Positive Effect Research Articles

Development and Validation of a Novel Isotope Dilution-Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Serum C-Peptide.

Mass spectrometry (MS) methods exhibit higher accuracy and comparability in measuring serum C-peptide concentrations than immunoassays. We developed and validated a novel isotope dilution-ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem MS (ID-UPLC-MS/MS) assay to measure serum C-peptide concentrations. Sample pretreatment involved solid-phase extraction, ion-exchange solid-phase extraction, and derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidylcarbamate (Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA). We used an ExionLC UPLC system (Sciex, Framingham, MA, USA) and a Sciex Triple Quad 6500+ MS/MS system (Sciex) for electrospray ionization in positive-ion mode with multiple charge states of [M+3H]3+ and multiple reaction monitoring transitions. The total run time was 50 mins, and the flow rate was 0.20 mL/min. We evaluated the precision, trueness, linearity, lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ), carryover, and matrix effects. Method comparison with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) was performed in 138 clinical specimens. The intra- and inter-run precision coefficients of variation were <5% and the bias values for trueness were <4%, which were all acceptable. The verified linear interval was 0.050-15 ng/mL, and the LLOQ was 0.050 ng/mL. No significant carryover or matrix effects were observed. The correlation between this ID-UPLC-MS/MS method and ECLIA was good (R=0.995, slope=1.564); however, the ECLIA showed a positive bias (51.8%). The developed ID-UPLC-MS/MS assay shows acceptable performance in measuring serum C-peptide concentrations. This will be useful in situations requiring accurate measurement of serum C-peptide in clinical laboratories.

Development and evaluation of a blended learning training programme for pharmacy technicians’ continuing education

ObjectivesThe role of the pharmacy technician (PT) has expanded in recent years, requiring new competencies, better communications skills and high-level knowledge about drugs. The objective of this study is to...

Hematological parameters of lactating cows when use the feed additives Live protein and Tanrem Sh

The purpose of the research was to study the hematological parameters of lactating cows when use the feed additives Live protein and Tanrem Sh. The scientific and economic experiment was carried out at the breeding farm of Razliv LLC in the Kurgan region on 30 matured lactating cows of Blackand- White breed. Animals were selected into groups using the analog method, taking into account age, live weight, calving date, and productivity. The experiment was carried out during 2022–2023. Analyzing changes in individual blood parameters, a tendency towards an increase in erythrocytes in the experimental groups by 14.62–14.82 % was observed, compared to the control group). At the same time,erythrocytes in animals of the experimental groups were more saturated with hemoglobin. For example, if in the control group the hemoglobin content in erythrocytes was at the level of 92.03 g/l, then in the experimental groups its quantity was 101.16–11.44 g/l or 9.92–10.22 % higher. The content of leukocytes in all groups was from 7.55 to 8.19×109/l, with the maximum permissible value of 12.0×109/l. The content of lymphocytes in animals of the experimental and control groups did not have large deviations and was from 4.58 to 5.08×109/l with the norm from 2.5 to 7.5×109/l. Eosinophils are an indicator of allergic processes. Their content was also within the permissible norms and was from 7.50 to 8.90 %. Thus, the inclusion of the additives Live protein and Tanrem Sh in the ration of lactating cows had a positive eff ect on hematological parameters. The increase in the number of erythrocytes with increased hemoglobin saturation compared to the control group indicates more intensive metabolic processes in the animals’ bodies.

Infl uence of the exercise regime on the quality indicators of sperm production in breeding boars

In the pig breeding industry, the quality of sperm obtained from breeding boars plays an important role in the issue of reproduction. The purpose of the research was to investigate the eff ect of exercise regime on the quality indicators of sperm production in breeding boars. The research was carried out at the Tyumensky Pig Complex LLC in the Tyumen Region. For the research 3 groups of boars were formed with 10 heads in each. The control group did not receive exercise, the 1st experimental group received passive exercise, the 2nd experimental group received active exercise. It was found that the rectilinear motility of sperm, which aff ects the fertilizing ability of semen was in the 1st experimental group of boars 87.0 %, which was by 2.8 abs.% higher than in other groups. Also, more sperm doses were obtained from semen with high rectilinear motility with the same volume and concentration indicators In the groups of boars without exercise and with active exercise, 5.7 % of dead sperm were found, which was by 0.8 abs.% more than in the analogs that received passive exercise (p &lt; 0,05). In the 1st experimental group of boars with passive exercise, the lowest percentage of sperm with defects was found, which aff ects the efficiency of insemination and the quality of the off spring. It was found that passive exercise had a more favorable eff ect on the qualitative indicators of sperm of the breeding boars of the 1st experimental group compared to active exercise (2nd experimental group) and its absence (control group). The use of passive exercise regime for breeding boars had a positive eff ect not only on the quantitative indicators of semen, but also on the quality of sperm and can be recommended at the enterprise when housing breeding boars.

Adolescents' trait mindfulness and psychological stress: The mediating role of attention.

Based on the Combined Cognitive Biases Hypothesis, the current study via two parallel studies aims to explore the potential mediating role of attention biases and attention control regarding the link between trait mindfulness and psychological stress in adolescents. For Study 1, we collected self-reported data from 2123 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 15.6 years, SD = 2.37; 52.8% female) in four schools. The participants completed measures of trait mindfulness, perceived stress, and attention bias. Mediation analysis was employed to investigate the potential mediating effect of attention bias. In Study 2, 123 participants (mean age = 17.7 years, SD = 2.68; 41.46% female) completed the attention network task after inducing attention bias. Then, trait mindfulness and perceived stress were measured. Mediation analysis was employed to investigate the potential mediating effect of attention control (alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring) under attention bias. Study 1 demonstrated a significant mediating effect of negative attention bias ([-0.13, -0.07], p < .05) but not positive attention bias in the relationship between trait mindfulness and psychological stress. Study 2 revealed that conflict monitoring in negative attention bias ([-0.41, -0.16], p < .05), rather than alerting and orienting in negative attention bias, showed a significant mediating effect on the association between trait mindfulness and psychological stress. Findings from the two studies suggest that conflict monitoring during negative attention bias may be the underlying mechanism through which trait mindfulness helps mitigate psychological stress in adolescents.

Improving Xenon-129 lung ventilation image SNR with deep-learning based image reconstruction.

To evaluate the feasibility and utility of a deep learning (DL)-based reconstruction for improving the SNR of hyperpolarized 129Xe lung ventilation MRI. 129Xe lung ventilation MRI data acquired from patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were retrospectively reconstructed with a commercial DL reconstruction pipeline at five different denoising levels. Quantitative imaging metrics of lung ventilation including ventilation defect percentage (VDP) and ventilation heterogeneity index (VHI) were compared between each set of DL-reconstructed images and alternative denoising strategies including: filtering, total variation denoising and higher-order singular value decomposition. Structural similarity between the denoised and original images was assessed. In a prospective study, the feasibility of using SNR gains from DL reconstruction to allow natural-abundance xenon MRI was evaluated in healthy volunteers. 129Xe ventilation image SNR was improved with DL reconstruction when compared with conventionally reconstructed images. In patients with asthma and/or COPD, DL-reconstructed images exhibited a slight positive bias in ventilation defect percentage (1.3% at 75% denoising) and ventilation heterogeneity index (˜1.4) when compared with conventionally reconstructed images. Additionally, DL-reconstructed images preserved structural similarity more effectively than data denoised using alternative approaches. DL reconstruction greatly improved image SNR (greater than threefold), to a level that 129Xe ventilation imaging using natural-abundance xenon appears feasible. DL-based image reconstruction significantly improves 129Xe ventilation image SNR, preserves structural similarity, and leads to a minor bias in ventilation metrics that can be attributed to differences in the image sharpness. This tool should help facilitate cost-effective 129Xe ventilation imaging with natural-abundance xenon in the future.

Sample comparison of BÜHLMANN fCAL Turbo and OC-FCa faecal calprotectin methods.

Faecal calprotectin is an inflammatory marker used to triage patients for further investigation with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our current method requires faecal samples be sent to the laboratory, where calprotectin is extracted before analysis. This is a time-consuming, potential bottleneck in the pathway. We have recently evaluated the OC-SENSOR PLEDIA fCAL method that uses the same sampling device as used in some bowel cancer screening and symptomatic colorectal cancer programmes that detect faecal haemoglobin. The below study is a comparison of the OC-FCa method with the BÜHLMANN fCAL Turbo which is used routinely within BSPS. 150 homogenised and 110 non-homogenised faecal samples were loaded into OC-Sampling Bottle 3 and BÜHLMANN CALEX cap sampling devices. The samples were then analysed on their respective systems according to manufacturer's instructions. The OC-FCa assay had a mean positive bias of 67.3% (homogenised) and 88.4% (non-homogenised). Homogenised samples showed substantial agreement between the methods for normal (<50µg/g) and elevated (150+µg/g) risk categories (k = 0.794, k = 0.788, respectively) and moderate agreement for borderline (51-150µg/g) (k = 0.25) according to the current Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Service (BSPS) guidelines. Non-homogenised samples had none to slight agreement for normal and borderline values (k = 0.02 for both) and moderate agreement for elevated (k = 0.596). The OC-FCa method is a viable alternative for faecal calprotectin testing, but requires an adjustment to clinical cut-off values due to the lack of standardisation and strong positive bias. A clinical comparative study is required to assess the impact of patients collecting their own samples into the devices, as this may negate any potential degradation samples may exhibit during transit to the laboratory.

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of Sn-doped indium oxide semiconductor nano-films for thin-film transistors

Sn-doped indium oxide (ITO) semiconductor nano-films are fabricated by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using trimethylindium (TMIn), tetrakis(dimethylamino)tin (TDMASn), and O2plasma as the sources of In, Sn and O, respectively. A shared temperature window of 150 °C- 200 °C is observed for the deposition of ITO nano-films. The introduction of Sn into indium oxide is found to increase the concentration of oxygen into the ITO films and inhibit crystallization. Furthermore, two oxidation states are observed for In and Sn, respectively. With the increment of interfaces of In-O/Sn-O in the ITO films, the relative percentage of In3+ions increases and that of Sn4+decreases, which is generated by interfacial competing reactions. By optimizing the channel component, the In0.77Sn0.23O1.11thin-film transistors (TFTs) demonstrate high performance, includingμFEof 52.7 cm2V-1s-1, and a highION/IOFFof ∼5 × 109. Moreover, the devices show excellent positive bias temperature stress stability at 3 MV cm-1and 85 °C, i.e. a minimalVthshift of 0.017 V after 4 ks stress. This work highlights the successful application of ITO semiconductor nano-films by ALD for TFTs.

Assessing the Tropospheric Temperature and Humidity Simulations in CMIP3/5/6 Models Using the AIRS Obs4MIPs V2.1 Data

AbstractIn this study, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Observations for Model Intercomparison Projects (Obs4MIPs) V2.1 tropospheric air temperature, specific humidity, and relative humidity data are utilized to evaluate the global tropospheric temperature and humidity simulations in the fully coupled global climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases 3, 5, and 6 (CMIP3, CMIP5, and CMIP6), and possible simulation improvement in CMIP6 models in comparison to CMIP3 and CMIP5 models. Our analyses indicate that all three phases of CMIP models share similar tropospheric air temperature, specific humidity, and relative humidity biases in their multi‐model ensemble means relative to AIRS. Cold biases up to 4 K and positive relative humidity biases up to 20% are found in the free troposphere almost globally with maxima over the mid‐latitude storm tracks. Warm biases up to 2 K are seen over the Southern Ocean in the lower troposphere. Positive specific and relative humidity biases exist over the off‐equatorial oceans while negative specific and relative humidity biases are seen near the equator in the tropical free troposphere, which are related to the double‐intertropical convergence zone bias in the models. Both the air temperature and specific humidity biases are important to the relative humidity biases except in the tropical free troposphere where the specific humidity biases dominate. The tropospheric air temperature, specific humidity, and relative humidity biases are reduced from CMIP3 to CMIP5 and to CMIP6 at almost all pressure levels except at 300 hPa for specific humidity and in the boundary layer for relative humidity.

Impacts of Social Media Advertising on Purchase Intention and Customer Loyalty in E-Commerce Systems

The emergence of new technologies has had a noteworthy impact on communication systems, leading to the importance of conducting research in this area due to the significant influence of social media. Marketing operators must implement the necessary infrastructure to identify and fulfill customers' expectations, considering the advantages and the increasing number of users in social networks. This paper presents a comprehensive framework for evaluating the purchase intention of electronic commerce systems, taking into account the impact of social media advertising and customer loyalty. The paper aims to enhance purchase intention in e-commerce through social media advertising and examine influential factors that improve online shopping performance, including social media advertising's effectiveness on customer purchase behavior and brand loyalty. The paper develops a theoretical framework of nine hypotheses to evaluate purchase intention in e-commerce systems, with a focus on the effect of social media advertising on brand loyalty and purchase intention. To validate the proposed model and test the research hypotheses, we make use of information obtained from an international company located in China. The results demonstrate the positive effect of pleasurable motivation on purchase intention, with a significance level of 3.776 and a path coefficient of 0.279. Moreover, an investigation of the positive effect of customer loyalty on the recommended advertisement confirms the hypotheses, with a significance of 32.815 and a path coefficient of 0.788.

WATERHYPERNET: a prototype network of automated in situ measurements of hyperspectral water reflectance for satellite validation and water quality monitoring

This paper describes a prototype network of automated in situ measurements of hyperspectral water reflectance suitable for satellite validation and water quality monitoring. Radiometric validation of satellite-derived water reflectance is essential to ensure that only reliable data, e.g., for estimating water quality parameters such as chlorophyll a concentration, reach end-users. Analysis of the differences between satellite and in situ water reflectance measurements, particularly unmasked outliers, can provide recommendations on where satellite data processing algorithms need to be improved. In a massively multi-mission context, including Newspace constellations, hyperspectral missions and missions with broad spectral bands not designed for “water colour”, the advantage of hyperspectral over multispectral in situ measurements is clear. Two hyperspectral measurement systems, PANTHYR (based on the mature TRIOS/RAMSES radiometer) and HYPSTAR® (a newly designed radiometer), have been integrated here in the WATERHYPERNET network with SI-traceable calibration and characterisation. The systems have common data acquisition protocol, data processing and quality control. The choice of validation site and viewing geometry and installation considerations are described in detail. Three demonstration cases are described: 1. PANTHYR data from two sites are used to validate Sentinel-2/MSI (A&amp;amp;B); 2. HYPSTAR® data at six sites are used to validate Sentinel-3/OLCI (A&amp;amp;B); 3. PANTHYR and HYPSTAR® data in Belgian North Sea waters are used to monitor phytoplankton parameters, including Phaeocystis globosa, over two 5 month periods. Conclusion are drawn regarding the quality of Sentinel-2/MSI and Sentinel-3/OLCI data, including indications where improvements could be made. For example, a positive bias (mean difference) is found for ACOLITE_DSF processing of Sentinel-2 in clear waters (Acqua Alta) and clues are provided on how to improve this processing. The utility of these in situ measurements, even without accompanying hyperspectral satellite data, is demonstrated for phytoplankton monitoring. The future evolution of the WATERHYPERNET network is outlined, including geographical expansion, improvements to hardware reliability and to the measurement method (including uncertainty estimation) and plans for daily distribution of near real-time data.

Performance evaluation and characterization of pre-analytical effects by sample types and storage conditions on tumor marker measurement by the point-of-care test platform IchromaTM II

Tumor markers should be measured regularly and accurately to prevent, diagnose, and monitor cancers efficiently. We aimed to characterize the pre-analytical factors effecting on the analytical performance of point-of-care test (POCT) platform IchromaTM II (Boditech Med Inc., Gangwon-do, Korea) for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and prostate specific antigen (PSA) and evaluate their consequences in clinical practice. Based on comprehensive evaluation for the analytical performance of IchromaTM II including precision, linearity, and method comparison performed according to CLSI guidelines, pre-analytical factors of sample types and conditions were extensively analyzed. A total of five sample types [serum, plasma (PL) and whole blood (WB) from EDTA tube, PL and WB from sodium heparin tube] from 40 patients were used for comparing among specimen types. Additionally, stability was assessed up to 21 h at room temperature, refrigerated for 8 days, and frozen for 16 weeks by using 4 levels of pooled patient samples which were measured in triplicate. Precision, linearity and correlation with central laboratory analyzers observed in all three tumor markers were within acceptable criteria. However, variable degrees of percent deviations were observed according to sample type and storage conditions. Only EDTA PL samples presented clinically acceptable percentage biases for all three tumor markers when stored at room temperature or refrigerated condition. Positive bias of CEA and PSA in storage duration until 16 weeks were observed when stored in frozen condition. While IchromaTM II showed an adequate analytical performance as a POCT platform with simple operating procedures for the measurement of tumor markers, clinical laboratories should be aware of stability issues when different types of blood specimens are practically utilized.

Reliable Operation in High-Mobility Indium Oxide Thin Film Transistors.

Transparent oxide semiconductors (TOSs) based thin-film transistors (TFTs) that exhibit higher field effect mobility (µFE) are highly required toward the realization of next-generation displays. Among numerous types of TOS-TFTs, In2O3-based TFTs are the front-running candidate because they exhibit the highest µFE ≈100cm2V-1s-1. However, the device operation of In2O3 TFTs is unreliable; a large voltage shift occurs especially when negative gate bias is applied due to adsorption/desorption of gas molecules. Although passivation of the TFTs is used to overcome such instability, previously proposed passivation materials do not improve the reliability. Here, it is shown that the In2O3 TFTs passivated with Y2O3 and Er2O3 films are highly reliable and do not show threshold voltage shifts when applying gate bias. Positive and negative gate bias is applied to the In2O3 TFTs passivated with various insulating oxides and found that only the In2O3 TFTs passivated with Y2O3 and Er2O3 films do not exhibit threshold voltage shifts. It is observed that only the Y2O3 grew heteroepitaxially on the In2O3 crystal. This is the origin of the high reliability of the In2O3 TFTs passivated with Y2O3 and Er2O3 films. This finding accelerates the development of next-generation displays using high-mobility In2O3 TFTs.

Social Cognition, Executive Functioning, Mood, and Disability in Cervical Dystonia.

Individuals with idiopathic adult-onset isolated cervical dystonia (CD) may have cognitive difficulties and increased mood challenges. Social cognition and executive functioning may be particularly affected. To explore social cognition and executive functioning performance in individuals with CD, using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), as previous research has used traditional, nondigital neuropsychological assessments. We sought to investigate the relationships between social cognition, executive functioning, mood, and disability in individuals with CD. We recruited 37 individuals with CD, including 26 women with an age range of 33 to 69 years (M = 56.64, SD = 8.31) from a dystonia clinic in a hospital neurology department. The individuals completed selected tasks from the CANTAB measuring social cognition and executive functioning. We compared the individuals' performance with CANTAB normative data. Depression, anxiety, disease severity, and disability were measured. The individuals with CD had significantly lower scores than the CANTAB normative data in both social cognition and executive functioning tasks, with the largest differences evident in problem-solving, attention, and positive emotion bias tasks. Poorer emotion recognition was associated with increased difficulties in problem-solving tasks. The individuals demonstrated a bias toward identifying happiness in facial affect, which was related to a poorer recognition of emotions. Cognitive performance was not related to CD severity or disability or to current mood symptoms. Difficulties with both social cognition and executive functioning were identified in the individuals with CD, and are likely important targets for clinical interventions.

The Effect of Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and Nursing Guide Application on Postoperative Patient Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Study

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nursing guide application (NGA) on patient outcomes in patients followed up according to the modified early warning score (MEWS) in the postoperative period. A randomized controlled clinical trial. The sample of the study consisted of 252 patients who underwent surgical intervention under general anesthesia in a university hospital between July 29, 2022, and October 31, 2022. Results showed that the development of complications was less in the study group (SG) compared to the control group (CG) during anesthesia (P=.027), in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) (P=.017), and in the clinic (P=.001). It was found that the duration of stay in PACU in the CG was significantly shorter than in the study group (P<.001), and as the duration of stay in PACU in CG decreased, the MEWS increased (r=-0.201, P=.024). We found that there were fewer patients transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) after PACU (P=.007), the MEWS was lower, and the number of nursing interventions applied to patients was higher (P<.05). In patients followed up according to MEWS, NGA had a positive effect on preventing the development of complications and shortening the intervention time for complications, decreasing ICUadmission, decreasing MEWS and increasing the number of nursing interventions. Based on the results, it may be recommended to use MEWS+NGA in the early postoperative period as it positively affects patient outcomes.

The Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Neuroprotective Effects of Sativex® - A Cannabis-derived Spray.

Sativex is a cannabis-based medicine that comes in the form of an oromucosal spray. It contains equal amounts of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, two compounds derived from cannabis plants. Sativex has been shown to have positive effects on symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and sleep disorders. It also has analgesic, antiinflammatory, antitumoral, and neuroprotective properties, which make it a potential treatment option for other neurological disorders. The article reviews the results of recent preclinical and clinical studies that support the therapeutic potential of Sativex and the molecular mechanisms behind its neuroprotective benefits in various neurological disorders. The article also discusses the possible advantages and disadvantages of using Sativex as a neurotherapeutic agent, such as its safety, efficacy, availability, and legal status.

Realization of logic gates in bi-directionally coupled nonlinear oscillators.

Implementation of logic gates has been investigated in nonlinear dynamical systems from various perspectives over the years. Specifically, logic gates have been implemented in both single nonlinear systems and coupled nonlinear oscillators. The majority of the works in the literature have been done on the evolution of single oscillators into OR/AND or NOR/NAND logic gates. In the present study, we demonstrate the design of logic gates in bi-directionally coupled double-well Duffing oscillators by applying two logic inputs to the drive system alone along with a fixed bias. The nonlinear system, comprising both bi-directional components, exhibits varied logic behaviors within an optimal range of coupling strength. Both attractive and repulsive couplings yield similar and complementary logic behaviors in the first and second oscillators. These couplings play a major role in exhibiting fundamental and universal logic gates in simple nonlinear systems. Under a positive bias, both the first and second oscillators demonstrate OR logic gate for the attractive coupling, while exhibiting OR and NOR logic gates, respectively, for the repulsive coupling. Conversely, under a negative bias, both the first and second oscillators display AND logic gate for the attractive coupling, and AND and NAND logical outputs for the repulsive coupling. Furthermore, we confirm the robustness of the bi-directional oscillators against moderate noise in maintaining the desired logical outputs.

Evaluation of IMERG and MSG-CPP Precipitation Estimates over Europe Using EURADCLIM: A Gauge-Adjusted European Composite Radar Dataset

Abstract A new pan-European climatological dataset was recently released that has a much higher spatiotemporal resolution than existing pan-European interpolated rain gauge datasets. This radar dataset of hourly precipitation accumulations, European Radar Climatology (EURADCLIM) (Overeem et al.), covers most of continental Europe with a resolution of 2 km × 2 km and is adjusted employing data from potentially thousands of government rain gauges. This study aims to use this dataset to evaluate two important satellite-derived precipitation products over the period 2013–19 at a much higher spatiotemporal resolution than was previously possible at the European scale: the IMERG late run and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) cloud physical property product from the SEVIRI instrument. The latter is only available during daytime, so the analyses are restricted to daytime conditions. A direct gridcell comparison of hourly precipitation reveals an apparently low coefficient of correlation. However, looking into slightly more detail at statistics pertaining to longer time scales or specific areas, the datasets show good correspondence. All datasets are shown to have their specific biases, which can be transient or more systematic, depending on the timing or location. The MSG precipitation seems to have an overall positive bias, and the IMERG dataset suffers from some transient overestimation of certain events.

Discriminative stimulus properties of two training doses of gabapentin in rats: Substitution by pregabalin, diazepam, and pentobarbital.

Gabapentin is used for the treatment of many conditions, including seizures, pain, and anxiety. Increasing reports of nonprescribed use suggest that gabapentin may elicit positive subjective effects. The present study was conducted to examine the subjective effects of gabapentin using rats trained to discriminate either a 30.0 mg/kg or 300.0 mg/kg dose of gabapentin versus vehicle on a two-choice drug discrimination task. Both doses of gabapentin were established as discriminative stimuli, and the 300.0 mg/kg dose was more readily established compared to the 30.0 mg/kg dose. Full substitution (> 80% gabapentin-lever responding) occurred by the training drug and by the gabapentinoid compound pregabalin. Partial substitution (> 20% gabapentin-lever responding) was shown by the opioid compounds morphine and fentanyl, and dose combinations of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone with the gabapentin training doses reduced the percentage of gabapentin-lever responding to below 80%. Partial substitution for both training doses of gabapentin occurred with the cannabinoid Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol. The barbiturate compound pentobarbital and the benzodiazepine compound diazepam were only tested for substitution for the 300.0 mg/kg dose of gabapentin and these compounds produced full substitution. These findings demonstrate that gabapentin establishes a robust discriminative cue and exhibits stimulus effects closely similar to pregabalin, pentobarbital, and diazepam. Since pregabalin, pentobarbital, and diazepam carry a risk of problematic use and are classified as controlled substances, further evaluations of gabapentin's risks in this regard are warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of surface functionalization on the quantum capacitance of M2CF2 (M = Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo) as supercapacitor electrodes

The surface charge storage capacity, atomic structures, and quantum capacitance of M2CF2 (M=Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo) are investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The influence of different surface functionalization methods on the capacitance performance of M2CF2 is also examined, including the introduction of vacancy defects (C-, F-, M-vacancy) and nonmetal doping (N, O, and S). The findings show that both defects and doping reduce the quantum capacitance of V2CF2, Cr2CF2, and Mo2CF2, but they have a negligible impact on the capacitance behavior of Ti2CF2, Zr2CF2 and Nb2CF2. Furthermore, the pristine Cr2CF2 system exhibits relatively high quantum capacitance and surface charge storage capacity under both positive and negative bias. However, the presence of vacancies and dopants significantly decreases its capacitance. Among the structures studied, pristine and nonmetal-doped V2CF2 demonstrate the highest quantum capacitance values (1302.02–1517.56 μF/cm2), suggesting its potential as an effective positive electrode material. Overall, the findings of this study are expected to boost the development of high-capacitance electrodes in the future.