lorazepam

n. a highly potent benzodiazepine approved for the treatment of anxiety and as premedication in surgical anesthesia. Unlike many other benzodiazepines, it has no active metabolic products and therefore requires minimal processing in the liver. This, together with its predictable duration of action, make it a favored drug in the management of alcohol withdrawal in patients with liver impairment. U.S. trade name (among others): Ativan.

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Psychology term of the day

February 16th 2025

sun compass

the use of the sun as a directional stimulus in orientation and navigation. Because the sun appears to move across the sky during the day and has different trajectories in different seasons, a sun compass must be coupled with some form of time estimation. To head south at 9 a.m., one needs to keep the sun on the left, but at 3 p.m., one needs to keep the sun on the right. Studies of several species, ranging from bees to fish and birds, have demonstrated a time-compensated sun compass. For nocturnal species, there is evidence of a star compass.