In order to investigate the effects of deep sea water bathing on relaxation and daylight sleep in night shift workers, electroencephalography, circulatory and cardiac autonomic functionings, visual evoked potential, biochemical markers in urine and saliva, core body temperature, sleep questionnaires, and mood state questionnaires were evaluated in nine subjects to compare with other three kinds of bathing including sham (no water), tap water and surface sea water. Deep sea water bathing showed better subjective sleep latency for sleep questionnaire (p<0.1) and significantly better vigor status for mood questionnaire (p<0.01) between four kinds of bathing. With regard to the objective data, despite the biggest increase in temperature of eardrum in deep sea water bathing, the highest sleep efficiency and the shortest wake period during sleep in electroencephalography did not reach to the significant level.

We obtained intergenus somatic hybrid between Alhagi pseudalhagi and Astragalus cicer by using electroporation. Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4-transformed A. pseudalhagi protoplasts were treated with iodoacetamide so that they were unable to sustain divisions. A. cicer protoplasts were isolated from a methionine-resistant mutant and did not survive in the medium without plant growth regulator. The intergenus somatic hybrid cells were selected based on physiological complementation between the two parents. We optimized some parameters of electroporation, such as direct current impulse, alternating current impulse and the impulse number. We identified ten hybrid clones by morphological observation, checking the chromosome numbers, isoenzyme analysis and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, and obtained regenerated plantlets from three hybrid clones.
Astragalus Plant ; genetics ; physiology ; Electroporation ; Fabaceae ; genetics ; physiology ; Hybridization, Genetic ; Transformation, Genetic