Publications by authors named "Joshua Szaszkiewicz"

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs, and yet an understanding of its impact on the human brain and body is inconclusive. Medicinal and recreational use of cannabis has increased in the last decade with a concomitant increase in use by pregnant women. The major psychoactive compound in cannabis, Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exists in different isomers, with the (-) trans isomer most common.

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Terpenes are fragrant aromatic compounds produced by a variety of plants, most notably cannabis and hops. With increasing legalization of cannabis there is a need to better understand the behavioural effects of terpenes and ultimately their therapeutic value. Our study investigated the dose-dependent impact of three terpenes (limonene 0.

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There is increased interest in rearing salmon in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), where environmental conditions can be tightly controlled to optimize growth. Photoperiod and salinity are two important parameters that can be manipulated in RAS. A longer photoperiod permits more time for feeding, while intermediate salinities may reduce the energetic costs of ionoregulation, both of which may enhance growth.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how methanol, a common solvent used to dissolve toxicants, affects zebrafish behavior when exposed in varying concentrations (0.25% and 2.5% vol/vol) for 30 minutes before testing.
  • The zebrafish were placed in an open field arena to observe their locomotion and zone preference, with anxiety-like behavior inferred from time spent in the outer zones (thigmotaxis) and exploration measured by their response to a novel object.
  • Results showed no significant differences in the time spent in different zones or the distance traveled between zebrafish exposed to methanol and those in the control group, indicating that methanol did not affect their behavior
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Environmental exposure to crude oil and/or its derivatives in fishes can negatively impact survival, morphology and physiology, but relatively little focus has been on behavior. Exposures can influence prey-predator interactions, courtship and other vital behaviors, leading to individual or population disruption at toxicant levels well below those producing morphological or physiological changes. The few behavioral studies of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on fish behavior have yielded highly inconsistent results, likely relating to chronic vs.

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