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Response to caloric stimulation was examined in two subjects in the weightless environment of orbital flight. Using air insufflation, a binaural temperature stimulus profile was performed twice on each subject during flight. In all but one test, which was carried out on the first mission day, a caloric nystagmus was registered. This zero-g nystagmus was similar to ground-based pre and postflight responses with regard to its intensity, its temporal correlation with the stimulus profile (nystagmus was always directed towards the warmer ear) and the subjective sensations reported by the tested subjects. These findings demonstrate that mechanisms other than thermoconvection are involved in the elicitation of the caloric nystagmus response. At each stage of the temperature stimulus profile, linear acceleratory stimulation was presented in the form of oscillations in the X-axis. Some differences were found between one-g and zero-g conditions in the resultant modification of the nystagmus response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of the residual resistivity of Nb are usually carried out in longitudinal magnetic fields > H ≈4.7 kOe. After annealing of Nb wires in helium or vacuum of 5·10 Torr a shift of the transition to normal conductivity towards higher fields (up to 9.3 kOe) was observed. This increase of the critical field is most likely caused by changes in the surface of the samples due to the annealing treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]