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The aim of the present dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of putative paranormal beliefs and experiences. The introduction provides a conceptual analysis of past research into the paranormal and establishes the rationale for our decision to focus on a specific type of paranormal experience – precognitive dreams. The dissertation evaluates several different hypotheses that have been proposed to account for such experiences. Chapter II describes an online dream precognition study testing the so-called psi hypothesis (Study 1). Participants (N = 50) collected details of their dreams over four weekly periods. Independent judges rated the similarity of the dream reports to randomly selected target and decoy video clips. Compared to the chance baseline of 50 hits out of 200 trials, the obtained 64 hits was significantly more than could be expected under the null hypothesis. However, based on a post hoc exploration of the data, we concluded that Study 1 yielded no evidence of any anomalous cognition within participants’ dreams. It did, however, illustrate the potential theoretical and methodological issues with the psi hypothesis and the way it is habitually assessed. Chapter III focuses on explanations of putative precognitive dreams in terms of unconscious cognition. Two studies test the hypothesis that precognitive dreams arise as a result of unconscious inferences about likely future events based on subtle cues from the environment perceived in the absence of awareness. Study 2 explores individual differences in implicit processing and their relationship to precognitive dream belief and experience. Participants (N = 50) completed the serial reaction time task as well as a series of questionnaire measures. Contrary to prediction, no relationship was found between precognitive dream experience – or belief – and implicit task performance. Following these null findings, Study 3 tested another prediction of the same hypothesis. Participants (N = 49) completed a modified change detection task. The modification allowed for assessing explicit and implicit change detection separately. The results of Study 3 did not support the hypothesis, as the measure of explicit change detection was not related to precognitive dream experience. They did, however, provide a conceptual replication of the findings of Study 2, since we again found no relationship between implicit detection and precognitive dream experience. On a large sample of participants (N = 672), Study 4, reported in Chapter IV, explores several demographic and sleep- and dream-related variables and their relationship with precognitive dream belief and experience. We hypothesised that precognitive dream experience is associated with erratic patterns of sleep behaviour. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that a higher subjective frequency of precognitive dreams was associated with more nocturnal awakenings, higher dream recall, lower overall sleep quality, and a higher likelihood of using sleep medication. We also explored the demographic factors of precognitive dream belief and experience, namely gender, age and education. Women were more likely to believe in the reality of precognitive dreams as well as report experiencing them. And there was a negative relationship between completed years of formal education and the precognitive dream variables. Frequency of these experiences was positively related to age. Moreover, we predicted that both precognitive dream belief and experience would be positively related to the subjective importance ascribed to one’s dreams in general. We found support for this hypothesis. Finally, the study investigated the relationship between the belief in and the experience of precognitive dreams. Although, as could be expected, we found these two to be strongly positively related, we argued that this relationship is not sufficient to gloss over the conceptual distinction. In order to further develop our line of research, we identify a need for a new measurement tool addressing attitudes towards one’s precognitive dream experiences. Study 5, reported in Chapter V, concerns the development and validation of such a tool. A sample of people who reported having had a precognitive dream experience (N = 330) completed an initial 49-item questionnaire. After removing items with unsatisfactory psychometric characteristics an exploratory factor analysis coupled with exploratory structural equation modelling revealed a well-interpretable 5-factor structure with good internal consistency. Additional variables collected on the sample were subsequently used to test the validity of the derived subscales. Overall, the predicted relationships were confirmed by the analyses, which indicates both convergent and divergent/discriminant validity of the questionnaire. Importantly, we found that personal significance of one’s precognitive dreams was related to the frequency with which they are experienced. The final empirical chapter, Chapter VI, explores the relationship between precognitive dream belief and experience, their personal significance, and memory. Study 6 tested three hypotheses: earliest precognitive dream experiences would tend to date to a period of identity formation in one’s life; the vividness of the memory of this earliest experience would correlate with the frequency of precognitive dream experience; and this relationship would be accounted for by the personal significance ascribed to one’s precognitive dreams. All three hypotheses were supported. Finally, Chapter VII summarises the findings of the six studies conducted for this dissertation. We discuss our results in the context of the existing literature and highlight the main theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions of our research. Directions for future research are also provided.

The purpose of this investigation was to observe the excited states of the Cs¹³³ nucleus when neutrons are inelastically scattered from the nucleus.

Le travail décrit dans cette thèse porte sur l’évaluation du mode d’exposition externe et interne au xénon-133. Ce radionucléide est un des principaux produits de fission du combustible des réacteurs nucléaires. En cas de défaut de gaine combustible, le xénon-133 peut potentiellement exposer le personnel lors de ses interventions dans le bâtiment réacteur. En dosimétrie, les simulations Monte-Carlo sont des outils adaptés pour simuler le transport des rayonnements ionisants dans la matière. A partir des critères de radioprotection actuels, nous avons développé de nouvelles méthodes afin d’améliorer notre compréhension de l’exposition externe et interne auxénon-133 à l’intérieur d’un bâtiment réacteur. Ces nouvelles approches sont basées sur l’utilisation d’un fantôme anthropomorphe, d’une géométrie réaliste de bâtiment réacteur, de simulations Monte-Carlo GEANT4 et de modèles en compartiments. L’exposition externe dans un bâtiment réacteur a été menée en retenant un scénario d’exposition réaliste et conservatif. Nous avons quantifié le débit de dose efficace et le débit de dose équivalente au cristallin. L’exposition interne se produit lorsque le xénon-133 est inhalé. Les poumons sont les premiers organes exposés par l’inhalation du xénon-133, leur débit de dose équivalente a été quantifié. Un modèle biocinétique a été utilisé pour évaluer l’exposition interne au xénon-133. Cette thèse a permis de quantifier les grandeurs dosimétriques liées aux modes d’exposition externe et interne au xénon-133, d’étudier l’impact des changements de limites dosimétriques introduits par la Commission Internationale de Radioprotection prochainement retranscrits dans la réglementation française, et de comprendre la cinétique du xénon-133 dans le corps humain. Nous avons montré que les grandeurs dosimétriques sont nettement inférieures aux limites dosimétriques de la réglementation actuelle et future. / The work described in this thesis focuses on the external and internal dose assessment to xenon-133. During the nuclear reactor operation, fission products and radioactive inert gases, as ¹³³Xe, are generated and might be responsible for the exposure of workers incase of clad defect.Particle Monte Carlo transport code is adapted inradioprotection to quantify dosimetric quantities.The study of exposure to xenon-133 is conducted byusing Monte-Carlo simulations based on GEANT4, ananthropomorphic phantom, a realistic geometry of thereactor building, and compartmental models.The external exposure inside a reactor building isconducted with a realistic and conservative exposurescenario. The effective dose rate and the eye lensequivalent dose rate are determined by Monte-Carlosimulations. Due to the particular emission spectrum ofxenon-133, the equivalent dose rate to the lens of eyesis discussed in the light of expected new eye doselimits.The internal exposure occurs while xenon-133 isinhaled. The lungs are firstly exposed by inhalation, andtheir equivalent dose rate is obtained by Monte-Carlosimulations. A biokinetic model is used to evaluate theinternal exposure to xenon-133.This thesis gives us a better understanding to thedosimetric quantities related to external and internalexposure to xenon-133. Moreover the impacts of thedosimetric changes are studied on the current andfuture dosimetric limits. The dosimetric quantities arelower than the current and future dosimetric limits.

Dieser Katalog und die Ausstellung, die er begleitet, dokumentieren, exponieren und erläutern eine Sammlung, die zu den interessantesten der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig gehört. Ursprünglich Teil der Leipziger Ratsbibliothek und heute weiterhin Eigentum der Stadt Leipzig, ist die Magica-Sammlung ein seltenes und wertvolles Zeugnis. Sie gibt einmalige Einblicke in die Welt magischer Rituale im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert, deren geheimnisvoller Zauber auch heute noch bannt und fasziniert.

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Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Includes bibliographical references. / xi, 138, [131] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Zoology, 1994?