Analysis of recreational psychedelic substance use experiences classified by substance

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Differences among psychedelic substances regarding their subjective experiences are clinically and scientifically interesting. Quantitative linguistic analysis is a powerful tool to examine such differences. This study compared five psychedelic substance report groups and a non-psychedelic report group on quantitative linguistic markers of psychological states and processes derived from recreational use-based online experience reports. METHODS Using 2947 publicly available online reports, we compared Ayahuasca and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT, analyzed together), ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), psilocybin (mushroom), and antidepressant drug use experiences. We examined word frequencies related to various psychological states and processes and semantic proximity to psychedelic and mystical experience scales. RESULTS Linguistic markers of psychological function indicated distinct effect profiles. For example, MDMA experience reports featured an emotionally intensifying profile accompanied by many cognitive process words and dynamic-personal language. In contrast, Ayahuasca and DMT experience reports involved relatively little emotional language, few cognitive process words, increased analytical thinking-associated language, and the most semantic similarity with psychedelic and mystical experience descriptions. LSD, psilocybin mushroom, and ketamine reports showed only small differences on the emotion-, analytical thinking-, psychedelic, and mystical experience-related language outcomes. Antidepressant reports featured more negative emotional and cognitive process-related words, fewer positive emotional and analytical thinking-related words, and were generally not similar to mystical and psychedelic language. CONCLUSION This article addresses an existing research gap regarding the comparison of different psychedelic drugs on linguistic profiles of psychological states, processes, and experiences. The large sample of experience reports involving multiple psychedelic drugs provides valuable information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. The results could inform experimental research into psychedelic drug effects in healthy populations and clinical trials for psychedelic treatments of psychiatric problems

[Avian cytogenetics goes functional] Third report on chicken genes and chromosomes 2015

High-density gridded libraries of large-insert clones using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and other vectors are essential tools for genetic and genomic research in chicken and other avian species... Taken together, these studies demonstrate that applications of large-insert clones and BAC libraries derived from birds are, and will continue to be, effective tools to aid high-throughput and state-of-the-art genomic efforts and the important biological insight that arises from them

Analysis of recreational psychedelic substance use experiences classified by substance

Abstract Rationale and objectives Differences among psychedelic substances regarding their subjective experiences are clinically and scientifically interesting. Quantitative linguistic analysis is a powerful tool to examine such differences. This study compared five psychedelic substance report groups and a non-psychedelic report group on quantitative linguistic markers of psychological states and processes derived from recreational use-based online experience reports. Methods Using 2947 publicly available online reports, we compared Ayahuasca and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT, analyzed together), ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), psilocybin (mushroom), and antidepressant drug use experiences. We examined word frequencies related to various psychological states and processes and semantic proximity to psychedelic and mystical experience scales. Results Linguistic markers of psychological function indicated distinct effect profiles. For example, MDMA experience reports featured an emotionally intensifying profile accompanied by many cognitive process words and dynamic-personal language. In contrast, Ayahuasca and DMT experience reports involved relatively little emotional language, few cognitive process words, increased analytical thinking-associated language, and the most semantic similarity with psychedelic and mystical experience descriptions. LSD, psilocybin mushroom, and ketamine reports showed only small differences on the emotion-, analytical thinking-, psychedelic, and mystical experience-related language outcomes. Antidepressant reports featured more negative emotional and cognitive process-related words, fewer positive emotional and analytical thinking-related words, and were generally not similar to mystical and psychedelic language. Conclusion This article addresses an existing research gap regarding the comparison of different psychedelic drugs on linguistic profiles of psychological states, processes, and experiences. The large sample of experience reports involving multiple psychedelic drugs provides valuable information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. The results could inform experimental research into psychedelic drug effects in healthy populations and clinical trials for psychedelic treatments of psychiatric problems. </jats:sec

Light indirectly mediates bivalve habitat modification and impacts on seagrass

Environmental context may influence the sign, strength, andmechanisms of species interactions but few studies have experimentally tested the potential for abiotic conditions to mediate interactions through multiple cooccurringstress pathways. Abiotic conditionsmay mediate species interactions by directly or indirectly influencing the effects of habitat-modifying organisms that are capable of simultaneously ameliorating and exacerbating multiple stressors. Itwas hypothesized that light availability changes seagrassmetabolismand thereby indirectly regulates bivalve habitat modification and subsequent impacts on seagrasses by shifting net effects between alleviation of nutrient stress and intensification of sulfide stress. To test this hypothesis, manipulations of lightavailability and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) abundance were made in eelgrass (Zostera marina) mesocosms and biogeochemical and plant responseswere measured. Light modified the effect of mussels on porewater ammonium,but eelgrass was not nutrient limited and, therefore, mussels did not enhance growth. Mussels increased sediment sulfides irrespective of light availability and, by reducing net oxygen flux (production and respiration),mussels and lowlight availability exacerbated sulfide intrusion of eelgrass tissues. Surprisingly, sulfidestress did not affect plant growth, survival, or energy stores. Thus, habitat modification by musselsmay represent a risk to eelgrass, especially during low productivity conditions, but eelgrass can resist harm from shortterm stress, even during light limitation. These findings suggest that while small-scale bivalve impacts on seagrasses may be variable in oligotrophic estuaries, they have the potential to be negative in eutrophic systems, which are increasing globally.

Vurdering af erhvervsøkonomiske konsekvenser for akvakultur og landbrug ved reduktion af udvalgte inputfaktorer, som indeholder zink, nikkel eller kobber

Miljøministeriet har til brug for klassificering af overfladevandområders tilstand, behov for at fastsætte nye miljøkvalitetskrav og indsatsprogrammer for udvalgte miljøfarlige stoffer (MFS). Rapporten gennemgår otte potentielle kilder til tab af de miljøfarlige stoffer zink, kobber og nikkel fra landbrug- og akvakulturerhvervene. De otte kilder omfatter husdyrgødning, inkl. forsuret husdyrgødning, spildevandsslam, bioaske, handelsgødning, kalkning, pesticider inkl. bejdsning, kobbersulfat til behandling af yngel i ferskvandsdambrug og kobberholdige imprægneringsmidler til behandling af net i havbrug. Hver af kilderne til MFS beskrives så vidt muligt med hensyn til omfanget af aktiviteten, indholdet af de tre stoffer, samlet tilførsel og potentielle reduktionsmuligheder. I det omfang hvor det er muligt, anslås de økonomiske omkostninger for landbruget ved de forskellige reduktionsmuligheder

Metabolomics Reveals Cryptic Interactive Effects of Species Interactions and Environmental Stress on Nitrogen and Sulfur Metabolism in Seagrass

Eutrophication of estuaries and coastal seas is accelerating, increasing light stress on subtidal marine plants and changing their interactions with other species. To date, we have limited understanding of how such variations in environmental and biological stress modify the impact of interactions among foundational species and eventually affect ecosystem health. Here, we used metabolomics to assess the impact of light reductions on interactions between the seagrass <i>Zostera marina</i>, an important habitat-forming marine plant, and the abundant and commercially important blue mussel <i>Mytilus edulis</i>. Plant performance varied with light availability but was unaffected by the presence of mussels. Metabolomic analysis, on the other hand, revealed an interaction between light availability and presence of <i>M. edulis</i> on seagrass metabolism. Under high light, mussels stimulated seagrass nitrogen and energy metabolism. Conversely, in low light mussels impeded nitrogen and energy metabolism, and enhanced responses against sulfide toxicity, causing inhibited oxidative energy metabolism and tissue degradation. Metabolomic analysis thereby revealed cryptic changes to seagrass condition that could not be detected by traditional approaches. Our findings suggest that coastal eutrophication and associated reductions in light may shift seagrass-bivalve interactions from mutualistic to antagonistic, which is important for conservation management of seagrass meadows