Prospects for Spin Physics at RHIC

Colliding beams of 70% polarized protons at up to $\sqrt{s}$=500 GeV, with high luminosity, L=2$\times10^{{\rm 32}}$ cm$^{-2}$sec$^{-1}$, will represent a new and unique laboratory for studying the proton. RHIC-Spin will be the first polarized-proton collider and will be capable of copious production of jets, directly produced photons, and $W$ and $Z$ bosons. Features will include direct and precise measurements of the polarization of the gluons and of $\bar{u}$, $\bar{d}$, $u$, and $d$ quarks in a polarized proton. Parity violation searches for physics beyond the standard model will be competitive with unpolarized searches at the Fermilab Tevatron. Transverse spin will explore transversity for the first time, as well as quark-gluon correlations in the proton. Spin dependence of the total cross section and in the Coulomb nuclear interference region will be measured at collider energies for the first time. These qualitatively new measurements can be expected to deepen our understanding of the structure of matter and of the strong interaction.Comment: 51 pages, 22 figures. Scheduled to appear in the Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science Vol. 50, to be published in December 2000 by Annual Reviews, http://AnnualReviews.or

Virtual photon structure functions and positivity constraints

We study the three positivity constraints among the eight virtual photon structure functions, derived from the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and which are hence model-independent. The photon structure functions obtained from the simple parton model show quite different behaviors in a massive quark or a massless quark case, but they satisfy, in both cases, the three positivity constraints. We then discuss an inequality which holds among the unpolarized and polarized photon structure functions $F_1^\gamma$, $g_1^\gamma$ and $W_{TT}^\tau$, in the kinematic region $\Lambda^2\ll P^2 \ll Q^2$, where $-Q^2 (-P^2)$ is the mass squared of the probe (target) photon, and we examine whether this inequality is satisfied by the perturbative QCD results.Comment: 24 pages, 13 eps figure

A UK survey of current ENT practice in the assessment of nasal patency

Nasal obstruction is a common ENT complaint; however, decisions on its management are challenging, with high rates of dissatisfaction following surgery. This study investigated the practice of UK clinicians in the evaluation of nasal patency. Seventy-eight UK-based rhinologists were surveyed at the 2015 British Academic Conference in Otolaryngology. Clinical history and examination are almost universally used to evaluate nasal blockage. The most commonly used test was the nasal misting pattern (73 per cent), followed by peak nasal inspiratory flow (19 per cent). The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 or 23 was utilised by 29 per cent of respondents. Sixty-three per cent of respondents reported that a lack of equipment was the principle reason for not using objective measures, followed by time constraints and a lack of correlation with symptom scores. British clinicians rely on clinical skills to evaluate nasal blockage. There is a desire for a simple, non-invasive device that objectively measures airflow for nasal breathing during physiological resting and correlates with subjective symptom scores

Participatory variety development for sorghum in Burkina Faso: Farmers’ selection and farmers’ criteria

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is the staple crop of Burkina Faso in West Africa where guinea race landraces are grown in low-input cropping systems. National and international breeding programs have had little success in disseminating modern varieties based on high yield potential caudatum or kafir race breeding materials, mostly introduced from other countries. It has been argued that the breeding objectives were not sufficiently oriented towards the farmers’ needs and preferences, and that they did not target the prevailing growing conditions of Burkina Faso. The objectives of the present article are (i) to identify and examine farmers’ selection criteria for sorghum varieties in the Centre-West of Burkina Faso, (ii) to compare these criteria with the breeder’s agronomic observations and standard practices, and (iii) to show how the criteria of both farmers and breeders can be effectively integrated into the early stages of a pedigree breeding program. These objectives take into consideration gender differentiation, consistency of selection criteria and the interrelationship of measured quantitative traits, as well as the impact of these traits and criteria on the final selection. The present paper is based on a pedigree breeding program that was carried out over three years (2001–2003) in two villages of Burkina Faso. Options for integrating farmers’ selection expertise with that of the breeders’ were examined. Participatory selection was initiated with 53 F3/F4 progenies in field trials managed by farmers using rating and voting exercises. The breeders measured and analysed the agronomic data while the farmers evaluated a large number of progenies by means of their three most important selection criteria and a general appreciation. Farmers’ initial choices remained consistent in the selection exercises (voting) performed in subsequent years. The farmers’ methods for defining traits turned out to be more multivariate than the breeders’ formal understanding of these same traits. This was especially so for the criteria of grain quality, earliness, and productivity for which the farmers’ definition encompasses factors such as flour yield and stability across environments. However, rating results between farmer groups were variable. A disagreement between female and male ratings was especially found for the grain quality traits. The results clearly show that farmers can effectively select for traits on the basis of progeny and single plants while pursuing specific agronomic aims such as adaption. Subsequent yield improvement schemes will thus be more efficient in terms of selection intensity related to grain yield. The study is showing the way for breeders to adjust their selection criteria to suit the basic needs of small-scale farmer in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa

Cross-cultural adaptation and clinical validation of the neonatal skin condition score to Brazilian Portuguese

Objective: to describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation and clinical validation of the Neonatal Skin Condition Score. Methods: this methodological cross-cultural adaptation study included five steps: initial translation, synthesis of the initial translation, back translation, review by an Committee of Specialists and testing of the pre-final version, and an observational cross-sectional study with analysis of the psychometric properties using the Adjusted Kappa, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, and Bland- Altman Method statistical tests. A total of 38 professionals were randomly recruited to review the clarity of the adapted instrument, and 47 newborns hospitalized in the Neonatology Unit of the Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre were selected by convenience for the clinical validation of the instrument. Results: the adapted scale showed approximately 85% clarity. The statistical tests showed moderate to strong intra and interobserver item to item reliability and from strong to very strong in the total score, with a variation of less than 2 points among the scores assigned by the nurses to the patients. Conclusions: the scale was adapted and validated to Brazilian Portuguese. The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Neonatal Skin Condition Score instrument were similar to the validation results of the original scale

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force consensus report on epilepsy definition, classification and terminology in companion animals

Dogs with epilepsy are among the commonest neurological patients in veterinary practice and therefore have historically attracted much attention with regard to definitions, clinical approach and management. A number of classification proposals for canine epilepsy have been published during the years reflecting always in parts the current proposals coming from the human epilepsy organisation the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). It has however not been possible to gain agreed consensus, “a common language”, for the classification and terminology used between veterinary and human neurologists and neuroscientists, practitioners, neuropharmacologists and neuropathologists. This has led to an unfortunate situation where different veterinary publications and textbook chapters on epilepsy merely reflect individual author preferences with respect to terminology, which can be confusing to the readers and influence the definition and diagnosis of epilepsy in first line practice and research studies. In this document the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF) discusses current understanding of canine epilepsy and presents our 2015 proposal for terminology and classification of epilepsy and epileptic seizures. We propose a classification system which reflects new thoughts from the human ILAE but also roots in former well accepted terminology. We think that this classification system can be used by all stakeholders

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force Consensus Proposal: Outcome of therapeutic interventions in canine and feline epilepsy

Common criteria for the diagnosis of drug resistance and the assessment of outcome are needed urgently as a prerequisite for standardized evaluation and reporting of individual therapeutic responses in canine epilepsy. Thus, we provide a proposal for the definition of drug resistance and partial therapeutic success in canine patients with epilepsy. This consensus statement also suggests a list of factors and aspects of outcome, which should be considered in addition to the impact on seizures. Moreover, these expert recommendations discuss criteria which determine the validity and informative value of a therapeutic trial in an individual patient and also suggest the application of individual outcome criteria. Agreement on common guidelines does not only render a basis for future optimization of individual patient management, but is also a presupposition for the design and implementation of clinical studies with highly standardized inclusion and exclusion criteria. Respective standardization will improve the comparability of findings from different studies and renders an improved basis for multicenter studies. Therefore, this proposal provides an in-depth discussion of the implications of outcome criteria for clinical studies. In particular ethical aspects and the different options for study design and application of individual patient-centered outcome criteria are considered