Global Enhancement but Local Suppression in Feature Based Attention

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cortical summation and attentional modulation of combined chromatic and luminance signals

The work was supported by BBSRC new investigator grant BB/H019731/1 to JM. We would like to thank Justyna Mordal and Zarko Milojevic for their help with data collection.Peer reviewedPostprin

Critical resolution : A superior measure of crowding

This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) [grant number BB/J01446X/1]. We would like to thank our anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback, which helped us fine-tune our proposal about critical resolution.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Feasibility of incorporating objective measures of physical activity in the STEPS program. A pilot study in Malawi

Background Physical activity is an important determinant of human health but it is inherently difficult to measure. Global surveillance systems for physical activity have so far only included self-report measures, which capture only a small subset of daily activity and are limited due to issues of recall bias. Wrist-worn accelerometry offers a reasonably cost-effective objective method of measuring physical activity during free-living with proven feasibility in large-scale population studies. The key objective of this project was to pilot wrist-worn accelerometry within a surveillance setting in order to inform the implementation of this methodology into the global WHO STEPS programme. Method development and implementation Accelerometry protocols were developed and deployed within an existing STEPS survey in two regions of Malawi (Dowa and Lilongwe). This also included developing training for local staff. Survey information was collected on tablets. Accelerometers could only be set up on PCs, so the protocol was adapted to do this in advance of recruiting participants. For this, an alternative Participant ID linkage system was developed to enable linking accelerometer files to the rest of the survey data. On the whole, the implementation was successful. During the process evaluation, some issues were identified. For example, black wrist straps were culturally associated with the Devil by some participants. A total of 499 participants were recruited for Step 1 and 2, of whom 446 returned for Step 3 measurements which included accelerometry. The accelerometry data collection was well accepted by both fieldwork team members and study participants, with only four participants (<1% of those eligible) declining to wear the device. There were no major technical issues with devices, although a small number of wrist straps were damaged and 13 monitors were lost (3% of deployed). Of 456 accelerometer files retrieved, 410 files (90%) could be linked to survey participants. All but two accelerometer files could be processed with standard techniques to produce participant-level summary results. Sufficient valid data (defined as at least 48 hours of monitor wear time with reasonable diurnal representation) were available for 386 survey participants (87% of eligible). Results Objective levels of physical activity in Malawi from this pilot study were about 50% higher than levels observed in the UK using similar methodology. Rural dwellers were more active than urban dwellers, particularly in the morning hours of the day. Men had higher activity levels compared to women, and there were decreasing trends with advancing age. Conclusion and recommendations This pilot demonstrated that it is feasible to implement wrist-worn accelerometry within the STEPS program in settings such as Malawi. Detailed description of objectively measured physical activity patterns could be produced from nearly all accelerometer files retrieved, including behavioural indicators known to be important for human health. In future surveys, culturally specific issues that could impact data collection should be identified early in the fieldwork planning stage and changes to the protocol made. Experiences from this pilot have led to development of software platforms that allow accelerometers to be set up from Android tablets at the point of issuing the device to the participant, which would simplify future fieldwork training and reduce risk of data linkage error

Multi-elemental speciation analysis of barley genotypes diering in tolerance to cadmium toxicity using SEC-ICP-MS and ESI-TOF-MS

Plants respond to Cd exposure by synthesizing heavy-metal-binding oligopeptides, called phytochelatins (PCs). These peptides reduce the activity of Cd2+ ions in the plant tissues by forming Cd chelates. The main objective of the present work was to develop an analytical technique, which allowed identication of the most prominent Cd species in plant tissue by SEC-ICP-MS and ESI-TOF-MS. An integrated part of the method development was to test the hypothesis that dierential Cd tolerance between two barley genotypes was linked to dierences in Cd speciation. Only one fraction of Cd species, ranging from 7001800 Da, was detected in the shoots of both genotypes. In the roots, two additional fractions ranging from 29004600 and 670015 000 Da were found. The Cd-rich SEC fractions were heart-cut, de-salted and demetallized using reversed-phase chromatography (RPC), followed by ESI-MS-TOF to identify the ligands. Three dierent families of PCs, viz. (gGlu-Cys)n-Gly (PCn), (gGlu-Cys)n-Ser (iso-PCn) and Cys-(gGlu-Cys)n-Gly (des-gGlu-PCn), the last lacking the N-terminal amino acid, were identied. The PCs induced by Cd toxicity also bound several essential trace elements in plants, including Zn, Cu, and Ni, whereas no Mn species were detected. Zn, Cu and Ni-species were distributed between the 7001800 Da and 670015 000 Da fractions, whereas only Cd species were found in the 29004600 Da fraction dominated by PC3 ligands. Although the total tissue concentration of Cd was similar for the two species, the tolerant barley genotype synthesized signicantly more CdPC3 species with a high Cd specicity than the intolerant genotype, clearly indicating a correlation between Cd tolerance and the CdPC speciation

Photoelectron spectroscopic and theoretical studies of Fem − (coronene)n (m=1,2, n=1,2) complexes

Fem(coronene)n (m=1,2, n=1,2) cluster anions were generated by a laser vaporization source and studied by anion photoelectron spectroscopy. Density functional theory was used to calculate the structures and the spin multiplicities of those clusters as well as the electron affinities and photodetachment transitions. The calculated magnetic moments of Fe1(coronene)1 and Fe2(coronene)1 clusters suggest that coronene could be a suitable template on which to deposit small iron clusters and that these in turn might form the basis of an iron cluster-based magnetic material. Fe1(coronene)2 and Fe2(coronene)2 cluster anions and their corresponding neutrals prefer the sandwich-type structures, and the ground state structures of these clusters are all staggered sandwiches

Photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical studies of [Com(pyrene)n]− (m=1,2 and n=1,2) complexes

Anion photoelectron spectroscopic experiments and density functional theory based calculations have been used to investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of neutral and anionic [Com(pyrene)n] (m,n=1–2) complexes. The calculated electron affinities and vertical transition energies of Com(pyrene)n are in good agreement with the measured values. Our results provide clear evidence for dimerization of Co atoms and formation of sandwich structures in these complexes. While the calculated spin magnetic moments of neutral Co2(pyrene)n complexes suggest a preference for ferromagnetic coupling between Co atoms, the spin magnetic moment of Co atom in Co(pyrene) and Co(pyrene)2 complexes was reduced to 1μB