Background: Saccade and pupil responses are potential neurodegenerative disease biomarkers due to overlap between oculomotor circuitry and disease-affected areas. Instruction-based tasks have previously been examined as biomarker sources, but are arduous for patients with limited cognitive abilities; additionally, few studies have evaluated multiple neurodegenerative pathologies concurrently. Methods: The Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative recruited individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, or Parkinson’s disease (PD). Patients (n=274, age 40-86) and healthy controls (n=101, age 55-86) viewed 10 minutes of frequently changing video clips without instruction while their eyes were tracked. We evaluated differences in saccade and pupil parameters (e.g. saccade frequency and amplitude, pupil size, responses to clip changes) between groups. Results: Preliminary data indicates low-level behavioural alterations in multiple disease cohorts: increased centre bias, lower overall saccade rate and reduced saccade amplitude. After clip changes, patient groups generally demonstrated lower saccade rate but higher microsaccade rate following clip change to varying degrees. Additionally, pupil responses were blunted (AD, MCI, ALS) or exaggerated (PD). Conclusions: This task may generate behavioural biomarkers even in cognitively impaired populations. Future work should explore the possible effects of factors such as medication and disease stage.

Background: Eye movements reveal neurodegenerative disease processes due to overlap between oculomotor circuitry and disease-affected areas. Characterizing oculomotor behaviour in context of cognitive function may enhance disease diagnosis and monitoring. We therefore aimed to quantify cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative disease using saccade behaviour and neuropsychology. Methods: The Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative recruited individuals with neurodegenerative disease: one of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or cerebrovascular disease. Patients (n=450, age 40-87) and healthy controls (n=149, age 42-87) completed a randomly interleaved pro- and anti-saccade task (IPAST) while their eyes were tracked. We explored the relationships of saccade parameters (e.g. task errors, reaction times) to one another and to cognitive domain-specific neuropsychological test scores (e.g. executive function, memory). Results: Task performance worsened with cognitive impairment across multiple diseases. Subsets of saccade parameters were interrelated and also differentially related to neuropsychology-based cognitive domain scores (e.g. antisaccade errors and reaction time associated with executive function). Conclusions: IPAST detects global cognitive impairment across neurodegenerative diseases. Subsets of parameters associate with one another, suggesting disparate underlying circuitry, and with different cognitive domains. This may have implications for use of IPAST as a cognitive screening tool in neurodegenerative disease.

This article examines ambivalence—the simultaneous holding of two or more conflicting values or beliefs about a political issue—among Indonesian citizens’ attitudes about vote buying. Using an original survey taken during the 2014 Indonesian elections, we analyse the factors related both to citizens’ normative views about vote buying and their willingness to accept gifts from candidates. A large number of citizens demonstrate ambivalence by viewing the practice as unjustified or corrupt and yet expressing willingness to accept money from candidates. We also examine the differential effects of education and income on these attitudes. Consistent with “demand side” theories of vote buying, low income creates economic pressure to accept money but does not influence normative attitudes about vote buying. Education, however, has a broader effect by influencing both normative attitudes and willingness to accept money. We consider implications of these results for Indonesian officials focused on reducing vote-buying behavior.

An integrated parametric model involving the design of propulsion system, airframe and flight mission is presented. Based hereon, the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission characteristics of advanced direct-drive turbofan and open rotor powered aircraft are analysed against pertinent aircraft and propulsion system design parameters. In addition, initial concept-specific trend statements on nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well as propulsor noise emission characteristics are derived. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of more appropriate aircraft design attributes for advanced system architectures.

We present the KMOS (K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph) Cluster and VIRIAL (VLT IRIFU Absorption Line) Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) programs. KMOS provides 24 arms each feeding an integral field unit (14×14 spaxels of 0.2″ pixels) for IZ, YJ, H and K band near infrared (NIR) medium resolution spectroscopy (R ∼ 3500). Targets are selected from a 7.2′ diameter patrol field. Ultra-deep spectroscopy of ∼ 80 early-type cluster galaxies (∼ 20hr on source) and ∼ 200 (∼ 10hr on source) early-type field galaxies at 1 < z < 2 will dramatically improve the situation at z > 1 for which measurements of stellar velocity dispersions and absorption indices are limited to a few, often relatively young passively evolving galaxies (e.g. Bezanson 2013). In ESO Periods P92 and P93, 15 nights worth of data has been collected for KMOS-Clusters and 6 nights for VIRIAL: this will be supplemented with more data in upcoming semesters. All galaxies have multiband HST imaging including existing or upcoming WFC3 IR imaging, providing stellar mass maps and sizes. Combined with our dispersion measurements, this will allow us to examine the fundamental plane and the dynamical mass of a large sample of z > 1 galaxies for the first time, for both cluster and field galaxies.

This article simulates highly overlapped projections of spherical particles that are distributed randomly in space. The size and number of the features in the projections are examined as well as how these features change with particle size and concentration. First, there are discernable features in projection even when particles overlap extensively, and the size of these discernable features is the expected size of an individual particle. Second, the number of features increases with specimen thickness at a rate of t0.543 when the specimen thickness is below a critical value and becomes independent of specimen thickness at higher thicknesses. A criterion is established for the critical thickness based on particle size and particle volume fraction. When the specimen thickness is known and smaller than the critical thickness, a single representative transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (or scanning TEM) image exhibiting extensive particle overlap can be used to determine the size and number density of the spherical particles.

Liver samples from 10 Schistosoma mansoni-infected baboons all yielded eggs but neither their egg counts nor duration of infection (< 226 weeks) correlated with the slightly elevated liver collagen levels or minimal histological fibrosis observed. Approximately 10% of inert 9 and 15 μm diameter microspheres injected into the mesenterio veins of 2 baboons with acute, challenge S. mansoni infection reached their lungs (mainly 9 μm microspheres). Lung egg recoveries over 1000 were significantly less common among 175 baboons exposed once to S. monsoni infections than among 56 baboons exposed more than once. Among 221 S. mansoni-and S. haematobium-infected baboons, female worm, total tissue egg and lung egg recoveries were significantly correlated with each other but not with liver or (where available) spleen weights. Liver and spleen weights were strongly correlated with total body weight. Baboons did not develop significant liver fibrosis, even after prolonged schistosome infections. However, some liver ‘leakiness’ developed during acute primary and challenge infections, allowing small inert particles and eggs to pass to the lungs, but this ‘leakiness’ was not associated with resistance to challenge. In contrast to mice, such resistance in baboons cannot, therefore, be explained simply in terms of pathological changes due to previous infections.

Chronic alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for cancer of upper aero-digestive tract (oro-pharynx, hypopharynx, larynx and oesophagus), the liver, the colo-rectum and the breast. Evidence has accumulated that acetaldehyde is predominantly responsible for alcohol-associated carcinogenesis. Acetaldehyde is carcinogenic and mutagenic, binds to DNA and protein, destroys the folate molecule and results in secondary cellular hyper-regeneration. Acetaldehyde is produced by mucosal and cellular alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450 2E1 and through bacterial oxidation. Its generation and/or its metabolism is modulated as a result of polymorphisms or mutations of the genes responsible for these enzymes. Acetaldehyde can also be produced by oral bacteria. Smoking, which changes the oral bacterial flora, also increases salivary acetaldehyde. Cigarette smoke and some alcoholic beverages, such as Calvados, contain acetaldehyde. In addition, chronic alcohol consumption induces cytochrome P450 2E1 enxyme activity in mucosal cells, resulting in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species and in an increased activation of various dietary and environmental carcinogens. Deficiencies of riboflavin, Zn, folate and possibly retinoic acid may further enhance alcohol-associated carcinogenesis. Finally, methyl deficiency as a result of multiple alcohol-induced changes leads to DNA hypomethylation. A depletion of lipotropes, including methionine, choline, betaine and S-adenosylmethionine, as well as folate, results in the hypomethylation of oncogenes and may lead to DNA strand breaks, all of which are associated with increased carcinogenesis.

A phenomenological study of the processes occurring when a shock wave interacts with porous polyester and polyether foams has been undertaken. Plane shock waves generated in a shock tube were reflected off a slab of foam mounted against the back wall of the tube. Tests were conducted with an initial shock wave Mach number of 1.4 and a 70 mm thick slab of foam. The reduction in reflected shock wave strength and substantial increase in the back wall pressure over that for rigid wall reflection, found by other workers, were confirmed.

Piezoelectric pressure transducers were used to record the pressure before, alongside and behind the foam specimen. Schlieren photographs of the flow were made and showed some features not previously reported. In particular it is shown that there is a flow of gas across the face of the foam at some point of the process. Previous investigations of this interaction process have assumed that the face of the foam is a contact surface.

Short duration photographs of the distortion of the foam were taken, enabling the wave propagation in the foam material itself to be studied. It is established that the front of this compaction wave in the foam material moves at considerably lower velocity (∼ 90 m/s) than the gas wave as detected by the pressure transducers (∼ 200 m/s). This result contrasts with the assumption made in previous work that the two-phase medium behaves essentially as a homogeneous substance.

A simple physical model based on a zone of compacted material in the foam acting as a high-resistance flow barrier, is proposed to explain the observed phenomena.

Mg doped cubic GaN layers were studied by steady state and time resolved photoluminescence. The blue emission due to Mg doping can be decomposed in three bands. The decay curves and the spectral shift with time delays indicates donor-acceptor pair behaviour. This can be confirmed by excitation density dependent measurements. Furthermore temperature dependent analysis shows that the three emissions have one impurity in common. We propose that this is an acceptor level related to the Mg incorporation and the three deep donor levels are due to compensation effects.