Cocaethylene is more potent than cocaine in mediating lethality

Cocaethylene is a pharmacologically active cocaine metabolite that is formed in the presence of ethanol by the activity of liver enzymes. The pharmacology of cocaethylene has not been extensively investigated and its acute toxicity is unknown. The acute toxicity of cocaethylene was compared to cocaine in Swiss-Webster mice. The LD 50 of cocaethylene was 60.7 mg/kg and 63.8 mg/kg in female and male mice, respectively. In comparison, the LD 50 of cocaine was 93.0 mg/kg in both female and male mice. These studies demonstrate that the cocaine-alcohol metabolite, cocathylene, is more potent in mediating lethality than the parent drug

Effects of subsurface drip irrigation rates and furrow irrigation for cotton grown on a vertisol on off-site movement of sediments, nutrients and pesticides

Abstract – Subsurface drip irrigation can reduce off-farm movements of fertilizers and pollutants and improve the water use efficiency of irrigated agriculture. Here we compared the effects of furrow and subsurface drip at different irrigation rates, based on a percentage of daily crop-evapotranspiration rates (ETc), on run-off and off-site movement of suspended sediment, nutrients and pesticides from cotton crops grownon a vertisol. Our results show that furrow irrigation significantly increased suspended soil loss, of 5.26 t ha−1, compared to that of subsurface drip irrigation at 120% of ETc, of 2.53 t ha−1, whereas no erosion was recorded with deficit subsurface drip irrigation. Off-site movement of nitrogen in furrow, of 18.63 kg ha−1, was five times greater than subsurface drip irrigation at 120% ETc. It was much less with 105% ETc(0.37 kg ha−1) and 90% ETc (0.15 kg ha−1), and absent for 75% and 50% of ETc. Phosphorus loss from furrow, of 778 g ha−1, was greater than for the wetter subsurface drip treatments that gave 23 g ha−1 for 90% ETc and 19 g ha−1 for 120% ETc. No P loss was recorded from drier subsurface drip irrigation rates. Herbicides such as atrazine and diuron were applied in the year prior to the experiment, but considerable amounts were recorded in furrow run-off in both years, but only at 90 and 120% ETc subsurface drip irrigation in the first year. Concentrations of applied herbicide residues in the runoff exceeded the minimum threshold level for 99% species protection and, although the total amount of herbicide movement was higher in furrow, at times the concentration was greater for wetter subsurface drip irrigation run-off. Residues of insecticides, such as endosulphan applied in a previous year and dimethoate applied in the current years, were recorded in runoff from subsurface drip at 120% and furrow irrigation. Their concentrations in each year exceeded minimum threshold level. Subsurface drip irrigation at 75% ETc offered the best trade-off between off-site run-off, erosion and pesticide movement and yield and water use efficiency

Environmental enrichment for neotropical primates in captivity Enriquecimento ambiental para primatas neotropicais em cativeiro

Captivity is an extreme non-natural environment for primates. The success of a breeding colony depends of management and veterinarian procedures which must rely on the knowledge of primates' behavioral needs. Environmental enrichment consists of a series of procedures that improve the quality of life of captive animals by meeting their ethological needs. Enrichment can reduce stress, while increasing animal well being in captivity. Suitable ethical conditions, incidences of behavioral disorders, minimal clinical interventions, low mortality, higher reproduction rates and cost/benefit relationship, reflect directly on the quality of captive breeding colonies. Anthropoids like Neotropical primates possess complex neural structures and relate, in a sophisticated manner, to the environment. This review reports important experiences on enrichment procedures for Neotropical primates and the physiological events which could explain improvement of animal well-being.<br>Cativeiro é um ambiente de extremos não naturais para primatas. O sucesso de uma criação de primatas depende do manejo e de procedimentos veterinários que devem considerar as necessidades etológicas dos animais cativos. Enriquecimento ambiental é um conjunto de técnicas que modificam o ambiente, resultando em uma melhora na qualidade de vida dos animais, ao satisfazer as suas necessidades comportamentais. O enriquecimento pode diminuir o estresse e melhorar o bem-estar. Primatas neotropicais se caracterizam por complexas estruturas neurais e se relacionam de maneira sofisticada com o ambiente. O enriquecimento ambiental pode aumentar a qualidade de uma criação ao adequar o manejo a padrões éticos aceitáveis, estimular o repertório normal do comportamento, diminuir a casuística clínica, diminuir a mortalidade, incrementar a taxa reprodutiva e maximizar a relação custo/benefício em uma criação. Esta revisão relata experiências relevantes nos procedimentos de enriquecimento para primatas neotropicais, além de comentar as bases fisiológicas em que essas intervenções melhoram o bem-estar dos animais cativos

Emotional labour and job satisfaction of adventure tour leaders: does gender matter?

This study aims to examine potential gender differences between adventure tour leaders employed in Australia in regards to the emotions they invest into their jobs. More specifically, it examines the impact of two types of emotional labour, surface acting and deep acting, on male and female adventure tour leaders’ job satisfaction. Whilst surface acting refers to faking feelings that are not really felt, or hiding feelings that are inappropriate to display, deep acting is concerned with aligning one\u27s true feelings with the ones required by the job. Data were gathered through a quantitative on-line survey. Whilst the findings showed that deep acting had a statistically significant positive effect on adventure tour leaders’ job satisfaction, there was no statistically significant relationship between surface acting and job satisfaction. In relation to gender, there were no statistically significant differences between males and females in relation to surface acting, deep acting, job satisfaction, or the impact of surface acting and deep acting on job satisfaction. Contrary to research which suggests that women in general are better at managing their emotions and are more emotionally intelligent than men, it seems like male adventure tour leaders may be just as competent in managing their emotions as female adventure tour leaders. This, in turn, has implications for the manner in which adventure recreation providers manage their human resources