1997 ASHE Project Team VISTA Awards.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Awards and Prizes↗
Biomedical subjects
M Severns
Publications and source records attributed to M Severns.
Pupillary and visual thresholds in young children as an index of population vitamin A status.
A prototype scotopic sensitivity machine was used to evaluate pupillary and visual thresholds for 295 Indonesian children aged 1-5 y, most of whom were initially vitamin A-deficient. Subjects were tested 6 and 9 mo after receiving a high dose of vitamin A. A group of 136 older children was tested at 6 mo after dosing; all subjects underwent testing at 9 mo. After testing at 9 mo, children randomly received either a second high dose of vitamin A or placebo and were tested a final time 2 wk later. Children with abnormal pupillary thresholds had significantly higher relative dose responses (RDRs) (P < 0.01) and significantly lower serum retinol values (P = 0.05) than did normal children. The mean pupillary threshold rose (eg, retinal sensitivity fell) as vitamin A status deteriorated between 6 and 9 mo after initial dosing, and was significantly different from a group of normal American children tested previously (P < 0.001). After placebo-controlled dosing, the decline in pupillary and visual thresholds (rise in retinal sensitivity) was significant for children receiving vitamin A but not for children receiving placebo.
Aging↗
Characterization of the electroretinographic scotopic B-wave amplitude in diabetic and normal subjects.
The intensity-response function of the scotopic b-wave of the electroretinogram may be a useful device for monitoring patients with retinal disease. Three models were evaluated that describe this function in 152 patients with diabetic retinopathy of varying severity and in 40 nondiabetic comparison subjects. The models considered were the Naka-Rushton equation fit to all 21 data points collected, the Naka-Rushton equation fit to the data points below the "second limb" of the function, and a log-linear fit only to data at the nine lowest intensities. In addition, the b-wave amplitude at each intensity tested was evaluated individually. Model parameters and amplitude measurements were compared with respect to (1) their ability to distinguish diabetic from nondiabetic subjects determined from the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and (2) their correlation with retinopathic severity, graded in a standard fashion in fundus photographs. When all the parameters of each model were used in combination, there were no significant differences among the models with either evaluation criterion. Furthermore, b-wave amplitudes at midrange intensities (near -2.2 log cd-sec/m2) did approximately as well as any model.
Adolescent↗
An avian vocalization detector.
A simple circuit to detect avian vocalizations is described. Adjustments of five different controls (frequency, bandwidth, amplitude, duration and spacing) allow the circuit to accurately detect the vocalizations of different ages and species of birds. Analyses of over 4000 peeps and 500 inter-peep intervals from 40 chicks and 16 ducklings showed that the circuit and an experienced observer agreed closely in the timing and counting of vocalizations.
Animals↗