Characterization of slow and fast phase nystagmus

A current literature review of the analog and digital process of vestibular and optical kinetic nystagmus reveals little agreement in the methods used by various labs. The strategies for detection of saccade (fast phase velocity component of nystagmus) vary between labs, and most of the process have not been evaluated and validated with a standard database. A survey was made of major vestibular labs in the U.S. that perform computer analyses of vestibular and optokinetic reflexes to stimuli, and a baseline was established from which to standardize data acquisition and analysis programs. The concept of an Error Index was employed as the criterium for evaluating the performance of the vestibular analysis software programs. The performance criterium is based on the detection of saccades and is the average of the percentages of missed detections and false detections. Evaluation of the programs produced results for lateral gaze with saccadic amplitude of one, two, three, five, and ten degrees with various signal-to-noise ratios. In addition, results were obtained for sinusoidal pursuit of 0.05, 0.10, and 0.50 Hz with saccades from one to ten degrees at various signal-to-noise ratios. Selection of the best program was made from the performance in the lateral gaze with three degrees of saccadic amplitude and in the 0.10 Hz sinusoid with three degrees of saccadic amplitude

Effecs of damage by wheat bug, Aelia germari [Hemiptera : Pentatomidae], on grain quality and on reproductive performance of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae [Coleoptera : curculionidae]

La punaise des céréales, Aelia germari, cause des dégâts au champ, avant la maturité du grain, qui ont pour conséquence majeure une réduction de la valeur boulangère du blé destiné à la panification. Pour tenter de mettre en évidence les modifications induites par les attaques de punaises sur la valeur nutritive du grain, un essai biologique a été réalisé sur le charançon du riz Sitophilus oryzae, qui se développe dans l'endosperme du grain. Le charançon du riz a été élevé sur des échantillons de blé du cultivar 'Manondemias', dans lesquels ont été incorporés des taux différents (0, 4, 8, et 13%) de grain attaqué par la punaise phytophage A. germari. Sur les échantillons de blé punaisé à 4, 8 ou 13%, la durée moyenne de développement de S. oryzae était plus courte que sur le grain non punaisé. Cependant, le calcul des corrélations sur les variables prises deux à deux a montré que ni l'indice de sensibilité Dobie aux attaques d'insectes, ni la descendance par femelle de charançon, ni la perte de poids du grain consécutive au développement complet de S. oryzae, n'étaient corrélés avec le pourcentage de grains punaisés dans l'échantillon. À partir d'une analyse multivariable globale, associant les propriétés physicochimiques ou rhéologiques des grains avec les paramètres décrivant la réponse biologique du charançon S. oryzae, il a été montré que le blé sans attaque apparente de punaise pouvait être associé à une longue durée de développement pour S. oryzae, un nombre plus faible de descendants, une force boulangère, une teneur en azote et un temps de chute élevés, ainsi qu'à une faible teneur en cendres et en azote assimilable du grain.The wheat bug, Aelia germari, feeds on developing wheat kernels, causing a loss in baking quality of the harvested wheat (Triticum aestivum). The possible nutritional changes in the bug-damaged kernels after the harvest were tested in a bioassay using the rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae, which feeds on the kernel endosperm. The weevils were reared on baking wheat cultivar 'Manon demias', grown in Algeria, with different levels (0, 4, 8 and 13%) of wheat bug (A. germari) damaged kernels. Rice weevil reared on 4, 8 or 13% damaged wheat had a shorter development time than on wheat with no damage. However, pair-wise correlations showed that Dobie's index for susceptibility of grain for stored-products insect attack, number of progeny per female and kernel weight loss were not correlated with the percentage of damaged kernels. Using multivariate analysis, the general characteristics of high quality grain were associated with long development times for S. oryzae, low number of progeny, high baking strength, high falling number, high nitrogen, low ash content, and low assimilable nitrogen

African-American patients with cancer Talking About Clinical Trials (TACT) with oncologists during consultations: evaluating the efficacy of tailored health messages in a randomised controlled trial—the TACT study protocol

Introduction Low rates of accrual of African-American (AA) patients with cancer to therapeutic clinical trials (CTs) represent a serious and modifiable racial disparity in healthcare that impedes the development of promising cancer therapies. Suboptimal physician–patient consultation communication is a barrier to the accrual of patients with cancer of any race, but communication difficulties are compounded with AA patients. Providing tailored health messages (THM) to AA patients and their physician about CTs has the potential to improve communication, lower barriers to accrual and ameliorate health disparities. Objective (1) Demonstrate the efficacy of THM to increase patient activation as measured by direct observation. (2) Demonstrate the efficacy of THM to improve patient outcomes associated with barriers to AA participation. (3) Explore associations among preconsultation levels of: (A) trust in medical researchers, (B) knowledge and attitudes towards CTs, (C) patient-family member congruence in decision-making, and (D) involvement/information preferences, and group assignment. Methods and analysis First, using established methods, we will develop THM materials. Second, the efficacy of the intervention is determined in a 2 by 2 factorial randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of (1) providing 357 AA patients with cancer with THM with 2 different ‘depths’ of tailoring and (2) either providing feedback to oncologists about the patients\u27 trial THM or not. The primary analysis compares patient engaged communication in 4 groups preconsultation and postconsultation. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Virginia Commonwealth University Institutional Review Board. To facilitate use of the THM intervention in diverse settings, we will convene ‘user groups’ at 3 major US cancer centres. To facilitate dissemination, we will post all materials and the implementation guide in publicly available locations

A New Measurement of Cosmic Ray Composition at the Knee

The Dual Imaging Cerenkov Experiment (DICE) was designed and operated for making elemental composition measurements of cosmic rays near the knee of the spectrum at several PeV. Here we present the first results using this experiment from the measurement of the average location of the depth of shower maximum, , in the atmosphere as a function of particle energy. The value of near the instrument threshold of ~0.1 PeV is consistent with expectations from previous direct measurements. At higher energies there is little change in composition up to ~5 PeV. Above this energy is deeper than expected for a constant elemental composition implying the overall elemental composition is becoming lighter above the knee region. These results disagree with the idea that cosmic rays should become on average heavier above the knee. Instead they suggest a transition to a qualitatively different population of particles above 5 PeV.Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, two eps figures, aas2pp4.sty and epsf.sty included, accepted by Ap.J. Let

Correlated variability of Mkn 421 at X-ray and TeV wavelengths on timescales of hours

Mkn 421 was observed for about two days with BeppoSAX, prior to and partly overlapping the start of a 1 week continuous exposure with ASCA in April 1998, as part of a world-wide multiwavelength campaign. A pronounced, well defined, flare observed in X-rays was also observed simultaneously at TeV energies by the Whipple Observatory's 10 m gamma-ray telescope. These data provide the first evidence that the X-ray and TeV intensities are well correlated on time-scales of hours.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, presented at the VERITAS Workshop on the TeV Astrophysics of Extragalactic Object

TeV Observations of the Variability and Spectrum of Markarian 501

Markarian 501 is only the second extragalactic source to be detected with high statistical certainty at TeV energies; it is similar in many ways to Markarian 421. The Whipple Observatory gamma-ray telescope has been used to observe the AGN Markarian 501 in 1996 and 1997, the years subsequent to its initial detection. The apparent variability on the one-day time-scale observed in TeV gamma rays in 1995 is confirmed and compared with the variability in Markarian 421. Observations at X-ray and optical wavelengths from 1997 are also presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in proceedings of 25th ICRC (Durban

Multiwavelength Observations of a Flare from Markarian 501

We present multiwavelength observations of the BL Lacertae object Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) in 1997 between April 8 and April 19. Evidence of correlated variability is seen in very high energy (VHE, E > 350 GeV) gamma-ray observations taken with the Whipple Observatory gamma-ray telescope, data from the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, and quicklook results from the All-Sky Monitor of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer while the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope did not detect Mrk 501. Short term optical correlations are not conclusive but the U-band flux observed with the 1.2m telescope of the Whipple Observatory was 10% higher than in March. The average energy output of Mrk 501 appears to peak in the 2 keV to 100 keV range suggesting an extension of the synchrotron emission to at least 100 keV, the highest observed in a blazar and ~100 times higher than that seen in the other TeV-emitting BL Lac object, Mrk 421. The VHE gamma-ray flux observed during this period is the highest ever detected from this object. The VHE gamma-ray energy output is somewhat lower than the 2-100 keV range but the variability amplitude is larger. The correlations seen here do not require relativistic beaming of the emission unless the VHE spectrum extends to >5 TeV.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter