Acute and long-term effects elicited by psychoactive drugs on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats: development of a new experimental tool for the study of drug-mediated reward.

Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have recently emerged as an indicator of the emotional state of rats, and the evaluation of the USVs in the 50-kHz range has been proposed as a tool to investigate the affective properties of drugs of abuse. To clarify the relevance of 50-kHz USVs to drug-induced reward, the acute and long-term effects elicited by different psychoactive drugs [ amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), methylphenidate, morphine, and nicotine ] were characterized in adult male rats. Amphetamine and methylphenidate were the only drugs that stimulated the emission of 50-kHz USVs by rats after their acute administration. Moreover, amphetamine was the only drug that elicited a significant emission of 50-kHz USVs after repeated administration. However, rats in all the treatment groups emitted 50-kHz USVs when later re-exposed to the environment previously paired with repeated drug administration, likely indicative of drug-mediated environmental conditioning. Taken together, these results demonstrate the existence of major differences in the acute and long-term effects of different psychoactive drugs on the emission of 50-kHz USVs by rats. Moreover, these results provide a better understanding of the usefulness of 50-kHz USVs as a new tool for the assessment of drug-mediated reward, with implications for the preclinical study of addictive behavior

Influence of acute caffeine on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in male adult rats and relevance to caffeine-mediated psychopharmacological effects

To further characterize caffeine-mediated psychopharmacological effects, the present study investigated whether acute caffeine (3, 10, 30, 50 mg/kg i.p.) exerted any influence on the emission and features of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which are thought to index changes involving emotional state, in male adult rats. The results obtained demonstrate that caffeine can trigger modifications in the maximum peak frequency and bandwidth of the 50-kHz range USVs. However, such an effect was not accompanied by a significant elevation in the number of 50-kHz USVs, relative to administration of vehicle. Under the same experimental conditions, acute amphetamine (2 mg/kg i.p.) robustly elevated the number of 50-kHz USVs emitted by rats, although it did not affect the maximum peak frequency and bandwidth of USVs. Thus, both qualitative and quantitative differences in the effects exerted by caffeine and amphetamine on 50-kHz USVs were observed. Taken together, these findings further clarify the features of caffeine-mediated psychopharmacological effects, and may help to elucidate the differences between the central effects of caffeine and those elicited by other psychostimulant

Direct and long-lasting effects elicited by repeated drug administration on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations are regulated differently: Implications for the study of the affective properties of drugs of abuse

Several studies suggest that 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) may indicate a positive affective state in rats, and these vocalizations are increasingly being used to investigate the properties of psychoactive drugs. Previous studies, however, have focused on dopaminergic psychostimulants and morphine, whereas little is known about how other drugs modulate 50-kHz USVs. To further elucidate the neuropharmacology of 50-kHz USVs, the present study characterized the direct and long-lasting effects of different drugs of abuse, by measuring the number of 50-kHz USVs and their 'trill' subtype emitted by adult male rats. Rats received repeated administrations of amphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 7.5 mg/kg, i.p.), morphine (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.), or nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, s.c.), on either consecutive or alternate days (five administrations in total) in a novel environment. Seven days later, rats were re-exposed to the drug-paired environment, subjected to USVs recording, and then challenged with the same drug. Finally, 7 d after the challenge, rats were repeatedly exposed to the drug-paired environment and vocalizations were measured. Amphetamine was the only drug to stimulate 50-kHz USVs and 'trill' subtype emission during administration and challenge. Conversely, all rats emitted 50-kHz USVs when re-exposed to the test cage, and this effect was most marked in morphine-treated rats, and less evident in nicotine-treated rats. This study demonstrates that the direct and long-lasting effects of drugs on 50-kHz USVs are regulated differently, providing a better understanding of the usefulness of these vocalizations in the study of psychoactive drugs

Bioenergy production in Finland - effects on growth, employment, and environment at regional level

The objective of this study is to assess the impacts of increasing bioenergy production on regional economies in Finland. The impacts on economic growth and employment in areas that are facing economic difficulties from other sources, e.g. down-scaling of more traditional industries, are of the main concern

EU Member States' Research and Development Activities in Reactor Safety

The report summarises the present status of R&D activities in the area of nuclear power plant safety in EU member states. The report identifies the most relevant R&D organisations, their main research focus area, key research infrastructure, and possible national research programmes. The focus is mainly on Gen II and Gen III safety, but main activities related to Gen IV reactors are also mentioned. The report serves as a quick reference, providing links to the websites of main R&D organisations. The report aims at supporting the gap analysis of JRC activities in the field of reactor safety.JRC.G.10-Knowledge for Nuclear Security and Safet

SPR ja VAPEPA viranomaisten apuna onnettomuustilanteissa Varsinais-Suomen alueella

Vaikka vapaaehtoistoiminta on nykyisessä maailman tilanteessa vähentymässä, se tarve kasvaa jatkuvasti, koska viranomaisten resurssit ovat säästöjen nimissä vähentyneet jo pitkään. Vapaaehtoisauttajista kootut organisoidut avustusmuodot ovat jo vanha keksintö, mutta niiden käyttäminen on harvassa. Moni onnettomuus joissa vapaaehtoisia tarvitaan pääsevät julkisuuteen, mutta vapaaehtoisten rooli usein vain sivulauseissa mainittuina. Vähäisen käytön syynä on ainakin hajallaan oleva ja hankalasti saatavilla oleva tieto vapaaehtoisten toiminta mahdollisuuksista, lisäksi pelastusalalla vallalla oleva viranomaisten ja vapaaehtoisten välinen kisma, sekä myös huonoa julkisuutta saanut täydennyspoliisitoiminta, on ainakin alueittain aiheuttanut vapaaehtoistyön vähentynyttä arvostusta. Myös nykyinen elämän rytmi, jossa oman itsensä etu ajaa yhteisen edun ohi ajatuksissa sekä teoissa vieroksuttaa ihmiset vapaaehtoisesta avustustoiminnasta samoin kuin muustakin kerhotoiminnasta. Kuitenkin vapaaehtoisissa on merkittävä voimavara moneen tilanteeseen. Vapaaehtoista avustustoimintaa on ennen toteutettu naapuri- ja kyläapuna, jossa vaikka tulipalon kokeneille rakennettiin kyläläisten voimin uusi koti ja erilaisia elämiseen tarvittavia tarpeita lahjoitettiin hätään joutuneille. Tämä opinnäytetyö kartoittaa vapaaehtoisten toimintaa, jonka myötä on luotu yhteystietokortit helpottamaan yhteistyötä viranomaisten ja vapaaehtoisten osalta. Korteissa on lyhyesti luettelomaisesti kerrottu minkälaista materiaali ja henkilöstöresurssi apua vapaaehtoiset voivat tarjota onnettomuustilanteissa.Even though volunteer activity is decreasing in the current world situation, the need for it continues to grow, because the authorities’ resources have been diminishing for a long time, with the aim of saving. Organized means of help comprising of volunteers are an old invention, but using them is rare. Many accidents where volunteers are needed get publicity, but the role of the volunteers is often mentioned only fleetingly. The reason behind little use is definitely the scarce and difficult to obtain information about the operation possibilities of volunteers, in addition the disagreement between rescue authorities and volunteers; as well as additional police activity that has received bad publicity; these things have caused voluntary work to receive less respect in certain areas. The current rhythm of life as well, where one’s own success surpasses common success in thought and action, alienates people from voluntary help work as well as other club activities. However, it must be noted that volunteers have the strength for many situations. Voluntary help activities have formerly been carried out as neighbourly and village help, for instance when the whole village contributed to building a new home to people if a house was burned down, and all sorts of necessities were donated to those in need. Nowadays, people are keen to put everything on the responsibility of the authorities and the welfare society

Frozen by threat or motivated to move? : Emotionally charged horizons of opportunities in development work of universities

How do emotions function in the development work and change attempts of universities? This article investigates the emotional dimensions of development of higher education and how emotions relate to the conditions of academic work, and the university as a forum for those initiatives. Building theories from affective cultural studies, the article drafts and explores the concept of ‘emotionally charged horizon of opportunity’. This concept defines emotions as relational, culturally situated social forces connected with relationships, collective mentalities and belief systems, which the article explores by example of two cases: a national attempt to renew a degree structure on a disciplinary level, and a departmental initiative of development of the academic unit. Taking a discourse analytic approach with the focus on emotions, the analysis comprises two major findings. First, affectivity was present in the practices of development work, in the hierarchies of power, group relations and identities of the academic culture. Second, the actors’ expectations about the future, the emotional judgments attached to these expectations, and the position of the actors were crucial for the development process.Peer reviewe

Lost in Administration : (Re)Producing Precarious Citizenship for Young University-Educated Intra-EU Migrants in Brussels

The mounting backlash against intra-EU migration in various EU countries has triggered national policies seeking to restrict EU citizens’ social rights and freedom of movement. Building on and expanding Noora Lori’s work around this concept, the article examines intra-EU migrants’ increasingly unsettled legal statuses as potentially precarious citizenship. Focusing on the experiences of young university-educated intra-EU migrants in Brussels, the article claims that, in the absence of straightforward EU legislation and explicit government policies, administrative actors use their discretion to draw indeterminate boundaries enforcing conditionality and temporariness of status for EU citizens in precarious work arrangements, therefore often increasing the pressure on them to take further precarious jobs. The article argues that, under the conditions of precarious employment, not even migrants with privileged access to citizenship rights are protected from processes of boundary enforcement that institutionalise the ambiguity of statuses and produce precarious citizenship.Peer reviewe