Sampling Technique for Larvae of the Alfalfa Snout Beetle, \u3ci\u3eOtiorhynchus Ligustici\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

This paper presents a sampling procedure for estimating larval populations of the alfalfa snout beetle, Otiorhynchus ligustici. The method is based on counts of the larvae taken in 16 x 16 cm quadrats of soil during early fall when the grubs are in their final two instars and feeding just below the crowns of the plant. Analysis of sampling variability showed that 200 quadrats per field are necessary to obtain adequate precision for intensive population studies but that 50 quadrats are sufficient for survey work. The pattern of counts was overdispersed but conformed to the negative binomial distribution

An Evaluation of a Battery of Functional and Structural Tests as Predictors of Likely Risk of Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of visual function and structural tests to identify the likely risk of progression from early/intermediate to advanced AMD, using the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) simplified scale as a surrogate for risk of progression. The secondary aim was to determine the relationship between disease severity grade and the observed functional and structural deficits. Methods: A total of 100 participants whose AMD status varied from early to advanced were recruited. Visual function was assessed using cone dark adaptation, 14 Hz flicker and chromatic threshold tests and retinal structure was assessed by measuring drusen volume and macular thickness. The predictive value of the tests was estimated using ordinal regression analysis. Group comparisons were assessed using analysis of covariance. Results: Change in cone dark adaptation (cone τ) and yellow-blue (YB) chromatic sensitivity were independent predictors for AMD progression risk (cone τ, pseudo R2 = 0.35, P < 0.001; YB chromatic threshold, pseudo R2 = 0.16, P < 0.001). The only structural predictor was foveal thickness (R2 = 0.05, P = 0.047). Chromatic sensitivity and cone dark adaptation were also the best functional tests at distinguishing between severity groups. Drusen characteristics clearly differentiated between participants with early and advanced disease, but were not able to differentiate between those with early AMD and controls. Mean differences in retinal thickness existed between severity groups at the foveal (P = 0.040) and inner (P = 0.001) subfields. Conclusions: This study indicates that cone τ, YB chromatic threshold and foveal thickness are independent predictors of likely risk of AMD progression

'You've got dry macular degeneration, end of story': a qualitative study into the experience of living with non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of non-neovascular (dry) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on the person with respect to diagnosis, vision loss and coping strategies. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Volunteers with dry AMD with a range of disease severity were given an eye examination and asked to describe aspects of their experience with dry AMD in a semi-structured interview. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to Framework analysis. Overarching themes were pre-defined, whilst subthemes were derived from the data. RESULTS: Twenty-seven participants (81% female), with early (n = 3), intermediate (n = 16) and advanced dry AMD (GA; n = 8) were interviewed. Median (interquartile range) age (years), logMAR binocular visual acuity and Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity were 76 (71, 80), 0.2 (0.18, 0.40) and 1.65 (1.35, 1.93), respectively. Overarching themes (and subthemes) were: diagnosis (relationship with healthcare professional, psychological impact of diagnosis, and knowledge of AMD, both pre- and post-diagnosis), impact of visual loss (functional and psychological) and coping strategies (help from others and personal strategies). Many participants reported feelings of distress at the time of diagnosis and, particularly noteworthy, several reported a constant fear of their condition worsening. CONCLUSIONS: Dry AMD, for which there is currently no treatment, can have a significant impact on individuals, even in its early stages, before significant functional vision loss is manifest, as well as in its intermediate and advanced stages. Results from this study offer important insight into the experience of living with dry AMD not previously explored. Moreover, the results have the potential to serve as an educational resource for eyecare professionals

Is That Your Final Decision? Multi-Stage Profiling, Selective Effects, and Article 22 of the GDPR

Provisions in many data protection laws require a legal basis, or at the very least safeguards, for significant, solely automated decisions; Article 22 of the GDPR is the most notable. - Little attention has been paid to Article 22 in light of decision-making processes with multiple stages, potentially both manual and automated, and which together might impact upon decision subjects in different ways. - Using stylised examples grounded in real-world systems, we raise five distinct complications relating to interpreting Article 22 in the context of such multi-stage profiling systems. - These are: the potential for selective automation on subsets of data subjects despite generally adequate human input; the ambiguity around where to locate the decision itself; whether 'significance' should be interpreted in terms of any potential effects or only selectively in terms of realised effects; the potential for upstream automation processes to foreclose downstream outcomes despite human input; and that a focus on the final step may distract from the status and importance of upstream processes. - We argue that the nature of these challenges will make it difficult for courts or regulators to distil a set of clear, fair and consistent interpretations for many realistic contexts

Bevalac calibration of the SOFIE range and hodoscope detectors

The scintillating optical fiber isotope experiment (SOFIE) is a Cerenkov-dE/dx-Range experiment which was developed initially for balloon flight to study the isotopic composition of cosmic rays in the iron region. The electronic range and hodoscope detectors use scintillating optical fibers to image the tracks of stopping charged particles and to determine their trajectory. The particle range is determined and used together with a Cerenkov measurement to determine the mass of the stopping particle. Preliminary results of a Bevalac calibration performed in August, 1984 with a prototype of the balloon flight instrument, to study the measurement precision in range and trajectory which could be attained with this detector are described

Germination responses of a dry sclerophyll forest soil-stored seedbank to fire related cues

Fire is an integral component of many ecosystems worldwide. Many plant species require fire-related cues, primarily heat and smoke, to trigger germination. Despite the importance of this process, the responses of many Australian species to these cues are unknown. Without this knowledge fire management strategies may be developed that are inappropriate for individual species and vegetation communities. In this study we examined the responses of a dry sclerophyll forest seed bank to heat and smoke germination cues. Analysis was possible for 48 taxa within the soil seedbank with 34 of these showing a response to one or both of the germination cues. 10 species responded to the heat treatment, 11 species responded to the smoke treatment and 13 species responded to both the heat and smoke treatments. Germination cues acted independently for all species considered. Results in this study were consistent with published reports for most species, although some differences were seen at the species and genus level. The study highlights the importance of fire-related cues in enhancing germination of a large proportion of the species occurring in dry sclerophyll forests

When Data Protection by Design and Data Subject Rights Clash

• Data Protection by Design (DPbD), a holistic approach to embedding principles in technical and organisational measures undertaken by data controllers, building on the notion of Privacy by Design, is now a qualified duty in the GDPR. • Practitioners have seen DPbD less holistically, instead framing it through the confidentiality-focussed lens of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs). • While focussing primarily on confidentiality risk, we show that some DPbD strategies deployed by large data controllers result in personal data which, despite remaining clearly reidentifiable by a capable adversary, make it difficult for the controller to grant data subjects rights (eg access, erasure, objection) over for the purposes of managing this risk. • Informed by case studies of Apple’s Siri voice assistant and Transport for London’s Wi-Fi analytics, we suggest three main ways to make deployed DPbD more accountable and data subject–centric: building parallel systems to fulfil rights, including dealing with volunteered data; making inevitable trade-offs more explicit and transparent through Data Protection Impact Assessments; and through ex ante and ex post information rights (arts 13–15), which we argue may require the provision of information concerning DPbD trade-offs. • Despite steep technical hurdles, we call both for researchers in PETs to develop rigorous techniques to balance privacy-as-control with privacyas-confidentiality, and for DPAs to consider tailoring guidance and future frameworks to better oversee the trade-offs being made by primarily wellintentioned data controllers employing DPbD

An Evaluation of Two Candidate Functional Biomarkers for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE: To evaluate the inter-session repeatability of the Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test and a novel 14-Hz flicker test in a population of healthy participants in order to provide benchmark data for their use as functional biomarkers for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Visual function was assessed using both techniques in 30 healthy adults (mean age 36.3 ± 14.1 years) on 2 separate days. Inter-session repeatability of RG and YB CAD thresholds and 14-Hz flicker thresholds was assessed by determining their coefficient of repeatability (CoR). RESULTS: The CoR was calculated to be 0.39 CAD units (17.0%) for RG thresholds, 0.43 CAD units (31.1%) for YB thresholds and 0.015 (53.4%) for 14-Hz flicker contrast thresholds. On average, thresholds improved by 4.72% (RG), 6.33% (YB) and 13.3% (14-Hz flicker) between visits 1 and 2, suggesting a small but consistent learning effect. The CoR for all parameters was relatively small compared to the mean thresholds obtained (RG: mean 2.27 ± 4.58, CoR 0.39; YB: mean 1.37 ± 0.55, CoR 0.43; 14-Hz flicker: mean 0.028 ± 0.01, CoR 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: This study has described the repeatability of the CAD and 14-Hz flicker tests. The data can help clinicians decide if the results from repeated measures are of clinical significance. Despite pre-test training, there was some evidence of a learning effect. Therefore, clinical trials using these techniques should ensure training is sufficient to minimize these effects