Relationship of cocaine-induced c-Fos expression to behaviors and the role of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in cocaine-induced c-Fos expression.

Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonists have been shown to attenuate the locomotor stimulant effects of cocaine in rats. The present study used the expression of c-Fos protein as a marker to identify brain areas through which 5-HT2A receptors may modulate cocaine-induced behaviors. Significant correlations were observed between cocaine-induced hyperactivity and c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC), caudate-putamen (CPu), and subthalamic nucleus. In a separate experiment, a low, behaviorally relevant dose of cocaine was found to increase c-Fos immunoreactivity in the medial CPu, NAcC, and nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh). The selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist M100907 significantly attenuated cocaine-induced c-Fos expression in the medial CPu and in the NAcSh. These data suggest that 5-HT2A receptors in the NAcSh and CPu or in afferents to these regions may contribute to genomic responses to cocaine in the brain as well as to cocaine-induced locomotor activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of three methods for quantifying brown algal polyphenolic compounds

Three methods of quantifying total phenolic compounds in marine brown algae were compared for their ability to measure accurately known concentrations of phloroglucinol in the presence of a protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). These methods were: (1) a Folin-Ciocalteu assay for compounds dissolved in 80% methanol, (2) a Folin-Ciocalteu assay for compounds dissolved in 75% methanol-25% trichloroacetic acid, and (3) an assay in which polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) was used to remove phenolic compounds in order to quantify nonphenolic, Folin-Ciocalteu-reactive materials. The Folin-Ciocalteu assay used with compounds dissolved in 80% methanol was the method that produced the most consistent results. It was also the assay in which the presence of proteins interfered least with the measurements of phloroglucinol and the assay that was easiest to conduct. The presence of TCA decreased the pH of the extracting solution and increased the amounts of proteins in solution. These proteins later interfered with the Folin-Ciocalteu reaction. TCA effectively bound proteins when protein concentrations were low but not when protein concentrations were high. The amount of phloroglucinol removed by PVPP varied widely and was dependent on phloroglucinol concentration, making this an unreliable method for quantifying phenolic concentrations. The Folin-Ciocalteu assay will measure some nonphenolic substances when brown algae are extracted in 80% methanol; however, inFucus gardneri, nonphenolic substances were at most 5% of the material quantified by the assay.     

Conceptualizations of sex roles: A life span developmental study.

Investigated the proposition that sex role development is a life span process. It was predicted that late adolescence and adulthood would be characterized by a relative degree of relaxation of sex role specialization. At each of 3 age levels (7th grade, 12th grade, and adult) 40 male and 40 female Ss indicated on the Attitude Check List which traits they considered desirable in a male or female target ideal. Two major results were found: (a) Male and female Ss gave stereotyped responses primarily when rating an opposite-sex target, but responses were less stereotyped when judging a same-sex target figure. (b) The expected stereotype relaxation was not observed; instead, the age-related patterns primarily reflected an increased endorsement of socially desirable traits. The latter finding is in disagreement with previous research, and possible reasons for this discrepancy are explored. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aptitude-treatment interaction research in the clinical setting: A review of attempts to dispel the "patient uniformity" myth.

Aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) research is directed toward identifying client variables that predict differential treatment responsiveness. As such, insights derived from this research are of potential importance for clinicians faced with the dilemma of selecting the most effective treatment for their clients. Unfortunately, most of the ATI research to date has been characterized by the use of an inappropriate methodology. Therefore, some general methodological issues with regard to ATI research are outlined. The literature encompassing cognitive and/or behavioral treatments for anxiety, depression, pain, obesity, and tobacco dependence is then reviewed. This examination reveals little consistency in the emergence of individual differences relevant to treatment responsiveness. There are some indications that it may be possible to distinguish two (broadly defined) groups of individuals: those with active and those with less active coping styles. The former group appears to fare better in treatments that emphasize self-control rather than therapist control. In addition, the distinction between visually and verbally based coping strategies has been shown in some cases to predict response to visually or verbally based therapies. Overall, however, attempts to identify treatment-relevant client attributes have been disappointing, and suggestions for improving ATI research are forwarded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crisis intervention training at a predoctoral internship in professional psychology.

Describes the model for crisis intervention at the internship level at a university counseling center. The program is organized around 3 components: orientation and didactic training in crisis intervention; crisis team membership in a local community mental health agency; and supervision of crisis intervention experiences. Data on the evaluation of the program are presented. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More aggressive cartoons are funnier.

Independent rankings of humor and aggressiveness were obtained for sets of cartoons drawn randomly from 2 magazines. The correlation of median humor and median aggressiveness rankings ranged from .49 to .90 in 6 studies involving 6 sets of cartoons and 6 different groups of Ss, including children and adults, high and low SES individuals, and native- and foreign-born Ss. It was found that this correlation was consistent with Freudian, arousal, and superiority theories of humor. Another prediction of Freudian theory, that high-SES Ss should be more appreciative of aggressive humor than low-SES Ss, was not supported. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of FMS part type selection approaches for short-term production planning

This research compares seven approaches from the literature to the selection of part types for simultaneous production over the next time horizon. A flexible approach to the selection of part types and the simultaneous determination of their mix ratios so as to balance aggregate machine workloads is presented. Constraints on tool magazine capacity are considered. Simulation studies are conducted on realistic, detailed models of flexible flow systems (FFSs) configured as pooled machines of equal sizes. The simulated settings are constructed to evaluate the impact of such factors as blocking, transportation, buffer utilizations, and fixture requirements and limitations of various types.One of the goals of this study is to encourage industry to relax, for those FMS types for which the procedure is appropriate, what is essentially an artificial constraint: that tool changing be isolated in time, to a period between batches. For other types of FMSs, batching may be appropriate.The results indicate that using the flexible approach enables the system to be more highly utilized. It is also observed that the batching approaches tend to require more fixtures of each type than the flexible approach. The system utilizations for the batching approaches seem to be more sensitive to restrictions on the number of fixtures of each type. Further research needs are also discussed.     

System Reliability: Exact Bayesian Intervals Compared with Fiducial Intervals

This paper compares numerically two different, widely used lower limit estimates for the reliability of a series system: Bayesian limits and fiducial limits. The fiducial limits are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation because of its simplicity and ease of computer programming. Subsystem failures are s-independent and exponentially distributed; life test data are available for estimating the failure rate of each system.