Daily relaxation modifies serum and salivary immunoglobulins and psychophysiologic symptom severity

This study investigated the effect of daily relaxation on concentrations of serum immunoglobulins A, G, and M and secretion rates of salivary immunoglobulin A (S-IgA). Twenty-four volunteers were randomly assigned to practice a relaxation technique daily for 3 weeks and 16 to a waiting list control condition. Blood and saliva samples were collected before and after a supervised 20-min relaxation session at the beginning and end of the 3-week practice period. S-IgA secretion rate increased significantly (p<.001) after 20 min of relaxation. A longer-term practice effect also occurred in that the increase in secretion rate in before to after relaxation samples was higher (p=.014) in subjects who had practiced relaxation once a day for 3 weeks than in waiting list control subjects practicing for the first time. Serum IgA (p<.001), IgG (p<.001), and igM (p<.05) increased significantly over the 3-week practice period. Relaxation may be a self-regulating strategy affecting both humoral and cellular divisions of the immune system.Parts of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Biofeedback Society of America, March 1987. Materials for the IgA assays were provided by Cooper Biomedical, Malvern, Pennsylvania.     

Effects of environmental enrichment on activity and lameness in commercial broiler production

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of commercially applied environmental enrichments on behavior and lameness in broilers. Two consecutive flocks of broilers were observed at 16 days and 30 days of age to investigate differences between enriched (peat, bales of lucerne hay, and elevated platforms) and control birds with regards to behavioral activities and lameness. More running (p < .001), worm running (p = .006), play fighting (p = .015), dust bathing (p = .009), and ground pecking while standing (p < .001) were observed at 16 days than at 30 days. Across both ages, enriched birds showed more wing flapping (p = .016), wing stretching (p = .002), body shaking (p = .002), ground scratching (p < .001), and ground pecking while standing (p < .001) and lying (p = .003) compared with control birds. Even when no enrichments were close, enriched birds showed more body shaking (p = .008) and ground pecking while standing (p < 0.001) and lying (p = .010) than birds in comparable locations in control pens. There was a tendency for a lower gait score (i.e., reduced lameness) with the enriched treatment (p = .077). In conclusion, enriched birds showed higher levels of several activities compared with control birds, and demonstrated higher levels in areas where no enrichments were present.     

Absorption and imagery locate immune responses in the body

Imagery instructions specifying mucosal immunity should alter mucosal immunoglobulin A (m-IgA) levels in high absorbers, whose intent concentration evokes intense physiological responses. After screening for health status, 121 high or low absorbers were randomly assigned to either Relaxation Alone (R), Relaxation with Mucosal Immune Imagery (RI), or Vigilance Task control (VT). Before and after one 60-min intervention, subjects reported theory-relevant psychological variables and provided 5ml whole saliva, which was immediately frozen and assayed lateren masse with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbence (ELISA). MANOVA analysis of psychological variables replicated past research. ANOVA on residualized m-IgA found Time × Absorption interaction and Condition main effects. High more than low absorbers responded to relaxation with mucosal immune imagery by producing higher m-IgA. High absorbers appear able to locate where their immune systems will respond. Individual differences like absorption level need to be emphasized in diagnosis and treatment responsiveness.National Institutes of HealthM. Banks (Jasnoski) Gregerson, Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, changed to The Family Therapy Institute; Ingram M. Roberts, The George Washington University Medical Center, changed to Department of Medicine, Bridgeport Hospital; and Michael M. Amiri, The George Washington University Medical Center, changed to the Department of Neuroscience, NINDS Branch, National Institutes of Health. This research supported by an intra-mural BioMedical Research Grant from The George Washington University, was presented at the 1992 Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, Massachusetts. Special thanks are extended to the following students who assisted instrumentally at various stages: undergraduates Lina Alathari, S. Theodor King, Beth Lieberman, Parisa Lotfi, Anita McClenon, and Karen Siscoe, and graduate student Mariken Hasert.     

Subjective and objective sleep among air ambulance personnel

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of shift work on sleep among pilots and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service crew members (HCM) in the Norwegian Air Ambulance. Sleep was assessed by diaries and actigraphy during a workweek (24 h duty for 7 consecutive days) in the winter season and a workweek during the summer season in pilots and HCM (N = 50). Additionally, differences in sleep were studied between the week before work, the workweek, and the week after work in both seasons. Results indicated that bedtime was later (p <.001) and time spent in bed (p <.05) was shorter during the summer, compared to the winter, season. The workers delayed the sleep period in the workweek, compared to the week before (winter: p <.001, summer: p <.001) and the week after (winter: p <.05-.001, summer: p <.001). They spent more time in bed during the workweek, compared to the week before (winter: p <.001, summer: p <.01) and after (winter: p <.001, summer: p =.37). Further, the workers had longer wake after sleep onset during the workweek, compared to the week before (winter: p <.001, summer: p <.01) and the week after (winter: p <.01, summer: p <.01). Finally, the workers had lower sleep efficiency during the workweek recorded by actigraphy compared to the week before (winter: p <.01, summer: p <.001) and the week after (winter: p <.01, summer: p <.001). According to the sleep diaries the total sleep time was 7:17 h in the winter and 7:03 h in the summer season. Overall, the sleep was somewhat affected during the workweek, with delayed sleep period, longer wake after sleep onset, and lower sleep efficiency compared to when off work. However, the workers spent more time in bed during the workweek compared to the weeks off, and they obtained over 7 h of sleep in both workweeks. Our findings suggest that the pilots and the HCM sleep well during the workweek, although it affected their sleep to some extent.     

Assessing Dietary and Exercise Stage of Change to Optimize Weight Loss Interventions

Objective : According to the Transtheoretical Model (TM), tailoring interventions to patients’ readiness to change can enhance patient progress and help patients use therapeutic resources more effectively. However, tailoring an intervention depends on accurate assessment of patients’ stage of change (SOC). This study describes a multi‐item algorithm of SOC (M‐SOC) for weight loss‐related behaviors that attempts to overcome some of the conceptual and methodological difficulties encountered in previously SOC assessments. Research Methods: Data were collected from participants randomly assigned to the treatment arm of a clinical trial comparing a TM‐based, cognitive‐behavioral intervention with enhanced usual care for weight loss. Results : The stair‐step relationships hypothesized by the TM between assessed SOC and key behavioral measures were found for all algorithms (p < 0.05), indicating that the M‐SOC algorithm performs as well as single item algorithms. However, 50% fewer patients were classified in action or maintenance for dietary fat intake and portion control (p < 0.05) by the multiple‐item algorithms, providing staging more consistent with the clinical presentation of obese individuals. In addition, logistic regression analyses indicated that the single‐item algorithms were not sufficient predictors of these behavioral domains. Discussion : To the extent that treatment is guided by assessed SOC, there is potential for a considerable variability in interventions with different approaches to staging. For weight‐loss interventions that target portion control and decreased fat intake, the multi‐item SOC algorithms seem to be better guides for matching treatments to SOC.     

Morningness: Protective Factor for Sleep-Related and Emotional Problems in Childhood and Adolescence?

The relationship between morningness/eveningness, sleep, and psychological problems is well documented in adults as well as in adolescents. However, research on the circadian orientation and its concomitants in younger children is scarce. The authors investigated the distribution of morningness/eveningness and its connection to sleeping and psychological problems in 91 children and 151 adolescents in Austria. The authors found that morning (M) types had less sleep-related and psychological problems than intermediate (I) and evening (E) types, respectively. Among children, M-types suffered less from daytime sleepiness (females: χ²₍₂₎?=?8.1, p?=?.017; males: χ²₍₂₎?=?14.8, p?=?.001). Among adolescents, M-types showed fewer sleep-wake problems (females: χ²₍₂₎?=?17.5, p?<?.001; males: χ²₍₂₎?=?19.8, p?<?.001), and female M-types showed less externalizing (χ²₍₂₎?=?8.7, p?=?.013) as well as internalizing problem behavior (χ²₍₂₎?=?9.0, p?=?.011). In conclusion, these findings indicate that morningness may act as a protective factor against the development of sleep-related problems in childhood and sleep-related and psychological problems in adolescence, especially in females. (Author correspondence: gloriagelbmann@gmx.at)     

Age at sexual maturity of male and female banana weevils,Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

This study was to determine the age at sexual maturity and the relationships between age and internal reproductive organs of Cosmopolites sordidus. Male banana weevils become sexually mature 18 days after emergence (DAE), that is after 2 weeks of adult eclosion, in spite of the fact that spermatogenesis is completed at emergence. A positive correlation exists between age and male internal organs, for example for mean testis diameter (r = .849, p ≤ .001), mean seminal vesicle diameter (r = .679, p ≤ .001), mean accessory gland length (r = .561, p ≤ .01) and mean accessory gland diameter (r = .498, p ≤ .05), respectively. Significant differences were recorded between sexually mature and immature weevils with respect to mean testis diameter (T = 4.471, p ≤ .001) and mean seminal vesicle diameter (T = 3.939, p ≤ .001), but not with mean accessory gland length and mean accessory gland diameter (T = 1.899 and 1.661). Male internal organs were visibly underdeveloped at emergence but became significantly enlarged and developed on attainment of sexual maturity. Female C. sordidus, on the other hand, are sexually mature at 5 DAE. There was also a strong, positive correlation between age of females and mean ovariole length (r = .656, p ≤ .001), and significant differences existed between mean ovariole lengths of sexually mature and immature females (T = 4.306, p ≤ .001). Increasing age of females witnessed progressive increases in ovariole lengths and developmental changes within female ovarioles and calyces. The findings made here may be helpful in Musa germplasm screening works, as weevils bred on susceptible cultivars may reveal similar results, while those bred on resistant ones may experience possible delays in their reproductive developments.     

Effect of Adopters' Lifestyles and Animal-Care Knowledge on Their Expectations Prior to Companion-Animal Guardianship

Human expectations can greatly affect the human–companion animal relationship, sometimes putting nonhuman animals at risk for relinquishment. At 20 animal shelters in Southern Ontario, Canada, potential adopters (N = 234) completed a questionnaire regarding their lifestyle, companion animal-care knowledge, and preadoption expectations of their adopted companion animals. Linear mixed models were used to assess the associations of adopters' lifestyles and companion animal-care knowledge with their expectations for animal behavior, the human–companion animal relationship, and the effort required in companion-animal guardianship. Dog adopters had higher expectations than cat adopters for their companion animal's behavior (p < .001), the human–companion animal relationship (p < .001), and the effort required in companion-animal guardianship (p < .001). Adopters' human relationship statuses were also associated with expectations for the human–companion animal relationship (p = .002). As adopters' companion animal-care knowledge increased, so did their expectations for the effort required in companion-animal guardianship (p < .001). An understanding of adopters' expectations prior to adoption will help animal shelters better match, educate, and prepare adopters for their lives with companion animals.     

Estrogens and relationship jealousy

The relation between sex hormones and responses to partner infidelity was explored in two studies reported here. The first confirmed the standard sex difference in relationship jealousy, that males (n=133) are relatively more distressed by a partner’s sexual infidelity and females (n=159) by a partner’s emotional infidelity. The study also revealed that females using hormone-based birth control (n=61) tended more toward sexual jealousy than did other females, and reported more intense affective responses to partner infidelity (n=77). In study two, 47 females were assessed four times across one month. Patterns of response to partner infidelity did not vary by week of menstrual cycle, but significant relations between salivary estradiol level and jealousy responses were obtained during the time of rising and high fertility risk. The implications, at least for females, are that any evolved psychological, affective, or behavioral dispositions regarding reproduction-related relationships are potentially moderated by estradiol, and that the use of synthetic hormones may disrupt this relation. David C. Geary is the Frederick A. Middlebush Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia. He has published nearly 100 articles and chapters across a wide range of topics, including cognitive and developmental psychology, education, evolutionary biology, and medicine. His two books, Children’s Mathematical Development (1984) and Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Sex Differences (1988), have been published by the American Psychological Association. M. Catherine DeSoto recently completed her Ph.D. in psychological sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia and is currently assistant professor of psychobiology at the University of Northern Iowa. Her research primarily focuses on the interface between biology and behavior, including the relation between sex hormones and personality disorders. Mary K. Hoard is completing her Ph.D. studies in psychological sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia and is currently a research specialist in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Her research interests focus on children’s cognitive development, as well as the relation between sleep and cognitive and psychological functioning. Melanie Skaggs Sheldon is a graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Her research interests include social cooperation, sexual behavior, and personality, as understood from an evolutionary perspective. M. Lynne Cooper is a professor of psychological sciences and director of the training program in social psychology at the University of Missouri at Columbia. She is an associate editor of the Journal of Personality and the author of more than 60 articles and chapters in the areas of personality and social psychology. Her primary research efforts involve directing a longitudinal study of risky sexual behavior of adolescents and young adults.     

A note on the elementary α-perceptron

In this note the principal convergence theorem (F. Rosenblatt,Principles of Neurodynamics, Spartan Books, Washington D.C., 1962, 111–116) is proved by a new method. The author would like to thank Dr. G. H. Wasserman whose lectures prompted this research.     

Low structural diversity of the O-polysaccharides of Photorhabdus asymbiotica subspp. asymbiotica and australis and their similarity to the O-polysaccharides of taxonomically remote bacteria including Francisella tularensis

The O-polysaccharides were isolated from the lipopolysaccharides of emerging human pathogens Photorhabdus asymbiotica subsp. asymbiotica US-86 and US-87 and subsp. australis AU36, AU46, and AU92. Studies by sugar analysis and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy before and after O-deacetylation showed that the O-polysaccharide structures are essentially identical within, and only slightly different between, the subspecies. The following structures of the repeating units of the O-polysaccharides were established:→3)-β-d-Quip4NGlyFo-(1→4)-α-d-GalpNAcAN3Ac-(1→4)-α-d-GalpNAcA3R-(1→3)-α-d-QuipNAc-(1→where GalNAcA stands for 2-acetamido-2-deoxygalacturonic acid, GalNAcAN for amide of GalNAcA, QuiNAc for 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxyglucose, and Qui4NGlyFo for 4,6-dideoxy-4-(N-formylglycyl)aminoglucose; R = Ac in subsp. asymbiotica or H in subsp. australis. The structures established resemble those of a number of taxonomically remote bacteria including Francisella tularensis (Vinogradov, E. V.; Shashkov, A. S.; Knirel, Y. A.; Kochetkov, N. K.; Tochtamysheva, N. V.; Averin, S. P.; Goncharova, O. V.; Khlebnikov, V. S. Carbohydr. Res.1991, 214, 289–297), which differs in (i) the presence of a formyl group on Qui4N rather than the N-formylglycyl group, (ii) the mode of the linkage between the repeating units (β1→2 vs α1→3), (iii) amidation of both GalNAcA residues rather than one residue, and iv) the lack of O-acetylation.     

A taxonomic study of soil yeasts

Summary Eighty-four samples of Minnesota soils were collected in the spring of the year. All samples yielded yeasts, and a total of 180 cultures were isolated of which 117 were studied taxonomically. Twenty-five cultures were black yeasts. Approximately one-third of the isolates were spore forming yeasts and members of the oxidative and film forming generaHansenula, Pichia, andDebaryomyces, of which a new species (D. mrakii) has been described. Not a single culture ofSaccharomyces was isolated. Perhaps later in the season when fruit was abundant members of this genus would have been present.The greatest number of imperfects belonged to the genusCandida (32 cultures), althoughPullularia (25 cultures),Rhodotorula (20 cultures), andTorulopsis (16 cultures) were well represented.The cultures ofPullularia darkened very slowly if at all, in the asbence of excess sugar. Under these circumstances they were very similar toT. pullulans.A single culture ofTrichisporon cerebriformis was isolated. The culture isolated formed both blastospores and arthrospores.I would like to express my appreciation to Dr.C. E. Skinner of Washington State College, for his help and guidance throughout this entire problem. I would also like to thank Dr.E. M. Mark, of the University of California, Berkeley, for the privilege of working under his direction, and in his laboratory during the study.     

Structures and genetics of Kdo-containing O-antigens of Cronobacter sakazakii G2706 and G2704, the reference strains of serotypes O5 and O6

Cronobacter sakazakii G2706 and G2704 are the reference strains of serotypes O5 and O6 in the serological classification of this species proposed recently. Mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharides of both strains resulted in cleavage of the O-polysaccharide chains at the acid-labile linkage of 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) to yield oligosaccharides representing repeating units of the O-polysaccharides. The oligosaccharides and alkali-degraded lipopolysaccharides were studied by sugar analysis along with 1D and 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and the following O-polysaccharide structures were established:The structure of strain G2706 is unique among the known bacterial polysaccharide structures, whereas that of strain G2704 is identical to the structure of Cronobacter malonaticus 3267 [MacLean, L. L.; Vinogradov, E.; Pagotto, F.; Farber, J. M.; Perry, M. B. Biochem. Cell Biol.2009, 87, 927–932], except for that the latter lacks O-acetylation. Putative functions of the genes in the O-antigen gene clusters of C. sakazakii strains studied are in agreement with the O-polysaccharide structures.     

Die Ablaktions-Pfropfung,eine vielseitige Virusinfektionsmethode für Kartoffeln

Abstract

Roder, W.; Feyerabend, G.; Rogoll, H.: Landwirtschaftlicher Pflanzenschutz. 560 S., 217 Abb. Berlin: VEB Dt. Landwirtschaftsverlag, 1975. Reviewed by D. Spaar.

Libbert, E. (Hrsg.): Kompendium der allgemeinen Biologie. 1. Aufl. 474 S., 179 Abb., 12 Tab. Jena: VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1976. Reviewed by J. Richter.

Kllinkowski, M.; Mühle, E.; Reinmuth, E.; Bochow, H.: Phytopathologie und Pflanzenschutz. 2., überarbeitete u. erweiterte Aufl. 3. Bd. 914 S., 523 Abb. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1976. Reviewed by D. Spaar.

Börner, H.: Pflanzenkrankheiten und Pflanzenschutz. 2., überarb. Aufl., 419 S., 74 Abb. Stuttgart: Eugen Ulmer, 1975. Reviewed by W. Lehmann.     

Mealybugs of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dysmicoccus</Emphasis> Ferris (Homoptera,Pseudococcidae) of the fauna of Russia and adjacent countries

A key to six species of the genus Dysmicoccus from the former USSR is given, provided with comprehensive information on the nomenclature, morphology, and taxonomy of the widely variable D. walkeri. The following new synonymies are established: D. walkeri Newstead (= D. kazanskyi Borchs., syn. n.; = glandularis Baz., syn. n.; = badachshanicus Nurm., syn. n.; = innermongolicus Tang in Tang and Li, syn. n.). Lectotype of D. kazanskyi is designated. Dysmicoccus multivorus (Kir.) is considered in the revision of the genus Trionymus Berg (Danzig, 1997), the rest species are discussed in the monograph of the Far Eastern fauna (Danzig, 1980).     

Altering meal timing to improve cognitive performance during simulated nightshifts

ABSTRACT

Altering meal timing could improve cognition, alertness, and thus safety during the nightshift. This study investigated the differential impact of consuming a meal, snack, or not eating during the nightshift on cognitive performance (ANZCTR12615001107516). 39 healthy participants (59% male, age mean±SD: 24.5 ± 5.0y) completed a 7-day laboratory study and underwent four simulated nightshifts. Participants were randomly allocated to: Meal at Night (MN; n= 12), Snack at Night (SN; n = 13) or No Eating at Night (NE; n = 14). At 00:30 h, MN consumed a meal and SN consumed a snack (30% and 10% of 24 h energy intake respectively). NE did not eat during the nightshift. Macronutrient intake was constant across conditions. At 20:00 h, 22:30 h, 01:30 h, and 04:00 h, participants completed the 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT-B), 40-min driving simulator, post-drive PVT-B, subjective sleepiness scale, 2-choice Reaction Time task, and Running Memory task. Objective sleep was recorded for each of the day sleeps using Actigraphy and for the third day sleep, Polysomnography was used. Performance was compared between conditions using mixed model analyses. Significant two-way interactions were found. At 04:00 h, SN displayed increased time spent in the safe zone (p < .001; percentage of time spent within 10 km/h of the speed limit and 0.8 m of lane center), and decreases in speed variability (p < .001), lane variability (p < .001), post-drive PVT-B lapses (defined as RT > 355 ms; p < .001), and reaction time on the 2-choice reaction time task (p < .001) and running memory task (p < .001) compared to MN and NE. MN reported greater subjective sleepiness at 04:00 h (p < .001) compared to SN and NE. There was no difference in objective sleep between eating conditions. Eating a large meal during the nightshift impairs cognitive performance and sleepiness above the effects of time of night alone. For improved performance, shiftworkers should opt for a snack at night.     

A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Study of Prevalence and Severity of Bit-Induced Oral Trauma in Polo Ponies and Race Horses

Bit and bridle accessories improperly fitted in ridden horses can cause oral trauma such as bone spurs, commissure ulceration, and tongue lacerations. This study was used to identify, grade, and compare the types of oral traumas commonly found within polo ponies and race horses. Injuries were assessed visually and by palpation on the tongue, lips’ commissures, and interdental space. A total of 50 polo ponies and 50 race horses were sampled in the South of England. A Poisson model was successfully fitted to the data (p < .001), and the variables of discipline (p < .001), injury type (p < .001), and age (p < .001) were significant. Race horses with snaffle bits were predisposed to significantly higher severities and prevalence of oral trauma than were polo ponies in gag bits. Only polo ponies were observed with tongue trauma. Race horses had higher severities of injuries in the commissures and bone spurs. Positive correlations were found between age and/or time in sport and induced biting injuries. Polo ponies had been playing longer before the occurrence of injuries.