Data on eye movements in people with glaucoma and peers with normal vision.

Eye movements of glaucoma patients have been shown to differ from age-similar control groups when performing everyday tasks, such as reading (Burton et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2014) [1], [2], visual search (Smith et al., 2012) [3], face recognition (Glen et al., 2013) [4], driving, and viewing static images (Smith et al., 2012) [5]. Described here is the dataset from a recent publication in which we compared the eye-movements of 44 glaucoma patients and 32 age-similar controls, while they watched a series of short video clips taken from television programs (Crabb et al., 2018) [6]. Gaze was recorded at 1000 Hz using a remote eye-tracker. We also provide demographic information and results from a clinical examination of vision for each participant

Does Glaucoma Alter Eye Movements When Viewing Images of Natural Scenes? A Between-Eye Study

Purpose: To investigate whether glaucoma produces measurable changes in eye movements. Methods: Fifteen glaucoma patients with asymmetric vision loss (difference in mean deviation [MD] > 6 dB between eyes) were asked to monocularly view 120 images of natural scenes, presented sequentially on a computer monitor. Each image was viewed twice—once each with the better and worse eye. Patients' eye movements were recorded with an Eyelink 1000 eye-tracker. Eye-movement parameters were computed and compared within participants (better eye versus worse eye). These parameters included a novel measure: saccadic reversal rate (SRR), as well as more traditional metrics such as saccade amplitude, fixation counts, fixation duration, and spread of fixation locations (bivariate contour ellipse area [BCEA]). In addition, the associations of these parameters with clinical measures of vision were investigated. Results: In the worse eye, saccade amplitude (P=0.012;−13%) and BCEA (P=0.005;−16%) were smaller, while SRR was greater (P=0.018;+16%). There was a significant correlation between the intereye difference in BCEA, and differences in MD values (Spearman′s r=0.65;P=0.01), while differences in SRR were associated with differences in visual acuity (Spearman′s r=0.64;P=0.01 ). Furthermore, between-eye differences in BCEA were a significant predictor of between-eye differences in MD: for every 1-dB difference in MD, BCEA reduced by 6.2% (95% confidence interval, 1.6%–10.3%). Conclusions: Eye movements are altered by visual field loss, and these changes are related to changes in clinical measures. Eye movements recorded while passively viewing images could potentially be used as biomarkers for visual field damage

Using eye movements to detect visual field loss: a pragmatic assessment using simulated scotoma.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible sight-loss and has been shown to affect natural eye-movements. These changes may provide a cheap and easy-to-obtain biomarker for improving disease detection. Here, we investigated whether these changes are large enough to be clinically useful. We used a gaze-contingent simulated visual field (VF) loss paradigm, in which participants experienced a variable magnitude of simulated VF loss based on longitudinal data from a real glaucoma patient (thereby controlling for other variables, such as age and general health). Fifty-five young participants with healthy vision were asked to view two short videos and three pictures, either with: (1) no VF loss, (2) moderate VF loss, or (3) advanced VF loss. Eye-movements were recorded using a remote eye tracker. Key eye-movement parameters were computed, including saccade amplitude, the spread of saccade endpoints (bivariate contour ellipse area), location of saccade landing positions, and similarity of fixations locations among participants (quantified using kernel density estimation). The simulated VF loss caused some statistically significant effects in the eye movement parameters. Yet, these effects were not capable of consistently identifying simulated VF loss, despite it being of a magnitude likely easily detectable by standard automated perimetry

Epidemiological investigation of Peste des petits ruminants virus in small ruminants in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

International Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Work extremum principle: Structure and function of quantum heat engines

We consider a class of quantum heat engines consisting of two subsystems interacting via a unitary transformation and coupled to two separate baths at different temperatures $T_h > T_c$. The purpose of the engine is to extract work due to the temperature difference. Its dynamics is not restricted to the near equilibrium regime. The engine structure is determined by maximizing the extracted work under various constraints. When this maximization is carried out at finite power, the engine dynamics is described by well-defined temperatures and satisfies the local version of the second law. In addition, its efficiency is bounded from below by the Curzon-Ahlborn value $1-\sqrt{T_c/T_h}$ and from above by the Carnot value $1-(T_c/T_h)$. The latter is reached|at finite power|for a macroscopic engine, while the former is achieved in the equilibrium limit $T_h\to T_c$. When the work is maximized at a zero power, even a small (few-level) engine extracts work right at the Carnot efficiency.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Tropical Grain Legumes in Africa and South Asia: Knowledge and Opportunities

There are about 30 species of economically important legumes grown in the tropics (Baldev et al. 1988; Raemaekers 2001; Gowda et al 2007). Among the major ones are chickpea (Cicer arietinum), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), and soybean (Glycine max). Others that are important in one or other regions of the tropics include faba bean (Vicia faba), lentil (Lens culinaris), field pea (Pisum sativum), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), hyacinth bean (Lablab purpurea – also known as Dolichos lablab), Kerting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum), lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa), mung bean or green gram (Vigna radiata), black gram or black bean (Vigna mungo), moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia), rice bean (Vigna umbellata), and horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum). More than 101 million households (HH) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and 39 million HH in South Asia (SA) grow one or more of the major tropical legumes for food security, income generation, improved nutrition, and maintaining soil fertility. An estimated 27 million ha in SSA and 40 million ha in SA are planted to these crops each year; annual production is estimated at about 19 million metric tons (MT) in SSA and 30 million MT in SA, valued at about US$9.3 billion and US$ 15.1 billion, respectively. Despite their importance, investment in tropical legumes research and development has been low. However, this situation has been changing for the better in recent years. The Tropical Legumes II project (TL II), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers in SSA and SA through improved productivity and production of the six major grain legumes mentioned above. Improved systems and partnership approaches between national programs and CG centers have shown positive changes in some countries (Abate et al 2011) that could serve as examples of good practice

Inertial effects in B{\"u}ttiker-Landauer Motor and Refrigerator at the Overdamped Limit

We investigate the energetics of a Brownian motor driven by position dependent temperature, commonly known as the B{\"u}ttiker-Landauer motor. Overdamped models (M=0) predict that the motor can attain Carnot efficiency. However, the overdamped limit ($M\to 0$), contradicts the previous prediction due to the kinetic energy contribution to the heat transfer. Using molecular dynamics simulation and numerical solution of the inertial Langevin equation, we confirm that the motor can never achieve Carnot efficiency and verify that the heat flow via kinetic energy diverges as $M^{-1/2}$ in the overdamped limit. The reciprocal process of the motor, namely the B{\"u}ttiker-Landauer refrigerator is also examined. In this case, the overdamped approach succeeds in predicting the heat transfer only when there is no temperature gradient. Its found that the Onsager symmetry between the motor and refrigerator does not suffer from the singular behavior of the kinetic energy contribution.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Acceptability of a home-based visual field test (Eyecatcher) for glaucoma home monitoring: a qualitative study of patients’ views and experiences

Objectives: To explore the acceptability of home visual field (VF) testing using Eyecatcher among people with glaucoma participating in a 6-month home monitoring pilot study. Design: Qualitative study using face-to-face semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Participants were recruited in the UK through an advertisement in the International Glaucoma Association (now Glaucoma UK) newsletter. Participants: Twenty adults (10 women; median age: 71 years) with a diagnosis of glaucoma were recruited (including open angle and normal tension glaucoma; mean deviation=2.5 to −29.9 dB). Results: All participants could successfully perform VF testing at home. Interview data were coded into four overarching themes regarding experiences of undertaking VF home monitoring and attitudes towards its wider implementation in healthcare: (1) comparisons between Eyecatcher and Humphrey Field Analyser (HFA); (2) capability using Eyecatcher; (3) practicalities for effective wider scale implementation; (4) motivations for home monitoring. Conclusions: Participants identified a broad range of benefits to VF home monitoring and discussed areas for service improvement. Eyecatcher was compared positively with conventional VF testing using HFA. Home monitoring may be acceptable to at least a subset of people with glaucoma