A population study of binocular function.

As part of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of perceptual traits in healthy adults, we measured stereo acuity, the duration of alternative percepts in binocular rivalry and the extent of dichoptic masking in 1060 participants. We present the distributions of the measures, the correlations between measures, and their relationships to other psychophysical traits. We report sex differences, and correlations with age, interpupillary distance, eye dominance, phorias, visual acuity and personality. The GWAS, using data from 988 participants, yielded one genetic association that passed a permutation test for significance: The variant rs1022907 in the gene VTI1A was associated with self-reported ability to see autostereograms. We list a number of other suggestive genetic associations (p<10(-5)).This work was supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GAT2903). J.B. was supported by a fellowship from Gonville and Caius College.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2015.02.01

Correlative electrochemical acoustic time-of-flight spectroscopy and X-ray imaging to monitor the performance of single-crystal and polycrystalline NMC811/Gr lithium-ion batteries

LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) electrodes typically consist of anisotropic single-crystal primary particles aggregated to form polycrystalline secondary particles. Electrodes composed of polycrystalline NMC particles have a comparatively high gravimetric capacity and good rate capabilities but do not perform as well as single crystal equivalents in terms of volumetric energy density and cycling stability. This has prompted research into well-dispersed single-crystalline NMC products as an alternative solution for high-energy-density batteries. Here, for the first time known to the authors, electrochemical acoustic time-of-flight (EA-ToF) spectroscopy has been shown to be effective in distinguishing between Li-ion batteries composed of either single-crystal NMC811 (SC-NMC811) or polycrystalline NMC811 (PC-NMC811) electrodes. Cells composed of PC-NMC811 electrodes had a higher degree of gas evolution compared to cells containing SC-NMC811 electrodes. Cells composed of PC-NMC811 electrodes also underwent larger changes in the acoustic signal's time-of-flight (ToF) during constant current cycling at a range of C-rates indicating expansion, fracture or dislocation of the reflective interfaces inside the cell. In addition, X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) has been used to confirm significant morphological differences between SC-NMC811 electrodes and PC-NMC811 electrodes including the electrode's particle size distribution (PSD) that is suggested to have an effect on acoustic signal interaction with these electrode interfaces

Staphylococcus aureus in the oral cavity: a three-year retrospective analysis of clinical laboratory data

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis of laboratory data to investigate the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from the oral cavity and facial area in specimens submitted to a regional diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory. METHODS: A hand search of laboratory records for a three-year period (1998-2000) was performed for specimens submitted to the regional diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory based at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. Data were collected from forms where S. aureus was isolated. These data included demographics, referral source, specimen type, methicillin susceptibility and clinical details. RESULTS: For the period 1998-2000, there were 5,005 specimens submitted to the laboratory. S. aureus was isolated from 1,017 specimens, of which 967 (95%) were sensitive to methicillin (MSSA) and 50 (5%) were resistant to methicillin (MRSA). The 1,017 specimens were provided from 615 patients. MRSA was isolated from 37 (6%) of patients. There was an increasing incidence of S. aureus with age, particularly in the greater than 70 years age group. The most common specimen from which MSSA was isolated was an oral rinse (38%) whilst for MRSA isolates this was a tongue swab (28%). The clinical condition most commonly reported for MSSA isolates was angular cheilitis (22%). Erythema, swelling, pain or burning of the oral mucosa was the clinical condition most commonly reported for MRSA isolates (16%). Patients from whom the MSSA isolates were recovered were most commonly (55%) seen in the oral medicine clinic at the dental hospital, whilst patients with MRSA were more commonly seen in primary care settings such as nursing homes, hospices and general dental practice (51%). CONCLUSION: In line with more recent surveys, this retrospective study suggests that S. aureus may be a more frequent isolate from the oral cavity than hitherto suspected. A small proportion of the S. aureus isolates were MRSA. There were insufficient data available to determine whether the S. aureus isolates were colonising or infecting the oral cavity. However, the role of S. aureus in several diseases of the oral mucosa merits further investigation

Analysis of the fluvial stratigraphic response to the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Bighorn Basin, U.S.A.

The appendix contains five sections, each of which shows the summarized raw sedimentary logs for all locations studies. Section A1.1: Sedimentary logs from the Beartooth systems. Section A1.2: Sedimentary logs from the Absoraka systems. Section A1.3: sedimentary logs from Washakie sedimentary systems. Section A1.4: sedimentary logs from the Owl Creek systems. Section A1.5: sedimentary logs from the Axial system.Geological deposits can reveal how environments of the past have responded to climate change, enabling important insights into how environments may respond to our current anthropogenically induced warming. The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) occurred ca. 56 Ma and was a short-lived (approximately 200,000 years) global warming event (5–8°C rise). The PETM has been investigated at several terrestrial and marine localities across the globe. However, many studies are based on single successions, with very few sites being placed within a well-defined spatial and temporal context and with comparisons limited to deposits that lie immediately above and below the event. Due to the inherent variability of sedimentary systems, it is imperative that the appropriate context is provided to fully understand the impacts of climate change on landscapes and subsequent deposits. This study examines 28 locations, totaling over 4 km of recorded stratigraphy, within a newly defined quantified sedimentary basin context (Bighorn Basin, USA) to evaluate variability of fluvial response to the PETM. We show that channel-body and story thicknesses across the PETM are not statistically significantly different from deposits outside the climate event, implying that there is not a consistent sedimentary response to the climate event across the basin. Based on our large dataset we calculate that precipitation would have had to double for statistically significant changes in deposit thickness to be generated. We discuss how climatic signals may be lost due to the self-organization, spatial–temporal varied response and preservation potential in large fluvial systems. This study gives a new quantified perspective to climate events in the geologic record.AO, AH, and GW thanks FSRG 2 sponsors for funding field campaigns. AE thanks University of Aberdeen for funding field work. We thank all residents in the Bighorn Basin who allowed access to private land to study the Paleogene fill, which greatly enhanced the size and quality of this dataset. Isobel Buchanon, Alistair Swan, and Mauricio Santos are thanked for their assistance in the field

Mechanistic insights of epithelial protein lost in neoplasm in prostate cancer metastasis

EPLIN is frequently downregulated or lost in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the importance of EPLIN in prostate cancer progression, with particular focus on the mechanistic implications to elucidate EPLIN's tumour suppressive function in cancer. EPLIN expression was evaluated in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues. PC‐3 and LNCaP EPLINα overexpression models were generated through transfection with EPLINα sequence and EPLIN knockdown was achieved using shRNA in CA‐HPV‐10 cells. Functional assays were performed to evaluate cellular characteristics and potential mechanisms were evaluated using a protein microarray, and validated using western blot analysis. EPLIN expression was reduced in clinical prostate cancer sections, including hyperplasia (p≤0.001) and adenocarcinoma (p=0.005), when compared to normal prostate tissue. EPLINα overexpression reduced cell growth, migration and invasion, and influenced transcript, protein and phosphoprotein expression of paxillin, FAK and Src. EPLIN knockdown increased the invasive and migratory nature of CA‐HPV‐10 cells and also induced changes to FAK and Src total and/or phospho expression. Functional characterisation of cellular migration and invasion in addition to FAK and Src inhibition demonstrated differential effects between control and EPLINα overexpression and EPLIN knockdown cell lines. This study highlights that EPLIN expression in prostate cancer is able to influence several aspects of cancer cell characteristics, including cell growth, migration and invasion. The mechanism of the tumour suppressive action of EPLIN remains to be fully elucidated; and this study proposes a role for EPLIN's ability to regulate the aggressive characteristics of prostate cancer cells partially through regulating FAK/Src signalling

Can sacrificial feeding areas protect aquatic plants from herbivore grazing? Using behavioural ecology to inform wildlife management

Effective wildlife management is needed for conservation, economic and human well-being objectives. However, traditional population control methods are frequently ineffective, unpopular with stakeholders, may affect non-target species, and can be both expensive and impractical to implement. New methods which address these issues and offer effective wildlife management are required. We used an individual-based model to predict the efficacy of a sacrificial feeding area in preventing grazing damage by mute swans (Cygnus olor) to adjacent river vegetation of high conservation and economic value. The accuracy of model predictions was assessed by a comparison with observed field data, whilst prediction robustness was evaluated using a sensitivity analysis. We used repeated simulations to evaluate how the efficacy of the sacrificial feeding area was regulated by (i) food quantity, (ii) food quality, and (iii) the functional response of the forager. Our model gave accurate predictions of aquatic plant biomass, carrying capacity, swan mortality, swan foraging effort, and river use. Our model predicted that increased sacrificial feeding area food quantity and quality would prevent the depletion of aquatic plant biomass by swans. When the functional response for vegetation in the sacrificial feeding area was increased, the food quantity and quality in the sacrificial feeding area required to protect adjacent aquatic plants were reduced. Our study demonstrates how the insights of behavioural ecology can be used to inform wildlife management. The principles that underpin our model predictions are likely to be valid across a range of different resource-consumer interactions, emphasising the generality of our approach to the evaluation of strategies for resolving wildlife management problems

Atmospheric Evolution

Earth's atmosphere has evolved as volatile species cycle between the atmosphere, ocean, biomass and the solid Earth. The geochemical, biological and astrophysical processes that control atmospheric evolution are reviewed from an "Earth Systems" perspective, with a view not only to understanding the history of Earth, but also to generalizing to other solar system planets and exoplanets.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted as a chapter in "Encyclopaedia of Geochemistry", Editor Bill White, Springer-Nature, 201

Individual differences in human eye movements: An oculomotor signature?

Human eye movements are stereotyped and repeatable, but how specific to a normal individual are the quantitative properties of his or her eye movements? We recorded saccades, anti-saccades and smooth-pursuit eye movements in a sample of over 1000 healthy young adults. A randomly selected subsample (10%) of participants were re-tested on a second occasion after a median interval of 18.8 days, allowing us to estimate reliabilities. Each of several derived measures, including latencies, accuracies, velocities, and left-right asymmetries, proved to be very reliable. We give normative means and distributions for each measure and describe the pattern of correlations amongst them. We identify several measures that exhibit significant sex differences. The profile of our oculomotor measures for an individual constitutes a personal oculomotor signature that distinguishes that individual from most other members of the sample of 1000.This research was funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GAT2903). PTG was supported by the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts and the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme, and JMB by a Research Fellowship at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Observations of the lunar plasma wake from the WIND spacecraft on December 27, 1994

On December 27, 1994, the WIND spacecraft crossed the lunar wake at a distance of 6.5 lunar radii ( RL ) behind the moon. The observations made were the first employing modem instruments and a high data rate. The SWE plasma instrument on WIND observed new aspects of the interaction between the solar wind and unmagnetized dielectric bodies. The plasma density decreased exponentially from the periphery of the wake towards its center as predicted by simple theory. Behind the moon two distinct cold ion beams were observed refilling the lunar cavity. The ions were accelerated along the direction of the magnetic field by an electric field of the order 2 × 10−4 volts/m. The region of plasma depletion was observed to extend beyond the light shadow, consistent with a rarefaction wave moving out from the wake into the undisturbed solar wind