Data Consistent (data + consistent)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Analyses of second-generation ,legal highs' in the UK: Initial findings

DRUG TESTING AND ANALYSIS, Issue 8 2010
Simon D. Brandt
Abstract In the UK, mephedrone and other so-called ,legal high' derivatives have recently been classified as Class B, Schedule I under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Since then, alternative products have been advertised on a number of websites. In order to obtain an immediate snapshot of the situation, 24 products were purchased online from 18 UK-based websites over a period of 6 weeks following the ban in April 2010. Qualitative analyses were carried out by gas chromatography ion trap mass spectrometry using electron- and chemical ionization modes, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and comparison with reference standards. Overall, the purchased products consisted of single cathinones or cathinone mixtures including mephedrone, butylone, 4-methyl- N -ethylcathinone, flephedrone (4-fluoromethcathinone) and MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone), respectively. Benzocaine, caffeine, lidocaine, and procaine were also detected. The emphasis was placed on ,Energy 1' (NRG-1), a product advertised as a legal replacement for mephedrone-type derivatives usually claiming to contain naphyrone (naphthylpyrovalerone, O-2482). It was found that 70% of NRG-1 and NRG-2 products appeared to contain a mixture of cathinones banned in April 2010 and rebranded as ,new' legal highs, rather than legal chemicals such as naphyrone as claimed by the retailers. Only one out of 13 NRG-1 samples appeared to show analytical data consistent with naphyrone. These findings also suggest that both consumers and online sellers (unlike manufacturers and wholesalers) are, most likely unknowingly, confronted with the risk of criminalization and potential harm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Neuroanatomical specificity in the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos following expression of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviour in Japanese quail

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 7 2006
M. Taziaux
Abstract We investigated the neural sites related to the occurrence of appetitive (ASB) and consummatory (CSB) aspects of male sexual behaviour in Japanese quail. Castrated males treated with testosterone were exposed for 5 min to one of four experimental conditions: (i) free interaction with a female (CSB group); (ii) expression of rhythmic cloacal sphincter movements in response to the visual presentation of a female (ASB-F group); (iii) or a male (ASB-M group), and (iv) handling as a control manipulation. Brains were collected 90 min after the start of behavioural tests and stained by immunocytochemistry for the FOS protein. An increase in FOS expression was observed throughout the rostro-caudal extent of the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) in CSB males, whereas the view of a female (ASB-F) induced an increased FOS expression in the rostral POM only. In the CSB group, there was also an increase in FOS expression in the bed nucleus striae terminalis, and both the CSB and ASB-F groups exhibited increased FOS expression in aspects of the ventro-lateral thalamus (VLT) related to visual processing. Moreover, both the CSB and ASB-M groups showed increased FOS expression in the lateral septum. These data provide additional support to the idea that there is a partial anatomical dissociation between structures involved in the control of both aspects of male sexual behaviour and independently provide data consistent with a previous lesion study that indicated that the rostral and caudal POM differentially control the expression of ASB and CSB in quail. [source]


The H, luminosity function and star formation rate up to z , 1

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2002
L. Tresse
Abstract We describe ISAAC/ESO-VLT observations of the H,,6563 Balmer line of 33 field galaxies from the Canada,France Redshift Survey (CFRS) with redshifts selected between 0.5 and 1.1. We detect H, in emission in 30 galaxies and compare the properties of this sample with the low-redshift sample of CFRS galaxies at z, 0.2. We find that the H, luminosity, L(H,), is tightly correlated to M(BAB) in the same way for both the low- and high-redshift samples. L(H,) is also correlated to L([O ii],3727), and again the relation appears to be similar at low and high redshifts. The ratio L(lsqb;O ii])/L(H,) decreases for brighter galaxies by as much as a factor of 2 on average. Derived from the H, luminosity function, the comoving H, luminosity density increases by a factor 12 from ,z,= 0.2 to ,z,= 1.3. Our results confirm a strong rise of the star formation rate (SFR) at z < 1.3, proportional to (1 +z)4.1±0.3 (with H0= 50 km s,1 Mpc,1, q0= 0.5). We find an average SFR(2800 Å)/SFR (H,) ratio of 3.2 using the Kennicutt SFR transformations. This corresponds to the dust correction that is required to make the near-ultraviolet data consistent with the reddening-corrected H, data within the self-contained, I -selected CFRS sample. [source]


The influence of sediment type on the aggregative response of oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus, searching for cockles, Cerastoderma edule

OIKOS, Issue 1 2000
Ian Johnstone
Models that describe the dispersion patterns of predators between a series of patches that vary in prey density frequently assume that predators, in the absence of interference, will aggregate in patches with the highest prey density, at any point in time. This assumption has important implications for patterns of prey mortality, and the extent to which prey mortality is density dependent. In natural predator-prey systems, it is likely that environmental factors interact with spatial variation in prey density to influence the aggregative response of predators. We show data consistent with this idea on a population of overwintering oystercatchers foraging on cockles. There was no evidence that birds aggregated in patches with the highest biomass density of cockles. The biomass density of cockles was highest in muddy patches at the start of winter, and birds aggregated in patches that switched from being muddy at the start of winter to being sandy at some point during the winter. We argue that sediment type influences foraging costs experienced by the birds, so birds avoid feeding in muddy patches unless the fine sediment is removed from a patch, as happens during winter storms. When this happens a high biomass density of cockles suddenly becomes available and the birds aggregate in such patches. The rate of biomass loss was greatest in patches used intensively by birds for feeding, suggesting that the birds' aggregative response influences cockle mortality. We discuss the implications of our results for ideal free models. [source]