Variations Electrical Resistance of the Skin in Newborn Infants

Measurements were made of the large variations in apparent electrical resistance of the skin of fifteen newborn infants. Readings were taken every five minutes over two hour periods using a unidirectional current technique. The purpose of the experiment was to check Richter\u27s hypothesis that increases in palmar resistance afford an objective criterion of sleep

Discovery of an Optical Jet in the BL Lac Object 3C 371

We have detected an optical jet in the BL Lac object 3C 371 that coincides with the radio jet in this object in the central few kpc. The most notable feature is a bright optical knot 3 arcsec (4 kpc) from the nucleus that occurs at the location where the jet apparently changes its direction by ~30 degrees. The radio, near-infrared and optical observations of this knot are consistent with a single power-law spectrum with a radio-optical spectral index alpha = -0.81. One possible scenario for the observed turn is that the jet is interacting with the material in the bridge connecting 3C 371 to nearby galaxies and the pressure gradient is deflecting the jet significantly.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures (1 eps, 3 gifs), accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

A titanium-nitride near-infrared kinetic inductance photon-counting detector and its anomalous electrodynamics

We demonstrate single-photon counting at 1550 nm with titanium-nitride (TiN) microwave kinetic inductance detectors. Energy resolution of 0.4 eV and arrival-time resolution of 1.2 microseconds are achieved. 0-, 1-, 2-photon events are resolved and shown to follow Poisson statistics. We find that the temperature-dependent frequency shift deviates from the Mattis-Bardeen theory, and the dissipation response shows a shorter decay time than the frequency response at low temperatures. We suggest that the observed anomalous electrodynamics may be related to quasiparticle traps or subgap states in the disordered TiN films. Finally, the electron density-of-states is derived from the pulse response.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Fifty Psychological and Psychiatric Terms to Avoid: a List of Inaccurate, Misleading, Misused, Ambiguous, and Logically Confused Words and Phrases

The goal of this article is to promote clear thinking and clear writing among students and teachers of psychological science by curbing terminological misinformation and confusion. To this end, we present a provisional list of 50 commonly used terms in psychology, psychiatry, and allied fields that should be avoided, or at most used sparingly and with explicit caveats. We provide corrective information for students, instructors, and researchers regarding these terms, which we organize for expository purposes into five categories: inaccurate or misleading terms, frequently misused terms, ambiguous terms, oxymorons, and pleonasms. For each term, we (a) explain why it is problematic, (b) delineate one or more examples of its misuse, and (c) when pertinent, offer recommendations for preferable terms. By being more judicious in their use of terminology, psychologists and psychiatrists can foster clearer thinking in their students and the field at large regarding mental phenomena

Advocacy in the tail: Exploring the implications of ‘climategate’ for science journalism and public debate in the digital age

This paper explores the evolving practices of science journalism and public debate in the digital age. The vehicle for this study is the release of digitally stored email correspondence, data and documents from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the weeks immediately prior to the United Nations Copenhagen Summit (COP-15) in December 2009. Described using the journalistic shorthand of ‘climategate’, and initially promoted through socio-technical networks of bloggers, this episode became a global news story and the subject of several formal reviews. ‘Climategate’ illustrates that media literate critics of anthropogenic explanations of climate change used digital tools to support their cause, making visible selected, newsworthy aspects of scientific information and the practices of scientists. In conclusion, I argue that ‘climategate’ may have profound implications for the production and distribution of science news, and how climate science is represented and debated in the digitally-mediated public sphere

Formation of black-hole X-ray binaries in globular clusters

Inspired by the recent identification of the first candidate BH-WD X-ray binaries, where the compact accretors may be stellar-mass black hole candidates in extragalactic globular clusters, we explore how such binaries could be formed in a dynamical environment. We provide analyses of the formation rates via well known formation channels like binary exchange and physical collisions and propose that the only possibility to form BH-WD binaries is via coupling these usual formation channels with subsequent hardening and/or triple formation. Indeed, we find that the most important mechanism to make a BH-WD X-ray binary from an initially dynamically formed BH-WD binary is triple induced mass transfer via the Kozai mechanism. Even using the most optimistic estimates for the formation rates, we cannot match the observationally inferred production rates if black holes undergo significant evaporation from the cluster or form a completely detached subcluster of black holes. We estimate that at least 1% of all formed black holes, or presumably 10% of the black holes present in the core now, must be involved in interactions with the rest of the core stellar population.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Ap

Cats and Dogs, Hair and A Hero: A Quintet of New Milky Way Companions

We present five new satellites of the Milky Way discovered in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) imaging data, four of which were followed-up with either the Subaru or the Isaac Newton Telescopes. They include four probable new dwarf galaxies -- one each in the constellations of Coma Berenices, Canes Venatici, Leo and Hercules -- together with one unusually extended globular cluster, Segue 1. We provide distances, absolute magnitudes, half-light radii and color-magnitude diagrams for all five satellites. The morphological features of the color-magnitude diagrams are generally well described by the ridge line of the old, metal-poor globular cluster M92. In the last two years, a total of ten new Milky Way satellites with effective surface brightness mu_v >~ 28 mag/sq. arcsec have been discovered in SDSS data. They are less luminous, more irregular and appear to be more metal-poor than the previously-known nine Milky Way dwarf spheroidals. The relationship between these objects and other populations is discussed. We note that there is a paucity of objects with half-light radii between ~40 pc and ~ 100 pc. We conjecture that this may represent the division between star clusters and dwarf galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, submitted to the Astrophysical Journa

The Hercules-Aquila Cloud

We present evidence for a substantial overdensity of stars in the direction of the constellations of Hercules and Aquila. The Cloud is centered at a Galactic longitude of about 40 degrees and extends above and below the Galactic plane by at least 50 degrees. Given its off-centeredness and height, it is unlikely that the Hercules-Aquila Cloud is related to the bulge or thick disk. More likely, this is a new structural component of the Galaxy that passes through the disk. The Cloud stretches about 80 degrees in longitude. Its heliocentric distance lies between 10 and 20 kpc so that the extent of the Cloud in projection is roughly 20 kpc by 15 kpc. It has an absolute magnitude of -13 and its stellar population appears to be comparable to, but somewhat more metal-rich than, M92.Comment: ApJ (Letters), in pres

Understanding parental concerns related to their child’s development and factors influencing their decisions to seek help from health care professionals: Results of a qualitative study.

Background: Early identification of children at risk of developmental delay is crucial to promote healthy development. Assessing parental concerns about development is often part of identification processes. However, we currently do not understand well how and why parents become concerned, and, how and why they access early identification and intervention services. The purpose of this study was to explore parental perceptions about their child’s development, and the factors influencing their reported professional help-seeking behaviours. Methods: This exploratory study was part of a larger study describing child development in children aged 2-5 in a small Canadian city. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 parents whose children were at risk of developmental delay to examine their perceptions of their child’s development, their use of community services promoting development, and their recommendations to optimize those services. Results: Four themes were identified: 1) Vision of child development influencing help-seeking behaviours: Natural or Supported?, 2) Internal and external sources contributing to parents’ level of developmental concern, 3) Using internal resources and struggling to access external resources, and 4) Satisfaction with services accessed and recommendations to access more support. Parents’ vision of child development along with sources of parental concern appeared to influence the level of concern, enhancing our understanding of how parents become concerned. The level of concern, and parents’ knowledge and perceived access to resources seemed to influence their decision whether or not to consult health care professionals. Parents provided many suggestions to improve services to promote child development and support families. Discussion: Results highlight the importance of supporting parents in recognizing if their child is at risk of delay, and increasing awareness of available resources. It appears particularly important to ensure health care professionals and community-based support services are accessible to provide parents with the support they need, especially when they have concerns