Secretion of glucocorticoid hormones during stress produces an array of physiological changes that are adaptive and beneficial in the short term. In the face of repeated stress exposure, however, habituation of the glucocorticoid response is essential as prolonged glucocorticoid secretion can produce deleterious effects on metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and neurobiological function. Endocannabinoid signaling responds to and regulates the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that governs the secretion of glucocorticoids; however, the role this system plays in adaptation of the neuroendocrine response to repeated stress is not well characterized. Herein, we demonstrate a divergent regulation of the two endocannabinoid ligands, N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), following repeated stress such that AEA content is persistently decreased throughout the corticolimbic stress circuit, whereas 2-AG is exclusively elevated within the amygdala in a stress-dependent manner. Pharmacological studies demonstrate that this divergent regulation of AEA and 2-AG contribute to distinct forms of HPA axis habituation. Inhibition of AEA hydrolysis prevented the development of basal hypersecretion of corticosterone following repeated stress. In contrast, systemic or intra-amygdalar administration of a CB 1 receptor antagonist before the final stress exposure prevented the repeated stress-induced decline in corticosterone responses. The present findings demonstrate an important role for endocannabinoid signaling in the process of stress HPA habituation, and suggest that AEA and 2-AG modulate different components of the adrenocortical response to repeated stressor exposure.corticosterone | endocannabinoid | habituation | hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal axis | amygdala

Purpose-This paper examines the role of blogging (writing online weblogs) in facilitating healing following sexual assault. Design/methodology/approach-To explore how blog writing may facilitate healing and recovery, thirty blog posts written by survivors of sexual assault were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings-The analysis revealed three themes; the aftermath of abuse, the need for support, and helping others. In accordance with past research, bloggers frequently did not receive the supportive reaction to a face-to-face disclosure that they desired. Instead, blogging provided a safe environment in which victims could deal with the ongoing challenge of coping with, and recovering from the abuse. Moreover, blogging enabled victims to use their negative experience to educate and support others going through a similar experience, therefore allowing the bloggers to achieve some positive growth. Practical implications-The results suggest that blogging and reading blogs may be beneficial to victims of sexual assault. Therefore, the findings support the recommendation of blogging by professionals working with victims of sexual assault. Originality/value-The study presents the first analysis of blogs written by victims of sexual assault to facilitate their healing.

In addition to exerting actions via mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors, corticosteroids also act by inhibiting uptake2, a highcapacity monoamine transport system originally described in peripheral tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that uptake2 transporters are expressed in the brain and play roles in monoamine clearance, suggesting that they mediate some corticosteroid effects on physiological and behavioral processes. However, the sensitivity of brain uptake2 to many natural and synthetic corticosteroids has not been characterized. Cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) were previously shown to exhibit corticosteronesensitive accumulation of the uptake2 substrate1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + ). We examined the expression of uptake1 and uptake2 transporters in CGNs, and tested the effects of a variety of natural and synthetic corticosteroids on accumulation of [ 3 H]-MPP + by these cells. Cultured rat CGNs expressed mRNA for three uptake2-like transporters: organic cation transporters 1 and 3, and the plasma membrane monoamine transporter. They did not express mRNA for the dopamine or norepinephrine transporters, and expressed very little mRNA for the serotonin reuptake transporter. Accumulation of [3 H]-MPP + by CGNs was dose-dependently inhibited by corticosterone and decynium-22, known inhibitors of uptake2. Accumulation of MPP + was also dose-dependently inhibited, with varying efficacies, by aldosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, cortisol, and cortisone, and by the synthetic glucocorticoids betamethasone, dexamethasone and prednisolone, and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486. These studies demonstrate that uptake2 in the CNS is inhibited by a variety of natural and synthetic corticosteroids, and suggest that inhibition of uptake2-mediated monoamine clearance may underlie some behavioral and physiological effects of these hormones.

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A thin-film transistor (TFT) is a special type of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) made by coating an insulating substrate with layers of an active semiconductor layer, metallic contacts, and the dielectric layer. FET transistors consist of three main components: source, gate, and drain. The main objective of the work is to fabricate the channel component by growing the ZnO nanostructure on the glass substrate using spin coating and spray pyrolysis methods. Thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) were deposited on glass substrates by spin coating techniques from a precursor solution containing zinc acetate, ethanol and hydroxide of ammonia. After deposition, the films were centrifuged and evaporated. The application of spray pyrolysis has been used to deposit a wide variety of thin films, which are used in a variety of devices, such as solar cells, sensors and solid oxide fuel cells. It has been observed that the properties of the deposited thin films often depend on the preparation conditions; concentration levels of the precursor solution, coating time, electrical and optical properties of the glass substrate, etc. The average resistance of the sheet of samples F1, F5, F52, and F57 was 8.7 Ω, 9.14 Ω, 8.9 Ω and 9.42 Ω and of the samples, F2, F29, F39, and F53 were 9.5 Ω, 9.3 Ω, 9.9 Ω, 10.0 Ω respectively, at a growth temperature of 3400C. The thin films of ZnO were found to be highly transparent between the visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and the transmission of each sample decreases with three layers of ZnO seed layer. The decrease in the transmission of the samples confirms the coating of the ZnO seed layer on it. This work has demonstrated that transparent thin films can be fabricated using local techniques developed from locally available materials using less harmful chemical reagents such as zinc acetate. Such fabricated films are optically absorptive and inherently transmissive, further suggesting that they can be used as a channel material in thin film transistors.