Individual differences in behavioral responses to novelty and amphetamine self-administration in male and female rats

Previous work has shown that individual differences in locomotor activity in an inescapable novel environment can predict acquisition of amphetamine self-administration. The current study examined whether individual differences in approach to novelty in a free choice test could also predict amphetamine self-administration. Further, the current study examined whether individual differences in either free choice or inescapable novelty tests could predict responding for a nondrug reinforcer (sucrose) in the presence and absence of amphetamine. Male and female rats were first tested for their response to free choice novelty (playground maze and novelty-induced place preference tests) and inescapable novelty. They were then tested for acquisition of sucrose-reinforced responding, amphetamine-induced changes in maintenance of sucrose-reinforced responding, and amphetamine self-administration. Based on the inescapable novelty test, acquisition of sucrose-reinforced responding was more rapid in male high responders (HR) compared to low responders (LR). This effect in males did not generalize to females. None of the novelty tests predicted the ability of amphetamine to decrease sucrose-maintained responding. However, using the inescapable novelty test, both male and female HRs self-administered more amphetamine than LRs within the dose range tested (0.03-0.16mg/ kg/infusion). Neither the playground maze nor the novelty-induced place preference test predicted amphetamine self-administration. These results indicate that responses to free choice novelty and inescapable novelty predict different components of amphetamine-induced behavior

A qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of adults with chronic musculoskeletal conditions following a 12-week Pilates exercise programme

Introduction The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of adult patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions following a Pilates exercise programme. A qualitative approach was taken to both data collection and analysis, with alignment to the philosophy of interpretive phenomenology. Participants included 15 women and seven men with a range of chronic musculoskeletal conditions, including nonspecific low back pain, peripheral joint osteoarthritis and a range of postsurgical conditions. The age range was from 36 years to 83 years, and the mean age was 57 years (standard deviation 14.1 years). Methods Data were collected via digital recordings of four focus groups in three North‐West of England physiotherapy clinics. The data were transcribed verbatim and then analysed using a thematic framework. Data were verified by a researcher and randomly selected participants, and agreement was achieved between all parties. Results The results were organized into five main themes: physical improvements; Pilates promotes an active lifestyle: improved performance at work and hobbies; psychosocial benefits and improved confidence; increased autonomy in managing their own condition; and motivation to continue with exercise. Conclusion The study was the first to investigate individual perceptions of the impact of Pilates on the daily lives of people with chronic conditions. The Pilates‐based exercise programme enabled the participants to function better and manage their condition more effectively and independently. Further to previous work, the study revealed psychological and social benefits which increase motivation to adhere to the programme and promote a healthier lifestyle

Health Coaching in Primary Care: A Pilot Study

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116124/1/Health_Coaching_In_Primary_Care.pd

New connection formulae for the q-orthogonal polynomials via a series expansion of the q-exponential

Using a realization of the q-exponential function as an infinite multiplicative sereis of the ordinary exponential functions we obtain new nonlinear connection formulae of the q-orthogonal polynomials such as q-Hermite, q-Laguerre and q-Gegenbauer polynomials in terms of their respective classical analogs.Comment: 14 page

Generalized boson algebra and its entangled bipartite coherent states

Starting with a given generalized boson algebra U_(h(1)) known as the bosonized version of the quantum super-Hopf U_q[osp(1/2)] algebra, we employ the Hopf duality arguments to provide the dually conjugate function algebra Fun_(H(1)). Both the Hopf algebras being finitely generated, we produce a closed form expression of the universal T matrix that caps the duality and generalizes the familiar exponential map relating a Lie algebra with its corresponding group. Subsequently, using an inverse Mellin transform approach, the coherent states of single-node systems subject to the U_(h(1)) symmetry are found to be complete with a positive-definite integration measure. Nonclassical coalgebraic structure of the U_(h(1)) algebra is found to generate naturally entangled coherent states in bipartite composite systems.Comment: 15pages, no figur

Physiological capabilities of cryoconite hole microorganisms

Cryoconite holes are miniature freshwater aquatic ecosystems that harbor a relatively diverse microbial community. This microbial community can withstand the extreme conditions of the supraglacial environment, including fluctuating temperatures, extreme and varying geochemical conditions and limited nutrients. We analyzed the physiological capabilities of microbial isolates from cryoconite holes from Antarctica, Greenland, and Svalbard in selected environmental conditions: extreme pH, salinity, freeze-thaw and limited carbon sources, to identify their physiological limits. The results suggest that heterotrophic microorganisms in cryoconite holes are well adapted to fast-changing environmental conditions, by surviving multiple freeze-thaw cycles, a wide range of salinity and pH conditions and scavenging a variety of organic substrates. Under oxic and anoxic conditions, the communities grew well in temperatures up to 30°C, although in anoxic conditions the community was more successful at colder temperatures (0.2°C). The most abundant cultivable microorganisms were facultative anaerobic bacteria and yeasts. They grew in salinities up to 10% and in pH ranging from 4 to 10.5 (Antarctica), 2.5 to 10 (Svalbard), and 3 to 10 (Greenland). Their growth was sustained on at least 58 single carbon sources and there was no decrease in viability for some isolates after up to 100 consecutive freeze-thaw cycles. The elevated viability of the anaerobic community in the lowest temperatures indicates they might be key players in winter conditions or in early melt seasons, when the oxygen is potentially depleted due to limited flow of meltwater. Consequently, facultative anaerobic heterotrophs are likely important players in the reactivation of the community after the polar night. This detailed physiological investigation shows that despite inhabiting a freshwater environment, cryoconite microorganisms are able to withstand conditions not typically encountered in freshwater environments (namely high salinities or extreme pH), making them physiologically more similar to arid soil communities. The results also point to a possible resilience of the most abundant microorganisms of cryoconite holes in the face of rapid change regardless of the location

Strangeness, charm and bottom in a chiral quark-meson model

In this paper we investigate an SU(3) extension of the chiral quark-meson model. The spectra of baryons with strangeness, charm and bottom are considered within a "rigid oscillator" version of this model. The similarity between the quark part of the Lagrangian in the model and the Wess-Zumino term in the Skyrme model is noted. The binding energies of baryonic systems with baryon number B=2 and 3 possessing strangeness or heavy flavor are estimated. The results obtained are in good qualitative agreement with those obtained previously in the topological soliton (Skyrme) model.Comment: 12 pages, no figures. Journal ref: submitted to Nucl.Phys.

Order-chaos transitions in field theories with topological terms: a dynamical systems approach

We present a comparative study of the dynamical behaviour of topological systems of recent interest, namely the non-Abelian Chern-Simons Higgs system and the Yang-Mills Chern-Simons Higgs system. By reducing the full field theories to temporal differential systems using the assumption of spatially homogeneous fields , we study the Lyapunov exponents for two types of initial conditions. We also examine in minute detail the behaviour of the Lyapunov spectra as a function of the various coupling parameters in the system. We compare and contrast our results with those for Abelian Higgs, Yang-Mills Higgs and Yang-Mills Chern-Simons systems which have been discussed by other authors recently. The role of the various terms in the Hamiltonians for such systems in determining the order-disorder transitions is emphasized and shown to be counter-intuitive in the Yang-Mills Chern-Simons Higgs systems.Comment: 19 pages,15 figures available in hard copy from C. Mukku, and through e-mail from [email protected]. To appear in J. Phys.

Basic Hypergeometric Functions and Covariant Spaces for Even Dimensional Representations of U_q[osp(1/2)]

Representations of the quantum superalgebra U_q[osp(1/2)] and their relations to the basic hypergeometric functions are investigated. We first establish Clebsch-Gordan decomposition for the superalgebra U_q[osp(1/2)] in which the representations having no classical counterparts are incorporated. Formulae for these Clebsch-Gordan coefficients are derived, and it is observed that they may be expressed in terms of the $Q$-Hahn polynomials. We next investigate representations of the quantum supergroup OSp_q(1/2) which are not well-defined in the classical limit. Employing the universal T-matrix, the representation matrices are obtained explicitly, and found to be related to the little Q-Jacobi polynomials. Characteristically, the relation Q = -q is satisfied in all cases. Using the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients derived here, we construct new noncommutative spaces that are covariant under the coaction of the even dimensional representations of the quantum supergroup OSp_q(1/2).Comment: 16 pages, no figure