Problem-Drinking Across the Lifespan: Cross-Sectional Versus Longitudinal Effects Among Midlife and Older Adults

When considering problem drinking from a lifespan-developmental perspective, an often-stated premise is that problem drinking escalates during adolescence, peaks around early young adulthood, and then declines throughout the remainder of the lifespan. However, while there is a strong empirical basis for such changes throughout adolescence and young adulthood, the notion of continued declines throughout midlife and older adulthood is less firmly established and based primarily on cross-sectional data. Thus, this study contrasted cross-sectional versus longitudinal age effects on problem-drinking changes across the lifespan, with particular focus on midlife and older adulthood. Analyses used data from a large, two-wave, U.S.-representative sample. We generated descriptive “porcupine figures” graphically depicting both cross-sectional and longitudinal age effects simultaneously, and we estimated mixed-ANOVAs to partition, test, and contrast cross-sectional versus longitudinal age effects. As expected, analyses confirmed the well-known rise and fall of problem drinking across young adulthood in both cross-sectional and longitudinal age effects. In contrast, in midlife and older adulthood, only cross-sectional age effects were consistent with the notion of continued age-related declines throughout these ages, whereas the longitudinal data showed a mixture of stability and escalation at these ages. Age-confounded cohort effects are one plausible explanation for how cross-sectional data can lead to spurious conclusions about developmental change. By potentially yielding a more accurate understanding of lifespan-developmental change in midlife and older adulthood, findings like ours could help guide lifespan-developmentally-informed interventions for midlife and older-adult problem drinkers; an objective of increasing importance in light of the ongoing aging of the U.S. population.

Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice

There is experimental evidence that chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by the development of an anxiety, development of a depression-like state, and downregulation of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. Our study was aimed at investigating the effects of chronic lithium chloride (LiCl) administration on anxiety behavior and the expression of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of the affected mice. A pronounced anxiety-like state in male mice was induced by chronic social defeat stress in daily agonistic interactions. After 6 days of this stress, defeated mice were chronically treated with saline or LiCl (100 mg/kg, i.p., 2 weeks) during the continuing agonistic interactions. Anxiety was assessed by behavioral tests. RT-PCR was used to determine Tph2, Htr1a, Htr5b, and Slc6a4 mRNA expression. The results revealed anxiolytic-like effects of LiCl on social communication in the partition test and anxiogenic-like effects in both elevated plus-maze and social interaction tests. Chronic LiCl treatment upregulated serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei. Thus, LiCl effects depend on the treatment mode, psycho-emotional state of the animal, and experimental context (tests). It is assumed that increased expression of serotonergic genes is accompanied by serotonergic system activation and, as a side effect, by higher anxiety.

Effects of chronic lithium treatment on anxious behaviors and serotonergic genes expression in the midbrain raphe nuclei in defeated male mice

There are experimental data that mixed anxiety/depression-like state induced by chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by development of anxiety and downregulation of serotonergic gene expression in the midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. The paper aimed to study the effect of chronic lithium chloride (LiCl) on anxious behaviors and the expression of serotonergic genes (Tph2, Slc6a4, Htr1a, Htr5b) in the midbrain raphe nuclei of defeated mice. Slight anxiolytic effects of LiCl were found on the commucativeness in the partition test, and anxiogenic-like effects, estimated by the elevated plus-maze and social interactions tests. Chronic LiCl treatment induced overexpression of the serotonergic genes in the midbrain raphe nuclei of defeated mice. We can assume that effects of LiCl, rather anxiogenic, may be due to activation of serotonergic system induced by hyperexpression of serotonergic genes. Our findings will allow to understand the factors involved in the positive and side effects of lithium on anxiety and function of serotonergic genes which are involved into mechanisms of depression.

Feasibility of Kd-Trees in Gaussian Process Regression to Partition Test Points in High Resolution Input Space

Bayesian inference using Gaussian processes on large datasets have been studied extensively over the past few years. However, little attention has been given on how to apply these on a high resolution input space. By approximating the set of test points (where we want to make predictions, not the set of training points in the dataset) by a kd-tree, a multi-resolution data structure arises that allows for considerable gains in performance and memory usage without a significant loss of accuracy. In this paper, we study the feasibility and efficiency of constructing and using such a kd-tree in Gaussian process regression. We propose a cut-off rule that is easy to interpret and to tune. We show our findings on generated toy data in a 3D point cloud and a simulated 2D vibrometry example. This survey is beneficial for researchers that are working on a high resolution input space. The kd-tree approximation outperforms the naïve Gaussian process implementation in all experiments.

Fire Insulation of Aluminum Glazed Partitions Depending on the Infill Solution of Framework Profiles

This paper presents the main problems related to the fire resistance of aluminium glazed partitions. It discusses technical solutions used in partition systems with a specific fire resistance class, as well as a procedure and the general principles of classification of fire resistance for structures of this type. Moreover, the paper presents the comparison of fire resistance test results of glazed partition test specimens, depending on the volume of insulation inserts placed inside the aluminium structure profiles. To made the comparison the specimens with the same transom - mullion structure were tested with two filling solutions - with same profiles filled only in the middle part and fully filled.

FIRE RESISTANCE TESTS OF ALUMINIUM GLAZED PARTITIONS, Results comparison

This paper discusses the main problems related to the fire resistance of aluminium glazed partitions, including the tests methodology and way of classification of this type of elements. Moreover, the paper presents the comparison of fire resistance test results of glazed partition test specimens, depending on the number of insulation inserts placed inside the aluminium structure profiles. To made the comparison the specimens with the same transom – mullion structure were tested in two configurations and with two filling solutions – with profiles filled only in the middle part and with fully filled profiles.

Thermal-Aware SoC Test Scheduling

High temperature has become a technological barrier to the testing of high performance systems-on-chip, especially when deep submicron technologies are employed. In order to reduce test time while keeping the temperature of the cores under test within a safe range, thermal-aware test scheduling techniques are required. In this chapter, the authors address the test time minimization problem as how to generate the shortest test schedule such that the temperature limits of individual cores and the limit on the test-bus bandwidth are satisfied. In order to avoid overheating during the test, the authors partition test sets into shorter test sub-sequences and add cooling periods in between, such that applying a test sub-sequence will not drive the core temperature going beyond the limit. Furthermore, based on the test partitioning scheme, the authors interleave the test sub-sequences from different test sets in such a manner that a cooling period reserved for one core is utilized for the test transportation and application of another core. The authors have proposed an approach to minimize the test application time by exploring alternative test partitioning and interleaving schemes with variable length of test sub-sequences and cooling periods as well as alternative test schedules. Experimental results have shown the efficiency of the proposed approach.

Особливості ситуативної поведінки щурів-агресорів у тесті «перегородка»

The peculiarities of behaviour reactions of rats-aggressors to the change of a partner in a «partition» test has been investigated under modelling of sensory contact under the conditions of agonistic collisions. Correlations between indices of the orientation to a partner, and between motor and emotional reactions testify to the increasing interest in the unknown partner with the submissive type of behaviour and to activity and nervous excitement, related to a high level of aggressive motivation.