Operant conditioning in Lymnaea: evidence for intermediate- and long-term memory

Aerial respiration of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, can be operantly conditioned; however, the parameters necessary to produce long-term (LTM) or intermediate term memory (ITM) have not previously been investigated. We conducted training using procedures that varied in the duration of the training session, the number of training sessions per day or the amount of time between subsequent training sessions (SI). We found that by varying the duration and frequency of the training session learning could be differentially produced. Furthermore, the ability to form LTM was dependent not only on the duration of the training session was also the interval between training sessions, the SI. Thus it was possible to produce ITM, which persists for up to 3 hr, and not form LTM, which persists at least 18 hr. Learning, ITM, and LTM can be differentially produced by altering the SI, the duration of the training session, or the number of training sessions per day. These findings may allow us to begin to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of learning, ITM, and LTM.     

The faith community and mental health resilience amongst Australian Ismaili Muslim youth

The religio-cultural community of minority ethnic migrants can strongly affect post-migration adaptation. Whilst religion itself may influence resilience, the social support network it provides may also play a role. Extant literature on resilience and migrant communities has largely focused on refugees whilst the experience of younger voluntary migrants and second-generation immigrants, who may experience “acculturative stress”, has been overlooked. This study examines 18–25 year old diasporic and post-diasporic Ismaili Muslim youth in Australia. Of the 11 youth respondents, five were Australian-born/raised (“post-diasporic”) and six were recent immigrants (“diasporic”). Five community leaders were also interviewed for triangulation. Respondents were obtained using purposive and convenience sampling in two Australian cities. Results demonstrate how faith engagement and civic participation were utilised in developing resilience when facing mental health stressors encountered during the migratory and acculturative processes.