Behaviorally functional opioid systems in infant rats: II. Evidence for pharmacological, physiological, and psychological mediation of pain and stress.

Two experiments, with 160 10-day-old Sprague-Dawley rat pups, examined the behavioral characteristics of the neonatal opioid system during distressful situations, using a modification of the hot-plate paw-lick test. Ss were analgesic to heat following intraperitoneal morphine (0.5 mg/kg). Subcutaneous naloxone (0.5 mg/kg) prevented the analgesia. Morphine analgesia was significantly greater in Ss group-isolated from the dam. Saline controls group-isolated from the dam exhibited longer latencies than their nest-housed siblings. Individual isolation for 5 min markedly increased paw-withdrawal latency, and this effect was naltrexone reversible. Analgesia was not seen when Ss were tested directly from the nest or when grouped with others for 5 min. It is suggested that the opioid systems for stress and pain are functional in 10-day-old rats and that short-term isolation from the dam is a probable natural stressor modulated by endogenous opioid release. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job control and job strain: A test of three models.

Examined the relationship between job control and job strain. Three models of that relationship provide a framework for the study hypotheses: (H1) Control is inversely related to job strain, (H2) job demands interact with job control such that job strain will be highest when job demands are high and job control is low, and (H3) strain increases as the discrepancy between actual and desired levels of job control increases. Study participants (N?=?316) were health care workers in 2 hospitals in the northeastern US. Objective measures of job control and job demands were obtained through supervisor evaluations of incumbents' job characteristics, and perceptual measures were obtained through incumbents' self-reports. Results provide support for Hypotheses 1 and 3; little support was found for an interaction between job control and job demands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sensory profile,acceptability, and their relationship for diabetic/reduced calorie chocolates

The purpose of this study was to determine the sensory properties and acceptability of lab developed prototypes of conventional, diabetic (with no sugar), and diabetic/reduced calorie milk chocolates (no sugar and 25% calorie reduction) with high-intensity sweeteners, sucralose and stevioside, and partial fat replacement with whey protein concentrate (WPC). PLS was performed in order to relate sensory properties and consumer acceptability and to determine drivers of liking and disliking. There was no difference between conventional, diabetic and diabetic/reduced calorie milk chocolates for brightness, cocoa aroma, cocoa butter aroma, and cocoa flavor (p > 0.05). Acceptability was higher for sucrose substitution by sucralose than by stevioside and partial fat replacement reduced acceptability of flavor even more (p ? 0.05). Crucial attributes which determine consumer acceptability in samples are sweet aroma, melting rate, and sweetness, whereas bitterness, bitter aftertaste, adherence, and sandiness were drivers of disliking.     

Cocaine-induced effects on isolation stress in neonatal rats.

The effects of cocaine administration on isolation-induced vocalizations and activity levels in 10-day-old rat pups were examined. Day 10 pups given cocaine (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg ip) vocalized significantly less than their caffeine- (10 mg/kg) and saline-administered siblings during a 5-min isolation period. Cocaine- and caffeine-administered pups also demonstrated a significant increase in overall activity compared with controls. In addition, ip administration of the dopamine antagonist haloperidol (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) before 1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg cocaine produced a significant elevation in vocalizations compared with saline pretreatment, which indicates a blocking of cocaine's effect on calling behavior. These results suggest that the endogenous dopamine system involved with reinforcement and reward may quell the stress of isolation in the infant rat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chemical Synthesis and Morphology of β-Naphthalene Sulfonic Acid-Doped Polypyrrole Micro/Nanotubes

A preliminary result of the morphology and yield of chemically synthesized polypyrrole (PPY) using β-naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) and ammonium peroxodisulphate (APS) in aqueous medium is presented. Various micro/nanotubes were obtained using different dopant/monomer (D/M) ratios and temperature settings. Similar but shorter and sheet-like nanostructures were obtained without the use of surfactant NSA; with a fibre-like, loose and admixed physical outlook. The percentage yield (m/v) of the doped PPY was greater than that from the undoped, being 27-44 and 18-20, respectively with higher values obtained from the low temperature synthesis. The highest percentage yield of 44 was obtained from a D/M ratio of 0.8.     

Videotape playback: Analysis of a new technique for counseling.

Examined the effects of videotape playback on client verbal behavior and evaluation of counseling. No significant differences were found between undergraduates receiving videotape playback counseling and traditional counseling in verbal behavior, evaluation of the counseling process, or the 4 factors assessed by the Counseling Evaluation Inventory. Implications for the use of videotape playback in counseling are discussed. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of strongly competing background compounds on the kinetics of trace organic contaminant desorption from activated carbon

Strongly competing (SC) compounds, naturally found in any drinking water source, are known to decrease the adsorption capacity of activated carbon for trace contaminants. While the effect of these substances on the capacity and adsorption kinetics of trace contaminants is fairly well studied, relatively little is known about their impact on desorption kinetics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between SC matter and trace compound desorption kinetics. A surrogate SC compound, 1,4-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB), was used to displace the preadsorbed target trace contaminant, atrazine, from powdered activated carbon (PAC). The initial concentrations of p-DCB and atrazine were varied to achieve different degrees of competition to atrazine. Atrazine's desorption diffusion coefficient was found to increase with increasing adsorbed concentration of the SC matter, expressed as an equivalent background compound (EBC).The EBC was modeled with atrazine-like adsorption properties, thus representing the portion of p-DCB that competed to occupy atrazine adsorption sites. The increase in atrazine diffusion rate can be explained by a shift from surface diffusion to diffusion through the carbon's pores as the availability of surface sites decreased due to the EBC's competition. The observed desorption kinetic relationship was consistent with the effect of SC competition on adsorption kinetics; further, the effect was consistent for three different types of SC matter. These findings highlight that the impact of SC matter on activated carbon applications could be either detrimental (displacing adsorbed trace contaminants and enhancing their rate of release) or beneficial (offsetting pore constriction effects by enhancing their rate of uptake).     

Anthocyanins: optimisation of extraction from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes,microcapsulation and stability in soft drink

The aim of this study was to establish the optimum conditions for the extraction of anthocyanins from Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes using the response surface methodology and to evaluate the stability of these anthocyanins encapsulated with different carrier agents in an isotonic soft drink system under different light and temperature conditions. The extraction process was optimised with the response surface methodology to obtain the highest anthocyanin concentration (40 mL of ethanol:1.5 N HCL (85:15) as solvent, extraction time 29.4 h at pH 2.4). The degradation of the anthocyanins followed first‐order kinetics in the situations evaluated. Maltodextrin, maltodextrin/γ‐cyclodextrin and maltodextrin/arabic gum were tested as carrier agents and the combination of maltodextrin/arabic gum presented the longest half‐life time and lowest degradation constant for all the conditions evaluated. The formation of microcapsules was observed through scanning electron microscopy.     

Politicizing food security governance through participation: opportunities and opposition

Since the 2007/08 food price crisis there has been a proliferation of multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) devoted to bringing diverse perspectives together to inform and improve food security policy. While much of the literature highlights the positive contributions to be gained from an opening-up of traditionally state-led processes, there is a strong critique emerging to show that, in many instances, MSPs have de-politicizing effects. In this paper, we scrutinize MSPs in relation to de-politicization. We argue that re-building sustainable and just food systems requires alternative visions that can best be made visible through politicized policy processes. Focusing on three key conditions of politicization, we examine the UN Committee on World Food Security as a MSP where we see a process of politicization playing out through the endorsement of the ‘most-affected’ principle, which is in turn being actively contested by traditionally powerful actors. We conclude that there is a need to implement and reinforce mechanisms that deliberately politicize participation in MSPs, notably by clearly distinguishing between states and other stakeholders, as well as between categories of non-state actors.