Extensive neuroadaptive changes in cortical gene-transcript expressions of the glutamate system in response to repeated intermittent MDMA administration in adolescent rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many studies have focused on the implication of the serotonin and dopamine systems in neuroadaptive responses to the recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-metamphetamine (MDMA). Less attention has been given to the major excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate known to be implicated in schizophrenia and drug addiction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of repeated intermittent MDMA administration upon gene-transcript expression of the glutamate transporters (EAAT1, EAAT2-1, EAAT2-2), the glutamate receptor subunits of AMPA (GluR1, GluR2, GluR3), the glutamate receptor subunits of NMDA (NR1, NR2A and NR2B), as well as metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1, mGluR2, mGluR3, mGluR5) in six different brain regions. Adolescent male Sprague Dawley rats received MDMA at the doses of 3 × 1 and 3 × 5 mg/kg/day, or 3× vehicle 3 hours apart, every 7^thday for 4 weeks. The gene-transcript levels were assessed using real-time PCR validated with a range of housekeeping genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The findings showed pronounced enhancements in gene-transcript expression of GluR2, mGluR1, mGluR5, NR1, NR2A, NR2B, EAAT1, and EAAT2-2 in the cortex at bregma +1.6. In the caudate putamen, mRNA levels of GluR3, NR2A, and NR2B receptor subunits were significantly increased. In contrast, the gene-transcript expression of GluR1 was reduced in the hippocampus. In the hypothalamus, there was a significant increase of GluR1, GluR3, mGluR1, and mGluR3 gene-transcript expressions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Repeated intermittent MDMA administration induces neuroadaptive changes in gene-transcript expressions of glutamatergic NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits, metabotropic receptors and transporters in regions of the brain regulating reward-related associative learning, cognition, and memory and neuro-endocrine functions.</p

Neutral religionsundervisning? : En kvalitativ studie om lärares upplevelser av att motverka religiösa konflikter i årskurs F-3.

I denna studie är syftet att undersöka lärares upplevelser av religiösa konflikter bland elever i årskurs F-3. Studien syftar även till att undersöka hur lärare hanterar och arbetar förebyggande med sådana konflikter. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna valdes semistrukturerade intervjuer med ett antal aktiva lärare att analyseras. Resultatet visar att det inte ofta uppstår religiösa konflikter bland elever i årskurs F-3. Studien ledde fram till tre kategorier, värdegrund, den sociala praktiken och konfliktpyramid som centrala delar i ett förebyggande arbete och konflikthantering.

Neutral religionsundervisning? : En kvalitativ studie om lärares upplevelser av att motverka religiösa konflikter i årskurs F-3.

I denna studie är syftet att undersöka lärares upplevelser av religiösa konflikter bland elever i årskurs F-3. Studien syftar även till att undersöka hur lärare hanterar och arbetar förebyggande med sådana konflikter. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna valdes semistrukturerade intervjuer med ett antal aktiva lärare att analyseras. Resultatet visar att det inte ofta uppstår religiösa konflikter bland elever i årskurs F-3. Studien ledde fram till tre kategorier, värdegrund, den sociala praktiken och konfliktpyramid som centrala delar i ett förebyggande arbete och konflikthantering.

The implementation of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning in the design and evaluation of an AI educational video assistant utilizing large language models

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds immense potential for revolutionizing education; especially, in contexts where multimodal learning experiences are designed. This paper investigated the potential benefits of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, concentrating on the design and evaluation of an AI Educational Video Assistant tailored for multimodal learning experiences. The tool, utilizing the principles of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), comprises three modules: Transcription, Engagement, and Reinforcement, each focusing on distinct aspects of the learning process. It Integraties Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) using OpenAI's Whisper and Google's Large Language Model (LLM) Bard. Our twofold objective includes both the development of this AI assistant tool and the assessment of its effect on improving the learning experiences. For the evaluation, a mixed methods approach was adopted, combining human evaluation by nine educational experts with automatic metrics. Participants provided their perceptions on the tool's effectiveness in terms of engagement, content organization, clarity, and usability. Additionally, automatic metrics including Content Distinctiveness and Readability scores were computed. The results from the human evaluation suggest positive impacts across all assessed domains. The automatic metrics further proved the tool's ability in content generation and readability. Collectively, these preliminary results highlight the tool's potential to revolutionize educational design and provide personalized and engaging learning experiences