Transitions Induced by the Discreteness of Molecules in a Small Autocatalytic System

Autocatalytic reaction system with a small number of molecules is studied numerically by stochastic particle simulations. A novel state due to fluctuation and discreteness in molecular numbers is found, characterized as extinction of molecule species alternately in the autocatalytic reaction loop. Phase transition to this state with the change of the system size and flow is studied, while a single-molecule switch of the molecule distributions is reported. Relevance of the results to intracellular processes are briefly discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Silicea Gastrointestinal Gel Improves Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Non-Controlled, Pilot Clinical Study

Aim. To investigate efficacy and tolerability of Silicea Gastrointestinal Gel in patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Methods. Open, prospective pivotal phase IV study with oral Silicea Gastrointestinal Gel over 6 weeks. Symptom score was part 1 of the Nepean Dyspepsia Index: 15 questions addressing intensity, frequency and impact of upper abdominal symptoms. 10 lower abdominal symptoms were asked analogously. A responder showed reduction of score of >50%. Results. 62 of 90 patients were evaluated per protocol. Upper and lower abdomen sum scores decreased already in the first three weeks (P < 0.001), which continued the following three weeks (P < 0.01). Mean symptom score for upper abdomen decreased from 52.2 ± 31.0 to 33.7 ± 28.7 (or by 35.4%; responder rate 37%); for lower from 39.6 ± 24.7 to 22.6 ± 21.7 (by 42.9%; responder rate 46%). Subgroups with diarrhea, IBS and GERD presented highest responder rates. 6% of patients reported adverse reactions with probable or possible relationship to the test product. Conclusions. Silicea Gastrointestinal Gel seems suitable beyond infectious acute gastrointestinal disorders. Responses are relevant for chronic functional disorders, but it remains unclear, how much of that might be placebo-effect. Controlled studies are recommended in gastrointestinal syndromes like IBS or GERD

Theory Into Practice: Issues To Consider When Selecting Reading Software To Meet Different Readers\u27 Needs

According to a report from the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment (1988), over 10,000 computer pro grams are currently being marketed. With such a large and divergent array of materials to choose from, software consumers need to understand exactly how programs they are considering for purchase function before they can be sure that any particular program will actually fit their specific classroom needs. Similarly, it is important to determine whether or not the programs are compatible with the teacher\u27s philosophy of reading — reader-based, text-based or interactive (Leu and Kinzer, 1991)

The importance of tau leptons for supersymmetry searches at the Tevatron

Supersymmetry is perhaps most effectively probed at the Tevatron through production and decay of weak gauginos. Most of the analyses of weak gaugino observables require electrons or muons in the final state. However, it is possible that the gauginos will decay primarily to tau leptons, thus complicating the search for supersymmetry. The motivating reasons for high tau multiplicity final states are discussed in three approaches to supersymmetry model building: minimal supergravity, gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking, and more minimal supersymmetry. The concept of ``e/mu/tau candidate'' is introduced, and an observable with three e/mu/tau candidates is defined in analog to the trilepton observable. The maximum mass reach for supersymmetry is then estimated when gaugino decays to tau leptons have full branching fraction.Comment: 9 pages, latex, 2 figures. Presented at the D0 New Phenomena Workshop, UC Davis, 26-28 March 199

Drawing on LGB Identity to Encourage Participation and Disclosure of Sexual Orientation in Surveys

This paper reports an experiment that tested how three survey cover designs—images of traditional families and individuals displaying themselves in typical gender ways; images of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual individuals and families; and no cover images—affected LGB people’s participation and disclosure of LGB identity and non-LGB people’s participation. Analyses showed the LGB-inclusive cover led to significantly more LGB respondents than the other designs, without significantly affecting the demographic, political, and religious makeup of the completed sample. We discuss what these findings mean for addressing two challenges: getting LGB people to respond to surveys and to disclose their LGB identity

Mögliche Bestimmungsgründe einer Studienaufnahme in Deutschland

Diese Arbeit untersucht die Abhängigkeit einer Studienaufnahme von ausgewählten sozioökonomischen Variablen. Dazu werden mit Daten aus dem Sozio-ökonomischen Panel mittels eines Probit-Modells Schätzungen bezüglich der Wahrscheinlichkeiten einer Studienaufnahme bei Personen mit Hochschulzugangsberechtigung modelliert. Es zeigt sich, dass für den gewählten Betrachtungszeitraum die hier ausgewählten ökonomische Faktoren, Angaben über die Bildungsherkunft oder allgemeine persönliche Daten nur partiell für die Entscheidung zur Studienaufnahme erklärend herangezogen werden können. -- This paper investigates the influence of socio-economic factors on the decision to go to university. To this end data from the socio-economic panel is used for estimating the probability of taking up studies with the Probit-model. The result of the study indicates that for the period of time in question neither the economic factors nor the educational background nor general personal data provide satisfactory explanation for the decision to go to university or not.

A double parton scattering background to Higgs boson production at the LHC

The experimental capability of recognizing the presence of b quarks in complex hadronic final states has addressed the attention towards final states with b\bar{b} pairs for observing the production of the Higgs boson at the LHC, in the intermediate Higgs mass range.We point out that double parton scattering processes are going to represent a sizeable background to the process.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Effects of Smiley Face Scales on Visual Processing of Satisfaction Questions in Web Surveys

Web surveys permit researchers to use graphic or symbolic elements alongside the text of response options to help respondents process the categories. Smiley faces are one example used to communicate positive and negative domains. How respondents visually process these smiley faces, including whether they detract from the question’s text, is understudied. We report the results of two eye-tracking experiments in which satisfaction questions were asked with and without smiley faces. Respondents to the questions with smiley faces spent less time reading the question stem and response option text than respondents to the questions without smiley faces, but the response distributions did not differ by version. We also find support that lower literacy respondents rely more on the smiley faces than higher literacy respondents

Anomalous Higgs Couplings

We review the effects of new effective interactions on the Higgs boson phenomenology. New physics in the electroweak bosonic sector is expected to induce additional interactions between the Higgs doublet field and the electroweak gauge bosons leading to anomalous Higgs couplings as well as to anomalous gauge-boson self-interactions. Using a linearly realized $SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y$ invariant effective Lagrangian to describe the bosonic sector of the Standard Model, we review the effects of the new effective interactions on the Higgs boson production rates and decay modes. We summarize the results from searches for the new Higgs signatures induced by the anomalous interactions in order to constrain the scale of new physics in particular at CERN LEP and Fermilab Te vatron colliders.Comment: 35 pages, latex using epsfig.sty psfig.sty and axodraw.sty, 16 postscript figure