Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200620001-9 6 Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research tubes was lower than both experimental sessions means (i.c., consistently lower than both the control and the influence tube means). It was deter- mined that this consistent reduction in hemolysis for the nonlocal baseline tubes (and to a lesser extent, for the tubes later in the experimental ses- sions as well) was due to a progressive change in the blood cells contrib- uted by several environmental factors that increased the ‘‘noise’’ level of the experiments and that included higher apparatus (i.e., spectrophotom- eter tube holder) temperatures during later tests, and increasing exposure of the blood cells to temperature changes, air, and mechanical trauma (i.e., mechanical agitation) during the course of repeated tests of a single blood sample (i.e., multiple tests of the contents of a single Vacutainer blood collection tube). As a result of the pilot sessions themselves, as well as additional tests conducted concurrently with and subsequent to the pilot experiment, the sources of these interfering factors were identified, and steps were devised that could be taken to eliminate or greatly reduce them in the formal study. Temperature changes in the spectrophotometer tube holder were con- trolled through (a) the addition of an external cooling fan to the apparatus, (b) reducing the durations of the hemolysis measurement periods, and (c) turning off the apparatus except when measurements were actually being made. The substitution of a more effective anticoagulant (acid-citrate-dex- trose) for that used in the pilot study (heparin) greatly diminished the ef- fects of progressive exposure to room temperature, air, and mechanical trauma during repeated pipette samplings so that hemolysis rate remained relatively stable over the course of 20 measurements from a given main Vacutainer source tube. When between 20 and 30 samples had been taken from a main Vacutainer tube, this stability began to deteriorate. SUMMARY OF THE INTERMEDIATE PHASE OF SALINITY TESTS Following the completion of the pilot study, salinity tests were con- ducted in order to determine salinity values that might mimic anticipated psi-induced hemolysis rate changes. These tests provided the basis for Monte Carlo analyses that were designed to determine appropriate param~- eters for an adequate differential test of the IDS versus RA predictions of psi functioning that was to be conducted in the formal study. A total of 332 hemolysis trials were completed using whole blood samples collected from 10 different persons. For these tests, the ‘‘noise- reducing’’ improvements mentioned above were incorporated. Hypotonic salinity values of 0.425%, 0.429%, 0.434%, 0.442%, and 0.450% (corre- sponding, respectively, to 50%, 50.5%, 51%, 52%, and 53.33% of 0.85% normal physiological saline) were tested. Sampling epochs of 1-minute duration were used, rather than the 2-minute periods of the pilot study, All other procedures were identical to those of the pilot study. These were all, Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200620001-9
Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200620001-9 Distant Mental Influence of Hemolysis Rate 7 of course, ‘‘control’’ tests in which no subjects attempted to influence the hemolysis process. As anticipated, the ‘‘noise-reducing”’ improvements resulted in the vir- tual elimination of the extreme variability seen in the pilot study and yielded much greater stability (less degradation) of the blood sampies. The optimum salinity value for mimicking an anticipated psi-induced reduction of hemolysis rate of approximately 1.0 standard deviation was found to be in the vicinity of 0.429% 0.434% saline (equivalent to 50.5% —-51.0% of normal 0.85% physiological saline). Monte Carlo simulation analyses conducted on these salinity data indicated that on the basis of the magni- tudes of hemolysis changes observed in these intermediate phase salinity tests, the use of 2 versus 8 samples (tubes) distributed throughout equiva- lent ‘‘psi effort’ periods would provide adequate measurements for a dif- ferential test of the IDS versus RA interpretations of any psi effects ob- tained in the formal experiment. Another purpose of these salinity tests was to assure that our spectro- photometric method was actually assessing hemolysis, rather than other possible artifactual time-changing processes that could be confused with hemolysis. A number of tests were performed using identical procedures but with normal 0.85% physiological saline rather than hypotonic saline. No hemolysis should occur with such a solution, and any changes ob- served could be attributed to artifacts. As expected, hemolysis did not occur in these normal saline tests; the photometric readings and curves were completely stable throughout the sampling periods. OVERVIEW OF THE FORMAL EXPERIMENT On the basis of the findings of the preliminary study, the pilot study, and the intermediate phase experiments, a final protocol for the formal experiment was developed that included the following features: 1. Thirty-two subjects (from the same population and selected in the same manner as in the pilot study) would each participate in one experi- mental session. Hemolysis measurements would be made by the experi- menter, W.G.B. 4. Sixteen subjects would attempt to influence (protect) their own blood cells, and 16 would attempt to influence the cells of another person. Both subject and experimenter would be blind regarding the source of the blood until all 32 sessions had been completed. This ‘‘own’’ versus “‘other’’ factor was retained in the formal experiment because of the trend toward different outcomes in those two conditions observed in the pilot study. 3. Blood samples would be collected in Vacutainer tubes containing acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) anticoagulant and would be refrigerated im- mediately after the blood was drawn. Blood samples would be stored at Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200620001-9