Three-choice chlordiazepoxide, saline, and pentylenetetrazole discrimination in rats: Cross-generalization between drug and (olfactory) alarm substance stimuli.

Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) were trained to discriminate between 3 mg/kg chlordiazepoxide (CDP), saline (SAL), and 15 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in an operant lever-press task. Animals were tested with various doses of CDP and PTZ that demonstrated pharmacological specificity of the stimulus control. Tests were conducted after SAL pretreatments with alarm substance pheromones that were deposited by 2 strains of donor rats (Sprague-Dawley and Wistar) exposed to footshock presentations in the operant chambers just before the discrimination test sessions. In addition, a compound stimulus from these same 2 donor strains of rats was tested that was composed of the alarm substance pheromone deposited by footshocks presentation to the donor rats plus 15 min preexposure to the presence of a sanguinous stimulus from similarly treated donor rats. Although the anxiogenic state induced by the alarm substance presentation alone engendered partial generalization to the PTZ training stimulus, exclusive PTZ-appropriate responding was engendered by the compound stimulus condition. The anxiogenic state that engendered PTZ-appropriate responding was limited to the within-strain tests with Sprague-Dawley donor rats. These data suggest that an ethologically relevant … (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attention to elements of a morphine stimulus: Idiosyncratic stimulus additivity of incidental cues.

Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus) were trained to discriminate between the presence and absence of 5.6 mg/kg morphine sulfate in a lever-press operant task under a fixed-ratio 10 schedule of food delivery. Stimulus cross-generalization profiles were determined for a number of over-the counter (OTC) medications that were hypothesized to engender elements of a compound morphine cue including sedation and lethargy: dextromethorphan, doxylamine, diphenhydramine, pyrilamine, loperamide, and the B vitamins, pyridoxine, thiamine, and cyanocobalamin. On the basis of the individual rat's cross-generalization profile, each rat was retested for stimulus element additivity following the administration of various OTC binary and ternary combinations. For each rat, a test combination was formulated that engendered > 90% morphine-appropriate responding. These test combinations were idiosyncratic, exhibited high test-retest reliability, and followed rules predicted by simple effect additivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental demand and demand engendering behavior: An observational analysis of the Type A pattern.

In a prospective, observational study, we examined Type A behavior as a predictor of source of work demands, volume of work and nonwork activity, whether work begun was finished, and attention to more than one activity at a time. Police radio dispatchers (N?=?72) were observed throughout one work shift, and half of the sample was observed on two additional work shifts. Behavioral categories showed substantial stability between observation occasions. Hierarchical regression revealed that two components of the broader Type A pattern, Hard-Driving Competitiveness and Job Involvement, were better predictors of work demands and behavior than was the global A score. Results support an interactional personality perspective in that Type As, relative to Type Bs, received more externally imposed demands from particular sources such as superiors or peers. However, these same Type As also generated more demand by simultaneously initiating work tasks for themselves and attending to multiple tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ontogeny of morphine withdrawal in the rat.

The present studies examined behavioral changes during precipitated morphine withdrawal in 7- to 42-day-old rat pups. One group of rats was injected with morphine sulfate (10.0 mg/kg) twice daily for 6.5 days. Another group of 7-day-old rats received a lower dose of morphine (3.0 mg/kg). Controls were saline injected or untreated litters (7-day-old pups only). On Day 7, a target pup was injected with saline or naltrexone (0.3–20.0 mg/kg). Preweaning pups were observed in a warm chamber with the litter. Forty-two-day-old rats were tested individually. Morphine-treated pups tested with naltrexone showed significant alterations in behavior that varied at different ages. For example, rolling, stretching, and head and paw moves were observed at the younger ages, whereas burrowing, diarrhea, jumps, teeth chatter, and wet dog shakes occurred in the older rats. These data indicate that morphine-abstinent rats demonstrate withdrawal signs that are within the developmental repertoire of the rat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Young children and adults use lexical principles to learn new nouns.

In 2 experiments, adults and children were tested in an object-selection task that examined whether Ss would (1) map a novel word onto a previously unnamed object and (2) extend the newly learned word to another exemplar. Exp 3 was a control study. Ss overwhelmingly selected the novel object as the referent for the novel term, even though the new label was never explicitly linked to the novel object. Ss also extended the new term and allowed it to preempt yet another novel label from applying to the just-named object. The existence of several lexical principles and the power of indirect word learning is supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory for items and their spatial locations by young and elderly adults.

112 15–18 yr olds and 112 62–75 yr olds studied a spatial display that included 16 items in specific locations. The items were either small objects or the 1-word verbal label for each. Two tests followed to independently assess free recall of the items and the accuracy of spatial relocation. Young Ss were more accurate on both tests. This finding was consistent for both verbal and visual items. The age differences in memory are explained in terms of age differences in encoding and rehearsal strategies. This study resolves, in part, the conflicting results regarding age differences in spatial memory accuracy reported by P. D. McCormack (see record 1982-23301-001) and M. Perlmutter et al (1981). (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory for real-world scenes: The role of consistency with schema expectation.

This study tested the generalizability of the consistency effect to real-world settings. The consistency effect refers to the finding that items inconsistent with expectations are better recalled and recognized than items consistent with expectations. In two experiments, subjects walked into a graduate student's office or a preschool classroom. Half of the items in each setting were consistent with expectations about that setting, and half were inconsistent. A recall and a same-changed recognition memory test followed immediately or 1 day later. In both experiments, the consistency effect was affirmed; items inconsistent with expectations were significantly better recalled and recognized than items consistent with expectations. This result is discussed in terms of differences in the encoding processes that operate on inconsistent and consistent items. The present study extends the generalizability of results from picture memory studies to real-world settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

30°C CW operation of 1.52 μm InGaAsP/AlGaAs vertical cavitylasers with in situ built-in lateral current confinement by localisedfusion

1.52 μm double fused InGaAsP/AlGaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers with in situ built-in lateral current confinement were fabricated using a localised wafer fusion process. A threshold current of 2.5 mA at 4 V was obtained for devices with a 10×10 μm² current aperture. These devices operate CW up to 30°C. The width of the dominant mode is less than 0.1 nm and the sidemode suppression ratio is 30 dB     

Results with collagen fleece coated with fibrin glue (TachoComb). A macroscopical and histological experimental study

Diffuse bleeding from parenchymatous organs at conventional surgery is eliminated with the usual methods coagulation tamponade or styches. We performed experimental series at 9 dogs. After resection of spleen, liver, pancreas and kidney, the bleeding surface was covered by collagen fleece coated with fibrin glue (TachoComb). Postoperatively 7 days, 10 days, 14 days and 28 days we made a relaparotomy. Then the results were analyzed macroscopically and microscopically. In the abdominal cavity neither significant quantity of blood nor greater adhesions were detected. At all cases the fibrin glue was found on place were it was put before. Histologically a perfect wound healing experienced. The fibrin glue (TachoComb) using at diffuse parenchymatous organs' bleeding give a very good results when the wound area is at least 1 cm beyond the immediate wound margin and the fibrin glue is applied onto the wound and pressed on it for 4-5 minutes.     

Effects of varying levels of expertise on the basic level of categorization.

Six experiments were conducted on the effects of expertise on basic-level categorization. Individuals with varying levels of knowledge about songbirds generated lists of attributes, named objects, identified and discriminated among object silhouettes, verified category membership at 4 hierarchical levels, and visually identified songbirds primed either by species-specific, related, or unrelated birdsong. Results indicated that the original basic level never lost its privileged status. Expertise increased access to categorical information at the subordinate level for intermediate experts and at both the subordinate and sub-subordinate levels for advanced experts, causing these sublevels to function as basic. Throughout the continuum of expertise, conceptual knowledge interacted with perception. Accordingly, experts attended to different and more subtle perceptual features than novices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)