Ascendant Phase Research Articles

Does the Eurozone live in a Minskyan world?

The purpose of this paper is to test Minsky's financial instability hypothesis for the Eurozone by focusing on his main conclusion: corporate debt ratios rise during the ascendant phase of the business cycle. Depending on how debt ratios are measured, our results are divided between (i) robust and (ii) imperfect empirical evidence of procyclical debt ratios. Moreover, we suggest that rising interest rates may not be the best policy to avoid a Minskyan process and that alternative measures deserve some attention. We believe these results call for future research.

Phase 1/2 Study of Acalabrutinib Monotherapy in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Final Results with >4 Years of Follow-up

Background: Treatment with Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors has remarkably improved clinical outcomes for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Acalabrutinib is a highly selective, covalent BTK inhibitor approved for the treatment of CLL. Here we report the final analysis of the phase 1/2 study of acalabrutinib (multicenter, multicohort ACE-CL-001 study; NCT02029443) with median follow-up of 53 months in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Prior analyses were reported at median follow-up durations of 14 months (Byrd et al. N Engl J Med. 2016;374:323-32) and 41 months (Byrd et al. Blood. 2020;135:1204-13). Methods: Adult patients with CLL or SLL who had received ≥1 prior treatment and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) ≤2 were included in the R/R cohort of the study. In the dose-escalation portion of the study, patients were enrolled into dose cohorts at acalabrutinib dosages of 100, 175, 250, and 400 mg once daily (QD) and 100 mg or 200 mg twice daily (BID). In the phase 2 portion of the study, patients received oral acalabrutinib 100 mg BID or 200 mg QD, later switching to 100 mg BID, until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The primary study endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), and progression-free-survival (PFS), with post hoc analysis of event-free survival (EFS). Response rates were based on the iwCLL 2008 criteria with modification for lymphocytosis. Results: In total, 134 patients with R/R CLL/SLL received ≥1 dose of acalabrutinib (dosing information was previously reported; Byrd et al. Blood. 2020;135:1204-13). Median age was 66 years, and 97% of patients had ECOG PS ≤1, 73% unmutated IGHV, 27% del(17p), 20% del(11q), and 35% complex karyotype. The median number of prior therapies was 2 (range 1-13). At the final data cutoff date of July 15, 2021, at a median follow-up of 52.6 (range 0.56-88.8) months, 31% of patients remained on acalabrutinib. The most common reasons for discontinuing treatment were progressive disease (37%) and adverse events (AEs; 15%). The most commonly reported AEs were consistent with those reported in the previous update (Table 1); no new AEs emerged with longer term follow-up. AEs leading to discontinuation that occurred in >1 patient were pneumonia (5 patients), anemia, neutropenia, diarrhea, and thrombocytopenia (2 patients each). Events of clinical interest (all grades; grade ≥3, respectively) included atrial fibrillation/flutter (9%; 3%), hypertension (23%; 11%), infection (88%; 33%), bleeding events (71%; 6%), major bleeding events (8%; 6%), and ventricular tachyarrhythmias (2%, 1%). No cases of sudden death were reported. The ORR (partial response or better) was 90% (95% confidence interval [CI] 84-95); 4% of patients had complete response and 87% partial response (PR). The median DOR was 60.1 months (range 2.7-81.0). The 66-month estimated DOR rate was 45% (95% CI 36-55). Responses were similar regardless of high-risk features, including unmutated IGHV (n=73/81; 90%), del(17p) (n=27/31; 87%), del(11q) (n=20/23; 87%), and complex karyotype (n=17/20; 85%). The median PFS was 66.1 months (range 0.4-87.8; Figure 1), and the median EFS was 53.8 months (range 44.1-66.1). The 72-month estimated PFS was 45% (95% CI 36-54) and the 72-month estimated EFS was 37% (95% CI 29-46). Reported EFS events overall included AEs (n=18/134, 13%), death (n=5/134, 4%), disease progression (n=54/134, 40%), and new anticancer therapy (n=3/134, 2%). Conclusions: The results of this final analysis confirm the earlier reports of acalabrutinib efficacy and were later confirmed by similar outcomes of response durability and long-term tolerability in the pivotal ASCEND phase 3 trial in patients with R/R CLL/SLL (Jurczak et al. J Clin Oncol. 2022;40[suppl 16]:7538). Reported AEs indicate a tolerable and consistent safety profile, with low rates of atrial fibrillation and major bleeding events with median follow-up of 53 months (up to 7.4 years). No new safety signals were identified. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Chronic lesion activity and disability progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

ObjectiveSlowly expanding lesions (SELs), a subgroup of chronic white matter lesions that gradually expand over time, have been shown to predict disability accumulation in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) disease....

Refugees from Syria and Iraq in Sweden: resettlement during the migration crisis

The vast increase in the number of forced migrants during the European migration crisis has compelled the receiving countries to concentrate on the issues of migrant reception and accommodation. This study aims to demonstrate how the patterns of settlement of Syrian and Iraqi migrants changed in 2014—2019. We propose a new methodology, building on the Her­findahl-Hirschman index, an indicator of the level and direction of the spatial concentration—deconcentration of migrants, and the Ryabtsev index, which is used to measure the proximity between the settlement structures of migrants and the Swedes. It is established there was a deconcentration of migrants during the crisis (espe­cially in its ascendant phase), carried out by the Swedish authorities. However a reverse process took place in the descendant phase, as a result of self-arranged migrants’ resettlement. The deconcentration of Iraqis and Syrians led to the convergence between the settlement structure typical of immigrants and the Swedes, whilst concentration resulted in divergence accompanied by the emergence of close-knit immi­grant communities on the outskirts of Sweden’s largest cities. The formation of such communi­ties, seen as vulnerable by the national authorities and marked by a high crime rate, impedes the integration of Syrian and Iraqi immigrants into Swedish society.

Fomites and the environment did not have an important role in COVID-19 transmission in a Brazilian mid-sized city

It is not clear if COVID-19 can be indirectly transmitted. It is not possible to conclude the role of the environment in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 without studying areas in which people transit in great numbers. In this work we aimed to better understand the role of environment in the spread of COVID-19. We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fomites as well as in the air and in the sewage using RT-qPCR. We studied both, a reference market area and a COVID-19 reference hospital at Barreiras city, Brazil. We collected and analyzed a total of 418 samples from mask fronts, cell phones, paper money, card machines, sewage, air and bedding during the ascendant phase of the epidemiological curve of COVID-19 in Barreiras. As a result, we detected the human RNAse P gene in most of samples, which indicates the presence of human cells or their fragments in specimens. However, we did not detect any trace of SARS-CoV-2 in all samples analyzed. We conclude that, so far, the environment and inanimate materials did not have an important role in COVID-19 transmission in Barreiras city. Therefore, similar results can probably be found in other cities, mainly those with COVID-19 epidemiological scenarios similar to that of Barreiras city. Our study is a small piece indicating the possibility that fomites and the environment do not have an important role in COVID-19 transmission. However, further studies are necessary to better understand the world scenario.

Development and Potential Usefulness of the COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip Diagnostic Assay in a Pandemic Context.

Introduction: COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip, an immunochromatographic (ICT) assay for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen on nasopharyngeal specimen, has been developed to identify positive COVID-19 patients allowing prompt clinical and quarantine decisions. In this original research article, we describe the conception, the analytical and clinical performances as well as the risk management of implementing the COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip in a diagnostic decision algorithm.Materials and Methods: Development of the COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip resulted in a ready-to-use ICT assay based on a membrane technology with colloidal gold nanoparticles using monoclonal antibodies directed against the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 highly conserved nucleoprotein antigen. Four hundred observations were recorded for the analytical performance study and thirty tests were analyzed for the cross-reactivity study. The clinical performance study was performed in a retrospective multi-centric evaluation on aliquots of 328 nasopharyngeal samples. COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip results were compared with qRT-PCR as golden standard for COVID-19 diagnostics.Results: In the analytical performance study, the reproducibility showed a between-observer disagreement of 1.7%, a robustness of 98%, an overall satisfying user friendliness and no cross-reactivity with other virus-infected nasopharyngeal samples. In the clinical performance study performed in three different clinical laboratories during the ascendant phase of the epidemiological curve, we found an overall sensitivity and specificity of 57.6 and 99.5%, respectively with an accuracy of 82.6%. The cut-off of the ICT was found at CT <22. User-friendliness analysis and risk management assessment through Ishikawa diagram demonstrate that COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip may be implemented in clinical laboratories according to biosafety recommendations.Conclusion: The COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip represents a promising rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay for the first-line diagnosis of COVID-19 in 15 min at the peak of the pandemic. Its role in the proposed diagnostic algorithm is complementary to the currently-used molecular techniques.

Citation network analysis of plastic electronics: Tracing the evolution and emerging research fronts

This paper aims at tracing the evolution and finding the emerging research fronts of organic electronics. The discovery of electrically conductive polymers has opened a pathway to a new dimension in technological evolution, which replaces the rigid electronics to organic electronics. Its tremendous potential of flexibility, strength and minimal weight inspired many physicists, chemists, material scientists, electrical and electronics engineers to focus their research in this area. Traces over the past forty years made by this field inspire futurists to investigate and forecast the trajectory of organic electronics technology. Hence, by tracing the evolution and identifying the emerging research fronts, this paper will be helpful for researchers and manufacturers to directly concentrate on the upcoming research areas of organic electronics. The evolving phase of the growth curve fitted to the number of research articles related to “plastic or organic electronics” published per year shows that the research activities are still in the ascendant phase and have not reached the maturity level. This ensures that organic electronics is a promising area of research. Further, we systematically analyse the corpus of research articles related to organic electronics to trace the trajectory of the global evolution and emerging research fronts as well as the prospects of organic electronics using tools of social network analysis. We visualize the main path of evolution in the citation network and investigate the patterns to trace the knowledge diffusion path, major milestones and the emerging research fronts. Thus, we obtain the origin of third-generation solar cells and found that the emerging research articles are from articles of organic solar cells. The cluster analysis of the citation network identifies the major topics of the emerging research domains of organic solar cells.

From conventional governance to e-democracy: Tracing the evolution of e-governance research trends using network analysis tools

The adoption of e-governing practices has revolutionised the administrative machinery of governments worldwide by improving efficiency, transparency, and accountability. Researchers and administrators often aim to identify emerging research fronts and the timeline of the evolution to forecast and implement technology. In this work, we systematically investigate the trajectory of the global evolution and emerging research fronts as well as the prospects for e-governance using citation network analysis. The growth curve fitted to the number of articles published per year shows that the research activities are still in the ascendant phase. We visualise the global main path of the citation network and investigate the patterns to trace the knowledge diffusion path, major milestones, and emerging research fronts. The cluster analysis identifies the major topics of research as administration and information system management, e-governance framework design, efficiency or quality evaluation, and the application of social networks and open data leading to e-democracy. The adoption of open data and social networking for user interactions with government that leads to participatory governance are the emerging research trends. We also identify research that can have a future impact based on network parameters. The results contribute to the literature by setting the focus of future research, and assisting administrators in selecting suitable models and methodologies, and manufacturers with the development of required technical devices suitable for the upcoming phase of symbiosis.

From Autonomy to Anonymity: Information Technology Policy and Changing Politics of the Media System in Indian Democracy

The prominence of information and communications technology (ICTs) in defining India’s media modernity can be gauged by the growing reach of online social media as well as continuing expansion of digital media channels and satellite broadcasting even in the early 21stCentury. Policies concerning information technologies, from telegraph to satellite networks, have also been central to media politics and with the rise of new media, internet related policies have similarly become pivotal to the interaction between the state and media system. Drawing from a comparative media system perspective, this paper argues that while there has been no major constitutional or legal overhaul, as yet, new ideas and information technology policy activism are reshaping the contours of state action and ‘autonomy’ of the press in India’s democracy. Comparing technology debates in an earlier era, when satellite networks swept across the media system, with the more recent deliberations around liabilities for digital intermediaries, the paper unpacks the nature of change and locates its origins in the revival of discursive institutions (Schmidt 2002, 2008) of technology policy since the early 2000s. Technology related ideas, I argue, now serve as institutions, able to function as a ‘coordinating discourse’ (ibid) that have revived ideals of an autonomous media. Technology inflected ideals of ‘anonymity’ also counter the ‘communicative discourse’ (ibid) of Hindutva and cultural nationalist politics of media which framed the issue of autonomy in the ascendant phase of print and electronic media capitalism until the 1990s.

Efficacy of Pirfenidone in the Context of Multiple Disease Progression Events in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Declines in percent predicted FVC (%predicted FVC), declines in 6-min walk distance (6MWD), and respiratory hospitalizations are events associated with disease progression and mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The incidence of multiple events in the same patient over 12months of pirfenidone treatment is unknown. Patients who received pirfenidone 2,403mg/d (n= 623) or placebo (n= 624) in the ASCEND (study 016; NCT01366209) and CAPACITY (studies 004 and 006; NCT00287716 and NCT00287729) phase III trials were included in this post hoc analysis. Disease progression events were defined as relative decline in %predicted FVC≥ 10%, absolute decline in 6MWD≥ 50 m, respiratory hospitalization, or death from any cause. The incidence of disease progression events over 12months was assessed. The most frequent disease progression events were declines in %predicted FVC (pirfenidone vsplacebo; 202 vs304 events) and declines in 6MWD (pirfenidone vsplacebo; 265 vs348 events). Fewer patients who received pirfenidone had more than one progression event compared with placebo (17.0%vs30.1%; P< .0001). Death following one or more progression event occurred less frequently in the pirfenidone group than in the placebo group (2.1%vs6.3%; P= .0002). Pirfenidone significantly reduced the incidence of multiple progression events and death after a progression event over 12months of treatment compared with placebo. These findings suggest that continued treatment with pirfenidone confers a benefit despite the occurrence of any single disease progression event. ClinicalTrials.gov; Nos. NCT01366209, NCT00287716, and NCT00287729; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

The characteristics of valley phase as predictor of the forthcoming solar cycle

Is Solar Cycle 24 anomalous? How do we predict the main features of a forthcoming cycle? In order to reply such questions, this work partitions quantitatively each cycle into valley, ascend, peak, and descend phases, statistically investigate the correlations between valley phase and the forthcoming cycle. We find that the preceding valley phase may dominate and can be predictor of the forthcoming cycle: (1) The growth rate in ascend phase strongly negatively correlates to valley length and strongly positively correlates to cycle maximum. (2) The cycle maximum strongly negatively correlates to valley length, and strongly positively correlates to cycle minimum. (3) The cycle period strongly negatively correlates to the valley variation. Based on these correlations, we conclude that the solar cycle 24 is a relatively weak and long cycle which is obviously weaker than Cycle 23. The similarity analysis also presents the similar result. The Cycle 25 is also inferred possibly to be a weak cycle. These results can help us understanding the physical processes of solar cycles.

ASCEND Phase 3 Trial Open-Label Extension Study Results: Natalizumab May Delay Disability Progression in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) (P5.330)

ASCEND Phase 3 Trial Open-Label Extension Study Results: Natalizumab May Delay Disability Progression in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) (P5.330)

Rationale for EDSS-Plus, the Primary Composite Endpoint of Disability Progression in the ASCEND Phase 3 Study of Natalizumab for Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Post Hoc Analysis of IMPACT Study Data (P7.240)

Rationale for EDSS-Plus, the Primary Composite Endpoint of Disability Progression in the ASCEND Phase 3 Study of Natalizumab for Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Post Hoc Analysis of IMPACT Study Data (P7.240)

International democracy promotion as a political ideology: upsurge and retreat

The meta-narrative of ‘democracy promotion’ rose to international ascendancy in the 1990s. The fall of the Berlin Wall marked its apparently unstoppable advance; the terrorist assaults of 11 September 2001 its culmination and subsequent retreat. This article interprets the post-2001 retreat of democracy promotion as a foreseeable consequence of the 1990s overreach. A threefold argument is set out here. First, that in its ascendant phase, this meta-narrative displayed core features of a ‘strong’ political ideology. Second, while events since 2001 have proved it partly wanting, foundational reassessments have been blocked by the prevalence of binary analysis, counterposing autocracy and democracy, and democracy promotion and prevention. Third, it reviews the merits of using tripartite schemas to understand the ‘democracy prevention’ or ‘anti-democracy promotion’ responses elicited by the ideology and practice of democracy promotion. It is argued that, however clear in theory, binary polarities are never absolute opposites in practice and that contemporary ‘democracy prevention’ cannot be seen as a straightforward mirror image of 1990s orthodoxy about democracy promotion. It concludes that tripartite classifications open the door to ‘second best’ predictions and prescriptions. Such an approach permits a more pluralist and self-critical take on the prospects for advancing political freedom than binary analysis, and thereby repositions the debate in a more intellectually defensible manner.

Coupling process and mechanism of methanol oxidation and nitrate reduction in an anodic denitrification microbial fuel cell(AD-MFC)

An anodic denitrification MFC(AD-MFC)was constructed by inoculating denitrifying bacteria enrichment culture into anode chamber of a dual-chamber MFC, and its capacity of denitrification and electricity production was investigated with methanol as electron donor and nitrate as acceptor in a batch cultivation mode. When initial nitrate and COD concentration were (100.22 ± 0.62)mg·L and (500.40 ± 1.67)mg·L, the volumetric nitrogen and COD removal rates reached 0.31 kg N·m·d and 1.06 kg COD·m·d, respectively, coupled with the maximum voltage of (602.80±5.42)mV and the maximum power density of (908.42 ± 0.07)mW·m. The results demonstrated that power generation in the AD-MFC was due to a coupling of methanol oxidation and nitrate reduction, and voltage changes were closely related to denitrification, indicating the course of denitrification. Voltage curves of the AD-MFC showed three-phase characteristics of descend phase, ascend phase and redescend phase, which could be ascribed to the succession of denitrification, methanol degradation and cell hydrolysate fermentation as dominant reaction in the anolyte.

Rapid solar wind and geomagnetic variability during the ascendant phases of the 11-yr solar cycles

AbstractSolar activity and its consequences for the interplanetary space are governing and perturbing the Earth's magnetosphere. The response of the terrestrial magnetosphere displayed as geomagnetic disturbances is measured by several geomagnetic indices. This paper analyses the geomagnetic variability during the ascendant phases of the last four solar cycles (nos. 20-23) under the influence of the high speed solar wind. The ascendant phase of a solar cycle is a proper interval of the irrespective cycle during which the influences of the solar cycles adjacent to it (the precedent and the following ones) are not present. The correlation between the geomagnetic indices and the high speed stream intensity during the analysed intervals was examined. Lomb-Scargle method of spectral analysis was applied on the solar wind velocity series during the ascendant phases.

Pressure–temperature–deformation paths of closely associated ultra-high-pressure (diamond-bearing) crustal and mantle rocks of the Kimi complex: implications for the tectonic history of the Rhodope Mountains, northern Greece

The ultra-high-pressure (UHP) Kimi complex (uppermost eastern Rhodope Mountains) is a tectonic mixture of crustal and mantle derived associations. Pressure–temperature (P–T) paths and microtextural and geochronological data reveal that crustal and mantle parts juxtaposed against each other at a depth corresponding to ~15 kbar (1 kbar = 100 MPa) had separate ascend histories. The crustal rocks comprise amphibolitised eclogites, orthogneisses, marbles, and migmatitic pelitic gneisses. The latter document UHP metamorphism within the dehydration-melting range of pelitic gneisses, with maximum P–T conditions of &gt;45 kbar at ~1000 °C, as determined by diamond inclusions in garnet and rutile needle exsolutions in Na-bearing garnet. Decompression was combined with only little cooling before 15 kbar, followed by more significant cooling between 15 and 10 kbar. This P–T path probably reflects ascent of UHP rocks within a subduction channel, followed by accretion in the lower crust of a thickened wedge. Although the first ascend phase was probably rapid, the overall time span for UHP metamorphism and final exhumation may have extended over more than 70 Ma. A U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) age on zircons of ±149 Ma was suggested to date the UHP metamorphism, whereas Rb–Sr white mica and U–Pb zircon ages from syn-shearing pegmatites of ±65 Ma constrain medium- to low-grade shearing and final exhumation of UHP rocks. Mantle parts consisting of spinel–garnet metaperidotites and garnet pyroxenites reached maximum P–T conditions in the garnet-peridotite field at T &gt; 1200 °C and P &gt; 25 kbar. This was associated with plastic flow and followed by severe near isothermal cooling to T &lt; 800 °C at 15 kbar and static annealing. A garnet–clinopyroxene whole-rock Sm–Nd age from a garnet pyroxenite of ±119 Ma probably reflects the age of metamorphic mantle processes (static annealing following the high P/high T strain episode), rather than constraining the age of UHP metamorphism.

Reconnaissance automatique des occlusives de l'arabe standard

Standard arabic is distinctive from other Indo-European languages by the articulation of sounds in the back part of the vocal track, by the feature of gemination and by the complexity of certain consonants from a velarisation. The stop consonants of Arabic do not escape these particularities and form the object of our study within the frame of speech recognition. With the help of a mixed system using Prolog rules and neural networks conjointly, we locate and identify the occlusives of Arabic as well as the nasal consonants in an ascendant phase of Acoustic-Phoneric Decoding

Vascular and myocardial effecfs of mecinarone

The effects of mecinarone on the contractions induced by noradrenaline, potassium and calcium were studied with the isolated aorta and central artery of the rabbit ear. In our experimental conditions mecinarone was found to act as a competitive antagonist of calcium. It preferentially inhibited the noradrenaline-evoked contraction induced in the rabbit ear artery and had a smaller effect on the extracellular calcium-induced contraction of depolarized arterial smooth muscle. In the isolated guinea pig heart, mecinarone produced a reversible decrease in the rate of rise of the ascendant phase of the action potential without significantly changing the resting potential. In hearts inactivated by depolarisation, mecinarone inhibited the contractions restored by isoproterenol without suppressing the calcium action potential. These results suggest that the mode of action of mecinarone is different from that of verapamil of nifedipine but is comparable to that of chlorpromazine, although mecinarone has no sedative effect.

L'électro-rétinogramme de l'homme

A method of perimetric electroretinography is described, by means of which the action of duration, intensity, colour and location of the light stimuli on the human ERG can be studied. The analysis of more than 1,800 records confirms that the human ERG belongs to Granit's E type. Its most characteristic feature is the b potential, quantitatively defined by the latency, the duration of the ascendant phase or culmination time, and the amplitude, a and c potentials are small and often variable. There is no positive off-effect. Binocular electroretinography elicits, together with a normal ERG in the illuminated eye, a consensual response in the other eye, a reaction which seems to be coincident with the pupillary consensual reflex. The ability of the retina to differentiate light changes can be measured objectively by the fusion frequency of the small b potentials, elicited by flicker stimulation. The fusion occurs normally at a rate of more than 19–20, often of more than 26 flashes per sec. The ERG in man varies not only with the duration, but also with the intensity of the stimulus. Increase of intensity produces a decrease in the latency and culmination time of potential b, as well as an increase in its amplitude. Perimetric electroretinography permits the study of the reactivity of various retinal areas and the objective delimination of the visual field. In the normal subject, stimulation of peripheral areas (60° nasal retina) produces an ERG with longer latency and culmination time, and smaller amplitude of the b potential than those elicited by stimulation of more central areas. Stimulation of the retina with monochromatic light stimuli elicits: 1. A photopic component, particularly marked when the central area of the retina, adapted to light, is stimulated with red light, 2. A scotopic component, with slow and broad ‘b’ potential, particularly marked when the peripheral area of the retina, adapted to darkness, is stimulated with blue light. This scotopic response shows a longer culmination time when the wave-length of the stimulus decreases: it reaches its maximum when the peripheral retina is stimulated with blue light. Simultaneous recording of ERG and EEG permits measurement of the retino-cortical time, as well as of the alpha-blocking time. The retino-cortical time, that is, the latency of the evoked potentials, is more constant than the alpha-blocking time, being only 50 msec. (±15). Measurement of the retinal time, the retino-cortical time, and the alpha-blocking time can provide useful information about the functional state of the various sections of the visual tracts and centres.