Context-Dependent Memory under Stressful Conditions: The Case of Skydiving

Two experiments examined the effect of differing levels of emotional arousal on learning and memory for words in matching and mismatching contexts. In Experiment 1, experienced skydivers learned words either in the air or on the ground and recalled them in the same context or in the other context. Experiment 2 replicated the stimuli and design of the first experiment except that participants were shown a skydiving video in lieu of skydiving. Recall was poor in air-learning conditions with actual skydiving, but when lists were learned on land, recall was higher in the matching context than in the mismatching context. In the skydiving video experiment, recall was higher in matching learn-recall contexts regardless of the situation in which learning occurred. We propose that under extremely emotionally arousing circumstances, environmental and/or mood cues are unlikely to become encoded or linked to newly acquired information and thus cannot serve as cues to retrieval. Results can be applied to understanding variations in context-dependent memory in occupations (e.g., police, military special operations, and Special Weapons and Tactics teams) in which the worker experiences considerable emotional stress while learning or recalling new information

Naltrexone Reduces Ethanol- and/or Water-Reinforced Responding in Rhesus Monkeys: Effect Depends Upon Ethanol Concentration

The opioid antagonist naltrexone reduces responding for ethanol. If naltrexone produces this effect by blocking ethanol-induced opioid activity, then naltrexone should reduce responding for ethanol regardless of level of the ethanol responding relative to an alternatively available reinforcer. In addition, if naltrexone competitively blocks ethanol-induced opioid activity, then the naltrexone effect may be surmountable by increasing ethanol concentration and, thus, ethanol intake (g/kg). This study was conducted to determine whether naltrexone will selectively reduce ethanol-reinforced responding when the ethanol concentration is varied such that ethanol fluid deliveries are less than, greater than, or equal to the fluid deliveries of concurrently available water. Methods : Four adult male rhesus monkeys were allowed to respond for ethanol or water concurrently for 2 hr per day. Ethanol concentration was either 2%, 8%, or 32%. On various days, either saline or naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg) was given intramuscularly 30 min before the drinking session. Results : When ethanol fluid deliveries were greater than those of water (at 2% ethanol), naltrexone reduced responding for ethanol. When the ethanol and water fluid deliveries were approximately equal (at 8% ethanol), naltrexone reduced both ethanol and water fluid deliveries. When water fluid deliveries were greater than those of ethanol (at 32% ethanol), naltrexone reduced responding for water. Conclusions : Thus, naltrexone reduced responding for the preferred fluid, either ethanol or water, depending on ethanol concentration. The effect was not surmountable by increasing ethanol concentration and, therefore, ethanol intake (g/kg). Naltrexone may reduce ethanol-reinforced responding by a mechanism other than that of blocking ethanol-induced opioid activity. Naltrexone may be inducing an aversive interoceptive state.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66374/1/j.1530-0277.1999.tb04668.x.pd

Efficacy and Methodology of Urban Pigeon Control with DRC-1339

During 1990 and 1991, feral pigeon (Columbia livia) baiting programs using compound DRC-1339 were conducted in 6 cities in Kentucky and Tennessee. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control (ADC) personnel evaluated each problem site, selected bait sites, supervised prebaiting, mixed, and applied toxic bait In most cases, local personnel conducted the prebaiting and disposed of dead birds. Seven pigeon flocks containing 95-735 birds were reduced by up to 100% with 1 or 2 baitings with 0.37% DRC-1339-treated bait Most birds died at their roosting areas or on rooftops where they were not visible to the public. Use of the bait sites by non target birds was minimal, and no non target kills were found during carcass pickup. DRC-1339 appears to be a very effective, selective, and safe means of urban pigeon population reduction

Noncontingent and Response-Contingent Intravenous Ethanol Attenuates the Effect of Naltrexone on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Activity in Rhesus Monkeys

Background : The mechanism by which the opioid antagonist naltrexone suppresses overconsumption of ethanol is unclear. Oral ethanol consumption in humans increases hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity, and recent studies suggest that naltrexone may reduce ethanol consumption by modifying the HPA-stimulating effects of ethanol. The purpose of this study was to measure in rhesus monkeys the effects of ethanol and naltrexone, alone and in combination, on plasma levels of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH). Methods : Nine adult male and female rhesus monkeys with chronic, indwelling intravenous catheters were maintained on tethers that allowed ethanol delivery and blood sampling. In one study, the monkeys received intramuscular injections of saline or 0.32 mg/kg naltrexone followed by noncontingent intravenous bolus infusions of saline or 0.3 to 1.8 g/kg ethanol. In a second study, other monkeys were given intramuscular injections of saline or 0.01 to 0.3 mg/kg naltrexone and subsequently responded on levers to receive intravenous saline or ethanol 0.03 g/kg per injection. Results : Ethanol, delivered either response contingently or noncontingently, did not produce systematic changes in ACTH plasma levels. Naltrexone alone produced increases in plasma ACTH that were attenuated by the subsequent administration of noncontingent or response-contingent ethanol. Naltrexone also produced dose-dependent reductions in intravenous ethanol self-administration. Linear regression analysis indicated that ethanol intake was negatively correlated with the plasma levels of ACTH over time. Conclusions : The route of administration may modulate ethanol's effects on HPA activity. Ethanol may attenuate naltrexone's effect on the HPA axis by impairing HPA axis sensitivity to other stimuli. The negative correlation between ethanol intake and ACTH levels supports the notion that naltrexone's effect of increasing HPA axis activity may be related to its ability to suppress ethanol consumption.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66078/1/01.ALC.0000121655.48922.C4.pd

Depolarization of sperm membrane potential is a common feature of men with subfertility and is associated with low fertilization rate at IVF

STUDY QUESTION. Are significant abnormalities in outward (K+) conductance and resting membrane potential (Vm) present in the spermatozoa of patients undertaking IVF and ICSI and if so, what is their functional effect on fertilization success? SUMMARY ANSWER. Negligible outward conductance (≈5% of patients) or an enhanced inward conductance (≈4% of patients), both of which caused depolarization of Vm, were associated with a low rate of fertilization following IVF. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY. Sperm-specific potassium channel knockout mice are infertile with defects in sperm function, suggesting that these channels are essential for fertility. These observations suggest that malfunction of K+ channels in human spermatozoa might contribute significantly to the occurrence of subfertility in men. However, remarkably little is known of the nature of K+ channels in human spermatozoa or the incidence and functional consequences of K+ channel defects. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION. Spermatozoa were obtained from healthy volunteer research donors and subfertile IVF and ICSI patients attending a hospital assisted reproductive techniques clinic between May 2013 and December 2015. In total, 40 IVF patients, 41 ICSI patients and 26 normozoospermic donors took part in the study. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS. Samples were examined using electrophysiology (whole-cell patch clamping). Where abnormal electrophysiological characteristics were identified, spermatozoa were further examined for Ca2+ influx induced by progesterone and penetration into viscous media if sufficient sample was available. Full exome sequencing was performed to specifically evaluate potassium calcium-activated channel subfamily M α 1 (KCNMA1), potassium calcium-activated channel subfamily U member 1 (KCNU1) and leucine-rich repeat containing 52 (LRRC52) genes and others associated with K+ signalling. In IVF patients, comparison with fertilization rates was done to assess the functional significance of the electrophysiological abnormalities. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE. Patch clamp electrophysiology was used to assess outward (K+) conductance and resting membrane potential (Vm) and signalling/motility assays were used to assess functional characteristics of sperm from IVF and ICSI patient samples. The mean Vm and outward membrane conductance in sperm from IVF and ICSI patients were not significantly different from those of control (donor) sperm prepared under the same conditions, but variation between individuals was significantly greater (P< 0.02) with a large number of outliers (>25%). In particular, in ≈10% of patients (7/81), we observed either a negligible outward conductance (4 patients) or an enhanced inward current (3 patients), both of which caused depolarization of Vm. Analysis of clinical data from the IVF patients showed significant association of depolarized Vm (≥0 mV) with low fertilization rate (P= 0.012). Spermatozoa with electrophysiological abnormities (conductance and Vm) responded normally to progesterone with elevation of [Ca2+]i and penetration of viscous medium, indicating retention of cation channel of sperm (CatSper) channel function. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION. For practical, technical, ethical and logistical reasons, we could not obtain sufficient additional semen samples from men with conductance abnormalities to establish the cause of the conductance defects. Full exome sequencing was only available in two men with conductance defects. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS. These data add significantly to the understanding of the role of ion channels in human sperm function and its impact on male fertility. Impaired potassium channel conductance (Gm) and/or Vm regulation is both common and complex in human spermatozoa and importantly is associated with impaired fertilization capacity when the Vm of cells is completely depolarized

Interview with Thomas L. Pookie Williams - OH 550

In his June 5, 2017 interview with Alex Windham, Pookie Williams detailed his thoughts and memories of his time at the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company referred to locals as the Bleachery. Williams spoke of the time period of the 1950s through 2017 and on the follow topics: Segregation, integration, race relations, plant management, day to day job responsibilities and actions, technology changes, the buyout of the Bleachery by Springs, worker attitudes, the decline of the Bleachery, family, and finally retirement to the year 2017.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/1627/thumbnail.jp

Interview with Gary L. Williams - OH 549

Gary Williams is a local businessman for Rock Hill, through his efforts he has redeveloped the Cotton Factory, and is currently as of 2017 working as a developer for University Center. In the interview he details the process by which he came to move his office to the old Rock Hill Cotton Factory Building and how he has helped in the redevelopment of the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company known as Knowledge Park along the Textile Corridor. He also talked at length about Rock Hill, SC’s development as well.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/1626/thumbnail.jp

Engineered Skeletal Muscle Units for Repair of Volumetric Muscle Loss in the Tibialis Anterior Muscle of a Rat

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is the traumatic, degenerative, or surgical loss of muscle tissue, which may result in function loss and physical deformity. To date, clinical treatments for VML?the reflected muscle flap or transferred muscle graft?are limited by tissue availability and donor site morbidity. To address the need for more innovative skeletal muscle repair options, our laboratory has developed scaffoldless tissue-engineered skeletal muscle units (SMUs), multiphasic tissue constructs composed of engineered skeletal muscle with engineered bone-tendon ends, myotendinous junctions, and entheses, which in vitro can produce force both spontaneously and in response to electrical stimulation. Though phenotypically immature in vitro, we have shown that following 1 week of implantation in an ectopic site, our muscle constructs develop vascularization and innervation, an epimysium-like outer layer of connective tissue, an increase in myosin protein content, formation of myofibers, and increased force production. These findings suggest that our engineered muscle tissue survives implantation and develops the interfaces necessary to advance the phenotype toward adult muscle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of our SMUs to restore muscle tissue to sites of acute VML. Our results indicate that our SMUs continue to mature in vivo with longer recovery times and have the potential to repair VML sites by providing additional muscle fibers to damaged muscles. We conclude from this study that our SMUs have the potential to restore lost tissue volume in cases of acute VML.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140233/1/ten.tea.2014.0060.pd

Manipulating task constraints shapes emergence of herding tendencies in team games performance

The herding phenomenon is observed in nature and has been perceived to be less desirable use of space in impacting overall team play performance. The effective manipulating of rules and task constraints might be able to alter herding tendencies in sport performance. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of altering task constraints on herding tendencies, measured with the use of cluster phase analysis, which has also been used to analyse the synchrony exhibited by performers in invasion games such as professional association football matches. In this study, tracking positional data of individual players in a simulated pass and catch game was undertaken, with no specific verbal instructions provided to participants on how and where to move so that emergent behavioural tendencies could be observed. Data revealed how task constraint manipulations impacted on herding tendencies. Manipulation of task constraints revealed higher levels of clustering tendencies in the herding condition compared to, the non-herding condition. Within the herding condition, between-team synchrony was also strong, especially in the longitudinal direction. Ball possession also seemed to have some impact on within-team synchrony. Findings provided preliminary evidence on how manipulating task constraints can be effective in altering herding tendencies in team games