Anxiety-Inducing Effects of Alcohol and Caffeine in C57BL/6J Mice

Caffeine and alcohol are two of the most popular and legal drugs around the world. In America, both drugs are easily accessible, which has contributed to frequent use of the drugs in tandem. Previous studies have revealed much about the mechanisms of each drug, but the effects of co-consumption are not yet fully understood. One concern is that caffeine could reduce how intoxicated a person feels, leading to an increase in alcohol consumption or other risky behaviors. Withdrawal is also a concern as it helps maintain the cycle of substance abuse. This study was designed to examine consumption patterns of and anxiety-like withdrawal from alcohol and caffeine in an animal model. C57BL/6J mice (n=48) were given caffeine (0.015% or 0.03%) and/or alcohol (3-20%) in a two-bottle choice intermittent access voluntary paradigm. Fluid consumption was recorded daily for five weeks and mice were then tested in an elevated plus maze (EPM) to assess anxiety-like behaviors during withdrawal. The amount of caffeine consumed remained steady while the amount of alcohol consumed gradually increased. Both sexes consumed more alcohol when it was paired with the lower dose of caffeine and consumed more caffeine when it was paired with alcohol. Overall, less consistent consumption patterns were found in female mice. The EPM revealed no significant differences between experimental conditions, even when sex was considered. These results suggest that a specific amount of caffeine may be necessary to impact alcohol consumption in mice, and that psychological withdrawal from these drugs may not manifest as anxiety

Investigating the feminist significance of Lars von Trier's representation of women in his Golden Heart Trilogy (1996/1998/2000) and Antichrist (2009)

Despite critics‟ negative appraisal of Lars Von Trier's Antichrist (2009) for its ostensible misogyny, a deep thematic resonance exists between its representation of women as historical victims of patriarchal discourse, and the positive representations of women as Christ-like figures found in his Golden Heart Trilogy (1996/1998/2000). Arguably, it is important to recognize this, because these films together comprise an exercise in cinematic resistance to the narratives of the „backlash‟ against women's rights, thematized by Susan Faludi in her Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women; resistance which is undermined when these films are considered disparate or incongruous

Increasing Resiliency in Students Using Coaching Skills

Before you can begin building resiliency with your students, they need to have trust and buy in with the relationship. The Coaching strategies involving Conversational Intelligence and Motivational Interviewing are proven methods in developing strong partnerships. These strategies decrease the anxiety that occurs when faced with new information and open the brain to engagement which can lead into increased motivation towards developing the skills needed to build resiliency

Loyalty program attributes and their influence on retail customer satisfaction

This paper empirically examines the extent to which loyalty program attributes explain variations in satisfaction with the retail offer. Two dimensions of loyalty program attributes are introduced including hard attributes and soft attributes. Store satisfaction is examined in terms of the elements of the retail offer. The results suggest that emphasis on hard and soft attributes enhance customer satisfaction with a retailers&rsquo; merchandise, trading format, customer service and customer communication. Additionally, hard attributes have a more significant influence than soft attributes on satisfaction with all elements of the retail offer excluding merchandise.<br /