Nefopam, an analogue of orphenadrine, protects against both NMDA receptor-dependent and independent veratridine-induced neurotoxicity

Nefopam hyghochloride is a potent analgesic compound commercialized in most Western Europe for 20 years, which possesses a profile distinct from that of opioids or anti-inflammatory drugs. Previous evidence suggested a central action of nefopam but the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. While, nefopam structure resembles that of orphenadrine, an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, here we report that differently from orphenadrine, nefopam (100 microM) failed to protect cultured cerebellar neurons from excitotoxicity following direct exposure of neurons to glutamate. Moreover, nefopam failed to displace MK-801 binding to hippocampal membranes. Nefopam effectively prevented NMDA receptor-mediated early appearance (30 min) of toxicity signs induced by the voltage sensitive sodium channel (VSSC) activator veratridine. The later phase (24 h) of neurotoxicity by veratridine occurring independently from NMDA receptor activation, was also prevented by nefopam. Nefopam effect was not mimicked by the GABA receptor agonist muscimo

Use of geochemical signatures, including rare earth elements, in mosses and lichens to assess spatial integration and the influence of forest environment

In order to assess the influence of local environment and spatial integration of Trace Metals (TM) by biomonitors, Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, V and Zn and some rare earth element (REE) concentrations have been measured in lichens and mosses collected in three French forest sites located in three distinct mountainous areas, as well as in the local soil and bedrock, and in both bulk deposition (BD) and throughfall (TF). Similar enrichment factors (EF) were calculated using lichens and mosses and local bedrock for most elements, except for Cs, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Cu which were significantly (KW, p < 0.05) more enriched in mosses. Similar REE ratios were measured in soils, bedrock, lichens and mosses at each study sites, indicating a regional integration of atmospheric deposition by both biomonitors. Both TM signature and REE composition of mosses revealed that this biomonitor is highly influenced by throughfall composition, and reflect atmospheric deposition interaction with the forest canopy. This explained the higher enrichment measured in mosses for elements which concentration in deposition were influenced by the canopy, either due to leaching (Mn), direct uptake (Ni), or dry deposition dissolution (Pb, Cu, Cs)

The dark triad and subjective well-being: the mediating role of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies.

The dark triad (DT) is composed of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. These traits have usually been correlated with maladaptive strategies of emotion regulation. In turn, these types of strategies have shown a negative relationship with the components of subjective well-being (SWB): affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive well-being (CWB). The principal objective of the present study was to analyze the possible mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between the DT and SWB components. For this purpose, a community sample of 678 participants (Mage = 35.03; 53.1% women) completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWB), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-36), and the Short Dark Triad (SD-3). The results showed a good fit with the model in which Machiavellianism was indirectly and negatively related to CWB through the effect of maladaptive strategies and AWB, and indirectly and positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Narcissism was indirectly positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Finally, psychopathy was indirectly negatively associated with CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Limitations and clinical implications of this research are discussed.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Spanish researchers’ perceived difficulty writing research articles for English-medium journals: the impact of proficiency in English versus publication experience

Previous quantitative studies suggest that the burden researchers who use English as an additional language perceive when writing research articles (RAs) for publication in English (as L2) is 24% greater than the burden they perceive when they write RAs for publication in their L1. It remains unclear precisely which aspects of research article (RA) writing in English present these writers with the greatest challenge and just why they perceive this increase in difficulty. A structured questionnaire comprising thirty-seven questions about researchers’ publication experiences in scientific journals in English and in Spanish was designed and sent out to all (n = 8,794) Spanish postdoctoral researchers at one research-only institution and four universities in Spain, yielding responses from 1,717 researchers. Our first results show that the discussion is the section that is perceived as more difficult to write for English-medium journals, across the four broad knowledge areas in a way that cannot be fully explained by their lower level of proficiency in English (as L2). This article proposes the rhetorical transfer hypothesis as a possible explanation for their additional difficulty. Our results also reveal that their increased perceived difficulty writing RA discussions in English (as L2) does not decrease noticeably until Spanish researchers report high or very high levels of proficiency in English (as L2) for academic or general purposes or have published on average at least 37 RAs as corresponding author in English-medium journals over the last ten years. Implications for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) research and pedagogy are discussed

Charge analysis in (RE)CrO4 scheelites by combined Raman spectroscopy and computer simulations

The quest for structure-property relationships in scheelite-type (RE)CrO4 compounds (where RE is a rare earth element) is a difficult task due to the number of exceptions found in RE empirical trends and the uncommon Cr(V) oxidation state. In this work, we experimentally and computationally analyse how the stretching vibrational frequencies ν1(Ag) and ν3(Eg) associated with the [CrO4] tetrahedral units evolve in the (RE)CrO4 crystal family (RE ¼ Nd, Gd, Dy, Ho, and Lu). Since previously reported Cr–O distances and volume changes along with the RE series are not sufficiently accurate to explain the monotonic decrease observed for the ν1(Ag) and ν3(Eg) frequencies, a deeper analysis was performed involving the well-known fact that the bond strength (force constant) decreases as the interatomic distance increases. Our results demonstrates that structural and spectroscopic parameters can be reconciled with classical solid state chemistry ideas when charge effects are considered. This analysis provides a new method for predicting chromium oxidation states from Raman spectroscopy that can be generalised to the study of other crystal families

Magnetic ordering and charge transport in electron-doped La₁-yCeyMnO₃ (0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) films

Microstructure, magnetic and transport properties of the as-deposited La₁−yCeyMnO₃(0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) films, prepared by a pulse laser deposition, have been investigated in wide region of temperature and magnetic field. The microstructure analysis reveals that all films have a high c-oriented texture, the orthorhombic crystal lattice and the negligible quantity of CeO₂ inclusions. The observed strip-domain phase with a periodic spacing of about 3c, the crystal lattice of which is the same to the basic film phase, reveals the magnetic behavior typical for the Griffiths phase. The regions of the double-period modulated phase was found at room temperature in the y = 0.1 film, which are treated as the Mn³⁺/Mn²⁺ ordering with the partial ferromagnetic → antiferromagnetic transition at TN ≤ 80 K. At the same time, the carried out investigation manifests that the magnetic and transport properties of the electron-doped La₁-yCeyMnO₃ films, driven by a cation doping, are similar to that for the hole-doped La/Ca manganites. Therefore, one can conclude, that does not exist of a principle difference between the mechanisms of spin-ordering and charge-transport in the hole- and the electron-doped manganites