Dream Imagery and Emotion.

The relationship between prominent visual imagery and emotion within dreams was investigated in relation to E. Hartmann's (1996) contextualizing image (CI) theory and M. Seligman and A. Yellen's (1987) dual imagery theory. Fifty-nine students recorded dreams over a 2-week period and submitted 115 dreams for analysis. Participants recorded ratings of emotion type and emotion intensity in each scene. Prominent visual images were identified and scored for intensity and detail by independent judges. As hypothesized from Hartmann's theory, there was a significant positive relationship between CI intensity and emotion intensity in the CI scene, emotion intensity generally peaked in the CI scene, and dreams containing a CI had higher overall ratings of emotion intensity than non-CI dreams. The result for the correlation of detail of prominent imagery with emotion was inconclusive, with a low positive correlation across CI scenes. This raises the possibility that the CI is not a unitary construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Restriction fragment polymorphisms as probes for plant diversity and their development as tools for applied plant breeding

Summary Maize and tomato cDNA clones have been hybridized in Southern blotting experiments to plant genomic DNA prepared from different lines to detect restriction fragment polymorphisms (RFPs). In maize we have found that a high degree of genetic variability is present, even among domestic inbred lines. Most randomly chosen maize cDNA clones can be used to detect elements of this variability. Similar levels of polymorphism are observed when genomic DNA is digested with any of a number of different restriction enzymes and probed with individual clones. When a clone is hybridized to genomic DNAs prepared from several different maize lines, a number of different alleles are often detected at a single locus. At the same time one clone can often detect more than one independently segregating locus by cross hybridization to related sequences at other loci. As expected these markers are inherited as simple codominant Mendelian alleles from one generation to the next and colinkage of these markers can be demonstrated in the progeny from a heterozygous parent. In similar studies with tomato, remarkably different results were found. Few RFPs were demonstrable among domestic Lycopersicon esculentum lines although a higher level of variability could be detected when comparing esculentum with its wild Lycopersicon relatives. These results are discussed in relation to the applied uses of RFPs in plant breeding as well as the inherent variability of different plant genomes.This work was supported in part by funds from Sandoz Ltd. (Basel, Switzerland) and its subsidiary company, Northrup King Co. (Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A.) as well as by NSF SBIR grant #BSR-8360870.     

Limulus amebocyte clotting cascade: Roles of endotoxin and adenylate cyclase

Endotoxin, the lipopolysaccharide from the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, causes blood clotting in the horseshoe crab,Limulus polyphemus. Minute amounts of endotoxin stimulate the amebocytes in the blood to undergo exocytosis, which release the contents of their secretory granules to form a clot. An endotoxin-binding protein that possesses calmodulin-like activity has been isolated from the amebocyte plasma membrane. This endotoxin-binding protein can activate adenylate cyclase fromBordetella pertussis to the same extent as rat testes calmodulin. The effect of endotoxin and the endotoxin-binding protein on cyclic AMP synthesis inLimulus amebocytes was examined. Amebocytes exposed to endotoxin have increased levels of intracellular cyclic AMP. Amebocyte membranes contain an adenylate cyclase which is stimulated by NaF, guanosine (β,r-imido)triphosphate, and for skolin. This adenylate cyclase is also stimulated by the endotoxin-binding protein and calcium. Exposure of amebocytes to forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP are stimulated to secrete clot components. Activation of adenylate cyclasein vivo by endotoxin via the endotoxin-binding protein may be one of the ways in which endotoxin stimulates secretion. It is suggested that endotoxin may have two actions in theLimulus system: (1) binding of endotoxin to the endotoxin-binding protein activates adenylate cyclase, promoting secretion by the amebocytes; and (2) endotoxin catalyzes a reaction on the secreted material to form a blood clot. This latter reaction is not elicited by forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP.     

Count-dependent filter for smoothing bivariate FCM histograms

A data-smoothing filter has been developed that permits the improvement in accuracy of individual elements of a bivariate flow cytometry (FCM) histogram by making use of data from adjacent elements, a knowledge of the two-dimensional measurement system point spread function (PSF), and the local count density. For FCM data, the PSF is assumed to be a set of two-dimensional Gaussian functions with a constant coefficient of variation for each axis. A set of space variant smoothing kernels are developed from the basic PSF by adjusting the orthogonal standard deviations of each Gaussian smoothing kernel according to the local count density. This adjustment in kernel size matches the degree of smoothing to the local reliability of the data. When the count density is high, a small kernel is sufficient. When the density is low, however, a broader kernel should be used. The local count density is taken from a region defined by the measurement PSF. The smoothing algorithm permits the reduction in statistical fluctuations present in bivariate FCM histograms due to the low count densities often encountered in some elements. This reduction in high-frequency spatial noise aids in the visual interpretation of the data. Additionally, by making more efficient use of smaller samples, systematic errors due to system drift may be minimized.     

Changes in the Microflora of Irradiated Petrale Sole (Eopsetta jordani) Fillets Stored Aerobically at 0.5 C

The microfloral changes on irradiated petrale sole fillets during aerobic (packaged with oxygen-permeable film), refrigerated storage were determined by the identification of bacterial and yeast isolates to the generic level. The samples were irradiated at 0.0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 Mrad by use of a cobalt-60 gamma source, were stored at 0.5 C, and were examined periodically for spoilage, total microbial population, and composition. The preirradiation flora of the fresh fillets consisted of coryneforms, Achromobacter, Micrococcus, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Lactobacillus. Immediately after irradiation, Micrococcus, Achromobacter, coryneforms, and Bacillus were predominant. The flora of the nonirradiated fillets at the time of spoilage consisted of Pseudomonas and Achromobacter. The flora of the irradiated fillets at the time of spoilage consisted of Achromobacter and Trichosporon.     

Water potentials for developing cladodes and fruits of a succulent plant, including xylem-versus-phloem implications for water movement

Developing cladodes had lower water potentials and developingfruits had higher water potentials than the underlying cladodesof the widely cultivated prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica.The 0.06 MPa lower value in 4-week-old daughter cladodes indicateda typical water potential gradient from the underlying clad-odealong the xylem of –0.2 MPa m^–1; the 0.17 MPa highervalue in 4-week-old fruits, which decreased to 0.07 MPa by 10weeks, implicated the phloem as their supplier of water. Thephloem sap of the underlying cladodes had an osmotic pressureof only 0.90 to 0.98 MPa, so the phloem could supply a relativelydilute solution to the photosynthetically dependent fruits (daughtercladodes of O. ficus-indica are photosynthetically independentat 4 weeks). Although the water potentials were similar foradjacent tissues, the osmotic pressures were lower for the water-storagecompared with the photosynthetic tissue; the osmotic pressureswere higher for xylem sap from fruits, for which xylary flowapparently occurred toward the underlying cladodes, than fordaughter cladodes. The relative capacitance (change in relativewater content divided by change in tissue water potential) wasapproximately 0.71 MPa^–1 for the water-storage tissueand the photosynthetic tissue of both daughter cladodes andfruits at 4 weeks of age. When these organs approached maturityat 10 weeks, the relative capacitance increased about 40% fortheir water-storage tissue, but decreased 30% for their photosynthetictissue. As the plant water content decreases during drought,about twice as much water will thus be lost per unit volumeof the water-storage tissue compared with the photosynthetictissue of maturing fruits and cladodes. Key words: Opuntia ficus-indica, phloem, relative water content, water capacitance, water potential     

Progress in melanoma treatment: Patient's perspectives

Upon the 20th Anniversary of the Society for Melanoma Research, we highlight the perspectives of patients aiming to help improve future experiences, outcomes, and their quality of life over the next 20 years. Five melanoma patients generously shared their inspiring and enlightening stories of diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Many patients had excellent medical teams that synergistically worked together to provide an accurate diagnosis, effective treatment options, and supportive care. However, it is clear that health inequities persist in communities where people of color are predominant, affecting early detection, patient experience, and outcomes. These stories shed light on the unique challenges faced by patients and how the lack of melanoma awareness and adequate resources, especially in communities of color or low socioeconomic status, can contribute to disparate outcomes in melanoma care. We expect that these stories will raise awareness about the progress in melanoma treatment but also the existent disparities in melanoma diagnosis and treatment and the importance of early detection and prevention.