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1st April 2003, 01:21 PM | #1 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Melbourne, Australia
New kind of compound emitter follower?? or - another weird circuit ;-)
Hi all. I was musing on emitter followers driven by opamps this afternoon (when I was supposed to be doing something else ) and all of a sudden this circuit idea popped into my head. Has anyone seen this before? Or have I finally invented something entirely new?
In the diagram Q1 emitter is held at approximately half rail and driven by the emitter lead. If for example Q1 emitter rose, it's base would be stationary and it's collector would rise as Q1 operates as a grounded base cct. Consequently Q2's base is driven upward pulling it's emitter upward and making an output signal and at the same time pulling Q1's base upward. This last event tends to subtract from the upward movement of Q1 emitter input so we have negative feedback. Q1 emitter moves up and it's base follows it almost exactly. So then, we have a cct with a gain of 1 and all the internal gain is swallowed up by feedback. Late this afternoon I threw together a mosfet version first, using a 2N7000 for Q1. It is fairly fast,switching in 6 nS or so. Anyway, I used *no* gate resistors and the thing did NOT oscillate! That feedback loop must be FAST! It worked but it's needs a bit of refining that I didn't have time to do. It may have some promise as something useful. The Vbe drift is almost entirely dependent on cold Q1, not hot Q2 so it should be easy to have stable bias in a comp symm version. And with so much gain ploughed into a tight feedback loop it should be very linear. On a square wave input the rise time was about 200nS and the fall time 50nS for a 15 volt step. That fall time is 300v per uS. I's jes' bustin' fer termorra ta come so's ah kin git orn an' try sum sterf.
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1st April 2003, 02:03 PM | #2 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Aveiro-Portugal
There are future...in audio design...
Hi Ciclotron!!
Why not change Q2 for a darlington...because as Q1 is a comum base stage it don't have current gain...so only Q2 is providing current gain! The power suplly also must be well smothed as the base of Q2 is referenced to the + suplly and the emiter of Q2 is referenced to ground...so any ripple in the suplly will be amplified... Regards PS: I like creativ people!!
Jorge |
1st April 2003, 02:19 PM | #3 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Germany
Hey Circlotron isn´t your circuit similar with this circuit ?
If you go on like this you´ll definitely find something entirely new. Shouldn´t you end your LM317-idea before exploring other galaxies? BTW: I love "crazy" and simple circuit ideas; they always get me tempted to try. So keep them coming. Where have you got your 100mH coils from? Regards Jens |
1st April 2003, 03:56 PM | #4 | |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Aveiro-Portugal
Similar...but diferents...
Ciclotron circuit have low output impedance...your circuit have high output impedance!!
Jorge |
1st April 2003, 04:44 PM | #5 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Circlotron: When I need a compact voltage regulator, I occasionally incorporate something quite similar to the circuit that you posted. In my case, a constant-current circuit replaces the top resistor (or bottom resistor, for the opposite polarity). I nearly always use bipolars for Q1, but have used both MOSFETs and bipolars for Q2. Should you encounter any ringing or tendancy towards instability, I would suggest inserting a small capacitor from the Q1 collector - Q2 base node to ground. If you use a MOSFET for Q2, adding a small value gate-stopper resistor can also help control any tendancy towards oscillation.
This circuit works well and has shown itself to be completely trouble-free in practice. best, jonathan carr
http://www.lyraconnoisseur.com/, http://www.lyraaudio.com |
1st April 2003, 09:33 PM | #6 | |
Account Disabled
Join Date: May 2002
Re: New kind of compound emitter follower?? or - another weird circuit ;-)
...nice work circlotron.. |
3rd April 2003, 02:27 AM | #7 | |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Yessir, three bags full sir!
Try it - it's a real rocket.
Best-ever T/S parameter spreadsheet. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi...tml#post353269 |
3rd April 2003, 11:57 AM | #8 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Another refinement that I haven't tried yet but will soon is to have a -15v negative floating rail as well, with the zero volt (+) point going to the output and the neg rail going to the collector of Q1 instead of Q1 going to ground as it is now. This way the collector-emitter voltage will be virtually constant. As the Q1 emitter goes downward for example with signal, the main fet source goes down and therefore the two floating rails go downward all by the same amount taking Q2 collector with it. The fact that the upper positive floating rail goes downward in this case by the same amount as the signal means that the mosfet gate pullup resistor voltage drop doesn't change and therefore the current in that vertical line all the way down through to Q1 is constant. Therefore Q1 Vbe stays constant during signal excursions too. See, the cct only *looks* simple. The point is, Q1 has constant current through it, constant voltage across it , and constant Vbe. Hopefully this is the recipe for the closest approach to zero distortion? I don't have a distortion meter, so could someone perhaps tell me how valid is this approach?
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3rd April 2003, 12:21 PM | #9 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: North Herts, UK
... been there ...done that...
Hi Circlotron,
I used this configuration back in the early eighties as the input stage of the Tesserac Audio mc head amp that I designed ( with Ed Portelli). It also makes a terrific low impedance microphone pre-amp input stage. It's a nice circuit for specific applications - I still haven't found a better one for mc input use. ciao James |
4th April 2003, 02:08 AM | #10 |
diyAudio Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Hi James. wow! Do you think you could post the relevant part of the schematic so we could have a look-see?
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Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
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Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Offset Compensated Emitter-follower... | mikeks | Solid State | 24 | 5th June 2006 08:10 PM |
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Help a nOOb out with an emitter-follower... | EchoWars | Solid State | 8 | 8th January 2003 09:40 PM |
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" Brand: Plum / Type: Outdoor Play Equipment "
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Your dooyooMiles Miles
Children will love outdoor play with the fantastic Plum Bush Baby« garden swing set. This wooden framed play set has one swing with soft feel ropes and heavy duty blow moulded seat for extra durability. The natural qualities of the timber will blend into any garden design whether modern or traditional.The round pole premium FSC certified timber is pressure treated and is extremely strong. The top bar of this playset is 100mm in diameter and the legs are 80mm in diameter making the frame highly robust. Metal swing attachments encircle the pole so no drilling is required, maintaining the strength and integrity of the timber. The sturdy frame also has wooden cross braces giving the swingset extra stability. Parents can therefore have peace of mind that their children are riding a high quality swing set, with safety standards at the centre of its design.With a 10 year manufacturer?s warranty against wood rot and insect damage.Supplied flat packed with easy assembly instructions. Easy to assemble in approximately 1 hour with 2 adults. All hardware supplied for installation including ground anchors for concreting into the ground.Maximum user weight: 50kg per swing. Please allow a 2m safety perimeter Assembled size: L1.20 x W2.29 x H2.20m.Adult supervision recommended at all times. Not suitable for children under 36 months - fall hazard.For domestic use only. Age range: From 3 years. depth: 220 cm width: 120 cm height: 230 cm


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Enjoy the festive time and get together with members and friends. There will be many works of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists that would make great Christmas gifts.
Below is a very partial preview of some of our artist's works.
Outboud at Sierra 8 watercolour, by Ray Warren, CSMA
Archie F. MacKenzie on the Grand Banks print, Yves Bérubé, CSMA, IFA
Squall over Quebec print, by John Horton, CSMA, FCA
We look forward to welcoming you.
Sunday, November 30, 20031- 5pm
Archives and Collections Society2 Gladstone Ave., Picton613 476 1177


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An Alternative Bayesian Approach to Structural Breaks in Time Series ModelsSjoerd Van den HauweErasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) Richard PaapErasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Department of Econometrics; Tinbergen Institute; Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) Dick J. C. Van DijkErasmus University Rotterdam - Erasmus School of Economics - Econometric Institute; ERIM February 7, 2011 Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper 11-023/4 Abstract: We propose a new approach to deal with structural breaks in time series models. The key contribution is an alternative dynamic stochastic specification for the model parameters which describes potential breaks. After a break new parameter values are generated from a so-called baseline prior distribution. Modeling boils down to the choice of a parametric likelihood specification and a baseline prior with the proper support for the parameters. The approach accounts in a natural way for potential out-of-sample breaks where the number of breaks is stochastic. Posterior inference involves simple computations that are less demanding than existing methods. The approach is illustrated on nonlinear discrete time series models and models with restrictions on the parameter space. Number of Pages in PDF File: 49 Keywords: Structural breaks, Bayesian analysis, forecasting, MCMC methods, nonlinear time series JEL Classification: C11, C22, C51, C53, C63 Date posted: February 10, 2011Suggested CitationContact Information
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From the astounding AMAZING STORIES of John Carter, Skeleton Men of Jupiter is Edgar Rice Burroughs's last. His imagination welcomes the listener to a captivating space story. It is riddled with humorous intonations and creatures that resemble humanoid frames firmly covered with translucent skin. Burroughs manages to twist his wit into explaining how the star Carter, is able to endure on planet Jupiter.
The story gets the best of your imagination as Carter works to fight off the creatures armed only with a sword. The Morgors have a hard time struggling to contain him. This story will leave you yarning for more since it ends with a cliffhanger. It is however one of the imaginative best stories.
©2012 BookDar Publishing (P)2012 BookDar Publishing
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This practice covers hot rolling solution heat treatment for aluminum alloy plate. Aluminum alloy ingots or rolling slabs are preheated prior to being hot rolled. Controls shall be adequate to ensure that the equipment is operated in a manner which precludes overheating of the ingot or rolling slab or deleterious contamination by the furnace environment. Metal temperature shall be monitored and controlled to not exceed the maximum temperature prescribed. Non-contact sensors shall be calibrated prior to initial use by an ISO 17025 or A2LA. Noncontact sensors must be compared weekly under operating conditions and temperature to the SAT test instrument/sensor. The accuracy of temperature measuring system(s) shall be tested under operating conditions at least once during each week that the facility is used. For continuous or batch furnaces, the type of survey and procedures for performing the survey shall be established and documented for each particular furnace or furnace type involved. The hot rolling mill solution heat treatment procedures are presented in details. The mechanical properties shall be determined in accordance with test method B557 or B557M. Tensile tests shall be representative of the thinnest and the thickest material to be heat treated; intermediate thickness samples shall be included when necessary to ensure proper production hot rolling mill solution heat treatment. Whenever any qualified equipment is changed or reworked, it shall be requalified unless it is known that the change or rework will not have a detrimental effect upon the properties of products.
This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.
1. Scope
1.1 This practice establishes the controls required for hot rolling mill solution heat treatment of the 6xxx series aluminum alloy plate in Table 1 when ASTM material specifications allow use of this process instead of furnace solution heat treatment. For the alloys listed in Table 1, this practice is an alternate process to solution heat treatment in a furnace, such as specified in Practice B918 as the preliminary step for the attainment of T651-type tempers (see ANSI H35.1/H35.1M).
1.2 This practice applies only to hot rolling mill solution heat treatment of plate for the listed aluminum alloys. Precipitation hardening (aging), processing, and equipment calibration for aging shall meet the practice and requirements of Practice B918.
1.3 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the standard.
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
ASTM Standards
B209 Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate
B209M Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate (Metric)
B557 Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products
B557M Test Methods for Tension Testing Wrought and Cast Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products (Metric)
B881 Terminology Relating to Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products
B918 Practice for Heat Treatment of Wrought Aluminum Alloys
E2281 Practice for Process and Measurement Capability Indices
ANSI Standard
H35.1/H35.1M Alloy and Temper Designation Systems for Aluminum Available from the Aluminum Association, Inc., 1525 Wilson Blvd. Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209, www.aluminum.org.European Standard
EN485-2 Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys--Sheet, Strip And Plate--Part 2: Mechanical Properties Available from European Committee for Standardization (CEN), 36 rue de Stassart, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium.ICS Code
ICS Number Code 77.150.10 (Aluminium products)
UNSPSC Code
UNSPSC Code 30102206(Aluminum plate); 11172000(Aluminum based alloys)
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Citation Format
ASTM B947-14, Standard Practice for Hot Rolling Mill Solution Heat Treatment for Aluminum Alloy Plate, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2014, www.astm.org
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I'm not terribly knowledgeable about cell phones. The edge looks exciting and I like supporting gadgets that are powered by open source, but I live in Japan. Could somebody point me to online info that would let me know whether or not I could use this device to make phone calls here in Japan?
Take the 2-minute tour
Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
closed as off-topic by Eric Carvalho, Warren Hill, Mateo, Luis Alvarado♦ Jul 25 '13 at 9:02This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
"The Ubuntu Edge is an open device, not locked to any particular network. It works in all countries that provide GSM/3G/LTE-based network services", I quote from the project site. From that it is clear you can use it in Japan with any network that provides GSM/LTE services. For further information, you can visit this LINK . I hope that is what you are asking for. Thank you. |


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Collections are a JPG+ feature. You must be a JPG+ member to create new collections and to add photos to collections.
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Recently I met Sarah Bannister and her daughter in the Italian village of Sutri (about ten minutes from where Fred and I live), where Sarah owns and manages a popular antique store. Sarah is British and moved to Sutri about 30 years ago to teach English. Eventually she married one of her students.
19 responses
Warren ~Mangione~ gave props (6 Jul 2011):
Lovely portrait, Deb!
Susan Littlefield gave props (6 Jul 2011):
Beautiful portrait, and a nice story.....how wonderful to have come for a job and stayed for a life!!
Leslie Hunziker gave props (6 Jul 2011):
nicely captured. and i really like the doorway to that shop.
Donald Garrett gave props (6 Jul 2011):
Lovely portrait! (Small world, too)
Deborah Downes gave props (6 Jul 2011):
Thanks everyone. Leslie, it's actually the doorway to Sarah's home, a historical building that's near a siimilar one that houses her shop.
Sonia Adam Murray gave props (6 Jul 2011):
Great portrait, we English get around and then stay somewhere else!
eithne mythen gave props (8 Jul 2011):
Two beautiful ladies and a lovely story, I wonder if Aaron will stay for life... i feel he's a bit lonely!
elfriede fulda gave props (8 Jul 2011):
wonderful entry !
Suzanne McGeady said (8 Jul 2011):
Oh this is so sweet....what beautiful ladies. In an idyllic setting. Captured so well Deb.
Andrea Petersen gave props (9 Jul 2011):
The mother and daughter look very much alike...They are both beautiful ladies, who have taken very good care of themselves....Wonderful portrait...Thank you with all of my heart for the spotlight that you gave me on the cloud formation....I wasn't expecting it!
Litz Go gave props (10 Jul 2011):
wanted capture of these two lovely ladies!
Syble Brabham said (10 Jul 2011):
Great protrait...Beautiful ladies..
Regenia Brabham gave props (11 Jul 2011):
They are both beautiful women and this is a wonderful portrait. They have welcoming faces. The background is wonderful! Perfect entry to this theme.
dp * gave props (11 Jul 2011):
Fabulous entry and capture. Lovely photo.
Patty Gross (Deleted) gave props (11 Jul 2011):
Very stunning portrait of mother and daughter. Both very lovely women!!!
Steve Baker gave props (13 Jul 2011):
Gorgeous portrait(s). I'm tempted to let my Dirty Old Man show a bit and ask which is which. ;-)
Debbie Smartt gave props (14 Jul 2011):
What a great portrait my friend!
Laurie Search gave props (20 Jul 2011):
How wonderful!!!!
Judy and Wayne Wanamaker gave props (24 Jul 2011):
A lovely portrait and a great story. Nice to know that romance still exists.


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CND Holiday Homes features tour/ticket assistance, multilingual staff, and concierge services. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. For a surcharge, the property provides a beach shuttle, a theme park shuttle, and a cruise ship terminal shuttle. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
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A Cool Surface Tension Science Experiment for Kids has been Released on Kids Activities Blog
A cool and easy surface tension science experiment has been published on Kids Activities Blog. What is surface tension and many more science questions can be studied will having a blast.
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) July 16, 2013
Science experiments make fun summer indoor activities for kids. The surface tension experiment lets kids discover the wonderful world of science while having a blast. What is surface tension? Kids will be able to explore this question with various elements.
Surface tension is a difficult concept to understand and one of the fun experiments that can be best explained visually. The first experiment will demonstrate surface tension with salt and the second one with LEGOs. Both experiments have a high "Wow" factor.
Materials needed are a bowl of water, some salt, and a small amount of dishsoap. Let the kids sprinkle the pepper over the surface of the water. Next let them dip their finger into dishsoap and slowly dip the finger into the water. They will be amazed at the fast movement of the pepper towards the edge of the bowl.
Surface tension can be also demonstrated with a water filled bowl topped with LEGO bricks. Only choose the light and flat LEGO bricks that can float the best. Try to cover the entire water surface with LEGO bricks. Let the kids dip a craft stick in dish soap and slowly place dip the stick inside the middle of the bowl. The LEGO bricks will move away from the stick to the side. Wow!
Balancing water drops on top of a penny makes another easy surface tension experiment. The water molecules stick together on top of the penny to form a drop of water. The water molecules hold tightly onto each other to form a cool lid looking shape for the penny.
For detailed instructions and to get additional fun science experiments for kids, check out Kids Activities Blog this week. Come get inspired to let the kids have a blast discovering the world of science.
About Kids Activities Blog
Kids Activities Blog is a website created by two moms (who collectively have 9 children), Rachel Miller and Holly Homer from June Cleaver Nirvana. It is their daily goal to inspire parents and teachers to play with kids. This interactive website publishes simple things to do with kids twice a day. Kids Activities Blog is a great tool for moms and teachers to find kid-friendly activities that create memories and sneak learning into the fun.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10843000.htm


text:
-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *August 13, 1997 *MNST9808.13 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
This is the Minnesota statewide birding report for Thursday August 13th
sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
On Monday, August 10th, a total of 41 COMMON LOONS and 102 BONAPARTE'S
GULL was counted on Lake Mille Lacs in Crow Wing, Aitkin and Mille Lacs
counties. Likely these numbers will build for the next couple of months.
An AMERICAN AVOCET was found in extreme southern Meeker County on August
9. This was in a pond just east of Boone Lake at the junction of Meeker
County Roads 12 and 35.
On August 8th Karl Bardon counted 1189 shorebirds of 11 species at the
Crystal sugar ponds in Moorhead, Clay County, with PECTORAL SANDPIPERS
being the most common. On the 9th Peder Svingen reported an additional
eight BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS here. Remember to first obtain permission
to bird the ponds from the security guard at the west gate near the
parking lot. And on August 10th, Benjamin Thiem birded the Crookston
Settling Ponds in Polk County and reported the following shorebirds:
LESSER YELLOWLEGS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. An
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was also seen.
Two BELL'S VIREO were reported from Prairie Island in Winona, Winona
County on August 10th.
Terry Brashear and Tom Nelson checked Rice Creek Regional park in
Anoka County on the 13th and found the following warblers:
MAGNOLIA WARBLER, and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, plus AMERICAN REDSTART,
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. A BLACK-AND-WHITE
WARBLER was reported by Bruce Kelley in his Orono, Hennepin County
yard on August 9th.
Very early would be the August 7th report of a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at
Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Hennepin County.
Very unusual was the report of a Gull-billed Tern from Salt Lake in Lac
Qui Parle County on Sunday the 9th. The description was too incomplete to
clearly identify the bird, and unfortunately the caller did not leave a
phone number. Though there are at least two valid inland records of
Gull-billed Tern, this would be a most unexpected and unusual observation.
Salt Lake was checked on Monday and no bird resembling a Gull-billed Tern
was found.
For information on joining our state wide bird organization write the MOU
at 10 Church Street SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, 55455 or
e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com. The next scheduled update of this tape is
Thursday August 27th.
Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline:
To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words:
info end) to
Date: August 13, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Return to Home Page


text:
MorePhone is a flexible smartphone that curls up when it receives a call
0. phoneArena 30 Apr 2013, 17:12 posted on
Imagination is only limited by what can physically be accomplished at any one time, and a group of...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
posted on 30 Apr 2013, 17:22
1. chocolaking (Posts: 490; Member since: 22 May 2012)
Wow, that's really cool.
just cool.
posted on 30 Apr 2013, 18:26
2. twens (Posts: 827; Member since: 25 Feb 2012)
And there we have it...it has begun. The future of shapeshifting phones is just a few yrs ahead.
posted on 30 Apr 2013, 20:26
3. Dingy_cellar_dweller (Posts: 206; Member since: 16 Mar 2013)
Between this and the raisable surface screen buttons that I saw in a previous article, there are going to be some cool and exciting innovations in the not so distant future.
posted on 30 Apr 2013, 21:13
4. alterecho (Posts: 1094; Member since: 23 Feb 2012)
Wow, again, the concept which Nokia envisioned:
posted on 02 May 2013, 18:58
5. kissily (Posts: 53; Member since: 09 Oct 2012)
Nice innovation for others to copy in the years to come.


text:
Look Inside
In 1905, Bertrand Russell argued that certain logical puzzles are solved if definite descriptions are treated as quantified expressions rather than referential expression, as Frege had thought. Since then, philosophers and, more recently, linguists have debated the relevance of this paradigm to the study of the semantics of natural language. In Descriptions, Stephen Neale provides the first sustained defense and extension of Russell's theory, placing it in the center of a theory of singular and nonsingular descriptive phrases and anaphoric pronouns.
Stephen Neale is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.
"This thoughtful study provides a lucid account of Russell's classical theory of descriptions, and a sophisticated defense of the theory against a variety of challenges. An ambitious work, it serves at once as a lucid introduction to semantic theory and a wide-ranging inquiry into some of its hardest problems, with many surprising, provocative, and carefully argued conclusions. A most impressive achievement."
—Noam Chomsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology


text:
Man Indicted On Arson For Michigan Forest Fires
BAY CITY, Mich. (AP) -- A federal grand jury here indicted a Mio resident on 17 felony charges of arson in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey G. Collins said Thursday.
The indictment accuses James Earl Sherwood, 33, of setting fires in the national forest on various dates in 2003 and 2004, Collins said in a statement.
Sherwood was originally arrested June 2 on a federal warrant and has been held on a $75,000 bond while being electronically tethered to his residence. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 16 on charges in the indictment.
Conviction on each arson charge is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, plus fines and restitution of up to $250,000.


text:
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text:
Susan Misner has booked a trip to Nashville.
The actress (Person of Interest, The Following, Blue Bloods) will debut later this season as a veterinarian, TV Line reports, catching the eye of a Deacon and sticking around for multiple episodes.
"For the first time, he's interested in somebody who is very unlike Rayna and very unlike Juliette," series creator Callie Khouri tells the site. "It's the first time we see him with a person that you go, 'Wow, so that's what his life would be like if he wasn't the guitar player to the stars."
Nashville airs a new episode tonight. Return to TV Fanatic shortly after "Dear Brother" airs for our weekly recap and review.


text:
Customer service charter
At Australia Post we are committed to providing trusted, relevant and reliable services that connect all Australians.
We aim to help communities work better for everyone by connecting people and business, and this remains constant as the needs of our customers continue to change.
Our Customer Service Charter outlines our commitments to you in terms of:
- our products, services and network
- how we protect your privacy and personal information
- our Community Service Obligations
- how we handle your feedback, compliments and complaints
- your right to compensation.
Community involvement
We support the communities in which we operate with programs that focus on education, sustainability, charitable giving and social inclusion.
Learn about our community partnerships


text:
Our Mission
"American Aid was started in 2007 with the goal of helping both the environment and those in need. By collecting lightly used apparel and distributing it to other countries, we help lessen the 13.1 million tons of textile waste that end up in landfills every year. We take the clothing, that is generously donated by people here at home, and distribute it around the world where it can be purchased at affordable prices in communities where it is in high demand. It is our way of helping the world one garment at a time."


text:
"And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister."
Numbers 26: 59
King James Version
"Jochebed – A Mother's Influence"
"Blessed influence of one true loving human soul on another."
George Eliot
What person or persons in my life have had a positive influence?
In what way did this person or these persons influence me?
Follow us Get CP eNewsletter ››
"We can influence others as much as God has influenced us."
Bobbie-Jean Merck
"Immortality lies not in the things you leave behind, but in the people your life has touched."
Author Unknown
Several days ago, a friend I've had since childhood called to let me know she had finished reading my book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, which is about Jesus and the 18 women in the New Testament whom He loved, encouraged and empowered.
It is especially touching when someone you know and admire tells you they like what you have written. My friend's compliments touched me deeply. And then she made this statement, "Too bad your grandma isn't alive, she would be so proud of you." I felt a few tears run down my cheeks for her remembrance of my grandma brought to mind the recollection of a devoutly spiritual woman who never missed an opportunity to share Jesus' love with others.
As I thought about my grandmother and the profound affect her life had, not only on her own family but also on every life she touched, I realized that the influence of a life well-lived does not stop when we die.
Other than Jesus, of all the individuals in the Bible, no life gives a better portrayal of this point than the life of the Apostle Paul. Remember, Paul was a traveling preacher going from church to church and town to town. And after he left a church, while journeying to his next stop or even when locked in prison, he wrote letters to his friends in the churches he visited. Paul wrote two letters to the people in Corinth and Thessalonica. He wrote letters to his friends in Rome, Ephesus, Galatia, Colosse, and Philippi. Paul also wrote personal notes of instruction and encouragement to Timothy, his "son" in Christ and to Titus and Philemon. He also wrote a special letter to all the Hebrews. When Paul wrote these notes, they were written as letters to friends. A way to keep in touch – a way to share. Yet thousands of years later, Paul's influence on Christians down through the ages is greater than at the time he was alive. I truly believe no one would be more surprised than Paul, himself, at the influence his life and his words have had.
This brings us to the influence one mother had on history – not only the history of her family, but the entire history of the children of Israel.
Jochebed lived in a critical time. I believe she recognized that the deliverance of God was at hand. As she raised her children, she implanted the seeds of hope in their hearts. But what's more, this dear mother instructed her children in the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I wonder what Jochebed thought when Moses suddenly disappeared from Egypt for 40 years to become a sheep herder in Midian. Did she give up on her long-gone son? Not Jochebed!
After 40 years we find that the same God she had introduced her children to, called upon all three of her children to enter His service and help deliver the children of Israel from bondage. When I say all three – this is exactly what happened. For Moses was the leader, Aaron and his sons were the priests and Miriam is the first person in Scripture who is called a prophet! That's right girls! God called Miriam, too. And over the next few days we're going to explore the very special "calling" given to Miriam.
What an influence Jochebed had – a mother who valued life so much she was willing to release her children to the care of her Heavenly Father, even when it meant letting go of her precious son and placing him in the arms of a foreign princess.
As we have studied, I find Jochebed's strength and courage and influence on her children to be similar to the strength and courage and influence of Mary, the mother of Jesus. These women willingly accepted heaven's duty and calling as they became life-givers and life-protectors of their children who brought redemption and release to God's people down through the ages. I call this the influence of a Godly mother.
let my life be a space in which
You can work in the world.
Clear away my inner rubbish,
and fill me with Your Spirit
of healing, delight and peace,
so that everything I do
may be the fruit of Your life in me."
Angela Ashwin
Your friend,
Dorothy Valcarcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
Dorothy Valcarcel has a 25-year career working with charitable organizations worldwide. Her experiences have taken her into ghettos, orphanages, domestic abuse shelters and food kitchens. The insight she gained, along with her own personal struggle to overcome challenging disabilities sustained in a life-threatening accident, are the catalyst for Transformation Garden - a website designed to encourage women in their walk with Jesus. Dorothy is the author of the soon to be released book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, published by Revell.


text: HomeFlannel Boards & Story SetsBeginners Counting Felt Set Beginners Counting Felt Set Rate This Item... $22.95Little Folk Visuals • In Stock • 22164QuantityAdd to CartAboutChildren can count with ladybugs, pandas, puppies, kitten, frogs and more with this colorful felt set. Set includes 132 pre-cut pieces including 2 sets of numbers from 0-10 and equations. Made in the USA.RecommendedVelcro® Feltboard Panel$31.95Learn To Count To 100 Flannelboard Set$29.95Nursery Rhymes Combo Felt Set$46.95Seasons Felt Set$42.95Combination Flannel Board & Write On/Wipe Off Easel$184.95Flannelboard w/Stand 24"Wx18"H$47.95


text:
Win Free Tix for Diego Garcia and Jovanotti: "Give It Away to Whoever Likes It Raw"
Diego Garcia is a first-generation Latin kid who grew up in Florida. Now he's touring the world's stages and playing tiny desks for NPR.
On Wednesday night, he'll be at the Fillmore Miami Beach, opening up for Jovanotti. And he says that if the maladies of love have taught him anything, it's that he likes it better raw.
Check the cut for instructions on how to score free tix to the show.
Crossfade: What's your history with the City of Miami?
Diego Garcia: I spent a lot of time there growing up. I have family there. I feel very at home in Miami. I have a lot of friends I'm looking forward to seeing. My wife and I spend a lot of time on South Beach. It's our getaway from New York.
You're one of the only Latin musicians ever selected as Artist Of The Week for Starbucks. Like, Hispanics are good enough to pick beans for them, but when it comes to giving them attention for music ... Fight?
I haven't gotten that deep into the whole issue. I'm just happy that my music is being spread. I stay out of all that.
Does it ever piss you off they're always saying how you make romantic music?
No, not at all. I think that love is some of the most powerful stuff in the world. It's more powerful than anything. I think the secret to recording a love song is to keep the production really raw.
So, you do it raw?
Yeah, I do it raw. Very honest, dark. No Hollywood ending to the story. My latest album is about the disease that is love, the malady of love.
So you're saying do it raw, right?
Don't get me wrong, I think you should still wear a condom. But I think people like it raw.
What's your message for the fans?
No message. I just get up there and I sing and I try to look good while I do it. Get my record. Buy it if you can. But if you wanna rip it off the computer, do that too. Just listen to it.
What should we say to give these tickets away?
Who would not wanna go see Diego Garcia and Jovanotti on the same stage? Ask 'em how they like it. If they like it raw, give it away to whoever says they like it raw.
Diego Garcia and Jovanotti Ticket Giveaway Instructions
1. Head over to Crossfade's Facebook page and Like it.
2. Find the Diego Garcia update and leave a comment, admitting you like it raw.
3. From the pool of commenters, we'll randomly select the rawest of the raw for free tix. So keep an eye on your Facebook messages.
4. Last thing ... You only have until noon on Wednesday, October 9, to enter.
Diego Garcia. Opening for Jovanotti. Wednesday, October 10. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $30 plus fees via livenation.com. All ages. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
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text:
Page 1
The Benzodiazepine Alprazolam Dissociates
Contextual Fear from Cued Fear in Humans as
Assessed by Fear-potentiated Startle
Christian Grillon, Johanna M.P. Baas, Daniel S. Pine, Shmuel Lissek, Megan Lawley, Valerie Ellis, and
Jessica Levine
Background: The startle reflex is potentiated by aversive states. It has been proposed that phasic startle potentiation to a threat cue
and sustained startle potentiation to contextual stimuli reflect distinct processes mediated by different brain structures. The present
study tested the hypothesis that alprazolam would reduce the sustained startle potentiation to contextual threats but not the startle
potentiation to a threat cue.
Methods: Sixteen healthy subjects received each of four treatments: placebo, .5 mg of alprazolam, 1 mg of alprazolam, and 50 mg
of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in a crossover design. Participants were exposed to three conditions, including one in which
predictable aversive shocks were signaled by a cue, a second in which shocks were administered unpredictably, and a third condition
in which no shocks were anticipated. Acoustic startle were delivered regularly across conditions.
Results: Phasic startle potentiation to the threat cue in the predictable condition was not affected by alprazolam. In contrast, the
sustained increase in startle in the predictable and unpredictable conditions was reduced significantly by the high dose of alprazolam.
Conclusions: Startle responses to an explicit threat cue and to an aversive context are psychopharmacologically distinct, suggesting
that they may represent functionally dissociable aversive states.
Key Words: Alprazolam, anxiety, benzodiazepine, context, fear,
startle reflex
conditioned cue that signals an aversive event (e.g., a shock).
Evidence suggests that this effect is mediated by the central
nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). For example, lesions of the CeA
block fear-potentiated startle to a conditioned cue previously
paired with shock (Davis 1998). Although the CeA responds to
various types of stressors, this structure is not always critical for
fear-potentiated startle (Davis 1998) or for responses to stress in
general (Hammack et al 2004). Davis and his collaborators have
reported a series of studies showing no effect of lesions of the
CeA on startle potentiation caused by various stressors, such as
bright lights (i.e., light-enhanced startle), shock sensitization, and
corticotropin-releasing hormone injection (reviewed in Walker et
al 2003). Rather, another structure, the bed nucleus of the stria
terminalis (BNST), was found to mediate startle potentiation in
these conditions (Walker et al 2003). In an analysis of the
experimental situations that do or do not require the CeA and
BNST, Walker et al (2003) suggested that these structures were
involved in functionally different aversive states in rodents. It was
proposed that the CeA was crucial for the phasic form of
fear-potentiated startle to a predictable threat cue, whereas the
BNST was responsible for the more sustained form of startle
potentiation induced by unpredictable or unconditioned aver-
sive stimuli (Davis 1998; Gewirtz et al 1998; Walker and Davis
he startle reflex, a cross-species response to a sudden
intense stimulus, is sensitive to aversive states (Davis et al
1993). Rodents show robust startle potentiation to a
1997a). It was suggested further that the two aversive states
mediated by the CeA and the BNST in rodents were reminiscent
of fear and anxiety states in humans, respectively (Davis 1998).
According to this view, fear is a response to a clearly identifiable
danger that subsides shortly after the offset of a threat cue.
Anxiety is a more sustained form of general distress and anxious
apprehension in response to less identifiable cues (Barlow 2000;
Davis 1998; Lang et al 2000).
The distinction between a phasic and a more sustained form
of startle potentiation also has been made in humans (Cuthbert et
al 2003; Grillon et al 1991, 1997; Grillon and Davis 1997; Lang et
al 2000; Pole et al 2003). Startle is potentiated by an explicit threat
cue that signals an impending aversive event (e.g., a shock;
Grillon et al 1993; Hamm and Vaitl 1996), such as when phobic
individuals are confronted with their phobic objects (de Jong et
al 1996; Globisch et al 1999). More sustained forms of startle
potentiation can be found among individuals who are exposed
to stressful experimental settings (Bocker et al 2001; Grillon and
Ameli 1998; Pole et al 2003), when the experimental room is in
complete darkness (Grillon et al 1997), or after context condi-
tioning (Grillon and Davis 1997).
Consistent with the animal literature, phasic and sustained
forms of startle potentiation in humans appear to reflect distinct
processes. For example, individuals with posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) or with panic disorder display normal startle to
explicit threat cues that signal a shock but display enhanced
startle reactivity in the experimental context in which the shocks
are administered (Grillon et al 1994, 1998b; Pole et al 2003).
Patients with PTSD also exhibit increased context conditioning
(Grillon and Morgan 1999) and increased facilitation of startle in
the dark (Grillon et al 1998a).
There currently is little information on the neurobiological
mechanisms that may differentiate phasic cued fear from more
sustained contextual anxiety in humans. Evidence for such a
neurobiological dissociation would be bolstered if one could
demonstrate that these two forms of aversive states are differen-
tially responsive to psychopharmacologic treatments. The main
objective of this study was to obtain such evidence by using the
benzodiazepine alprazolam.
Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Address reprint requests to Christian Grillon, Ph.D., National Institutes of
Mental Health–Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program, 15K North Drive,
Building 15K, Room 113, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MD 20892-2670; E-mail:
Received July 12, 2005; revised October 27, 2005; accepted November 11,
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry
Page 2
There is an emerging literature on the effect of benzodiaz-
epines on fear-potentiated startle in humans. We have reported
results of four studies showing that oxazepam and diazepam did
not affect fear-potentiated startle to a threat cue (Baas et al 2002).
In contrast, other groups reported that alprazolam (Riba et al
2001), diazepam (Bitsios et al 1999), and lorazepam (Graham et
al 2005) reduced fear-potentiated startle in threat of shock
experiments. However, it is not clear whether the reduction in
fear-potentiated startle in these latter studies was caused by an
anxiolytic effect per se or was an artifact of the sedative effect of
benzodiazepines on baseline startle. A drug-induced reduction in
baseline startle reactivity may lead to an inaccurate measurement
of fear-potentiated startle (Grillon and Baas 2002; Walker and
Davis 2002b). Important methodologic differences between stud-
ies also may explain contradictory findings. For example, in two
studies the subjects were verbally informed of the threat and safe
conditions while the shock electrodes were being attached or
removed, and these studies were conducted in near darkness
(Bitsios et al 1999; Graham et al 2005). It has been argued that
both the shock electrodes and darkness are contextual stimuli
(Grillon and Ameli 1998; Grillon et al 1997; Walker and Davis
1997b), which may have increased contextual anxiety. Hence, it
is unclear whether the response that was effectively reduced by
diazepam in the Bitsios et al (1999) design constitutes a cued fear
response or contextual anxiety caused by placement of the shock
There is evidence to suggest that benzodiazepines affect
contextual anxiety. In rodents, benzodiazepines reduce baseline
startle. This reduction is a result not only of sedation but also of
an anxiolytic effect on contextual fear (Guscott et al 2000). Baas
et al (2002) reported a similar effect in humans. In addition, Baas
et al (2002) showed that diazepam reduced the facilitation of
startle in the dark in humans. The facilitation of startle in the dark
in humans is a sustained form of startle potentiation similar to the
light-enhanced startle in rodents (Grillon and Baas 2002), which
itself is alleviated by benzodiazepines (Walker and Davis 2002a;
de Jong et al 2002).
The present study improved on past studies by addressing
two main issues. First, we compared fear-potentiated startle
elicited by predictable and unpredictable shocks to clearly
dissociate phasic cued fear from sustained anxiety (Grillon et al
2004). Second, a sedative drug (diphenhydramine) that is not
used for anxiolysis was included to control for confounding
effects of sedation on startle reactivity (Grillon and Baas 2002;
Walker and Davis 2002b). The experimental design was based on
the observation that unpredictable aversive events increase
context conditioning (Grillon and Davis 1997; Odling-Smee
1975), which can be conceived of as a form of sustained anxiety.
In this design, subjects are presented with three conditions: no
shocks, predictable or signaled shocks, and unpredictable or
nonsignaled shocks. Previous results show two types of aversive
responses: (1) a phasic startle potentiation during the threat
signal relative to the absence of threat signal in the predictable
shock condition and (2) a sustained startle potentiation during
the predictable and the unpredictable shock condition compared
with the no-shock condition in the absence of specific cues
(Grillon et al 2004). For the remainder of this article, cued fear
will refer to the phasic startle potentiation to the explicit threat
signal, and contextual anxiety will refer to the sustained startle
potentiation in the absence of cues.
The main hypothesis of the study was that alprazolam would
not affect fear-potentiated startle to the threat signal in the
predictable shock condition (cued fear) but would reduce fear-
potentiated startle in the absence of cues in the predictable and
unpredictable shock condition (contextual anxiety). Each subject
was tested in four treatments: (1) placebo, (2) a low dose (.5 mg)
of alprazolam, (3) a high dose (1 mg) of alprazolam, and (4)
diphenhydramine (Benadryl, 50 mg). The two doses of alprazo-
lam were selected on the basis of a study that reported a
reduction of fear-potentiated startle by alprazolam (Riba et al
Methods and Materials
Participants were healthy volunteers who gave written in-
formed consent that had been approved by the National Insti-
tutes of Mental Health Human Investigation Review Board.
Inclusion criteria included the following: (1) no past or current
psychiatric disorders as per Structured Clinical Interview for
DSM-IV (SCID; First et al 1995), (2) no medical condition that
interfered with the objectives of the study as established by a
physician, and (3) no use of illicit drugs or psychoactive medi-
cations as per urine screen.
Participants underwent a screening session that consisted of a
SCID, a physical exam, and a shock workup procedure to
establish a level of shock that was "highly annoying but not
painful". The mean intensity of the shock was 4.2 ?A, with a
range of 3–5 ?A. In addition, subjects were screened for baseline
startle reactivity with nine startle stimuli (40-ms duration, 103
dB). Subjects who displayed small startle responses (a mean of
less than 5 ?V over nine startle responses) or displayed no startle
response on at least one trial were not invited to participate in the
study. Four to 10 days after screening, participants returned for
the first of four testing sessions. Sixteen subjects (five were male)
with a mean age of 23.0 years (SD ? 4.7 y) ultimately were
included in the study. Mean scores on the state and trait portions
of Spielberger's State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger
1983) were 26.0 (SD ? 4.0) and 28.2 (SD ? 4.8), respectively.
Drug Manipulation
The treatments were placebo, .5 mg of alprazolam, 1 mg of
alprazolam, and 50 mg of diphenhydramine, tested in a double-
blind crossover design (within subjects). Treatment administra-
tion was performed according to a randomization table compris-
ing a 4 ? 4 Latin square repeated four times.
On the test day, subjects filled out a mood rating scale
(pretreatment) that evaluated subjective feelings of mental and
physical sedation. Next, they ingested a capsule containing one
of the active drugs or placebo. Subjects rested for 1 hour to allow
drug absorption, after which the procedure to apply measure-
ment- and shock-electrodes was started.
Details of the procedures are provided elsewhere (Grillon et
al 2004). During testing, subjects first were presented a habitua-
tion block consisting of nine startle stimuli delivered every 18–25
sec to reduce excessive initial startle reactivity before the threat
study (data not reported). Participants then were given explicit
instructions regarding the conditions under which they would
and would not receive an aversive event. After the instructions,
the threat experiment began. The experiment consisted of three
different conditions: no shock (N), predictable shock (P), and
unpredictable shock (U), each lasting approximately 150 sec. In
the N condition, no shocks were delivered. In the P condition,
shocks were administered predictably, that is, only in the pres-
ence of a threat cue. In the U condition, the shocks were
C. Grillon et al
Page 3
unpredictable. In each 150-sec condition, an 8-sec cue was
presented four times. The cues were different geometric colored
shapes in each condition (e.g., a blue square for N, a red circle
for P, and a green star for U). The cues signaled the possibility of
receiving an aversive stimulus only in the P condition. They had
no signal value in the N and U conditions. Instructions were
displayed on a computer monitor to inform participants of the
current condition by displaying the following information
throughout the testing procedure: "no shock" (N), "shock only
during shape" (P), or "shock at any time" (U). During each
predictable and unpredictable condition, one shock was admin-
istered. When a shock was administered, it was delivered during
the cue in the predictable condition and in the absence of the
cues in the unpredictable condition. In each N, P, and U
condition, six acoustic startle stimuli were delivered, three during
intertrial intervals (ITI; i.e., between cues) and one during three
of the four cues, 5–7 sec after cue onset. The threat experiment
consisted of two recording blocks with a 5- to 10-min rest
between blocks. Each block consisted of three N, two P, and two
U conditions in one of the following two orders: P N U N U N P
or U N P N P N U. Each participant was presented with the two
orders, with half the participants starting with the P condition.
One shock was administered in each individual P and U condi-
tion, for a total of four shocks in the four P conditions and of four
shocks in the four U conditions. The shock was delivered 7.5 sec
after cue onset in the P condition. It was administered either 7 sec
or 10 sec after cue offset in the unpredictable condition. No
startle stimuli could follow a shock by less than 10 sec.
Subjects were asked to fill out the mood rating scale another
time during the interval between the two threat blocks. In
addition, after each recording block, subjects retrospectively
rated how anxious they felt in the presence and absence of the
cue in each condition (N, P, U) on an analog scale ranging from
0 (not at all anxious) to 10 (extremely anxious).
Stimuli and Physiological Responses
Stimulation and recording were controlled by a commercial
system (Contact Precision Instruments, London, United King-
dom). The acoustic startle stimulus was a 40-ms duration,
103-dB(A) burst of white noise with a near-instantaneous rise
time, presented binaurally through headphones. The eyeblink
reflex was recorded with electrodes placed under the left eye.
Amplifier bandwidth was set to 30–500 Hz. The electric shock
was produced by a constant current stimulator and was admin-
istered on the right wrist.
Data Analysis
Peak amplitude of the blink reflex was determined in the 20-
to 100-msec time frame after stimulus onset relative to baseline
(average baseline EMG level for the 50 ms immediately preced-
ing stimulus onset) and was averaged within each condition. The
startle data and retrospective measures of subjective anxiety
were analyzed with analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated
measures. Preliminary analyses indicated no gender difference
for the startle and subjective measures. Hence, gender was not
entered as a factor in the data analysis. Given our specific a priori
hypotheses, separate comparisons were conducted to examine
cued fear and contextual anxiety. Cued fear was tested by first
calculating the difference scores between startle magnitude
during the cues and startle magnitude during ITI. These differ-
ence scores then were analyzed with two-way ANOVAs, with
treatment (placebo, diphenhydramine, low alprazolam, or high
alprazolam) and condition (N, P, or U) as repeated factors.
Contextual anxiety was evaluated by using the startle magnitudes
during ITI in each of the three conditions. This involved two-way
ANOVAs, with treatment (placebo, diphenhydramine, low alpra-
zolam, or high alprazolam) and condition (N, P, or U) as
repeated factors. Given a significant main effect of condition, the
presence of a linear trend in startle magnitude over N, P, and U
was tested. It was hypothesized that the linear trend would be
affected by alprazolam but not by diphenhydramine, compared
with placebo. These analyses were repeated on standardized
scores by using within-subjects t scores ([Z scores ? 10] ? 50).
Because similar results were obtained with the raw scores and
with the t scores for within-subjects comparisons, only results of
the raw scores are presented. The same analysis was conducted
for the retrospective subjective reports of anxiety. Alpha was set
at .05 for all statistical tests. Greenhouse-Geisser corrections
(GG-?) were used for main effects and for interactions involving
factors with more than two levels.
Startle Data
Cued Fear.
treatment are presented in Table 1. Figure 1A displays the
magnitude of fear-potentiated startle (cue minus ITI). There was
a significant main effect of condition [F(2,30) ? 11.9, p ? .001,
GG-? ? .65], reflecting greater fear-potentiated startle during the
cue in the U condition, compared to the N and P condition.
These effects were not affected by treatment, as reflected by a
lack of treatment main effect [F(3,45) ? .03, ns] and treatment ?
condition interaction [F(6,90) ? .3, ns].
Contextual Anxiety. The ITI data that were used to evaluate
contextual anxiety are shown in Table 1. Consistent with our
previous report (Grillon et al 2004), there was a linear increase in
startle magnitude from the neutral, to the predictable, to the
unpredictable condition [main effect of condition: F(2,30) ?
14.0, p ? .0009, GG-? ? .7; linear effect of condition: F(1,15) ?
18.7, p ? .0009]. There also was a trend for a main effect of
treatment [F(3,45) ? 2.4, p ? .09, GG-? ? .8]. However, this
effect was qualified by a significant treatment ? condition
interaction [F(6,90) ? 3.4, p ? .01, GG-? ? .7] and by a treatment
? condition linear effect [F(1,15) ? 5.7, p ? .03]. These
The results in each condition and in each
Table 1. Mean (SEM) Startle Magnitude (?V) during the Cue and during ITI across Treatments and Conditions
NeutralPredictable Unpredictable
Cue ITICue ITI CueITI
Alprazolam, low
Alprazolam, high
38.3 (9.7)
28.0 (11.7)
39.4 (10.0)
23.9 (7.6)
38.4 (10.8)
26.8 (10.8)
38.2 (10.6)
25.5 (8.0)
57.9 (11.9)
42.2 (12.6)
51.9 (12.3)
37.0 (9.3)
47.2 (11.1)
32.2 (12.0)
41.6 (10.0)
26.3 (7.2)
55.1 (12.1)
40.1 (12.5)
57.0 (12.3)
33.0 (8.3)
53.6 (12.0)
40.3 (13.0)
55.7 (12.8)
30.3 (7.9)
ITI, intertrial intervals.
C. Grillon et al
Page 4
interactions reflect differential effects of treatment on startle
potentiation during ITI. Follow-up tests focused on the increase
in startle magnitude from the neutral to both the predictable and
unpredictable conditions across treatments. This analysis was
implemented by calculating the difference scores for predictable
minus no-shock and unpredictable minus no-shock conditions
(Figure 2A). These difference scores were entered into a treat-
ment (placebo or high alprazolam) ? condition (P or U) ANOVA
yielding a main effect of treatment [F(1,15) ? 10.2, p ? .0009]
and no significant treatment ? condition interaction. The signif-
icant treatment main effect confirmed that the ITI startle poten-
tiation from the neutral to both the predictable and unpredictable
condition was reduced by high alprazolam.
The active control substance diphenhydramine was used to
examine whether the treatment effect could be attributed solely
to sedation. This was not the case. First, the treatment (placebo
or diphenhydramine) ? condition (P or U) ANOVA showed no
significant effect involving treatment. Second, the treatment
(high alprazolam or diphenhydramine) ? condition (P or U)
ANOVA showed a significantly lower potentiated startle in the
high-alprazolam conditioncompared
[F(1,15) ? 5.5, p ? .03]. The placebo, diphenhydramine, and
low-alprazolam treatment conditions did not differ significantly
from each other. Note that high alprazolam also reduced poten-
tiated startle compared with the low-alprazolam treatment con-
dition [F(1,15) ? 5.7, p ? .03].
Retrospective Ratings of Anxiety
Cued Fear. The anxiety rating scores are shown in Figure 1B.
There was a significant main effect of condition [F(2,30) ? 56.0,
p ? .0009, GG-? ? .95], reflecting greater subjective anxiety
during the cue in the P condition, compared to the N and U
conditions. There was no significant main effect of treatment
[F(3,45) ? .61], but the treatment ? condition interaction was
significant [F(6,90) ? 2.4, p ? .04]. Because the comparison of
interest was anxiety ratings in the P condition across treatments,
follow-up tests contrasted anxiety scores between treatments in
the P condition in a one-way ANOVA. The results indicated no
reduction in anxiety with any of the treatments as reflected by a
nonsignificant treatment main effect [F(3,45) ? 1.9, p ? .1].
Contextual Anxiety. Consistent with the startle data, there
was a progressive increase in anxiety from the neutral, to the
predictable, to the unpredictable condition [F(2,30) ? 56.7, p ?
.0009, GG-? ? .69; linear trend: F(1,15) ? 69.4, p ? .0009]. There
also was a main effect of treatment [F(3,45) ? 7.6, p ? .001, GG-?
? .83] that was caused by an overall reduction in anxiety with
diphenhydramine [F(1,15) ? 17.1, p ? .001], low alprazolam
[F(1,15) ? 4.8, p ? .04], and high alprazolam [F(1,15) ? 14.9, p
? .002] treatments compared to placebo (Figure 2). However,
unlike the startle results, there was no treatment ? condition
interaction, indicating no significant difference in subjective
Figure 2. Responses during ITI (context) in each treatment. (A) Contextual
potentiated startle. Difference scores between startle magnitudes in the
the no-shock condition. *The increased startle from the neutral to the pre-
high alprazolam (alpraz), compared to the other treatments. (B) Subjective
(predictable and unpredictable) and reported anxiety in the no-shock con-
dition. There was no significant difference among treatments.
Figure 1. Responses to the cues in each treatment expressed as a change
cue minus ITI startle magnitudes in the no shock, predictable, and unpre-
dictable conditions. The main effect of condition was significant. *Signifi-
magnitudes in the presence minus absence of cues in each condition. The
main effect of condition was significant. *Significantly (p ? .05) increased
startle from ITI. There was no significant difference among treatments.
C. Grillon et al
Page 5
anxiety across conditions among the three active treatments
(Figure 2B).
Mental and Physical Sedation
The mental and physical sedation data from the mood rating
scale are shown in Table 2. Results were analyzed with treatment
(placebo, diphenhydramine, alprazolam low, or alprazolam
high) ? condition (baseline or posttreatment) ANOVAs. For both
mental sedation and physical sedation, there were significant
main effects of treatment [F(3,45) ? 6.5, p ? .001, GG-? ? .78
and F(3,45) ? 5.4, p ? .003, GG-? ? .92, respectively] and of
condition [F(1,15) ? 37.5, p ? .0009 and F(1,15) ? 44.0, p ?
.0009, respectively], as well as a significant treatment ? condition
interaction [F(3,45) ? 8.4, p ? .001, GG-? ? .70 and F(3,45) ?
9.9, p ? .0009, GG-? ? .79, respectively]. The interaction
reflected the fact that subjects exhibited greater increases in
physical and mental sedation from the baseline to the posttreat-
ment period with diphenhydramine, low alprazolam, and high
alprazolam compared with placebo (all p ? .05). There also was
a greater increase in mental and physical sedation with the
diphenhydramine and high-alprazolam, compared with low-
alprazolam, treatments (all p ? .05). Finally, there was no
significant difference in mental and physical sedation between
diphenhydramine and high-alprazolam treatments.
The present study sought to establish a psychopharmacolog-
ical distinction by using the benzodiazepine alprazolam between
a phasic aversive response to a threat cue (cued fear) and a more
sustained aversive response associated with the experimental
context in which shocks are anticipated (contextual anxiety). The
experimental model to elicit these two aversive states was based
on preclinical data in rodents (Davis 1998) and on empirical
work in our laboratory that used the threat of predictable
(signaled) and unpredictable (unsignaled) shocks (Grillon et al
2004). Consistent with our hypothesis, alprazolam did not affect
phasic fear-potentiated startle to the threat cue but reduced the
sustained potentiation of startle in the predictable and the
unpredictable condition. This effect cannot be attributed to an
artifactual sedative effect of alprazolam on baseline startle
(Walker and Davis 2002b) for two reasons. First, baseline startle
responses, as well as mental and physical sedation, were affected
to the same extent by high alprazolam and diphenhydramine,
indicating that diphenhydramine was an appropriate nonspecific
active control substance. Yet, contextual startle potentiation in
the predictable and unpredictable conditions was reduced sig-
nificantly in the high alprazolam compared to the diphenhydra-
mine treatment. Second, if the reduction in contextual fear-
potentiated startle was a result of sedation, it is unclear why such
an effect would not have affected fear-potentiated startle to the
threat cue. These results suggest that alprazolam exerted a
differential effect on potentiated startle to an explicit threat cue
and to contextual cues.
It could be argued that the treatment effect of the high dose of
alprazolam on ITI startle in the predictable and unpredictable
condition was artifactually caused by a floor effect. This expla-
nation is unlikely because the floor effect for startle magnitude is
an absence of eyeblink response. In the present study, the
magnitude of startle in the high-alprazolam condition was clearly
above 0 (about 20 ?V). Alternatively, it could be argued that the
lack of effect of alprazolam on fear-potentiated startle to the cue
in the predictable condition was caused by a ceiling effect. This,
again, is unlikely. First, we analyzed the startle habituation data
(not shown) and found much larger responses during startle
habituation compared response to the threat cues in the predict-
able condition. For example, the group mean magnitude of the
first habituation startle in the placebo condition was 91 ?V,
which is larger than either the mean response to the first startle
in the predictable cue (74 ?V) or than the mean startle response
to all the cues in the predictable condition (57.9 ?V).
The present findings are consistent with preclinical and
clinical studies distinguishing cued fear from contextual anxiety.
Preclinical studies show that the CeA mediates phasic responses
to explicit threat cues and that the BNST mediates sustained
responses to contextual stimuli (Walker et al 2003). Clinical
investigations have reported normal fear-potentiated startle to an
explicit threat cue but elevated contextual fear-potentiated startle
in patients with anxiety disorders (Cuthbert et al 2003; Grillon et
al 1991, 1997; Grillon and Davis 1997; Pole et al 2003).
The present results also are consistent with animal data
showing that benzodiazepines reduce sustained forms of startle
potentiation. Walker and Davis (2002a) reported that the light-
enhanced startle effect was alleviated by the benzodiazepine
chlordiazepoxide. However, the lack of effect of alprazolam on
fear-potentiated startle to an explicit threat cue apparently con-
flicts with cued fear conditioning data in rodents (Hijzen et al
1995; Melia and Davis 1991). One important difference between
the present study and preclinical studies is the reliance of animal
studies on associative-learning processes such as fear condition-
ing. The reduced fear-potentiated startle after benzodiazepine
administration in animal models that rely on conditioning cannot
be attributed unambiguously to an anxiolytic effect as opposed
to an effect on learning or memory (Walker and Davis 2002a). In
addition, it is possible that the amount of drug used in animals is
not comparable to that used in humans. Nevertheless, a recent
fear-conditioning study in humans supports our findings. Scaife
et al (2005) found that diazepam blocked the acquisition but not
the expression of fear-potentiated startle to an explicit cue.
In terms of current results for subjective ratings of anxiety the
cue and contextual manipulations induced the same basic pat-
tern of results found in the startle data. In the predictable
condition, subjective anxiety was larger in the presence than in
the absence of the threat cue. Like the startle data, this increase
in subjective anxiety was unaffected by drug treatments. As for
the context effect, both startle magnitude and the subjective
ratings of anxiety to the context increased linearly from the
Table 2. Mean (SEM) Scores of Subjectively Reported Mental and Physical Sedation
Mental SedationPhysical Sedation
Pretreatment PosttreatmentPretreatmentPosttreatment
Alprazolam, low
Alprazolam, high
10.2 (1.0)
11.0 (1.4)
9.6 (1.0)
9.9 (1.2)
13.6 (1.7)
22.6 (1.9)
17.4 (1.4)
20.9 (1.6)
9.8 (1.1)
0.0 (1.3)
9.7 (.9)
10.6 (1.0)
13.6 (1.7)
22.7 (1.9)
17.4 (1.4)
20.9 (1.6)
C. Grillon et al
Page 6
no-shock to the predictable to the unpredictable conditions.
However, treatment effects on these subjective reports did not
follow the startle results; instead of a significant treatment ?
condition interaction, there was only a main effect of treatment.
This indicates that though the subjects were feeling less anxious
overall under all three drug treatments compared with placebo,
they did not report context-specific reductions in anxiety under
alprazolam. Apparently, startle was sensitive to subtle effects of
the treatments that were not accessible to subjective measures of
One obvious reason for this difference is that whereas startle
was used to probe contextual anxiety online, the subjective
anxiety measures were retrospective. The passage of time may
have obscured subtle differences in responding because of the
complexity of the design. The design included six different
conditions (three contextual manipulations, each with and with-
out the presence of a cue), for which subjective anxiety was
measured retrospectively. The retrospective subjective anxiety
data appeared to have been strongly influenced by sedation. This
is suggested by the fact that the pattern of retrospective ratings of
anxiety exactly paralleled the ratings of mental and physical
sedation (Table 1). Future studies may benefit from using an
online measure of subjective anxiety.
How could alprazolam reduce contextual anxiety? It is un-
likely that the present results were the result of a gross cognitive
deficit, such as memory impairment. Subjects did not have to
remember the contingency between threat and the different
conditions because the instructions were written on a monitor
screen throughout the duration of each condition. A purely
anxiolytic effect on sustained anxiety could be achieved, for
example via action at the level of structures involved in this type
of response (i.e., the BNST). Alternatively, alprazolam could
reduce anxiety by facilitating distraction from stressful cognitions
associated with the threat experiment. Distraction from stressful
cognitions may have been more likely to occur in the unpredict-
able condition when the threat was long lasting, compared to the
predictable condition, in which the threat cue signaled an
imminent danger, resulting in a reduction in contextual anxiety
but not phasic fear. Such a distraction could have been amplified
by drowsiness, but this is unlikely given that the sedative drug
diphenhydramine did not reduce the enhanced startle in the
unpredictable context.
The limitations of the present study must be considered when
interpreting the results. It is possible that alprazolam effects on
potentiated startle did not depend on the qualitative nature of the
induced emotion (e.g., fear vs. anxiety or explicit vs. contextual
cues), but on the intensity of the aversive reaction. According to
this view, benzodiazepines could reduce potentiated startle to
stimuli or situations that elicit little fear or anxiety, such as
contextual anxiety, but are ineffective when higher levels of fear
or anxiety are involved, such as during a threat cue. Such a
possibility should be tested experimentally by examining the
effect of benzodiazepines on threat cues that elicit different levels
of fear. However, the Scaife et al (2005) fear-conditioning study
may shed light on this issue. Startle potentiation to a cue is much
greater during a threat of shock experiment than during fear
conditioning (Grillon and Davis 1977; Grillon et al 1991). Yet
Scaife et al (2005) found that diazepam did not block the
expression of cued fear conditioning. Hence, a weak aversive
response is not necessarily affected by benzodiazepines. Another
limitation is that we used diphenhydramine as an active control
condition because of its sedative effect. The subjective data
suggest that diphenhydramine was mildly anxiolytic, and animal
data suggest that the histaminergic system may be implicated in
anxiety (Fish et al 2004; Privou et al 1998). Because benzodiaz-
epines have muscle relaxant properties, a muscle relaxant may
have been a more appropriate control drug.
The present results are consistent with the hypothesis of a
functional differentiation between phasic startle potentiation to a
threat cue and sustained startle potentiation to contextual threat
proposed by Davis (1998). Because of the translational nature of
startle studies, it is likely that human and animal models will
ultimately yield more insight into the neurobiology of cued fear
and contextual anxiety. Differentiating between cued fear and
contextual anxiety may help us identify the components of
aversive states and their relevance to pathologic anxiety. Assum-
ing that contextual anxiety is relevant to pathologic anxiety
(Grillon and Morgan 1999; Grillon et al 1998b), experiments in
animals and humans that manipulate contextual fear-potentiated
startle may be helpful for screening novel anxiolytics.
This research was supported by the Intramural Research
Program of the National Institutes of Mental Health.
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Information wanted about West Cumbrian mystery house
Last updated at 21:19, Thursday, 09 February 2012
This mystery house near Cockermouth is being restored, and a plea has been sent out for information about it.
The National Trust has rented out the grade two listed Dunthwaite House in Setmurthy and the tenant wants to restore it to its former glory.
The house was in the hands of the Harrison family from 1696 until the death of the Rev Daniel Harrison in 1940.
It was passed to the stewardship of the National Trust because Daniel did not marry and had no heirs.
From 1940 onwards, the National Trust has been renting the house out to tenants and it has been vacant since March 2010.
David Valentine, the prospective tenant, wants to restore the house to how it looked under Daniel Harrison's ownership.
He is working with the National Trust on a project to develop and improve the property.
It has five bedrooms and also includes servants' quarters, a parlour and a drawing room. Many original features can still be seen, including cornice and wallpaper.
In the courtyard is a barn and within that is a water mill dating from 1823, and a grinding and threshing machine.
David has said he is keen to hear from anyone with information on the house.
He said: "We planned to do quite a bit of work to the house, especially the water mill, which is only one of three still intact in Cumbria.
"We are a bit stuck on the history of the house. It seems there is very little around.
"We want to restore the gardens but we have very little to go on."
Mary Ann Wilson and Jane Mudie were Daniel Harrison's housekeepers at Dunthwaite.
Jane's husband, Henry Mudie, was a gardener at the house and worked as a postman in Cockermouth.
David said he would welcome any details that anyone may have about the house, the Harrison family, housekeepers or Henry Mudie.
He said: "What happened to the contents of the house? Does anyone have any old pictures of the house? Has anyone's family ever worked at the house?"
Anyone with information should call David on 07746812695 or Sarah Woodcock at the National Trust on 01539 463822.
First published at 19:19, Thursday, 09 February 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
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