Bryophytes of South-central Colorado. Part 1

Prominent among the names of the many bryologists who have collected in Colorado are those of Leo Lesquereux, T. S. Brandegee, T. C. Porter, and A. J. Grout. Their findings are discussed by Dr. Geneva Sayre in an unpublished dissertation on the mosses of Colorado, a work completed in 1938 (2). She points out that, with the exception of Brandegee\u27s collections in southwest Colorado, collections of southern Colorado mosses are either meagre or lacking. The largest reported collection of recent date from southern Colorado is that of Dr. Belle K. Stewart who collected fourteen species in the Creede Valley incident to an ecological study of its vascular flora. It is known that H. S. Conard, Frederick McAllister and others have collected specimens in southern Colorado but the present writers have been unable so far to find published reports of their findings

Extra-Floral Nectaries in Bryophyllum calycinum

Among the interesting features of Bryophyllum calycinum Salisb. is the occurrence of foliar embryos in the notches of the leaf (Fig. 3) which under favorable conditions will give rise to new plants. In the apices of the crenations are hydathodes (Fig. 3) whose structure has been described by Berge (1877) and Yarbrough (1932, 1934). A hydathode typically occurs at a vein ending in a leaf margin, but in Bryophyllum calycinum the hydathode consists of a vascular plexus surrounding an epithem which is associated with a special group of stomata on the lower side of the leaf. The cells of the epithem superficially resemble those of the foliar embryos in that they are of approximately the same size and shape and have conspicuous nuclei and dense cytoplasm

Use of a Constant-Temperature Water Bath as a Culture Chamber

In the course of experiments done at the State University of Iowa on excised leaves of Bryophyllum calycinum a need arose for a culture chamber in which light, temperature, and humidity could be controlled simultaneously. The chamber described below met these requirements. It is capable of providing a wide range of environments which should make it useful in the culture of bacteria or other microorganisms and it might be substituted for equipment currently unobtainable. Dimensions given here may be modified as necessary

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Preliminary Studies of the Physiology and Morphology of the Germinating Foliar Embryos of Bryophyllum Calycinum

A critical review of the literature pertaining to the germination and growth of the foliar embryos of Bryophyllum calycinum, Salish., has revealed that in most cases the influence of certain physiological and environmental factors upon these structures was not carefully considered. For instance, the history of the plants prior to the experimental period was not fully elucidated and, in absence of statements to the contrary, must have been largely ignored. Yet the work of Dunn (1937) indicates that the influence of hardening treatments may extend over as many as three following generations in this species. A common experimental error in most previous work was the lack of simultaneous control of temperature, humidity, and light throughout the time of experimentation

Perceptual and Cognitive Abnormality Model of Hypochondriasis: Psychological Correlates of Amplification and Misinterpretation

Hypochondriasis is a disorder that may affect ten percent of all individuals seeking medical care. This places a great burden on the health care resources that are currently available. Unfortunately, very few of these individuals come to the attention of mental health professionals. Various models have attempted to conceptualize hypochondriasis. These include the psychiatric model, the psychodynamic model, the social learning and the perceptual or cognitive abnormality model. The perceptual or cognitive abnormality model suggests that individuals who are hypochondriacal misinterpret and/or amplify normal bodily sensations. These processes lead the individuals to believe they are suffering from a serious disease. Few empirical studies have been conducted to confirm this model, and no research has been conducted testing this model using psychophysiological measures to test whether or not these indices are indeed different for non-hypochondriacal persons. Pain is a symptom often reported by hypochondriacs and this is what usually brings them into contact with the health care system. Being able to measure how hypochondriacs react to the experience of pain would give insight into whether or not they react more strongly to pain than do non-hypochondriacal persons. Although the objective measurement of pain has been considered difficult in the past, recent work by researchers using visual analogue scales have shown them to be valid and reliable instruments for measuring both the sensory and affective dimensions of the pain experience. The present study tested the perceptual and cognitive abnormality model of hypochondriasis using painful physical stimuli (heat stimulation and a cold pressor task) to measure subjects\u27 pain tolerance and to rate their experience of pain. Subjects rated their pain experience on both sensory (intensity) and affective (unpleasantness) dimensions using visual analogue scales. The model was also tested using a psychological stressor, a visualization task which incorporated everyday life events. The psychophysiological measure heart rate was continuously recorded to assess subjects\u27 physiological activity to stress. It was hypothesized that hypochondriacal individuals would withdraw their feet from the cold water bath, before being instructed to, at a significantly higher rate than the control group. It was also hypothesized that visual analogue scale ratings of intensity and unpleasantness would be significantly higher for the hypochondriacal group than for the control group for both cold pressor and thermal radiant heat. Further, it was hypothesized that the hypochondriacal group would exhibit increased heart rate, as well as a longer return to baseline time compared to the control group. In general, the data offered little support for the hypotheses used to test the amplification/misinterpretation components of the perceptual and cognitive abnormality model. Methodological problems with the study were discussed and improvements suggested. Also, problems and advantages of the present model were noted

Attachment, Social Support, and Violence in Adolescent Delinquents

Attachment relationships between children and their primary caretakers have been hypothesized to contribute to internal working models of subsequent relationships with others. Poor attachment might lead to internal working models which devalue later relationships, making the perpetration of violence against others more likely. One focus of this study was to propose a model which combined parental bonding, adolescent attachment, and perceived family support to predict the severity of violence used against others by adolescent delinquents. A second focus was to test the proposed model in predicting the total number of violent offenses committed by adolescent delinquents. One hundred and forty-five male adolescents, who had been convicted of at least one violent crime against another person, were tested using three instruments; (1) the Parental Bonding Instrument, (2) the Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire, and (3) the Perceived Social Support Scale - Family. It was hypothesized that higher bonding, attachment, and family support scores would be negatively correlated with Severity of Crime. It was also hypothesized that the proposed model would account for a greater proportion of the variance for Severity of Crime than for Total Number of Violent Crimes. Partial support for the first hypothesis was found. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the model accounted for twice the variance for Severity of Crime than for Total Number of Violent Crimes. The model also gained statistical significance for Severity of Violence, but not for Total Number of Violent Crimes. It appears that attachment may play some role in the severity of violence used against others, but does not appear to have a significant impact on the number of violent crimes committed. Possible family dynamics in this population and study methodology issues are discussed which might have accounted for the lack of stronger results

Some Lichens from Southern Colorado

The cryptogams of the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains of southern Colorado have not attracted the attention of many botanists during the past half century. The published ecological and floristic studies of North American cryptogams show few records from any portion of Colorado further south than Pike\u27s Peak. Llano (2) and Thomson (3) make but incidental mention of lichens collected by visitors in 1899, 1937, and 1942. The collections listed below constitute a material addition to this very meagre record. All these specimens, collected in the period between February, 1950-September, 1951, were found at altitudes between 7600 and 9500 feet except Peltigera scabrosa which was collected at 11,000 feet