Visual and control aspects of saccadic eye movements

Physiological, behavioral, and control investigation of rapid saccadic jump eye movement in human

Minimally Allowed Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Rates From Approximate Flavor Symmetries

Neutrinoless double beta decay ($\beta\beta0\nu$) is among the only realistic probes of Majorana neutrinos. In the standard scenario, dominated by light neutrino exchange, the process amplitude is proportional to $m_{ee}$, the $e-e$ element of the Majorana mass matrix. Naively, current data allows for vanishing $m_{ee}$, but this should be protected by an appropriate flavor symmetry. All such symmetries lead to mass matrices inconsistent with oscillation phenomenology. I perform a spurion analysis to break all possible Abelian symmetries that guarantee vanishing $\beta\beta0\nu$ rates and search for minimally allowed values. I survey 230 broken structures to yield $m_{ee}$ values and current phenomenological constraints under a variety of scenarios. This analysis also extracts predictions for both neutrino oscillation parameters and kinematic quantities. Assuming reasonable tuning levels, I find that $m_{ee}>4\times 10^{-6}$ eV at 99% confidence. Bounds below this value might indicate the Dirac neutrino nature or the existence of new light (eV-MeV scale) degrees of freedom that can potentially be probed elsewhere.Comment: 19 Pages, 4 .eps Figures, 3 Table

Measurement of the proton light response of various LAB based scintillators and its implication for supernova neutrino detection via neutrino-proton scattering

The proton light output function in electron-equivalent energy of various scintillators based on linear alkylbenzene (LAB) has been measured in the energy range from 1 MeV to 17.15 MeV for the first time. The measurement was performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) using a neutron beam with continuous energy distribution. The proton light output data is extracted from proton recoil spectra originating from neutron-proton scattering in the scintillator. The functional behavior of the proton light output is described succesfully by Birks' law with a Birks constant kB between (0.0094 +/- 0.0002) cm/MeV and (0.0098 +/- 0.0003) cm/MeV for the different LAB solutions. The constant C, parameterizing the quadratic term in the generalized Birks law, is consistent with zero for all investigated scintillators with an upper limit (95% CL) of about 10^{-7} cm^2/MeV^2. The resulting quenching factors are especially important for future planned supernova neutrino detection based on the elastic scattering of neutrinos on protons. The impact of proton quenching on the supernova event yield from neutrino-proton scattering is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables, updated version for publication in Eur.Phys.J.

Diabetes and kidney cancer: A direct or indirect association?

A positive association between diabetes and kidney cancer has been reported in several investigations, but it is unclear whether diabetes or its complications account for this association. Recent advances in estimating direct associations may be useful for elucidating the association between diabetes and kidney cancer. Therefore, we performed a case-control analysis to evaluate whether the direct association between diabetes and kidney cancer is the primary concern in this exposure-outcome relation. Discharge data (with International Classification of Diseases – 9 codes) from 2001 for hospitals throughout Florida were used to construct a case-control population of inpatients aged ≥45 years. Cases (n=1,909) were inpatients with malignant kidney cancer and controls (n=6,451) were inpatients with motor vehicle injuries. Diabetes status was ascertained for cases and controls. Covariates that required adjustment to estimate the total (age, gender, ethnicity, obesity, and smoking) and direct (age, gender, ethnicity, obesity, smoking, hypertension, and kidney disease) associations were identified in a directed acyclic graph. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted total and direct odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of kidney cancer for diabetics. The odds of kidney cancer were higher for inpatients with diabetes than inpatients without diabetes when estimating the total association (OR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.47) but attenuated when estimating the direct association (OR=1.08, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.25). Our findings provide preliminary insight that the direct association between diabetes and kidney cancer may not be the primary concern in this exposure-outcome relation; indirect pathways (i.e. diabetic complications) may have greater influence on this relation. A similar analysis using longitudinal data with appropriately measured covariates may provide more definitive conclusions and could have implications for kidney cancer prevention among diabetics

The 1941 Iowa corn yield test

The Iowa Corn Yield Test attempts to supply performance records to the buyer and producer of various hybrids offered for sale to the Iowa farmer. Iowa has become “hybrid corn conscious” since 1935 when 3.1 percent of the Iowa corn acreage was planted to hybrid seed. In 1941, 95 percent of the corn acreage was estimated to have been planted to hybrid seed. Each year the Iowa farmer is confronted with the problem of knowing which hybrid to buy. The Iowa Corn Yield Test may help in solving this problem by giving some indication of the performance of various hybrids in different parts of the state. Records are determined for acre yield, percent stand, lodging, moisture, dropped ears and damaged kernels. Significant differences in yield and in other characteristics between hybrids, providing they are equal in stand, grown under the same environmental conditions may be attributed to genetic differences

The 1940 Iowa corn yield test

The Iowa Com Yield Test makes available to purchasers and producers alike the performance records of different kinds of corn. Many of these kinds are offered for sale to Iowa farmers. If these performance records are properly studied they should help the purchaser to select the com best adapted for his purposes. The testing fields of the Iowa Com Yield Test were located in 12 systematically scattered areas of the state. The data should, therefore, be helpful to the seed producer by indicating the range of adaptation of the different strains and hybrid combinations and the performance under different soil and climatic conditions. Nine out of 10 corn acres in Iowa are planted to hybrid corn. It is, therefore, important to determine the adaptation and performance of various combinations in different parts of the state. The data presented in this bulletin include acre yield, lodging, maturity, dropped ears and damaged kernels. Significant differences in yield between different kinds of corn with equal stands, grown in adequately replicated tests, may be attributed to genetic differences under the environmental conditions of the test

1939 Iowa corn yield test

1. The purpose of the 1939 Iowa Corn Yield Test was to determine for each district and section of the state those kinds of corn which perform best. 2. The state was divided into four sections for the tests. Each section was composed of three districts in each of which was located a testing field. 3. A total of 1,214 district entries was made in the 12 fields. These entries were divided into two classes, regular and experimental, depending upon the quantity of seed indicated to have been grown by the entrant in 1938. 4. The seed for planting the entries in the regular class was obtained by the Iowa Corn and Small Grain Growers’ Association from warehouses, on the open market and from farmers who had purchased the seed to plant. The seed for planting the experimental entries was supplied by the entrant. 5. Each regular entry was planted in 10 plots and each experimental entry in five plots in each field where tested. 6. Data were obtained for each entry on percentage stand, ear height, acre yield, percentage lodging, moisture content, percentage of dropped ears and damaged kernels. 7. A performance score was computed for each entry. In computing this score the yield was weighted 50 percent, dry corn 20 percent, and lodging resistance, ears on stalks and undamaged kernels 10 percent each. The entries are arranged in tables 7 to 22, inclusive, according to their performance score. 8. The difference in yield necesary to be considered significant was calculated and is included in the performance data for each district and each section. Because of the increased number of replications in the regular classes the bushels necessary for significance are generally smaller than in the experimental classes. 9. The average yield, moisture percentage and percentage of lodged plants for those section entries which were in the 1939 test and in tests of the same previous years were calculated. These data offer a more reliable basis for predicting the future performance of these entries than the results of any one year. 10. The long ripening season of 1939 permitted late, unadapted kinds of corn to mature in the Northern Section where they normally would be too late. Many of the hybrids which performed well in the Northern and North Central sections might be wholly unsatisfactory in a season with a less favorable fall. 11. The average yield of all hybrids was greater than that of the open-pollinated varieties in each of the 12 districts. The average advantage of the hybrids for the entire state was 14.0 percent. All of the hybrids in the test, however, were not superior. In 6 of the 12 districts the lowest yield was made by an open-pollinated variety, in 2 by an experimental hybrid and in 4 by a regular hybrid. 12. Differences in yield between hybrids with identical pedigrees may be largely accounted for by differences in percentage of stand. The use of proper seed stock, proper isolation and good detasseling are very necessary, but the maximum yield from a certain combination can be obtained only when the seed is processed and planted in such a manner that a high germination results. 13. The Banner Trophy was awarded to William Dockendorff & Sons on the basis of the performance of an entry of Iowa Hybrid 939 made by them in the Northern Section. This hybrid had a performance score of 108.73. It yielded 16.9 percent more than the average of the entries in its class and exceeded the yield of the average of the open-pollinated varieties by 20.8 bushels to the acre. This entry had a higher than average percentage of dropped ears and a lower than average percentage of lodged plants

1938 Iowa corn yield test

A total of 1,110 district entries was made in the 12 fields of the 1938 Iowa Corn Yield Test. These were divided into three groups on the basis of the indicated seed grown by the entrant in 1937; Regular Open-Pollinated, Regular Hybrids, and Experimental Hybrids