cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
CRF-1 Antagonist and CRF-2 Agonist Decrease Binge-Like Ethanol Drinking in C57BL/6J Mice Independent of the HPA Axis
Creators: name: Spanos, Marina
name: Lyons, Angela M.
name: Navarro, Montserrat
name: Hodge, Clyde W.
name: Thiele, Todd E.
name: Lowery, Emily G.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: Recent evidence suggests that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor (CRFR) signaling is involved in modulating binge-like ethanol consumption in C57BL/6J mice. In this report, a series of experiments were performed to further characterize the role of CRFR signaling in binge-like ethanol consumption. The role of central CRFR signaling was assessed with intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of the nonselective CRFR antagonist, α-helical CRF9–41 (0, 1, 5, 10 μg/1 μl). The contribution of central CRF type 2 receptor (CRF2R) signaling was assessed with i.c.v. infusion of the selective CRF2R agonist, urocortin (Ucn) 3 (0, 0.05, 0.1, or 0.5 μg/1 μl). The role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis was assessed by pretreating mice with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of (1) the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor, metyrapone (0, 50, 100, 150 mg/kg) or (2) the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, mifepristone (0, 25, 50 mg/kg), and (3) by using radioimmunoassay to determine whether binge-like ethanol intake influenced plasma corticosterone levels. Finally, we determined whether the ability of the CRF1R antagonist, CP-154,526 (CP; 0, 10, 15 mg/kg, i.p.), to blunt binge-like drinking required normal HPA axis signaling by comparing the effectiveness of CP in adrenalectomized (ADX) and normal mice. Results showed that i.c.v. infusion of a 1 μg dose of α-helical CRF9–41 significantly attenuated binge-like ethanol consumption relative to vehicle treatment, and i.c.v. infusion of Ucn 3 dose-dependently blunted binge-like drinking. On the other hand, metyrapone nonselectively reduced both ethanol and sucrose consumption, mifepristone did not alter ethanol drinking, and binge-like drinking did not correlate with plasma corticosterone levels. Finally, i.p. injection of CP significantly attenuated binge-like ethanol intake in both ADX and normal mice. Together, these results suggest that binge-like ethanol intake in C57BL/6J mice is modulated by CRF1R and CRF2R signaling, such that blockade of CRF1R or activation of CRF2R effectively reduces excessive ethanol intake. Furthermore, normal HPA axis signaling is not necessary to achieve binge-like drinking behavior.
(400245) Ann Crichton
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
New differential equations in the six-vertex model
Creators: name: Galleas, W.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Exactly Solvable and Integrable Systems (nlin.SI)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: This letter is concerned with the analysis of the six-vertex model with domain-wall boundaries in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs). The model's partition function is shown to obey a system of PDEs resembling the celebrated Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation. The analysis of our PDEs naturally produces a family of novel determinant representations for the model's partition function.
description: 14 pages; v2: minor changes, added reference, accepted for publication in JSTAT
Treatment Strategies Targeting Excess Hippocampal Activity Benefit Aged Rats with Cognitive Impairment
Creators: name: Foti, Stacey
name: Gallagher, Michela
name: Haberman, Rebecca P.
name: McCown, Thomas J.
name: Koh, Ming Teng
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: Excess neural activity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus has been linked to memory impairment in aged rats. We tested whether interventions aimed at reducing this excess activity would improve memory performance. Aged (24 to 28 months old) male Long–Evans rats were characterized in a spatial memory task known to depend on the functional integrity of the hippocampus, such that aged rats with identified memory impairment were used in a series of experiments. Overexpression of the inhibitory neuropeptide Y 13–36 in the CA3 via adeno-associated viral transduction was found to improve hippocampal-dependent long-term memory in aged rats, which had been characterized with impairment. Subsequent experiments with two commonly used antiepileptic agents, sodium valproate and levetiracetam, similarly produced dose-dependent memory improvement in such aged rats. Improved spatial memory with low doses of these agents was observed in both appetitve and aversive spatial tasks. The benefits of these different modalities of treatment are consistent with the concept that excess activity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus is a dysfunctional condition that may have a key role underlying age-related impairment in hippocampal-dependent memory processes. Because increased hippocampal activation occurs in age-related memory impairment in humans as observed in functional neuroimaging, the current findings also suggest that low doses of certain antiepileptic drugs in cognitively impaired elderly humans may have therapeutic potential and point to novel targets for this indication.
Activation of Group II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Inhibits the Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Alcohol via Selective Activity Within the Amygdala
Creators: name: Cannady, Reginald
name: Grondin, Julie J.M.
name: Fisher, Kristen R.
name: Besheer, Joyce
name: Hodge, Clyde W.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes (mGlu2/3) regulate a variety of alcohol-associated behaviors, including alcohol reinforcement, and relapse-like behavior. To date, the role of mGlu2/3 receptors in modulating the discriminative stimulus effects of alcohol has not been examined. Given that the discriminative stimulus effects of drugs are determinants of abuse liability and can influence drug seeking, we examined the contributions of mGlu2/3 receptors in modulating the discriminative stimulus effects of alcohol. In male Long-Evans rats trained to discriminate between alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) and water, the mGlu2/3 agonist LY379268 (0.3–10 mg/kg) did not produce alcohol-like stimulus effects. However, pretreatment with LY379268 (1 and 3 mg/kg; in combination with alcohol) inhibited the stimulus effects of alcohol (1 g/kg). Systemic LY379268 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) was associated with increases in neuronal activity within the amygdala, but not the nucleus accumbens, as assessed by c-Fos immunoreactivity. Intra-amygdala activation of mGlu2/3 receptors by LY379268 (6 μg) inhibited the discriminative stimulus effects of alcohol, without altering response rate. In contrast, intra-accumbens LY379268 (3 μg) profoundly reduced response rate; however, at lower LY379268 doses (0.3, 1 μg), the discriminative stimulus effects of alcohol and response rate were not altered. These data suggest that amygdala mGlu2/3 receptors have a functional role in modulating the discriminative stimulus properties of alcohol and demonstrate differential motor sensitivity to activation of mGlu2/3 receptors in the amygdala and the accumbens. Understanding the neuronal mechanisms that underlie the discriminative stimulus effects of alcohol may prove to be important for future development of pharmacotherapies for treating alcoholism.
(400246) Isabella Bett Graham
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Genome-Wide Pharmacogenomic Study of Neurocognition As an Indicator of Antipsychotic Treatment Response in Schizophrenia
Creators: name: McClay, Joseph L.
name: Adkins, Daniel E.
name: Keefe, Richard S.E.
name: McEvoy, Joseph P.
name: Bukszár, Jozsef
name: Van Den Oord, Edwin J.C.G.
name: Stroup, T. Scott
name: Vann, Robert E.
name: Beardsley, Patrick M.
name: Perkins, Diana O.
name: Lieberman, Jeffrey A.
name: Sullivan, Patrick F.
name: Berg, Karolina
name: Khachane, Amit N.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Neurocognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia and, therefore, represent potentially critical outcome variables for assessing antipsychotic treatment response. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with 492K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a sample of 738 patients with schizophrenia from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness study. Outcome variables consisted of a neurocognitive battery administered at multiple time points over an 18-month period, measuring processing speed, verbal memory, vigilance, reasoning, and working memory domains. Genetic mediation of improvements in each of these five domains plus a composite neurocognitive measure was assessed for each of five antipsychotics (olanzapine, perphenazine, quetiapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone). Six SNPs achieved genome-wide significance using a pre-specified threshold that ensures, on average, only 1 in 10 findings is a false discovery. These six SNPs were located within, or in close proximity to, genes EHF, SLC26A9, DRD2, GPR137B, CHST8, and IL1A. The more robust findings, that is those significant across multiple neurocognitive domains and having adjacent SNPs showing evidence for association, were rs286913 at the EHF gene (p-value 6.99 × 10−8, q-value 0.034, mediating the effects of ziprasidone on vigilance), rs11240594 at SLC26A9 (p-value 1.4 × 10−7, q-value 0.068, mediating the effects of olanzapine on processing speed), and rs11677416 at IL1A (p-value 6.67 × 10−7, q-value 0.081, mediating the effects of olanzapine on working memory). This study has generated several novel candidate genes for antipsychotic response. However, our findings will require replication and functional validation. To facilitate replication efforts, we provide all GWAS p-values for download.
Interaction of the Basolateral Amygdala and Orbitofrontal Cortex is Critical for Drug Context-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats
Creators: name: Fuchs, Rita A.
name: Wells, Audrey M.
name: Lasseter, Heather C.
name: Xie, Xiaohu
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are critical elements of the neural circuitry that regulates drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Given the existence of dense reciprocal anatomical connections between these brain regions, this study tested the hypothesis that serial information processing by the BLA and OFC is necessary for drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were trained to lever press for un-signaled cocaine infusions (0.15 mg/infusion, i.v.) in a distinct environment (cocaine-paired context) then underwent extinction training in a different environment (extinction context). During four subsequent test sessions, rats were re-exposed to the cocaine-paired and extinction contexts in order to assess cocaine-seeking behavior (non-reinforced active lever responding). Immediately before each test session, rats received microinfusions of the GABAA/GABAB agonist cocktail, baclofen+muscimol (BM: 1.0/.01 mM), or vehicle unilaterally into the BLA plus the contralateral or ipsilateral OFC, or unilaterally into the OFC alone. Exposure to the previously cocaine-paired context, but not the extinction context, reinstated extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior. BM-induced unilateral OFC inactivation failed to alter this behavior, similar to the effect of unilateral BLA inactivation in our previous study (Fuchs et al, 2007). Conversely, neural inactivation of the BLA plus the contralateral or ipsilateral OFC equally attenuated drug context-induced cocaine seeking without altering food-reinforced instrumental responding, relative to vehicle pretreatment. These findings suggest that the BLA and OFC co-regulate drug context-induced motivation for cocaine either through sequential information processing via intra- and interhemispheric connections or by providing converging input to a downstream brain region.
Giant reversible nanoscale piezoresistance at room temperature in Sr2IrO4 thin films
Creators: name: Domingo, Neus
name: López-Mir, Laura
name: Paradinas, Marcos
name: Holy, Vaclav
name: Zelezny, Jakuv
name: Yi, Di
name: Suresha, Siriyara J.
name: Liu, Jian
name: Rayan-Serrao, Claudy
name: Ramesh, Ramamoorthy
name: Ocal, Carmen
name: Martí, Xavi
name: Catalan, Gustau
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Layered iridates have been the subject of intense scrutiny on account of their unusually strong spin-orbit coupling, which opens up a narrow gap in a material that would otherwise be a metal. This insulating state is very sensitive to external perturbations. Here, we show that vertical compression at the nanoscale, delivered using the tip of a standard scanning probe microscope, is capable of inducing a five orders of magnitude change in the room temperature resistivity of Sr2IrO4. The extreme sensitivity of the electronic structure to anisotropic deformations opens up a new angle of interest on this material, and the giant and fully reversible perpendicular piezoresistance makes iridates a promising material for room temperature piezotronic devices.
(400247) Thomas Broadwood
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Electrical Control of Second-Harmonic Generation in a WSe2 Monolayer Transistor
Creators: name: Seyler, Kyle L.
name: Schaibley, John R.
name: Gong, Pu
name: Rivera, Pasqual
name: Jones, Aaron M.
name: Wu, Sanfeng
name: Yan, Jiaqiang
name: Mandrus, David G.
name: Yao, Wang
name: Xu, Xiaodong
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Nonlinear optical frequency conversion, in which optical fields interact with a nonlinear medium to produce new field frequencies, is ubiquitous in modern photonic systems. However, the nonlinear electric susceptibilities that give rise to such phenomena are often challenging to tune in a given material, and so far, dynamical control of optical nonlinearities remains confined to research labs as a spectroscopic tool. Here, we report a mechanism to electrically control second-order optical nonlinearities in monolayer WSe2, an atomically thin semiconductor. We show that the intensity of second-harmonic generation at the A-exciton resonance is tunable by over an order of magnitude at low temperature and nearly a factor of 4 at room temperature through electrostatic doping in a field-effect transistor. Such tunability arises from the strong exciton charging effects in monolayer semiconductors, which allow for exceptional control over the oscillator strengths at the exciton and trion resonances. The exciton-enhanced second-harmonic generation is counter-circularly polarized to the excitation laser, arising from the combination of the two-photon and one-photon valley selection rules that have opposite helicity in the monolayer. Our study paves the way towards a new platform for chip-scale, electrically tunable nonlinear optical devices based on two-dimensional semiconductors.
description: Published in Nature Nanotechnology
Scaling Properties in Time-Varying Networks with Memory
Creators: name: Kim, Hyewon
name: Ha, Meesoon
name: Jeong, Hawoong
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph)
subject: Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
subject: Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: The formation of network structure is mainly influenced by an individual node's activity and its memory, where activity can usually be interpreted as the individual inherent property and memory can be represented by the interaction strength between nodes. In our study, we define the activity through the appearance pattern in the time-aggregated network representation, and quantify the memory through the contact pattern of empirical temporal networks. To address the role of activity and memory in epidemics on time-varying networks, we propose temporal-pattern coarsening of activity-driven growing networks with memory. In particular, we focus on the relation between time-scale coarsening and spreading dynamics in the context of dynamic scaling and finite-size scaling. Finally, we discuss the universality issue of spreading dynamics on time-varying networks for various memory-causality tests.
description: 8 pages, 10 figures (published version)
The Presynaptic Component of the Serotonergic System is Required for Clozapine's Efficacy
Creators: name: Gingrich, Jay
name: Crawford, Latasha K.
name: Piel, David A.
name: Abbas, Atheir I.
name: Beck, Sheryl G.
name: Kroeze, Wesley K.
name: Irwin, John J.
name: Deneris, Evan S.
name: Shoichet, Brian K.
name: Yadav, Prem N.
name: Setola, Vincent
name: Farrell, Martilias S.
name: Huang, Xi Ping
name: Sciaky, Noah
name: Roth, Bryan L.
name: Keiser, Michael J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Clozapine, by virtue of its absence of extrapyramidal side effects and greater efficacy, revolutionized the treatment of schizophrenia, although the mechanisms underlying this exceptional activity remain controversial. Combining an unbiased cheminformatics and physical screening approach, we evaluated clozapine's activity at >2350 distinct molecular targets. Clozapine, and the closely related atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine, interacted potently with a unique spectrum of molecular targets. This distinct pattern, which was not shared with the typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol, suggested that the serotonergic neuronal system was a key determinant of clozapine's actions. To test this hypothesis, we used pet1−/− mice, which are deficient in serotonergic presynaptic markers. We discovered that the antipsychotic-like properties of the atypical antipsychotic drugs clozapine and olanzapine were abolished in a pharmacological model that mimics NMDA-receptor hypofunction in pet1−/− mice, whereas haloperidol's efficacy was unaffected. These results show that clozapine's ability to normalize NMDA-receptor hypofunction, which is characteristic of schizophrenia, depends on an intact presynaptic serotonergic neuronal system.
Effects of Davunetide on N-acetylaspartate and Choline in Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Patients with Schizophrenia
Creators: name: Javitt, Daniel C.
name: Kangarlu, Alayar
name: Kegeles, Lawrence S.
name: Dong, Zhengchao
name: Buchanan, Robert W.
name: Barch, Deanna M.
name: McEvoy, Joseph P.
name: Jarskog, L. Fredrik
name: Marder, Stephen R.
name: McMahon, Robert P.
name: Csernansky, John G.
name: Keefe, Richard Se
name: Goff, Donald C.
name: Harms, Michael P.
name: Colibazzi, Tiziano
name: Peterson, Bradley S.
name: Girgis, Ragy R.
name: Lieberman, Jeffrey A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Schizophrenia is associated with extensive neurocognitive and behavioral impairments. Studies indicate that N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker of neuronal integrity, and choline, a marker of cell membrane turnover and white matter integrity, may be altered in schizophrenia. Davunetide is a neurotrophic peptide that can enhance cognitive function in animal models of neurodegeneration. Davunetide has recently demonstrated modest functional improvement in a study of people with schizophrenia. In a subset of these subjects, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was conducted to explore the effects of davunetide on change in NAA/creatine (NAA/Cr) and choline/creatine (choline/Cr) over 12 weeks of treatment. Of 63 outpatients with schizophrenia who received randomized davunetide (5 and 30 mg/day) or placebo in the parent clinical trial, 18 successfully completed 1H-MRS in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at baseline and at 12 weeks. Cognition was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). NAA/Cr was unchanged for combined high- and low-dose davunetide groups (N=11). NAA/Cr in the high-dose davunetide group (N=8) suggested a trend increase of 8.0% (P=0.072) over placebo (N=7). Choline/Cr for combined high- and low-dose davunetide groups suggested a 6.4% increase (P=0.069), while the high-dose group showed a 7.9% increase (P=0.040) over placebo. Baseline NAA/Cr correlated with the composite MCCB score (R=0.52, P=0.033), as did individual cognitive domains of attention/vigilance, verbal learning, and social cognition; however, neither metabolite correlated with functional capacity. In this exploratory study, 12 weeks of adjunctive davunetide appeared to produce modest increases in NAA/Cr and choline/Cr in DLPFC in people with schizophrenia. This is consistent with a potential neuroprotective mechanism for davunetide. The data also support use of MRS as a useful biomarker of baseline cognitive function in schizophrenia. Future clinical and preclinical studies are needed to fully define the mechanism of action and cognitive effects of davunetide in schizophrenia.
Many interacting fermions in a one-dimensional harmonic trap: a quantum-chemical treatment
Creators: name: Grining, Tomasz
name: Tomza, Michał
name: Lesiuk, Michał
name: Przybytek, Michał
name: Musiał, Monika
name: Massignan, Pietro
name: Lewenstein, Maciej
name: Moszynski, Robert
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas)
subject: Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)
subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We employ \textit{ab initio} methods of quantum chemistry to investigate spin-1/2 fermions interacting via a two-body contact potential in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. The convergence of the total energy with the size of the one-particle basis set is analytically investigated for the two-body problem and the same form of the convergence formula is numerically confirmed to be valid for the many-body case. Benchmark calculations for two to six fermions with the full configuration interaction method equivalent to the exact diagonalization approach, and the coupled cluster method including single, double, triple, and quadruple excitations are presented. The convergence of the correlation energy with the level of excitations included in the coupled cluster model is analyzed. The range of the interaction strength for which single-reference coupled cluster methods work is examined. Next, the coupled cluster method restricted to single, double, and noniterative triple excitations, CCSD(T), is employed to study a two-component Fermi gas composed of 6 to 80 atoms in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. The density profiles of trapped atomic clouds are also reported. Finally, a comparison with experimental results for few-fermion systems is presented. Upcoming possible applications and extensions of the presented approach are discussed.
description: 25 pages, 12 figures, 1 table
(400248) Janet Ethel Hay Broadwood
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Levetiracetam Has Opposite Effects on Alcohol- and Cocaine-Related Behaviors in C57BL/6J Mice
Creators: name: Robinson, J. Elliott
name: Chen, Meng
name: Howard, Elaina C.
name: Krouse, Michael C.
name: Fish, Eric W.
name: Hodge, Clyde W.
name: Malanga, C. J.
name: Faccidomo, Sara
name: Stamatakis, Alice M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: The antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (LEV) is a potential treatment for alcohol use disorders, yet few preclinical studies exist on its effects in animal models relevant to drug or alcohol abuse. We investigated the effects of LEV on locomotor stimulation following acute and repeated administration of alcohol or cocaine and on alcohol- and cocaine-mediated changes in responding for brain stimulation reward (BSR) in C57BL/6J mice. LEV alone (10.0–100.0 mg/kg intraperitoneally) had no significant effect on locomotor activity or intracranial self-stimulation. Pretreatment with LEV reduced acute locomotor stimulation by 2.0 g/kg alcohol, attenuated the development of locomotor sensitization to alcohol with repeated exposure, and produced a shift in the dose-response curve for alcohol on BSR threshold without affecting maximum operant response rate (MAX). Conversely, LEV pretreatment enhanced both acute locomotor stimulation by 15 mg/kg cocaine and development of locomotor sensitization following repeated exposure and produced a leftward shift in the dose-response curve for cocaine on BSR threshold without affecting MAX. Electrophysiological recordings in vitro showed that LEV reduced excitatory currents in both ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons and nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons, consistent with a presynaptic effect. The opposite effects of LEV pretreatment on alcohol- and cocaine-related behaviors may predict its clinical utility in the treatment of patients with alcohol, but not psychostimulant abuse disorders.
Noradrenergic Synaptic Function in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Varies in Animal Models of Anxiety and Addiction
Creators: name: Mark Wightman, R.
name: Urban, Daniel J.
name: Roth, Bryan L.
name: Fox, Megan E.
name: McElligott, Zoé A.
name: Ferrel, Martilias S.
name: Walsh, Paul L.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Lewis rats show increased anxiety-like behaviors and drug consumption compared with Sprague-Dawley rats. Prior work suggests norepinephrine (NE) signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) could have a role in mediating these phenotypes. Here, we investigated NE content and dynamics in the ventral BNST (vBNST) using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in these two rat strains. We found that NE release evoked by electrical stimulus and its subsequent uptake was dysregulated in the more anxious Lewis rats. Because addiction is a multifaceted disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, we hypothesized NE dynamics would vary in these strains after the induction of a physical dependence on morphine. Following naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal, NE release and uptake dynamics were not changed in Lewis rats but were significantly altered in Sprague-Dawley rats. The alterations in Sprague-Dawley rats were accompanied by an increase in anxiety-like behavior in those animals as measured with the elevated plus maze. These studies suggest novel mechanisms involved in the development of affective disorders, and highlight the noradrenergic system in the vBNST as a common substrate for the manifestation of pathological anxiety and addiction.
Personality Trait Predictors of Placebo Analgesia and Neurobiological Correlates
Creators: name: Fredrickson, Barbara L.
name: Peciña, Marta
name: Zubieta, Jon Kar
name: Lu, Tingting
name: Azhar, Hamdan
name: Love, Tiffany M.
name: Stohler, Christian S.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Personality traits have been shown to interact with environmental cues to modulate biological responses including treatment responses, and potentially having a role in the formation of placebo effects. Here, we assessed psychological traits in 50 healthy controls as to their capacity to predict placebo analgesic effects, placebo-induced activation of μ-opioid neurotransmission and changes in cortisol plasma levels during a sustained experimental pain challenge (hypertonic saline infused in the masseter muscle) with and without placebo administration. Statistical analyses showed that an aggregate of scores from Ego-Resiliency, NEO Altruism, NEO Straightforwardness (positive predictors) and NEO Angry Hostility (negative predictor) scales accounted for 25% of the variance in placebo analgesic responses. Molecular imaging showed that subjects scoring above the median in a composite of those trait measures also presented greater placebo-induced activation of μ-opioid neurotransmission in the subgenual and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex, insula, nucleus accumbens, amygdala and periaqueductal gray (PAG). Endogenous opioid release in the dorsal ACC and PAG was positively correlated with placebo-induced reductions in pain ratings. Significant reductions in cortisol levels were observed during placebo administration and were positively correlated with decreases in pain ratings, μ-opioid system activation in the dorsal ACC and PAG, and as a trend, negatively with NEO Angry Hostility scores. Our results show that personality traits explain a substantial proportion of the variance in placebo analgesic responses and are further associated with activations in endogenous opioid neurotransmission, and as a trend cortisol plasma levels. This initial data, if replicated in larger sample, suggest that simple trait measures easily deployable in the field could be utilized to reduce variability in clinical trials, but may also point to measures of individual resiliency in the face of aversive stimuli such as persistent pain and potentially other stressors.
Role of a Hippocampal Src-Family Kinase-Mediated Glutamatergic Mechanism in Drug Context-Induced Cocaine Seeking
Creators: name: Xie, Xiaohu
name: Arguello, Amy A.
name: Fuchs, Rita A.
name: Wells, Audrey M.
name: Reittinger, Andrew M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Glutamatergic neurotransmission in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) is necessary for drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in an animal model of drug relapse. Furthermore, in vitro studies suggest that the Src family of tyrosine kinases critically regulates glutamatergic cellular functions within the DH. Thus, Src-family kinases in the DH may similarly control contextual cocaine-seeking behavior. To test this hypothesis, rats were trained to lever press for un-signaled cocaine infusions in a distinct context followed by extinction training in a different context. Cocaine-seeking behavior (non-reinforced active lever pressing) was then assessed in the previously cocaine-paired and extinction contexts after AP5 (N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) antagonist; 0.25 or 2.5 μg/0.5 μl/hemisphere), PP2 (Src-family kinase inhibitor; 6.25 or 62.5 ng/0.5 μl/hemisphere), Ro25-6981 (NR2B subunit-containing NMDAR antagonist; 0.2 or 2 μg/0.5 μl/hemisphere), or vehicle administration into the DH. Administration of AP5, PP2, or Ro25-6981 into the DH dose-dependently impaired drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle, without altering instrumental behavior in the extinction context or food-reinforced instrumental responding and general motor activity in control experiments. Cocaine-seeking behavior during the first 20 min of the test session in the cocaine-paired context was associated with an increase in NR2B subunit activation, and intra-DH PP2 pretreatment disrupted this relationship. Together, these findings suggest that Src-family kinase activation, NMDAR stimulation, and likely Src-family kinase-mediated NR2B subunit-containing NMDAR activation in the DH are necessary for incentive motivational and/or memory processes that promote contextual cocaine-seeking behavior.
Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Reduces Behavioral Flexibility, Promotes Disinhibition and Increases Resistance to Extinction of Ethanol Self-Administration in Adulthood
Creators: name: Chandler, L. Judson
name: Randall, Patrick K.
name: Lopez, Marcelo F.
name: Trantham-Davidson, Heather
name: Glen, William Bailey
name: McGonigal, Justin T.
name: Yaxley, Richard
name: Gass, Justin T.
name: Floresco, Stan B.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a brain region that is critically involved in cognitive function and inhibitory control of behavior, and adolescence represents an important period of continued PFC development that parallels the maturation of these functions. Evidence suggests that this period of continued development of the PFC may render it especially vulnerable to environmental insults that impact PFC function in adulthood. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins during adolescence when binge-like consumption of large quantities is common. In the present study, we investigated the effects of repeated cycles of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure (postnatal days 28–42) by vapor inhalation on different aspects of executive functioning in the adult rat. In an operant set-shifting task, AIE-exposed rats exhibited deficits in their ability to shift their response strategy when the rules of the task changed, indicating reduced behavioral flexibility. There were no differences in progressive ratio response for the reinforcer suggesting that AIE did not alter reinforcer motivation. Examination of performance on the elevated plus maze under conditions designed to minimize stress revealed that AIE exposure enhanced the number of entries into the open arms, which may reflect either reduced anxiety and/or disinhibition of exploratory-like behavior. In rats that trained to self-administer ethanol in an operant paradigm, AIE increased resistance to extinction of ethanol-seeking behavior. This resistance to extinction was reversed by positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 during extinction training, an effect that is thought to reflect promotion of extinction learning mechanisms within the medial PFC. Consistent with this, CDPPB was also observed to reverse the deficits in behavioral flexibility. Finally, diffusion tensor imaging with multivariate analysis of 32 brain areas revealed that while there were no differences in the total brain volume, the volume of a subgroup of regions (hippocampus, thalamus, dorsal striatum, neocortex, and hypothalamus) were significantly different in AIE-exposed adults compared with litter-matched Control rats. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that binge-like exposure to alcohol during early to middle adolescence results in deficits in PFC-mediated behavioral control in adulthood.
Nuclear dynamics induced by antiprotons
Creators: name: Feng, Zhao-Qing
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Reaction dynamics in collisions of antiprotons on nuclei is investigated within the Lanzhou quantum molecular dynamics model. The reaction channels of elastic scattering, annihilation, charge exchange and inelastic collisions of antiprotons on nucleons have been included in the model. Dynamics on particle production, in particular pions, kaons, antikaons and hyperons, is investigated in collisions of $\overline{p}$ on $^{12}$C, $^{20}$Ne, $^{40}$Ca and $^{181}$Ta from a low to high incident momenta. It is found that the annihilations of $\overline{p}$ on nucleons are of importance on the dynamics of particle production in phase space. Hyperons are mainly produced via meson induced reactions on nucleons and strangeness exchange collisions, which lead to the delayed emission in antiproton-nucleus collisions.
description: 8 pages, 4 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1405.1997
Chemogenetic Inactivation of Ventral Hippocampal Glutamatergic Neurons Disrupts Consolidation of Contextual Fear Memory
Creators: name: Pleil, Kristen E.
name: Moy, Sheryl S.
name: Kash, Thomas L.
name: Roth, Bryan L.
name: Urban, Daniel J.
name: Zhu, Hu
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Synaptic consolidation is a process thought to consolidate memory in the brain. Although lesion studies have mainly implicated the hippocampus (HPC) in this process, it is unknown which cell type(s) or regions of the HPC might be essential for synaptic consolidation. To selectively and reversibly suppress hippocampal neuronal activity during this process, we developed a new Gi-DREADD (hM4Di) transgenic mouse for in vivo manipulation of neuronal activity in freely moving animals. We found that CA1 pyramidal neurons could be dose-dependently inactivated by clozapine-n-oxide (CNO). Inactivation of hippocampal neurons within 6 h immediately after conditioned fear training successfully impaired the consolidation of contextual memory, without disturbing cued memory. To anatomically define the brain subregion critical for the behavioral effects, hM4Di viral vectors were transduced and selectively expressed in the glutamatergic neurons in either the dorsal or ventral HPC. Significantly, we found that selective inactivation of ventral but not dorsal glutamatergic hippocampal neurons suppressed the synaptic consolidation of contextual memory.
Structural and Optical Characterization of Mechanochemically Synthesized CuSbS2 Compounds
Creators: name: Esperto, L.
name: Figueira, I.
name: Mascarenhas., J.
name: Silva, T.P.
name: Correia, J.B.
name: Neves, F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022

description: Presentation at MATERIAIS 2022 - XX Congresso da Sociedade Portuguesa De Materiais and XI International Materials Symposium, April 10 – 13, 2022
RESEARCHUTILIZATIONPRACTICEOFPROFESSIONALSATTHECOMMERCIALBANKOFETHIOPIA_4.pdf
Creators: name: Henok Bekele
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: 150105 Management Accounting
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This study examined the current status of research utilization practice of professionals in the context of the Ethiopian Commercial Banks. A conceptual model adopted from the Model of Research utilization, (Hemsley-Brown, J.V. (2004) and the literature review that focuses on the organizational characteristics, external factors and research utilization practices was consumed to conduct this research. The qualitative approach was employed to collect and analyze data for the study. The data were collected through interviews with directors, research officers and managers as well as document mining including research outputs and publications. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of fifteen professionals from three banks among eighteen banks. Multiple case study research design approach was applied and deductive analysis approach was used.The results of the data analysis showed that the banks are fairly organized and structured with their own policy frameworks and research infrastructure. However, there are inadequate research activities produced by the banks. Besides, the utilization of those few research reports in the managerial activates is very low.The findings also disclosed that the collaboration between the internal and external environments on research activities seemed overlooked. For this reason, the research activities were not extended in accordance with the dynamics of the business environment.Finally, the research findings indicate that the measure challengers that hinder the research utilization practice of professionals in the banking sector are; the gap between the research teams and the decision-makers, inadequate trained man- power and scarcity of funding resources. Therefore, suggestions and recommendations were proposed in accordance with the major findings.
(400241) Mary Elizabeth Chalmers
Creators: name: Professions, Victorian
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 220201 Business and Labour History
subject: FOS: Philosophy, ethics and religion
subject: History
subject: 140203 Economic History
subject: FOS: Economics and business

description: This three-year research project began in January 2014 and investigated whether, during the Victorian period, the professions formed a distinct self-sustaining social group with its own mores and values. The project looked at 16,000 individuals drawn from census data for Alnwick, Brighton, Bristol, Dundee, Greenock, Leeds, Merthyr Tydfil, Morpeth, and Winchester. The research project was funded by the UK Economic & Social Research Council and was based at the Universities of Oxford and Northumbria.
Contribution of a Mesocorticolimbic Subcircuit to Drug Context-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in Rats
Creators: name: Hodges, Matthew A.
name: Lasseter, Heather C.
name: Xie, Xiaohu
name: Fuchs, Rita A.
name: Arguello, Amy A.
name: Wells, Audrey M.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Cocaine-seeking behavior triggered by drug-paired environmental context exposure is dependent on orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)–basolateral amygdala (BLA) interactions. Here, we present evidence supporting the hypothesis that dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the OFC critically regulates these interactions. In experiment 1, we employed site-specific pharmacological manipulations to show that dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC is required for drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior following extinction training in an alternate context. Intra-OFC pretreatment with the dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, SCH23390, dose-dependently attenuated cocaine-seeking behavior in an anatomically selective manner, without altering motor performance. Furthermore, the effects of SCH23390 could be surmounted by co-administration of a sub-threshold dose of the D1-like receptor agonist, SKF81297. In experiment 2, we examined effects of D1-like receptor antagonism in the OFC on OFC-BLA interactions using a functional disconnection manipulation. Unilateral SCH23390 administration into the OFC plus GABA agonist-induced neural inactivation of the contralateral or ipsilateral BLA disrupted drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle, while independent unilateral manipulations of these brain regions were without effect. Finally, in experiment 3, we used fluorescent retrograde tracers to demonstrate that the VTA, but not the substantia nigra, sends dense intra- and interhemispheric projections to the OFC, which in turn has reciprocal bi-hemispheric connections with the BLA. These findings support that dopaminergic input from the VTA, via dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC, is required for OFC–BLA functional interactions. Thus, a VTA–OFC–BLA neural circuit promotes drug context-induced motivated behavior.
Erratum: Repeated Binge-Like Ethanol Drinking Alters Ethanol Drinking Patterns and Depresses Striatal GABAergic Transmission
Creators: name: Bock, Roland
name: Wilcox, Mark V.
name: Sherazee, Nyssa
name: Sprow, Gretchen M.
name: Lovinger, David M.
name: Alvarez, Veronica A.
name: Thiele, Todd E.
name: Carlson, Verginia C.Cuzon
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2014

description: Repeated cycles of binge alcohol drinking and abstinence are key components in the development of dependence. However, the precise behavioral mechanisms underlying binge-like drinking and its consequences on striatal synaptic physiology remain unclear. In the present study, ethanol and water drinking patterns were recorded with high temporal resolution over 6 weeks of binge-like ethanol drinking using the ‘drinking in the dark' (DID) protocol. The bottle exchange occurring at the beginning of each session prompted a transient increase in the drinking rate that might facilitate the acquisition of ethanol binge-like drinking. Ethanol drinking mice also displayed a ‘front-loading' behavior, in which the highest rate of drinking was recorded during the first 15 min. This rate increased over weeks and paralleled the mild escalation of blood ethanol concentrations. GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission in the dorsal striatum were examined following DID. Spontaneous glutamatergic transmission and the density of dendritic spines were unchanged after ethanol drinking. However, the frequency of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents was depressed in medium spiny neurons of ethanol drinking mice. A history of ethanol drinking also increased ethanol preference and altered the acute ethanol effects on GABAergic transmission differentially in dorsolateral and dorsomedial striatum. Together, the study shows that the bottle exchange during DID promotes fast, voluntary ethanol drinking and that this intermittent pattern of ethanol drinking causes a depression of GABAergic transmission in the dorsal striatum.