Sacramento's Day-Treatment Center for Autistic Children

A report of two years'' operation of a day-treatment center for autistic children is given. A brief historical review and a capsule summary regarding current concepts on autism are presented. The educational and treatment programs at the center are described, and two case vignettes illustrate the progress of the children. Highlights from group counseling sessions with the mothers of autistic children reveal the conflicts with which parents of disturbed children must deal. The two-year experience indicates that the identification of autism at an early age is crucial and that a day-treatment facility has much to offer the psychotic child and his parents.     

Photosynthetic Membrane System in Anacystis nidulans

Cultures of Anacystis nidulans were grown under conditions of varying light intensity and temperature. Changes in pigment content were compared with changes in the fine structure of these cells. Pigment concentration and lamellar content varied inversely with the light intensity in cells grown with 100 and 1,000 foot candles of fluorescent light. Estimations of the relative area and volume of lamellae in cells showed that the amount of double membrane was directly proportional to the chlorophyll content of whole cells. Continuity of double membranes with cytoplasmic membrane was observed.     

Diffusive resistances at, and transpiration rates from leaves in situ within the vegetative canopy of a corn crop

At several heights and times of day within a crop of Zea mays, internal leaf diffusion resistance (r_i) and external boundary layer diffusion resistance (r_a) were evaluated by measuring the temperature of a transpiring and a non-transpiring leaf (simulated by covering both sides of a normal leaf with strips of poly-ethylene tape), and by measuring the immediate air temperature, humidity and windspeed.

Both r_a and r_i increased with depth into the crop. However, r_a generally was less than 10% of r_i.

Profiles of latent-heat flux density and source intensity of transpiration showed that transpiration corresponded roughly to foliage distribution (with an upward shift) and were not similar to the profile of radiation absorption.

The data were compared with heat budget data. The 2 approaches yielded quite similar height distributions of transpiration per unit leaf area and total transpiration resistance.

The total crop resistance to transpiration was computed as 0.027 min cm⁻¹. This compares to Monteith's values of 0.017 to 0.040 min cm⁻¹ for beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and Linacre's values of 0.015 to 0.020 min cm⁻¹ for turf.