Restricted Schedule Research Articles

A comparative analysis of partial sleep restriction versus split sleep regimen on cognitive processing, declarative memory, and affective behaviour in nursing students

Objectives: Sleep plays a regulatory role in functions such as abstraction, fluid intelligence, and declarative memory. This research seeks to assess the influence of two sleep restriction schedules—partial nocturnal sleep restriction and a split sleep (SS) regimen—on fluid intelligence and various memory functions (including encoding, consolidation, and retrieval) in shift-working nurses. Materials and Methods: The research involved 46 4th-year nursing students (23 males and 23 females) assigned to night duties, categorised into two groups: Partial sleep restriction (5 h of night sleep with 4 h of daytime recovery sleep) and SS (5 h of night sleep with 1.5 h of an afternoon nap and recovery sleep of 2.5 h following the tests). Instruments such as the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Karolinska sleepiness scale (KSS), and Raven’s Progressive Matrices were utilised to evaluate sleep quality, sleepiness levels, overall mood, benefits of daytime naps, and fluid intelligence. Memory-related activities comprised a picture-encoding task and a factual knowledge task, evaluated through subjective assessments and two alternative choice questions. Results: The PSQI global scores highlighted notable differences, with female nursing students in the partial sleep group scoring lower (9 ± 2.311) than their counterparts in the SS group (5 ± 1.09). Sleepiness, gauged by the KSSKSS score, was higher in the partial sleep group (7 ± 3.2) compared to female nursing students in the SS regimen (5 ± 5.8). Results from Raven’s progressive matrices pointed to delayed abstraction in the partial sleep restriction group (9.31 ± 6.24) in contrast to the SS group (9.01 ± 5.59), indicating poorer performance in visual attentive tasks. Positive and negative affect schedule scores unveiled heightened negativity in mood due to sleep restriction in the partial sleep group, with less hostility observed in those with an afternoon nap, albeit not reaching statistical significance. Positive moods exhibited fluctuation, with attentiveness declining in the partial sleep group. The study affirmed the advantages of a daytime nap on long-term memory. Female nurses in the SS regimen displayed statistically significant picture encoding accuracy (78 ± 3.65) with faster reaction times (2 ± 6.37) compared to the partial sleep group. Males in the SS regimen recorded a higher percentage of hits (88 ± 5.16). Learning sessions at 3 pm, coinciding with the circadian dip, affected the partial sleep groups, whereas the nap mitigated such effects for the SS group. Allowing a 1.5-h afternoon nap synchronised with the circadian dip enhanced memory in the SS group. Conclusion: By comparing partial nocturnal sleep restriction and a SS regimen, this study unveils their distinct effects on fluid intelligence and memory processes among shift-working nurses. The results provide valuable insights into the degree of dependence of basic cortical functions on sleep for healthcare professionals navigating demanding schedules, underscoring the significance of accounting for both nocturnal sleep duration and daytime naps to optimise cognitive performance.

НАПРЯМИ ОНОВЛЕННЯ ІНСТРУМЕНТІВ МАРКЕТИНГУ РЕСТОРАННИХ ЗАКЛАДІВ З УРАХУВАННЯМ СВІТОВИХ ТА НАЦІОНАЛЬНИХ ТЕНДЕНЦІЙ РОЗВИТКУ

The influence of macroeconomic factors such as war, labor shortages, inflation, rising energy prices and shortages, and work schedule restrictions, coupled with high competition in the restaurant market, declining revenues due to customer redistribution, and the need to follow global gastronomic trends, present challenges for all market participants. These factors require them to quickly adapt their marketing tools to changes in the marketing environment. The purpose of this article is to explore the features of restaurant marketing in terms of developing its tools and technologies in line with current market trends and the development tendencies of the national and global restaurant business. The object of the study is the marketing activities and tools used by restaurant establishments. Methods employed in the research include desk analysis and case study methods, as well as methods of analysis, synthesis, logical generalization, and the generalization of national and global experiences. The research hypothesis suggests that domestic restaurant establishments must update their marketing tools due to the significant impact of global trends in gastronomy, technology, and consumer behavior on the Ukrainian restaurant market. Main Content. The marketing activities of restaurant establishments are aimed at creating unique offerings, expanding the formats of establishments, enhancing the prestige of personnel, and developing customer experience. Special attention is given to branding, the role of the chef, new formats of establishments, and their concepts, which define competitiveness and demonstrate the potential for meeting the growing needs of modern consumers. The authors analyze the impact of marketing strategies on customer retention, emphasizing the importance of focusing on consumer value and maintaining continuous feedback with clients. The article also highlights that modern restaurateurs must adapt to digital marketing tools, social and ethical marketing, and new concepts that form a unique restaurant product. The authors note the integration of the Ukrainian restaurant market with global gastronomic trends, while stressing the importance of considering national peculiarities. Popular concepts, such as eco-responsibility, healthy eating, plant-based food, local and organic products, new customer interaction methods, innovative service formats, and others, are discussed. Originality and Practical Significance of the Study. Through a detailed analysis of current trends and the specifics of restaurant marketing, the article offers practical recommendations for restaurateurs on adapting marketing tools to a changing market environment. Conclusions and further research.. The marketing activities of restaurant establishments should focus on social-ethical and partnership concepts, which will help build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers and partners, foster trust-based loyalty, and ensure stable growth in the post-war period. Given changes in consumer preferences, the importance of sustainable development, and social responsibility, it is advisable for restaurants to adapt their strategies to meet new customer expectations. The development of innovative marketing strategies and the implementation of new marketing tools are critical for building long-term relationships between restaurant establishments and their clients and partners in a rapidly changing market environment, high competition, and social uncertainty. The findings of this study may serve as a basis for future academic developments in marketing and management practices in the restaurant business.

Effects of the Federal Government's Move to Reschedule Cannabis: A Commentary.

The rescheduling of cannabis, from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), current most restrictive (Schedule 1) designation, would be an important step for cannabis research and researchers. We are researchers who have experience with cannabis research in pre-clinical, clinical, and policy domains, who represent a range of social science disciplines (e.g., Psychology, History). In this commentary, we share our perspectives on the history, policies, challenges and benefits of moving cannabis from the current Schedule 1 designation (similar to heroin) to the less restrictive Schedule III (similar to ketamine). The rescheduling has the potential to contribute in multiple ways to research on cannabis' effects on the brain and behavior, policies for regulating medicinal and recreational use, and the use of cannabis to treat health conditions such as chronic pain. While there is scientific evidence to support this rescheduling, there also are challenges and pushback for keeping the regulations as they currently exist. Although "the devil is in the details," we present our reasons to advocate for improving access to cannabis for research.

Single machine scheduling with the total weighted late work and rejection cost

AbstractWe study a single machine scheduling problem with the total weighted late work and the total rejection cost. The late work of a job is the part of this job executed after its due date, and the rejection cost of a job is the fee of rejecting to process it. We consider a Pareto scheduling and two restricted scheduling problems. The Pareto scheduling problem aims to find all non‐dominated values of the total weighted late work and the total rejection cost. The restricted scheduling problems are dedicated to minimizing the total weighted late work with the total rejection cost not greater than a given threshold, and minimizing the total rejection cost with the total weighted late work not greater than a given threshold, respectively. For the Pareto scheduling problem, we prove that it is binary NP‐hard by providing a pseudo‐polynomial time algorithm, and give a fully polynomial time approximation scheme (FPTAS). For the restricted scheduling problems, we prove that there are no FPTASes unless , which answers an open problem. Moreover, we develop relaxed FPTASes for these two restricted scheduling problems.

Early protein restriction in rats induces anhedonia in adult offspring: A key role of BDNF-TrkB signaling in the nucleus accumbens shell

Clinical evidence suggests that early malnutrition promotes symptoms related to psychiatric disorders later in life. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underpinning nutritional injury induce depression remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether perinatal protein restriction increases vulnerability to developing depressive-like behavior in adulthood by focusing on anhedonia, a core symptom of depression. To this, male adult Wistar rats submitted to a protein restriction schedule at perinatal age (PR-rats), were subjected to the sucrose preference test (SPT), the novel object recognition test (NORT), the forced swim test (FST), and the elevated plus maze (EPM), and compared to animals fed with a normoprotein diet. To investigate neurobiological substrates linked to early protein undernutrition-facilitated depressive-like behavior, we assessed the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and evaluated the reversal of anhedonic-like behavior by infusing ANA-12. We found that early malnutrition decreased sucrose preference, impaired performance in the NORT and increased immobility time in the FST. Furthermore, perinatal protein-restriction-induced anhedonia correlated with increased BDNF and p-TrkB protein levels in the NAc, a core structure in the reward circuit linked with anhedonia. Finally, bilateral infusion of the TrkB antagonist ANA-12 into the NAc shell ameliorated a reduced sucrose preference in the PR-rats.Altogether, these findings revealed that protein restriction during pregnancy and lactation facilitates depressive-like behavior later in life and may increase the risk of developing anhedonia by altering BDNF-TrkB in the NAc shell.

The impact of more restrictive hydrocodone rescheduling on unintentional pediatric opioid exposures.

To evaluate the impact of rescheduling hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) from schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act to the more restrictive schedule II on unintentional pediatric exposures (≤5 years old). Using U.S. data on outpatient retail pharmacy dispensing, emergency department (ED) visits, and poison center (PC) exposure cases, we assessed trends in prescriptions dispensed and unintentional pediatric exposure cases involving hydrocodone (rescheduled from III to II) compared to oxycodone (schedule II) and codeine (schedule III for combination products) using descriptive and interrupted time-series (ITS) analyses during the 16 quarters before and after the October 2014 rescheduling of HCPs. Dispensing of hydrocodone products was declining before rescheduling but declined more steeply post-rescheduling. In ITS analyses, both hydrocodone and oxycodone had significant slope decreases in PC case rates in the post versus pre-period that was larger for hydrocodone, while codeine had a small but significant slope increase in PC case rates. An estimated 4202 ED visits for pediatric hydrocodone exposures occurred in the pre-period and 2090 visits occurred in the post-period, a significant decrease of 50.3%. Oxycodone exposures showed no significant decrease. Pediatric hydrocodone unintentional exposure ED visits and PC cases decreased after HCP rescheduling more than would be expected had the pre-rescheduling trend continued; the acceleration in the decrease in hydrocodone PC cases was partially offset by a slowing in the decrease in codeine-involved cases. The trend changes were likely due to multiple factors, including changes in dispensing that followed the rescheduling. Unintentional pediatric medication exposures and poisonings remain a public health concern requiring ongoing, multifaceted mitigation efforts.

Replacing the Scalpel With a Computer Mouse: An Evaluation of Time Spent on Electronic Health Record for Plastic Surgery Residents and Its Impact on Resident Training.

Following the integration of the electronic health record (EHR) into the healthcare system, concern has grown regarding EHR use on physician well-being. For surgical residents, time spent on the EHR increases the burden of a demanding, hourly restricted schedule and detracts from time spent honing surgical skills. To better characterize these burdens, we sought to describe EHR utilization patterns for plastic surgery residents. Integrated plastic surgery resident EHR utilization from March 2019 to March 2020 was extracted via Cerner Analytics at a tertiary academic medical center. Time spent in the EHR on-duty (0600-1759) and off-duty (1800-0559) in the form of chart review, orders, documentation, and patient discovery was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed in the form of independent t tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Twelve plastic surgery residents spent a daily average of 94 ± 84 minutes on the EHR, one-third of which was spent off-duty. Juniors (postgraduate years 1-3) spent 123 ± 99 minutes versus seniors (postgraduate years 4-6) who spent 61 ± 49 minutes (P < 0.01). Seniors spent 19% of time on the EHR off-duty, compared with 37% for juniors (P < 0.01). Chart review comprised the majority (42%) of EHR usage, followed by patient discovery (22%), orders (14%), documentation (12%), other (6%), and messaging (1%). Seniors spent more time on patient discovery (25% vs 21%, P < 0.001), while juniors spent more time performing chart review (48% vs 36%, P = 0.19). Integrated plastic surgery residents average 1.5 hours on the EHR daily. Junior residents spend 1 hour more per day on the EHR, including more time off-duty and more time performing chart review. These added hours may play a role in duty hour violations and detract from obtaining operative skill sets.

Визначення граничних величин споживання електричної енергії засобами оптимізаційного моделювання

In the heating season of 2022/2023, as a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation and targeted attacks on electric power facilities, a significant shortage of electric energy occurred in the Integrated power system of Ukraine. Restriction schedules and emergency disconnection of consumers were forcibly applied. In the conditions of such an unprecedented violation of the security of electricity supply, the problem of determining the limit values of electric energy and power consumption has gained new relevance for the electricity market participants. In this study, the problem of determining the optimal limit values of electricity consumption based on the criterion of maximum income from its sale to three groups of consumers was set and solved: "Critical infrastructure", "Households" and "Non-household consumers". The formation of the three specified groups is related to price discrimination in the electricity market and the need to supply critical infrastructure facilities without limits. The decision variables in the optimization model are proposed to be specified in fractions of the provision of electrical energy needs (unit fractions), which allows for establishing equal conditions regarding restrictions for all distribution system operators. To take into account the social significance of electric energy as a commodity, an additional constraint was included to the basic optimization model: the lower limit of the decision variable for the "Households" group. Approbation of the proposed optimization model was carried out using spreadsheet modeling in MS Excel on reported data on the results of electrical load measurements on regime days. The results of computational experiments are presented for the conditions of different values of the deficit of electric energy in the Integrated power system of Ukraine and different values of the additional constraint for the «Households» group, in particular, quantitative estimates of the consequences of the included constraints for the functioning of the electricity market. The proposed method of determining the limit values of electric energy consumption allows to formalize the procedure for decision-making according to predetermined rules and thereby achieve a fair distribution of limited resources. Keywords: electric energy consumption, shortage, limit value, optimization modelling, spreadsheet model.

Challenges of Digital Education in India

During this pandemic situation across the world, the education system has completely changed. The internet and distant learning, which is commonly referred to as online instruction, are important components of the country's educational architecture. It is undeniable that online education provides sufficient benefits to young children. When all is said and done, there are numerous disadvantages to online education. The few disadvantages of online schooling are restricted cooperative learning, schedule expansion, and exertion. But considering the situation across the world we should move. Under consideration of problems discussing some suggestions for solving the problems caused. The main objective of this review is about electricity, network and conceptual understanding problems of students by digital education and how the system changed by this pandemic.

Determinants of Coffee Marketing: The Case of Coffee Growers and Suppliers in Kafa Zone, Ethiopia

Coffee is the most important cash crop commodity to the Ethiopian economy. About 15 million peoples have been directly or indirectly deriving their livelihoods from coffee product. The coffee marketing chain in Ethiopia is weak in terms of linkages with industry, agro processing and value-addition downstream of farms, provision of farm inputs upstream, and poor post-harvest operations, storage, distribution and logistics. This has resulted in poor performance of the sector mainly on the targets of export earnings that the government has planned to attain. This study aims at examining the basic factors that determine coffee marketing on growers and suppliers in Keffa Zone Gimbo woreda. Purposive and two stage random sampling technique were used and the data was collected from 78 coffee producers and supplier. The data collection tools used for the study were interview and observation on the determinants of coffee marketing in the coffee producers as well as coffee suppliers in the study area. Tobit regression was used to identify the main determinants of coffee marketing and to identify the extent of each factor on coffee producer and supplier. The result indicates expansion of illegal trade was significantly hinder the coffee market participation and reduce the amount of coffee supplied to the market. On the other hand access to market, training access, transportation access, farming experience and land size allotted to coffee production was found positive and significant. In addition restricted time schedule to buy and sell coffee product was also discourage the coffee marketing. Restricted time schedule sometimes resulted in oversupply of coffee product and low market price. Therefore, all responsible bodies like federal and regional government, kaffa zone, traders, investors, ECX, NGOs etc. should work together in order to make the society beneficiary from marketing of coffee.

Solving Restricted Preemptive Scheduling on Parallel Machines with SAT and PMS

Restricted preemption plays a crucial role in reducing total completion time while controlling preemption overhead. A typical version of restricted preemptive models is k-restricted preemptive scheduling, where preemption is only allowed after a task has been continuously processed for at least k units of time. Though solving this problem of minimizing the makespan on parallel machines is NP-hard in general, it is of vital importance to obtain the optimal solution for small-sized problems, as well as for evaluation of heuristics. This paper proposes optimal strategies to the aforementioned problem. Motivated by the dramatic speed-up of Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) solvers, we make the first step towards a study of applying a SAT solver to the k-restricted scheduling problem. We set out to encode the scheduling problem into propositional Boolean logic and determine the optimal makespan by repeatedly calling an off-the-shelf SAT solver. Moreover, we move one step further by encoding the problem into Partial Maximum Satisfiability (PMS), which is an optimized version of SAT, so that the explicit successive calls of the solver can be eliminated. The optimal makespan of the problem and the performance of the proposed methods are studied experimentally. Furthermore, an existing heuristic algorithm is evaluated by the optimization methods.

Editorial

Dear Readers,&amp;nbsp; It gives me great pleasure to announce the eighth regular issue of 2023. In this issue, five papers by 24 authors from nine countries cover various topical aspects of computer science. In an ongoing effort to further strengthen our journal, I would like to expand the editorial board: If you are a tenured associate professor or above with a strong publication record, you are welcome to apply to join our editorial board. We are also interested in high-quality proposals for special issues on new topics and trends.&amp;nbsp; As always, I would like to thank all the authors for their sound research and the editorial board for their extremely valuable review effort and suggestions for improvements. These contributions, together with the generous support of the consortium members, sustain the quality of our journal.&amp;nbsp; As we want to secure the financial support also for the years to come, we are looking for institutions and libraries to financially support our diamond open access journal as consortium members, who will then benefit from the research community, international visibility, and the opportunity to manage special issues and focused topics within the journal. Please think about the possibility of such financial participation of your institution, we would be very grateful for any kind of support.&amp;nbsp; In this regular issue, I am very pleased to introduce the following 5 accepted articles: In a collaborative research effort between Jordan and Qatar, Ahmad Abusukhon, Ala Al-Fuqaha and Belal Hawashin present their technique for detecting underground water pipeline leakage based on an Internet of Things approach. In another collaboration between researchers from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ani Grubi&amp;scaron;i&amp;#263;, Slavomir Stankov, Branko &amp;#381;itko, Ines &amp;Scaron;ari&amp;#263;-Grgi&amp;#263;, Angelina Ga&amp;scaron;par, Emil Brajkovi&amp;#263;, and Daniel Vasi&amp;#263; describe and evaluate the performance of a semiautomatic authoring tool for knowledge extraction in the AC&amp;NL Tutor and discuss strengths and weaknesses. Also in a collaboration between researchers from the United States and United Arab Emirates, Longhao Li, Taieb Znati, and Rami Melhem propose an energy-aware fault-tolerance model for silent error detection and mitigation in heterogeneous extreme-scale computing environments, referred to diffReplication, which is associated with one replica that executes at the same rate as the main process, and one diffReplica that is executed at a fraction of the execution rate of the main process. In a collaboration between researchers form China and Japan, Xiaojuan Liao, Hui Zhang, Miyuki Koshimura, Rong Huang, and Fagen Li propose in their paper an optimized strategy for solving restricted preemptive scheduling on parallel machines applying Partial Maximum Satisfiability (PMS), an optimized version of a Boolean Satisfiability (SAT) solver. Finally, in a collaboration between researchers from South Korea and the USA, Jaeyoung Yang, Sooin Kim, Sangwoo&amp;nbsp;Lee, Won-gyum Kim, Donghoon Kim, and Doosung Hwang aim in their paper to establish a binary classification method for distinguishing copyrighted and noncopyrighted images by introducing a deep hashing model for an image authentication system, which uses deep learning-based perceptual hashing.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy Reading!&amp;nbsp; Cordially, Christian G&amp;uuml;tl, Managing Editor&amp;nbsp;

A Review on Remote Sensing as a Tool for Irrigation Monitoring and Management

Remote sensing has played a vital role in advancement of agriculture and is effective technical method for agriculture crop management. It is a technology which acquisite information regarding objects on earth surface as well as atmosphere from a distance without being in contact with the object. Researchers have proved its high potential with accuracy in the field of agriculture. After various experiments, the qualitative and quantitative assessment of soil, crop and atmosphere demonstrated the better understanding between the crop and its management practices. The collected spatial and temporal data via various passive and active sensors has been utilized not only for morphological study but also for monitoring the vegetation moisture content. The paper reviews about the potential studies carried out to investigate the water content in plant to make use in irrigation management. Diverse spectral reflectance indices have been mentioned from which special emphasis on NDWI has been given. It is an index which is used in remote sensing to assess the crop water status and can be utilized in efficient operation of irrigation to improve water use efficiency (WUE) in agriculture. In order to make irrigation practices more efficient by making the lab restricted irrigation scheduling methods like IW:CPE method applicable in regular practice by using remote sensing. This paper firstly identifies areas where researches and techniques have real-world application. Next, it identifies actual issues that remote sensing could address and solve with further research and its related development. All opportunities for managing agricultural water resources effectively to be explored and made successful through precision agriculture. Using the fast, impartial and reliable information offered by remote sensing is a significant difficulty in the field of water resource management.

Vessel scheduling model with resource restriction considerations for restricted channel in ports

Restricted channels differ from ordinary channels because of their external environmental factors; they have many restrictions on vessel scheduling. In particular, for ports with restricted channels and harbor basins, these restrictions affect the safety and efficiency of vessel scheduling, resulting in traffic congestion and causing long delays and waiting times for vessels. Therefore, in this study, we use a mathematical optimization model to optimize vessel scheduling in ports with restricted channel to reduce vessel waiting time, improve vessel transportation efficiency, and ensure transportation safety. We simultaneously considered constraints such as complex navigation rules of restricted channel and scheduling resources to develop the mathematical optimization model. An elite selection genetic algorithm (e-GA) with the vessel service sequence as the code is proposed to solve the optimization model. Finally, using the optimization model, a customized model of the Port of Huanghua was developed based on the actual layout and rules of the port and case studies were conducted. The research results prove the rationality and reliability of the proposed optimization model as well as the effectiveness of e-GA and provide basic theoretical support for expanding this research direction. The results show that compared with the traditional first come first service (FCFS) strategy, the optimization model and e-GA can yield better auxiliary decision making for vessel scheduling in restricted channel and have practical significance.

Adherence to Different Treatment Modalities among Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis

End Stage Renal Disease is a well-known global public health problem. Maintenance hemodialysis is considered a life-saving treatment for patients with such disease. This treatment method that requires patients to be adherent to hemodialysis attendance, dietary and fluid recommendations as well as adherence to prescribed medications to ensure success. The aim of the current study was to assess adherence, perception, and counseling among hemodialysis patients to different modalities of treatment (fluid restriction, dietary recommendations, medications, and hemodialysis schedules). A cross-sectional study carried out on hemodialysis patients who attended to the dialysis centers at al- Karama teaching hospital and Madinat Al- Imamain Al- Kadhimain teaching hospital. The Arabic version of the “ end stage renal disease-adherence questionnaire ” was used in assessing adherence, perception, and counseling. The number of recruited patients were 200 adult patients (113 men and 87 women). The average of the total adherence score lies within the moderate adherence (984.9 ±174.2). Patients adherence to the hemodialysis session was good as representing by high scores of adherence for (hemodialysis-attendance, episode of hemodialysis-shortening and duration of hemodialysis-shortening) while the lowest adherence score (126.0 out of 200) was for following the fluid restriction. In terms of adherence categories, the majority (61%) of the patients had good adherence, 33.0% had moderate adherence with 6% had poor adherence. Age had significant positive association with the total adherence score. All patients perceived their hemodialysis management as highly/very important. On the other hand, some patients perceived their adherence to the recommended diet as moderately (7%) or less important (7%). Regarding the frequency of counseling received by patients for different treatment modalities. The negative answers represented 58.5% of answers about the how important is to follow a proper diet, and 25.0% of answers about the importance of taking prescribed medications as ordered. Accordingly, the overall adherence of hemodialysis patients to different treatment modalities was less than optimum with fluid and diet adherence representing most challenging tasks in the health care of hemodialysis patients.

Sleep Deprivation Does Not Influence Photic Resetting of Circadian Activity Rhythms in Drosophila

Previous investigations in humans and rodent animal models have assessed the interplay of sleep in the circadian system’s phase responses to nighttime light exposure. The resulting data have been mixed, but generally support a modulatory role for sleep in circadian photic resetting (not an absolute requirement). Drosophila have been historically used to provide important insights in the sleep and circadian sciences. However, no experiments to date have evaluated how immediate sleep need or recent sleep history affects their pacemaker’s phase readjustments to light. We did so in the current study by (1) forcing separate groups of animals to stay awake for 1 or 4 h after they were shown a broadspectrum pulse (15 min during the first half of the night, 950 lux), or (2) placing them on a restricted sleep schedule for a week before light presentation without any subsequent sleep disruption. Forced sleep restriction, whether acute or chronic, did not alter the size of light-induced phase shifts. These data are consistent with observations made in other diurnal animals and raise the possibility, more broadly, that phototherapies applied during sleep—such as may be necessary during the winter months—may still be efficacious in individuals experiencing sleep-continuity problems such as insomnia.

Behavioral, Hormonal, and Serotonergic Responses to Different Restricted Feeding Schedules in Rats.

To determine the effect of long-term restricted feeding schedules on behavior, serotonergic responses, and neuro-endocrine functions, metabolism of serotonin (5-HT) in the striatum, expression of serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) auto-receptor in the raphe nuclei and circulating levels of leptin and corticosterone were determined in female Wistar rats kept on excessive food restriction schedule. Due to a role of dietary deficiency of tryptophan (Trp) in influencing serotonergic neurotransmission, circulating levels of Trp were also determined. Estimations were done in 2 different restricted feeding models: time-restricted feeding (TRF) and diet restricted (DR). TRF animals were given access to food ad libitum only for 2 hours/day. The DR animals were given a small calculated amount of food each day. We found that chronic food restriction for 5 weeks cause a significant decrease in the body weight and produced hyperactivity in both, TRF and DR animals. Levels of Trp were declined in circulation and in the striatum. Similarly, the levels of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were decreased in the striatum. Also, the expression of 5-HT1A auto-receptor was declined in the raphe nuclei. These changes in 5-HT metabolism and 5-HT1A auto-receptor expression were more profound in DR animals as compare to TRF animals. Similarly, hypoleptinemia and increased corticosterone found in both models was higher in DR animals. Effect of dietary deficiency of Trp in the modulation of striatal 5-HT metabolism and its consequences on circulating leptin and corticosterone are discussed.

Network Design Problem to Optimize Traffic Restriction Schedule for Long-Term Road Facility Rehabilitation

Network Design Problem to Optimize Traffic Restriction Schedule for Long-Term Road Facility Rehabilitation

A Long-Term Energy-Rich Diet Increases Prefrontal BDNF in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Findings of the effect of high-fat feeding including “Cafeteria Diets” (CAF) on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in rodents are conflicting. CAF is a non-standardized, highly palatable energy-rich diet composed by everyday food items for human consumption and is known to induce metabolic syndrome and obesity in rats. However, the highly palatable nature of CAF may counteract a negative effect of chronic stress on anticipatory behavior and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, hence represent a confounding factor (e.g., when evaluating functional effects on the brain). This study investigated the effects of a chronic, restricted access to CAF on BDNF, monoamine neurotransmitters, and redox imbalance in HIP and PFC in male rats. Our results show that CAF induced BDNF and its receptor TrkB in PFC compared to the controls (p < 0.0005). No differences in monoamine neurotransmitters were detected in either PFC or HIP. CAF increased dehydroascorbic acid and decreased malondialdehyde in PFC (p < 0.05), suggesting an early redox imbalance insufficient to induce lipid peroxidation. This study supports that a chronic CAF on a restricted schedule increases BDNF levels in the PFC of rats, highlighting that this may be a suboptimal feeding regime when investigating the effects of diet-induced obesity in the brain and emphasizing this as a point of attention when comparing the findings.

Three Water Restriction Schedules Used in Rodent Behavioral Tasks Transiently Impair Growth and Differentially Evoke a Stress Hormone Response without Causing Dehydration

Water restriction is commonly used to motivate rodents to perform behavioral tasks; however, its effects on hydration and stress hormone levels are unknown. Here, we report daily body weight and bi-weekly packed red blood cell volume and corticosterone (CORT) in adult male rats across 80 days for three commonly used water restriction schedules. We also assessed renal adaptation to water restriction using postmortem histologic evaluation of renal medulla. A control group received ad libitum water. After one week of water restriction, rats on all restriction schedules resumed similar levels of growth relative to the control group. Normal hydration was observed, and water restriction did not drive renal adaptation. An intermittent restriction schedule was associated with an increase in CORT relative to the control group. However, intermittent restriction evokes a stress response which could affect behavioral and neurobiological results. Our results also suggest that stable motivation in behavioral tasks may only be achieved after one week of restriction.