Guidelines to use tomato in experiments with a controlled environment

Domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the most important horticultural crop worldwide. Low polymorphism at the DNA level conflicts with the wealth of morphological variation. Fruits vary widely in size, shape, and color. In contrast, genetic variation between the 16 wild relatives is tremendous. Several large seed banks provide tomato germplasm for both domesticated and wild accessions of tomato. Recently, the genomes of the inbred cultivar “Heinz 1706” (≈900 Mb), and S. pimpinellifolium (739 Mb) were sequenced. Genomic markers and genome re-sequencing data are available for >150 cultivars and accessions. Transformation of tomato is relatively easy and T-DNA insertion line collections are available. Tomato is widely used as a model crop for fruit development but also for diverse physiological, cellular, biochemical, molecular, and genetic studies. It can be easily grown in greenhouses or growth chambers. Plants grow, flower, and develop fruits well at daily light lengths between 8 and 16 h. The required daily light integral of an experiment depends on growth stage and temperature investigated. Temperature must be 10–35°C, relative humidity 30–90%, and, CO2 concentration 200–1500 μmol mol−1. Temperature determines the speed of the phenological development while daily light integral and CO2 concentration affect photosynthesis and biomass production. Seed to seed cultivation takes 100 days at 20°C and can be shortened or delayed by temperature. Tomato may be cultivated in soil, substrates, or aeroponically without any substrate. Root volume, and water uptake requirements are primarily determined by transpiration demands of the plants. Many nutrient supply recipes and strategies are available to ensure sufficient supply as well as specific nutrient deficits/surplus. Using appropriate cultivation techniques makes tomato a convenient model plant for researchers, even for beginners

Assimilation and contrast effects in part-whole question sequences: a conversational logic analysis

Der Arbeitsbericht stellt ein theoretisches Modell zur Erklärung von Antwortverhalten auf spezielle und generalisierende Fragen vor und beschreibt gleichzeitig ein Experiment zur Überprüfung. Das Verhältnis von Angleichung und Kontrastierung von Antwortverhalten wird unter dem Gesichtspunkt differenziert, ob die Fragen im gleichen oder in unterschiedlichen Gesprächskontexten bzw. -sequenzen gestellt werden. Wenn spezifische Fragen der generalisierenden vorausgehen und beide nicht in die gleiche Gesprächssequenz gehören, findet in der Regel eine Angleichung des Antwortverhaltens statt. Werden beide Fragen als zusammengehörig wahrgenommen, tritt eher ein Kontrastierungseffekt auf, weil die Gesprächsnorm Nicht-Redundanz den wiederholenden Gebrauch der Informationen verbietet. Werden allerdings mehrere spezielle Fragen, die der generalisierenden vorausgehen, als Aufforderung zu einem zusammenfassenden Urteil aufgefaßt, kann auch hier ein Angleichungseffekt auftreten, obwohl eigentlich ein Abgrenzungseffekt zu erwarten wäre. (GF)'A theoretical model of the emergence of assimilation and contrast effects in part-whole question sequences is presented, and an experiment that tests its predictions is reported. Assimilation effects are predicted when one specific question precedes the general question and the two are not assigned to the same conversational context. If both questions are perceived as belonging together, however, conversational norms of non-redundancy prohibit the repeated use of information that has already been provided in response to the specific question when making the general judgment. Contrast effects may emerge in that case under specified conditions. If several specific questions precede the general question, however, the general one is always interpreted as a request for a summary judgment, resulting in assimilation effects even under conditions that foster contrast effects if only one specific question is asked. The model is supported by the reported experiment and is consistent with other findings reported in the literature.' (author's abstract

Charismatische (Ver-)Führer

'Welche totalitären Gefährdungen, aber auch freiheitsfördernden Impulse gehen von charismatischen (Ver-)Führern aus? In den Fußstapfen Max Webers und Raymond Arons sieht der Autor in Zeiten existentieller Krisen und Katastrophen die Sternstunde charismatischer Gestalten. Diese können Demokratien erneuern und dadurch vor einer Dekonsolidierung bewahren, aber auch als deren Totengräber wirken. Darum plädiert er für stete Wachsamkeit und warnt angesichts politisch-religiöser Fanatismen aus dem islamischen Kulturkreis vor den Appeasement-Politikern unserer Zeit.' (Autorenreferat)'What are the pro-democratic impulses and the totalitarian hazards emanating from charismatic leaders? In the wake of Max Weber and Raymond Aron, the author identifies periods of existential crisis and disaster as the golden opportunity for the rise of charismatic figures. These may either renew democracies and hence save them from de-consolidation, or else act as their grave-diggers. Accordingly, he calls for constant vigilance and, with reference to the various forms of political and religious fundamentalism rampant in Islamic culture, warns against the appeasement politicians of the day.' (author's abstract)

Affect and persuasion: mood effects on the processing of message content and context cues and on subsequent behavior

Es werden zwei Experimente vorgestellt, die den Einfluß der Stimmung eines Rezipienten auf die Verarbeitung der alltäglichen Kommunikation und sein späteres Verhalten untersuchen. Es zeigt sich, daß eine positive Stimmung die Motivation einer Person verringert, systematisch den Inhalt einer Mitteilung als auch damit im Zusammenhang stehende Informationen zu verarbeiten. Ihr Verhalten widerspiegelt weniger die Differenzierungen im Mitteilungsinhalt als das Verhalten von Personen in neutraler Stimmung. (psz)'Two experiments are reported examining the impact of recipient's mood on the processing of simple, everyday persuasive communications and on subsequent behavior. Consistent with the general assumption that affective states may inform an individual about the state of its current environment, it was found that affective states may inform an individual about the state of its current environment, it was found that positive (as compared to neutral or negative) mood reduced subjects' motivation to systematically process both content information and contextual cues. Specifically, experiment 1 demonstrated that, in a field setting, the behavior of subjects who had been put in a good mood was less likely to reflect differences in message content than the behavior of neutral mood subjects. Experiment 2 replicated and extended this finding, showing that good mood subject's behavior was uninfluenced by content as well as context information, whereas bad mood subjects did make use of both types of information. Subject's cognitive responses paralleled the behavioral data. The results are discussed in terms of their compatibility with contemporary models of persuasion, and their implications for future research on mood and persuasion and on the interplay of affect and cognition in general are considered.' (author's abstract

Morphology control of zinc oxide films via polysaccharide-mediated, low temperature, chemical bath deposition

In this study we present a three-step process for the low-temperature chemical bath deposition of crystalline ZnO films on glass substrates. The process consists of a seeding step followed by two chemical bath deposition steps. In the second step (the first of the two bath deposition steps), a natural polysaccharide, namely hyaluronic acid, is used to manipulate the morphology of the films. Previous experiments revealed a strong influence of this polysaccharide on the formation of zinc oxide crystallites. The present work aims to transfer this gained knowledge to the formation of zinc oxide films. The influence of hyaluronic acid and the time of its addition on the morphology of the resulting ZnO film were investigated. By meticulous adjustment of the parameters in this step, the film morphology can be tailored to provide an optimal growth platform for the third step (a subsequent chemical bath deposition step). In this step, the film is covered by a dense layer of ZnO. This optimized procedure leads to ZnO films with a very high electrical conductivity, opening up interesting possibilities for applications of such films. The films were characterized by means of electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and measurements of the electrical conductivity.BMB

Successful treatment of hypercalcemia with cinacalcet in renal transplant recipients with persistent hyperparathyroidism

Background. Cinacalcet lowers plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. The efficacy and safety of cinacalcet have not been examined in renal transplant patients with persistent hyperparathyroidism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cinacalcet as a novel therapy for the management of such patients. Methods. Eleven renal allograft recipients with persistent hyperparathyroidism were treated with cinacalcet. The total study time was 10 weeks. Individual cinacalcet doses were adjusted to obtain a serum calcium in the predefined normal target range of 2.10-2.60 mmol/l. Results. Serum calcium decreased significantly from 2.73±0.05 mmol/l to 2.44±0.05 and 2.42± 0.04 mmol/l after 2 and 10 weeks of treatment, respectively. All patients reached the target range rapidly and remained normocalcaemic throughout the study. Serum PTH significantly decreased 16.1 and 21.8% at study weeks 2 and 10, respectively, compared with week 0. Serum phosphate increased. Renal function remained stable and no allograft rejection was observed. From weeks 2 to 10, daily cinacalcet doses administered were 30 mg (n = 8), 15 mg (n = 1) and 60 mg (n = 1), respectively. Conclusion. Cinacalcet was effective in correcting the hypercalcaemia associated with persistent hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation. It appears to be safe. Thus, cinacalcet represents a promising alternative for parathyroidectomy in these patient