Developmental consequences of perinatal cannabis exposure: behavioral and neuroendocrine effects in adult rodents

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among pregnant women. Since the endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in brain development, maternal exposure to cannabis derivatives might result in long-lasting neurobehavioral abnormalities in the exposed offspring. It is difficult to detect these effects, and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms, in clinical cohorts, because of their intrinsic methodological and interpretative issues. The present paper reviews relevant rodent studies examining the long-term behavioral consequences of exposure to cannabinoid compounds during pregnancy and/or lactation. Maternal exposure to even low doses of cannabinoid compounds results in atypical locomotor activity, cognitive impairments, altered emotional behavior, and enhanced sensitivity to drugs of abuse in the adult rodent offspring. Some of the observed behavioral abnormalities might be related to alterations in stress hormone levels induced by maternal cannabis exposure. There is increasing evidence from animal studies showing that cannabinoid drugs are neuroteratogens which induce enduring neurobehavioral abnormalities in the exposed offspring. Several preclinical findings reviewed in this paper are in line with clinical studies reporting hyperactivity, cognitive impairments and altered emotionality in humans exposed in utero to cannabis. Conversely, genetic, environmental and social factors could also influence the neurobiological effects of early cannabis exposure in humans

On the limits of fractal surface behaviour in silica. A virtual adsorbates simulation

A computer simulation technique, suited to replicate real adsorption experiments, was applied to pure simulated silica in order to gain insight into the fractal regime of its surface. The previously reported experimental fractal dimension was closely approached and the hitherto uncharted lower limit of fractal surface behaviour is reported herein

Carbon Fluxes Across Boundaries in the Pacific Arctic Region in a Changing Environment

While the inflow of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the Pacific Ocean is relatively well quantified, the intermittent input from the East Siberian Sea (ESS) is not. The export flux to the Atlantic Ocean has unknown uncertainty due to a paucity of DIC data from the Canadian Archipelago. Within the region, the Chukchi Sea is the dominant site for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake, while the Beaufort Sea and the Canadian Archipelago take-up much less CO2 with latter potentially a weak source of CO2 during certain times of the year. Additionally, the ESS shelf is a net source of CO2. Summertime CO2 uptake capacity in the deep Canada Basin has increased greatly recently as sea-ice retreat progresses rapidly. The region appears to export more DIC than it receives by a small amount, suggesting that it is probably weakly net heterotrophic. In addition to labile organic carbon (OC) produced in the productive marginal seas, some riverine and coastal erosion-derived OC likely is also recycled. As warming progresses, the Arctic Ocean may produce and export more DIC. Whether this change will turn the Arctic Ocean into a weaker CO2 sink or even a CO2 source for the atmosphere is uncertain and dependent on multiple factors that control the rate of surface water CO2 increase versus the rate of the atmospheric CO2 increase