobehavioral systems that support affect and arousal. Despite this trend, there have been a lack of practical examples demonstrating how the quantification of individual differences (e.g. categorical or continuous) impacts the observed relationships between different units of analysis (e.g. self-report > psychophysiological responses). To address this gap, we conducted a two-stage aggregated meta-analysis of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and skin conductance responses during threat extinction (k = 18, n = 1006) using different quantification choices for individual differences in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (continuous, categorical via median split, and categorical via extremes – one standard deviation above/below). Results from the meta-analyses revealed that the different quantification techniques produced some consistent (e.g. higher IU was significantly associated with skin conductance responding during late extinction training) and inconsistent IU-related effects. Furthermore, the number of statistically significant effects and effect sizes varied based on the quantification of individual differences in IU (e.g. categorical, compared to continuous was associated with more statistically significant effects, and larger effect sizes). The current study highlights how conducting different quantification methods for individual differences may help researchers understand the individual difference construct of interest (e.g. characterisation, measurement), as well as examine the stability and reliability of individual difference-based effects and correspondence between various units of analysis
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I doubt it is safe: a meta-analysis of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty and threat extinction training
No full textBackground
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to find uncertainty distressing, is an important transdiagnostic dimension in mental health disorders. Higher self-reported IU has been linked to poorer threat extinction training (i.e. the updating of threat to safe associations), a key process that is targeted in exposure-based therapies. However, it remains to be seen whether IU-related effects during threat extinction training are reliably and specifically driven by the IU construct or a particular subcomponent of the IU construct over other self-reported measures of anxiety.
Methods
A meta-analysis of studies from different laboratories (experiment n = 18; sample n = 1006) was conducted on associations between different variants of self-reported IU (i.e. 27-item, 12-item, inhibitory and prospective subscales), trait anxiety and threat extinction training via skin conductance response. The specificity of IU and threat extinction training was assessed against measures of trait anxiety.
Results
All of the self-reported variants of IU, but not trait anxiety, were associated with threat extinction training via skin conductance response (i.e. continued responding to the old threat cue). Specificity was observed for the majority of self-reported variants of IU over of trait anxiety.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that the IU construct broadly accounts for difficulties in threat extinction training and is specific over other measures of self-reported anxiety. These findings demonstrate the robustness and specificity of IU-related effects during threat extinction training and highlight potential opportunities for translational work to target uncertainty in therapies that rely on threat extinction principles such as exposure therapy
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How many times do I need to see to believe? The impact of intolerance of uncertainty and exposure experience on safety-learning and retention in young adults
No full textIndividuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) display difficulties updating threat associations to safe associations. Here we sought to determine whether individuals who score high in IU can learn and retain new safety associations if given more exposure. We recorded skin conductance response, pupil dilation and expectancy ratings during an associative threat learning task with acquisition, same-day extinction and next-day extinction phases. Participants (n = 144) were assigned to either a regular exposure (32 trials of same-day and next-day extinction) or extended exposure condition (48 trials of same-day and next-day extinction). We failed to replicate previous work showing that IU is associated with poorer safety-learning indexed via SCR. We found preliminary evidence for promoted safety-retention in individuals with higher Inhibitory IU in the extended exposure condition, relative to individuals with higher Inhibitory IU in the regular exposure condition, indexed via SCR. These findings further our current understanding of the role of IU in safety-learning and -retention, informing models of IU and exposure-based treatments
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The impact of intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive behavioural instructions on safety learning
No full textBackground
Difficulty updating threat associations to safe associations has been observed in individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU). Here we sought to determine whether an instruction based on fundamental principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy could promote safety learning in individuals with higher levels of IU, whilst controlling for self-reported trait anxiety (STICSA).
Methods
We measured skin conductance response, pupil dilation and expectancy ratings during an associative threat learning task in which participants either received a cognitive behavioural instruction or no instruction prior to threat extinction (n = 92).
Results
Analyses revealed that both self-reported IU and STICSA similarly predicted differences in skin conductance response. Only individuals with lower IU/STICSA in the cognitive behavioural instruction condition displayed successful safety learning via skin conductance response.
Conclusions
These initial results provide some insight into how simple cognitive behavioural instructions combined with exposure are applied differently in individuals with varying levels of self-reported anxiety. The results further our understanding of the role of basic cognitive behavioural principles and self-reported anxiety in safety learning
Analytical solution for the cumulative wake of yawed wind turbines
No full textThis thesis sets out to improve the physical grounding and predictive accuracy of cumulative wake effect modelling within wind farms with yawed turbines. It derives an analytical solution for the lateral velocity field within a wind farm and compares its predictions to those of computational fluid dynamics.A parametric study is performed using a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver with the k-ε-fP turbulence model, Joukowsky rotor-based actuator disc, and neutral log-law inflow within the PyWakeEllipSys framework to determine the effects of yaw angle, thrust coefficient, and turbulence intensity on the lateral wake.The results of this parametric study are used to solve an approximate form of conservation of mass and momentum in the lateral direction for a turbine within a wind farm. The solution is an explicit equation predicting the lateral velocity distribution and lateral wake deflection within a wind farm of arbitrary layout and with arbitrarily yawed turbines. It also provides a first mathematical proof of secondary wake steering. The solution is implemented in Python and used to predict the velocity distributions in several wind farm cases, including for a single turbine, a two-turbine arrangement, and two wind farm cases with aligned and staggered layouts. These predictions are then compared against those of the RANS setup. The model significantly overestimates wake deflections unless corrected to neglect the near wake, but the corrected version shows promise, particularly in predicting wind farm power of the staggered layout, where the prediction is 19% closer to the RANS result than the prediction that considers lateral velocities equal to zero.https://github.com/NilsGaukroger/Analytical-solution-for-the-cumulative-wake-of-yawed-wind-turbinesEuropean Wind Energy Masters (EWEM) | Rotor Design Trac
Hybrid simulation of wake vortices of landing aircraft in a turbulent environment
No full textWake-vortex evolution during landing of a long range aircraft is investigated in a turbulent environment. The simulations cover final approach, touchdown on the tarmac, and the evolution of the wake after touchdown. An ambient turbulent crosswind and headwind field is generated in a pre-simulation. The wake is initialized using a RANS-LES coupling approach. The further development of the vortical wake is investigated by large-eddy simulation until final decay. Strong three-dimensional deformations appearing after touchdown and linkings with the ground are studied. The downwind vortex is strongly advected with crosswind and decays quickly. The interaction of plate line disturbances and end effects in a turbulent environment leads to irregular decay pattern
Vortex Dynamics in The Transitional and Turbulent Wake of 6:1 Prolate Spheroid at 45-deg incidence angle
No full textThe incompressible flow past a 6:1 prolate spheroid with an inclination angle of 45o at Re = 3,000 has been studied by means of direct numerical simulations (DNS). The Reynolds number is based on the inflow velocity and minor-axis length. The preliminary results presented here are focused mainly on vortex dynamics and vortical structures in the wake. The wake behind this configuration starts almost symmetric but is soon strongly deflected and bent as it evolves to the intermediate wake. A pair of unequal-strength vortices dominates the intermediate wake, of which one exhibits the shape of a long vortex tube while the other rapidly breaks down into turbulent-like vortical structures
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