361 research outputs found
Visual stress and dyslexia for the practicing optometrist
Visual stress should not be confused with dyslexia. It refers to symptoms of discomfort and perceptual distortion that have a neurological origin. Pattern 2 of the Pattern Glare Test can be used to elicit symptoms of visual stress, but pattern 3 is of relatively little clinical use. The symptoms sometimes remit with tints, but studies consistently show that tinting precision well within 0.07 in the CIE 1976 UCS diagram is necessary for optimal effect (see Precision is necessary – strong evidence is now available, below).  An improvement in reading speed with filters (overlays or lenses) can be measured using the Wilkins Rate of Reading Test, and an increase in reading speed of 15% is likely to indicate an improvement that exceeds any due to random variation. Visual stress remains a controversial issue, partly because of the publicity surrounding untrialled methods and partly because of reviews that are partial
Virtual interactive practice™: Utilising healthcare information systems to contexturalise the skills associated with clinical decision making within nurse education
This paper reports on a Virtual Interactive Practice (VIP) project that has the potential to revolutionise the educational delivery and learning of clinical skills complementing "real" practice. The focus is currently on nurse learning but the principles could equally be applied to multi and inter-professional learning and clinical decision-making. This project represents a new model to enhance clinical skill acquisition and clinical reasoning using a structured competency base. Integral to this is a strong partnership between education and practice utilising "real" live and recorded anonymised patient data from a critical care clinical information system (CIS) within a large district general hospital to structure scenarios fostering problem-based learning. This educational practice interface enables the synthesis of clinical data using virtual technology and sophisticated scenario-based simulation within a skills laboratory. The aim is to enhance the more ad hoc system of learning within conventional practice placements. Early findings suggest that VIP enhances practice providing a safe but challenging learning experience with the benefit of instant performance feedback to students
Revisiting the Red Effect on attractiveness and sexual receptivity: No effect of the color red on human mate preferences
Color-in-Context theory is the first theoretical framework for understanding color effects in human mate preferences, arguing that red clothing enhances attractiveness ratings. Here we present three empirical studies failing to support this prediction. We aimed to extend the current literature by differentiating color effects by temporal context (short-term versus long-term mating). Experiment 1 involved Dutch participants rating a woman in red, white, and black on (sexual) attractiveness. Experiment 2 replicated the first experiment with an American sample. In the final experiment we aimed to replicate a study that did find evidence of a red effect, using a substantially larger sample size. The results from each of the three studies (totaling N= 830 men) fail to support the red effect. We discuss the implications of our results and avenues for future research on red effects and attractiveness
Directed coordination study of [Pd(en)(H2O)2]2+ with hetero-tripeptides containing C-terminus methyl esters employing NMR spectroscopy
Post- print / Lokaútgáfa höfundarAlkylation of the C-terminus acids in small peptides allows direction to amine and amide coordination, while changing the peptide composition to form tetradentate κ4[n,5,5], where n = 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-membered ring coordination geometries, can be achieved. The alkylated tripeptide ligands, TrpAlaGly(OMe), β-Asp(OtBu)AlaGly(OMe), Asp(OtBu)AlaGly(OMe), and the fully methylated GSH, γ-Glu(OMe)Cys(SMe)Gly(OMe), were synthesized and their coordination properties to [Pd(en)(H2O)2]2+ were studied. pH-dependent coordination was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and the coordination to the alkylated tripeptides at selected pH values inferred from their NMR spectra. If selective coordination of amine/amide donors results in metal complexation, allowing for flexible and adjustable ligand frameworks, then this strategy could potentially be extended to other metal ions and peptide system.Financial support by The Icelandic Centre of Research (Rannis) grant nr 152323 is gratefully acknowledged. SGS and GRR thank COST Action CM1105 for STSM Grant and Prof. Etelka Farkas for hosting the STMS at the early stages of this project. Dr Sigridur Jonsdottir is thanked for assistance with the collection of mass spectrometry data.Peer reviewe
Supply-Side Ecology and the Response of Zooplankton to Climate-Driven Changes in North Atlantic Ocean Circulation
The native architecture of a photosynthetic membrane
In photosynthesis, the harvesting of solar energy and its subsequent conversion into a stable charge separation are dependent upon an interconnected macromolecular network of membrane-associated chlorophyll–protein complexes. Although the detailed structure of each complex has been determined, the size and organization of this network are unknown. Here we show the use of atomic force microscopy to directly reveal a native bacterial photosynthetic membrane. This first view of any multi-component membrane shows the relative positions and associations of the photosynthetic complexes and reveals crucial new features of the organization of the network: we found that the membrane is divided into specialized domains each with a different network organization and in which one type of complex predominates. Two types of organization were found for the peripheral light-harvesting LH2 complex. In the first, groups of 10–20 molecules of LH2 form light-capture domains that interconnect linear arrays of dimers of core reaction centre (RC)–light-harvesting 1 (RC–LH1–PufX) complexes; in the second they were found outside these arrays in larger clusters. The LH1 complex is ideally positioned to function as an energy collection hub, temporarily storing it before transfer to the RC where photochemistry occurs: the elegant economy of the photosynthetic membrane is demonstrated by the close packing of these linear arrays, which are often only separated by narrow 'energy conduits' of LH2 just two or three complexes wide
SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF POTATOES IN SCOTLAND
Summary: An annual programme of testing and surveillance is undertaken by The Scottish Government in order to safeguard potato production in Scotland from quarantine and non-indigenous pests. This includes potato quarantine testing and pathogen testing of nuclear stock, specific surveillance for viroid, bacterial, nematode and insect pests, inspection of seed potatoes and varietal susceptibility testing for potato wart disease (Synchytrium endobioticum) and potato cyst nematodes (Globodera spp.)
AMPK is a mechano-metabolic sensor linking cell adhesion and mitochondrial dynamics to Myosin-dependent cell migration
Cell migration is crucial for cancer dissemination. We find that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) controls cell migration by acting as an adhesion sensing molecular hub. In 3-dimensional matrices, fast-migrating amoeboid cancer cells exert low adhesion/low traction linked to low ATP/AMP, leading to AMPK activation. In turn, AMPK plays a dual role controlling mitochondrial dynamics and cytoskeletal remodelling. High AMPK activity in low adhering migratory cells, induces mitochondrial fission, resulting in lower oxidative phosphorylation and lower mitochondrial ATP. Concurrently, AMPK inactivates Myosin Phosphatase, increasing Myosin II-dependent amoeboid migration. Reducing adhesion or mitochondrial fusion or activating AMPK induces efficient rounded-amoeboid migration. AMPK inhibition suppresses metastatic potential of amoeboid cancer cells in vivo, while a mitochondrial/AMPK-driven switch is observed in regions of human tumours where amoeboid cells are disseminating. We unveil how mitochondrial dynamics control cell migration and suggest that AMPK is a mechano-metabolic sensor linking energetics and the cytoskeleton
Remote climate forcing of decadal-scale regime shifts in Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems
Author Posting. © Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, doi:10.4319/lo.2013.58.3.0803.Decadal-scale regime shifts in Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems can be remotely forced by climate-associated atmosphere–ocean interactions in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean Basins. This remote climate forcing is mediated primarily by basin- and hemispheric-scale changes in ocean circulation. We review and synthesize results from process-oriented field studies and retrospective analyses of time-series data to document the linkages between climate, ocean circulation, and ecosystem dynamics. Bottom-up forcing associated with climate plays a prominent role in the dynamics of these ecosystems, comparable in importance to that of top-down forcing associated with commercial fishing. A broad perspective, one encompassing the effects of basin- and hemispheric-scale climate processes on marine ecosystems, will be critical to the sustainable management of marine living resources in the Northwest Atlantic.Funding for this research was provided by the National Science
Foundation as part of the Regional and Pan-Regional Synthesis
Phases of the U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystem (GLOBEC) Program
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