Low Level Of Statistical Significance Research Articles

Metal-poor stars with disc-like orbits

We used photometric metallicity estimates for about 700 000 stars in the surroundings of the Sun, with very accurate distances and 3D motions measures from Gaia DR3, to explore the properties of the metal-poor (−2.0 < [Fe/H] ≤ −1.5; MP) and very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −2.0; VMP) stars with disc kinematics in the sample. We confirm the presence of a significant fraction of MP and VMP stars with disc-like orbits and that prograde orbits are prevalent among them, with a prograde-to-retrograde ratio of P/R ∼ 3. We highlight a statistically significant difference in the distribution of the Z component of the angular momentum (LZ) and orbital eccentricity between prograde and retrograde disc-like MP stars for the first time. The same kind of difference is found in the VMP sub-sample, albeit at a much lower level of statistical significance, likely due to the small sample size. We show that prograde disc-like MP and VMP stars display an additional component of the |LZ| distribution with respect to their retrograde counterpart. This component is at higher |LZ| with respect to the main peak of the distribution, possibly hinting at the presence of a pristine prograde disc in the Milky Way. This hypothesis is supported by the results of the analysis of a large sub-sample dominated by stars born in situ. In this case, the prevalence of prograde stars is also clearly detected at [Fe/H] ≤ −1.5, and their |LZ| distribution is more skewed toward high |LZ| values than their retrograde counterpart. This suggests that the seed of what will eventually evolve into the main disc components of the Milky Way may have already been in place in the earliest phases of the Galaxy assembly.

Bridging the Gap: Pregnancy-And Lactation-Associated Osteoporosis.

Early diagnosis of pregnancy- and lactation-associated osteoporosis (PLO) is mandatory for a good outcome. Standard care is not a matter of conventional guidelines, rather it requires an individualized strategy while true overall incidence and pathogeny remain open issues. This is a narrative review based on full-length English articles, published between January 2021 and March 2023 and accessed via PubMed (no traumatic fractures or secondary osteoporosis are included). Our case-sample-based analysis included 836 females with PLO (the largest cohort based on published cases so far) through 12 studies and 24 single case reports. Except for one survey, these involved retrospective cohorts of small size (6-10 females/study) to medium size (23-47 women/study), and large cohorts with >50 subjects per study (a maximum of 379). Age of diagnosis: from 24 to 40 years for case reports (most subjects being over 30 and primigravida), while original studies indicated an average age between 31 and 34.18 years. Type of fractures underlined a most frequent vertebral phenotype (a mean of 2 to 5.8 vertebral fractures per patient) versus a most severe non-vertebral phenotype (hip and femoral neck fractures mostly requiring surgery). Potential contributors varied: smoking (1/3-1/2 of subjects), family history of osteoporosis (1/3), heparin and glucocorticoid use in pregnancy, low body mass index (majority of cases), hypovitaminosis D; and (with a low level of statistical significance) anti-psychotic medication, gestational diabetes, lupus, thrombophilia, anemia, in vitro fertilization (1/3 in one study), twin pregnancy, tocolysis with MgSO4, and postpartum thyroiditis. Most remarkably, up to 50% of PLO patients harbor mutations of LRP5, WNT1, and COL1A1/A2 (more damaged form with potential benefits from osteoanabolic drugs); gene testing might become the new norm in PLO. The low index of clinical suspicion should be supported by performing magnetic resonance imaging (gold standard in pregnancy) with DXA (in lactation). Low bone mineral density is expected (Z-score varying from -2.2 SD to -4 SD, unless normal which does not exclude PLO). Bone turnover markers might be useful in individuals with normal DXA, in pregnancy when DXA cannot be performed, and in following the response to anti-osteoporosis drugs. Alternatively, microarchitecture damage might be reflected by DXA-trabecular bone score and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Specific medical interventions are currently focused on teriparatide (TPT) use (3 studies; n = 99 females treated with TPT and an additional subgroup of 18 patients from the gene-analysis-based study, thus a total of 117 females) which seems to be the therapy of choice as reflected by these new data: 6-24 months, 20 µg/day, no sequential therapy needed; case selection based on high fracture risk is necessary). The first case using romosozumab was reported in 2022. PAO/LAO remains a challenging condition which is a battle for the wellbeing of two individuals, on one hand, considering maternal-fetal outcomes and taking care of the offspring, but it is a battle for a multidisciplinary team, on the other hand, since a standardized approach is lacking.

New Entity-Thalassemic Endocrine Disease: Major Beta-Thalassemia and Endocrine Involvement.

New Entity-Thalassemic Endocrine Disease: Major Beta-Thalassemia and Endocrine Involvement.

Lime Pelleting to Improve Pulse Production on Acid Soils: Evidence from Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Liming is the key to success of crop production on acid soils. The practice however has not met wider adoption, due largely to the higher doses of lime requirement. To ascertain the effect of lime pelleting (seed pelleting with lime) vis-a-vis higher doses of lime as required for furrow application and broadcasting, we conducted a greenhouse pot experiment wherein common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was grown with five treatments: T1: control (no lime), T2: lime pelleting with gum arabic, T3: lime pelleting with rice starch, T4: lime application @ 300 kg ha-1 equivalent dose, and T5: lime application @ 3000 kg ha-1 equivalent dose. Lime pelleting caused 12-14% improvement in crop yield compared to 31 and 38% increments at higher doses of lime application i.e., T4 and T5, respectively, with a commensurate increase in associated yield parameters. Higher leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD index) caused by liming and lime pelleting suggested improved plant nutrition. Rhizosphere pH increased with liming (p≤0.05), with corresponding reductions in exchangeable Al and acidity, but the effects of lime pelleting were discernible only at lower levels of statistical significance (p≤0.2). Contrary to the popular belief, liming reduced soil P availability, implying that the growth stimulation by liming was not caused by increased P availability, but by reduced Al toxicity and ensuing improvement in plant’s nutrient acquisition efficiency. To conclude, lime pelleting is proposed as an alternative low-cost, easily-adoptable technology for reducing lime requirement and for improving pulse productivity on acidic soils.

Disrupted relationship between blood glucose and brain dopamine D2/3 receptor binding in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

An elemental function of brain dopamine is to coordinate cognitive and motor resources for successful exploitation of environmental energy sources. Dopamine transmission, goal-directed behavior, and glucose homeostasis are altered in schizophrenia patients prior to and after initiation of pharmacological treatment. Thus, we investigated the relationship between blood glucose levels and brain dopamine signaling in drug-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis.We quantified blood glucose levels and binding of the dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist radioligand (+)-[11C]-PHNO in 15 medication-naïve patients and 27 healthy volunteers employing positron emission tomography.Whole-brain voxel-wise linear model analysis identified two clusters of significant interaction between blood glucose levels and diagnosis on (+)-[11C]-PHNO binding-potential values. We observed positive relationships between blood glucose levels and binding-potential values in healthy volunteers but negative ones in patients with first episode psychosis in a cluster surviving rigorous multiple testing correction located in the in the right ventral tegmental area. Another cluster of homologous behavior, however at a lower level of statistical significance, comprised the ventral striatum and pallidum. Extracellular dopamine levels are a major determinant of (+)-[11C]-PHNO binding in the brain. In line with the concept that increased dopamine signaling occurs when goal-directed behavior is needed for restoring energy supply, our data indicate that in healthy volunteers, extracellular dopamine levels are high when blood glucose levels are low and vice-versa. This relationship is reversed in patients with first-episode psychosis, possibly reflecting an underlying pathogenic alteration that links two seemingly unrelated aspects of the illness: altered dopamine signaling and dysfunctional glucose homeostasis.

Recent Trends in Climate Extreme Indices over Sri Lanka

Trends in 20 extreme indices of temperature and precipitation are examined for Sri Lanka using high-quality datasets for 19 meteorological stations, for a period between 1980 and 2015. It is evident that annually averaged mean minimum temperatures are increasing across most of Sri Lanka. The difference between maximum and minimum temperatures, diurnal temperature range is decreasing, indicating that the minimum temperature is increasing faster than the maximum temperature. Significant decrease in the annual occurrence of cold nights and increase in the annual occurrence of warm nights are also obvious. When compared with temperature changes, less spatially coherent pattern of change and a lower level of statistical significance were observed in precipitation indices. The annual total precipitation (PRCPTOT) has indicated a significant increasing over 1980-2015. More than 80% of stations showed an increasing trend in precipitation indices. The trends in extreme precipitation events such as maximum one-day precipitation, maximum five-day precipitation, and total precipitation on extreme rainfall days (R95p and R99p) are increasing at most locations, indicating that the intensity of the rainfall is increasing. Increase of precipitation extreme trends indicates that occurrence of extreme rainfall events notably influences total annual precipitation in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the observed increases in total rainfall observed in many locations may be due in part to an increase in of extreme rainfall events. Patterns of change in precipitation extremes are more heavily influencing the climate variability by aggravating the variability, significantly influencing climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture and water resource management.

The (Possible) Effect of Plain Packaging on Smoking Prevalence in Australia: A Trend Analysis

A stated objective of the Australian Plain Packaging Act 2011 is to reduce smoking prevalence. We use the Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia) data set over the time period January 2001 to December 2013 to analyze whether this goal has been achieved in the first year since the implementation. In particular, we carry out a statistical trend analysis to study the (possible) effect of plain packaging on smoking prevalence. Two informative analyses help to draw conclusions on the (actual) effect of plain packaging on smoking prevalence in Australia. First, we look at the year of data before plain packaging was introduced, which happened in December 2012. Second, we compute confidence intervals around the estimated treatment effects. Our main results can be summarized as follows. First, if a statistical significance level of 5% is required, then there is no evidence at all for a plain packaging effect on smoking prevalence. Second, if one is willing to accept a relatively low level of statistical significance (that is, 10%), then there is evidence for a very short-lived plain packaging effect on smoking prevalence, namely in December 2012 only (after which smoking prevalence is statistically indistinguishable from its pre-existing trend). A formal power analysis demonstrates that the power of our inference methods is remarkably high.

Effects of the combined swimming, corrective and aqua gymnastics programme on body posture of preschool age children

Introduction: This research paper is aimed at identifying the possible effects that the implementation of the combined kinesiological programs of swimming and hydro-kinesiological therapy may have on thebody posture in preschool children.Methods: The survey was conducted on a sample of 50 boys selected from a number of Sarajevo kindergartens, in the age group of 5.2±0.6 yrs.; mean height=114±7 cm; mean weight= 21.8±4.7 kg. In order to evaluate the postural status, we used a reduced Napoleon Wolanski method. The activities were carried out within the period of 16 weeks, twice a week for 60 minutes.Results: The analysis of the initial and fi nal series of testing with t-test indicates a high level of statistical signifi cance in the variables of shoulder posture assessment, shoulder blade posture assessment, spinalcord posture assessment, leg posture assessment, feet posture assessment, overall body posture assessment according to Wolanski, whereas somewhat lower level of statistical signifi cance was found in thevariables of abdominal posture assessment and chest posture assessment. A relatively low level of statistical significance is observed only in the variable of head posture assessment.Conclusion: It can be concluded that a combined program of corrective gymnastics with games and exercises in water had signifi cant effects on improving the muscle tone in the respondents, which in turn had a direct impact on improving their body posture, both in terms of all of the individually surveyed body parts and in overall terms.

Hedge Fund Return–Based Style Estimation: A Review of Comparison Hedge Fund Indices

The data dependency of empirical financial research is of common concern to both academics and practitioners. This is especially true for hedge funds because no single, commonly accepted database exists and because many of the databases may hold different sets of reporting managers. Each database uses current reporting managers as the basis for the construction of hedge fund indices, and these index returns reflect the characteristics of the funds reporting to the relevant database. Unlike historical returns derived from current databases, however, historical returns from most major hedge fund indices do not contain backfill or survivor bias. At the same time, performance characteristics may differ between indices because each index is constructed based on a different set of rules (e.g., equal weighted, asset weighted, and so on). In this article, the authors conduct a series of empirical tests similar to those previously conducted in academic studies. The authors use only those hedge fund indices that reflect the average returns of the entire set of reporting managers; that is, the indices representing overall industry returns. Results indicate that return-based style analyses, often used as a basis for hedge fund analysis, are impacted both by the period of analysis as well as the hedge fund index used. Moreover, results indicate that the addition of variables beyond those designed to capture underlying equity, interest rate, and credit risk have little impact on the explanatory power of these hedge fund universe indices beyond a very low level of statistical significance.

Hedge Fund Return-Based Style Estimation: A Review on Comparison Hedge Fund Indices

The data dependency of empirical financial research is of common concern to both academics and practitioners. This is especially true for hedge funds since no one single commonly accepted database exists and since many of the databases may hold different sets of reporting managers. Each database uses current reporting managers as the basis for the construction of hedge fund indices and these index returns reflect the characteristics of the funds reporting to the relevant database. However, unlike historical returns derived from current databases, historical returns from most major hedge fund indices do not contain backfill or survivor bias. At the same time, performance characteristics may differ between indices since each index is constructed based on a different set of rules (e.g., equal weighted, asset weighted, etc.). In this analysis we conduct a series of empirical tests, similar to those previously conducted in academic studies. In this analysis we use only those hedge fund indices which reflect the average returns of the entire set of reporting managers; that is, the indices representing overall industry returns. Results indicate that return based style analyses, often used as a basis for hedge fund analysis, are impacted both by the period of analysis as well as the hedge fund index used. Moreover, results indicate that the addition of variables beyond those designed to capture underlying equity, interest rate, and credit risk have little impact on explanatory power of these hedge fund universe indices beyond a very low level of statistical significance.

HTR1B and HTR2C in autism spectrum disorders in Brazilian families

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a group of behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disabilities characterized by multiple genetic etiologies and a complex presentation. Several studies suggest the involvement of the serotonin system in the development of ASD, but only few have investigated serotonin receptors. We have performed a case-control and a family-based study with 9 polymorphisms mapped to two serotonin receptor genes ( HTR1B and HTR2C) in 252 Brazilian male ASD patients of European ancestry. These analyses showed evidence of undertransmission of the HTR1B haplotypes containing alleles −161G and −261A at HTR1B gene to ASD ( P = 0.003), but no involvement of HTR2C to the predisposition to this disease. Considering the relatively low level of statistical significance and the power of our sample, further studies are required to confirm the association of these serotonin-related genes and ASD.

Geometric least squares means ratios for the analysis of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro susceptibility to antimalarial drugs

BackgroundThe susceptibility of microbes such as Plasmodium falciparum to drugs is measured in vitro as the concentration of the drug achieving 50% of maximum effect (IC50); values from a population are summarized as geometric means. For antimalarial drugs, as well as for antibiotics, assessing changes in microbe susceptibility over time under drug pressure would help inform treatment policy decisions, but no standard statistical method exists as yet.MethodsA mixed model was generated on loge-transformed IC50 values and calculated geometric least squares means (GLSM) with 90% confidence intervals (CIs). In order to compare IC50s between years, GLSM ratios (GLSMR) with 90%CIs were calculated and, when both limits of the 90%CIs were below or above 100%, the difference was considered statistically significant. Results were compared to those obtained from ANOVA and a generalized linear model (GLM).ResultsGLSMRs were more conservative than ANOVA and resulted in lower levels of statistical significance. The GLSMRs approach allowed for random effect and adjustment for multiple comparisons. GLM was limited in the number of year-to-year comparisons by the need for a single reference year. The three analyses yielded generally consistent results.ConclusionA robust analytical method can palliate inherent limitations of in vitro sensitivity testing. The random effects GLSMRs with adjustment for multiple comparisons and 90%CIs require only assumptions on the mixed model to be applied. Results are easy to display graphically and to interpret. The GLMSRs should be considered as an option for monitoring changes in drug susceptibility of P. falciparum malaria and other microbes.

Family-based association study of 5-HTTLPR and the 5-HT2A receptor gene polymorphisms with autism spectrum disorder in Korean trios

The potential role of the serotoninergic system in the development of autistic disorder has long been suggested based on the observation of hyperserotoninemia in autistic subjects and the results of drug treatment studies. Promoter region polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR) of the serotonin transporter gene ( SLC6A4) and the 5-HT2A receptor gene ( HTR2A) have been studied as potential candidate genes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objective of this family-based linkage/association study is to evaluate the relationship between ASD and 5-HTTLPR as well as that between some SNPs of HTR2A and ASD in Korean trios by using the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT). Genotyping was performed for 5-HTTLPR and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (-1438G/A and 102T/C) of HTR2A. The TDT, linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis and haplotype analysis were performed. This study comprised 126 complete trios of ASD patients and both parents. With regard to the transmission of 5-HTTLPR, the long allelic variant was preferentially transmitted in the ASD subjects. Based on the TDT results, there was no significant difference in the transmission of the two SNPs of HTR2A. However, in the results of the haplotype analysis, the AT haplotype demonstrated significant evidence of association with autism. The global χ 2 test for haplotype transmission revealed a significant association between HTR2A and autism. Although we identified a significant association between ASD and 5-HTTLPR as well as between ASD and HTR2A, it cannot exclude the chance finding because of the low level of statistical significance and relatively small power. We believe that further studies are required to examine the relationship between serotonin-related genes and the behavioral phenotypes of ASD in the Korean population.

Using the Filaments in the Las Campanas Redshift Survey to Test the ΛCDM Model

It has recently been established that the filaments seen in the Las Campanas Redshift Survey (LCRS) are statistically significant at scales as large as 70-80 h-1 Mpc in the δ = -3° slice and 50-70 h-1 Mpc in the five other LCRS slices. The ability to produce such filamentary features is an important test of any model for structure formation. We have tested the ΛCDM model with a featureless, scale-invariant primordial power spectrum by quantitatively comparing the filamentarity in simulated LCRS slices with the actual data. The filamentarity in an unbiased ΛCDM model, we find, is less than the LCRS. Introducing a bias b = 1.15, the model is in rough consistency with the data, although in two of the slices the filamentarity falls below the data at a low level of statistical significance. The filamentarity is very sensitive to the bias parameter, and a high value (b = 1.5), which enhances filamentarity at small scales and suppresses it at large scales, is ruled out. A bump in the power spectrum at k ~ 0.05 h Mpc-1 is found to have no noticeable effect on the filamentarity.

Capital Structure of Listed Companies in Visegrad Countries

This paper analyzes capital structure of listed companies in Visegrad countries during the period from 2000 to 2001. The results are based on the database, which assembles financial reports of listed firms. In general, leverage of these firms is relatively low if measured in book value, but it is relatively high if assessed in market value. Quasi-maximum likelihood estimation is used in order to investigate the determinants of capital structure. According to the results, leverage of a company is positively correlated with size and it is negatively correlated with profitability, tangibility and non-debt tax shields. There is a negative relationship between leverage measured in market value and growth opportunities. Moreover, leverage decreases with volatility, albeit on a lower level of statistical significance.

The impact of voluntary corporate disclosures on the ex-ante cost of capital for Swiss firms

The relationship between disclosure quality and cost of equity capital is an important topic in today's economy. In general, economic theory and anecdotal evidence suggest a negative association. Empirical work on this link, however, is confronted with major methodological drawbacks – neither disclosure level nor cost of capital can be observed directly – and has documented somewhat confounding results so far. Adopting a finite horizon version of the residual income model, I provide evidence on the nature of the above relationship and try to quantify the effect of a firm's voluntary disclosure policy on its implied cost of capital. Switzerland seems especially suited for an analysis of this kind given that Swiss firms have considerable reporting discretion and the mandated level of disclosure is low. For a cross-sectional sample of seventy-three non-financial companies I show a negative and highly significant association between the two variables. The magnitude is such that the most forthcoming firms enjoy about a 1.8 to 2.4% cost advantage over the least forthcoming firms. The findings persist even after controlling for other potentially influential variables, e.g. risk characteristics and firm size. Furthermore, adjusting for self-selection bias – a major concern in disclosure studies – the marginal effect remains of the same direction and even increases in magnitude, although at lower levels of statistical significance. One reason for the strong relationship might be found in differing institutional factors between the US and Swiss capital markets.

The Impact of Voluntary Corporate Disclosures on the Ex ante Cost of Capital for Swiss Firms

The relationship between disclosure quality and cost of equity capital is an important topic in today's economy and generally, economic theory and anecdotal evidence suggest a negative association. Empirical work on this link, however, is confronted with major methodological drawbacks - neither disclosure level nor cost of capital can be observed directly - and has documented somewhat confounding results so far. Adopting a finite horizon version of the residual income model, I provide evidence on the nature of the above relationship and try to quantify the effect of a firm's voluntary disclosure policy on its implied cost of capital. Switzerland seems especially suited for an analysis of this kind given that Swiss firms have considerable reporting discretion and the mandated level of disclosure is low. For a cross-sectional sample of 73 non-financial companies I show a negative and highly significant association between the two variables. The magnitude is such that the most forthcoming firms enjoy about a 1.8% to 2.4% cost advantage over the least forthcoming firms. The findings persist even after controlling for other potentially influential variables, e.g. risk characteristics and firm size. Furthermore, adjusting for self-selection bias - a major concern in disclosure studies - the results are generally consistent with the main hypothesis although at lower levels of statistical significance. One reason for the strong relationship might be found in differing institutional factors between the US and the Swiss capital markets.

A genome-wide scan suggests a locus on chromosome 1q21-q23 contributes to normal variation in plasma cholesterol concentration.

To identify genes that influence plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density and low-density lipoproteins concentrations we conducted a genome-wide scan using 354 polymorphic markers spaced at 10-cM intervals in 75 obese but otherwise normal human families. The results of the genome scan using sibling pair analysis of quantitative phenotypes suggested that 1q21-q23 contains a locus that influences plasma cholesterol concentration. Chromosome 12 gave evidence of linkage to plasma triglyceride concentration (D12SPAH) and chromosomes 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 17, and 20 yielded additional evidence of linkage for lipid phenotypes at lower levels of statistical significance. Allele sharing for markers near prominent candidate genes was either very weakly related or unrelated to sibling similarity for lipid concentrations. Together these results suggest that genes with important roles in regulating normal cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations do not coincide with the location of previously known candidate genes.

Association of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for gallstones.

Age, female sex, and obesity are well-known risk factors for gallstones; in contrast the possible role of type 2 diabetes mellitus (type-2 DM) is controversial. One reason for this discrepancy might be that type 2 DM is often accompanied by obesity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of obesity and of type 2 DM, separately and together, as risk factors for gallstones. In all, 203 obese patients with normal glucose tolerance (obese NGT), 446 obese patients with type 2 DM (obese type 2 DM), 269 lean patients with type 2 DM (lean type 2 DM) and 250 lean subjects with a normal glucose tolerance (lean NGT) were evaluated by ultrasonography for the presence of gallstones. At univariate analysis patients with gallstones (177) were older and were more frequently affected by both obesity and type 2 DM, and had higher triglycerides and fasting blood glucose levels. At multiple logistic regression analysis, only age and obesity, both in the presence or in absence of type 2 DM, were strongly associated with gallstones (P < 0.001); diabetes alone had a lower level of statistical significance (P = 0.07). These data suggest that obesity is a stronger risk factor for gallstones than type 2 DM.

Discovery of Interstellar Hydrogen Fluoride

We report the first detection of interstellar hydrogen fluoride. Using the Long Wavelength Spectrometer of the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), we have detected the 121.6973 micron J = 2-1 line of HF in absorption toward the far-infrared continuum source Sagittarius B2. The detection is statistically significant at the 13 sigma level. On the basis of our model for the excitation of HF in Sgr B2, the observed line equivalent width of 1.0 nm implies a hydrogen fluoride abundance of approximately 3 x 10(exp -10) relative to H2. If the elemental abundance of fluorine in Sgr B2 is the same as that in the solar system, then HF accounts for approximately 2% of the total number of fluorine nuclei. We expect hydrogen fluoride to be the dominant reservoir of gas-phase fluorine in Sgr B2, because it is formed rapidly in exothermic reactions of atomic fluorine with either water or molecular hydrogen; thus, the measured HF abundance suggests a substantial depletion of fluorine onto dust grains. Similar conclusions regarding depletion have previously been reached for the case of chlorine in dense interstellar clouds. We also find evidence at a lower level of statistical significance (approximately 5 sigma) for an emission feature at the expected position of the 4(sub 32)-4(sub 23) 121.7219 micron line of water. The emission-line equivalent width of 0.5 nm for the water feature is consistent with the water abundance of 5 x 10(exp -6) relative to H2 that has been inferred previously from observations of the hot core of Sgr B2.