Impact of the Ability to Divide Attention on Reading Performance in Glaucoma

PURPOSE: To determine if the ability to divide attention affects the relationship between glaucoma-related vision loss and reading speed. METHODS: Better eye mean deviation (MD), contrast sensitivity (CS), and better-eye distance visual acuity (VA) were measured in 28 participants with glaucoma and 21 controls. Reading speeds were assessed using MNRead, IRest, and sustained silent reading tests (words per minute, wpm). The ability to divide attention was measured using the Brief Test of Attention (BTA; scored 0-10). Multivariable linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between visual factors and reading speeds. Effect modification by BTA score (low BTA: 0.1 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased ability to divide attention, indicated by lower BTA scores, is associated with slower reading speeds in glaucoma with reduced CS and VF defects

Implementation of an integrated high energy beam workcell

This study is an effort to advance the technology of machining by High energy beams. Investigation of the Waterjet, Plasma and the Oxyfuel beams was carried out to explore novel machining techniques. The study was focussed on three major objectives. One of the major objectives was to set up an Integrated beam workcell consisting of the three beams. A hydroabrasive waterjet workcell was modified to install the three cutting tools to be along the same line of traverse. An integrated beam consisting of the thermal and the waterjet beams was produced because of this arrangement. The feasibility of using the integrated beam for machining of steel samples was investigated by various methods. The thermal beams were used for heating a focussed spot on the metal. Piercing experiments by impinging the high pressure waterjet on the heated steel samples resulted in a 3-4 fold increase in the material removal volume when compared to the impingement on the non-heated surface of steel. Results indicate that the depth of beam penetration increases significantly when the metal surface is heated, when compared to the impingement of the waterjet without any heating. The results also suggest the feasibility of practical implementation of the integration of the thermal and the waterjet beams. Linear cutting experiments were carried out by moving the heat beam and the high pressure waterjet beam simultaneously along the metal surface. The results indicate that the process parameters concerned with the heating process such as temperature of beam and intensity of heat need to be optimized during the cutting process. The improvement of the surface finish by Abrasive-Waterjet (AWJ) machining was another major objective of this study. The AWJ beam was used as a finishing tool for machining of Stainless steel SS 304 metal. The machining was performed by using the beam to strike the surface at a 90? tangent. The experimental results obtained clearly demonstrate that AWJ can be used as a finishing tool for producing precision surfaces with Roughness Average (Ra) value of less than 1 micron. The particle size was an important factor affecting the Roughness of the surface. The third major objective of this study was to investigate the cutting of fiber-composites by AWJ. The feasibility of using AWJ to prevent the composite delamination during the cutting of various types of composites is demonstrated as a result of this work

Characterising rag-forming solids

In oil sands froth treatment, an undesirable intermediate layer, often accumulates during the separation of water-oil emulsions. The layer referred to as rag layer is a complex mixture of water, oil, solids and interfacially active components. The presence of a rag layer has a detrimental impact on the separation of water and fine solids from diluted bitumen. The current study focuses on characterisation of solids from a rag layer forming stream of a naphthenic froth treatment plant in an attempt to understand the mechanism of rag layer formation. Through detailed characterisation of rag-forming and non-rag-forming solids, the mineralogy of solids and their contamination were shown to be critical to rag layer formation. The iron-based minerals such as siderite and pyrite were found to be enriched within the rag layer. Analysis of surface organic complexes confirms a high level of organic matter associated with these solids through the binding of carboxylic acid group with iron on solids, resulting in a surface hydrophobicity susceptible for rag layer formation

The total rest-frame UV luminosity function from 3 < z < 5: a simultaneous study of AGN and galaxies from −28 < MUV < −16

We present measurements of the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (LF) at redshifts z = 3, z = 4, and z = 5, using 96894, 38655, and 7571 sources, respectively, to map the transition between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxy-dominated ultraviolet emission shortly after the epoch of reionization (EoR). Sources are selected using a comprehensive photometric redshift approach, using 10 deg2 of deep extragalactic legacy fields covered by both HSC and VISTA. The use of template fitting spanning a wavelength range of 0.3–2.4 μm achieves 80–90 per cent completeness, much higher than the classical colour–colour cut methodology. The measured LF encompasses −26 < MUV < −19.25. This is further extended to −28.5 < MUV < −16 using complementary results from other studies, allowing for the simultaneous fitting of the combined AGN and galaxy LF. We find that there are fewer UV luminous galaxies (MUV < −22) at z ∼ 3 than z ∼ 4, indicative of an onset of widespread quenching alongside dust obscuration, and that the evolution of the AGN LF is very rapid, with their number density rising by around two orders of magnitude from 3 < z < 6. It remains difficult to determine if a double power law functional form is preferred over the Schechter function to describe the galaxy UV LF. Estimating the hydrogen ionizing photon budget from our UV LFs, we find that AGN can contribute to, but cannot solely maintain, the reionization of the Universe at z = 3–5. However, the rapidly evolving AGN LF strongly disfavours a significant contribution within the EoR

The bright end of the galaxy luminosity function at z ≃ 7 from the VISTA VIDEO survey

We have conducted a search for z ≃ 7 Lyman-break galaxies over 8.2 deg2 of near-infrared imaging from the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) survey in the XMM–Newton-Large Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) and the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South (ECDF-S) fields. Candidate galaxies were selected from a full photometric redshift analysis down to a Y + J depth of 25.3 (5σ), utilizing deep auxiliary optical and Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) data to remove brown dwarf and red interloper galaxy contaminants. Our final sample consists of 28 candidate galaxies at 6.5 ≤ z ≤ 7.5 with −23.5 ≤ MUV ≤ −21.6. We derive stellar masses of 9.1 ≤ log10(M⋆/M⊙) ≤ 10.9 for the sample, suggesting that these candidates represent some of the most massive galaxies known at this epoch. We measure the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function (LF) at z ≃ 7, confirming previous findings of a gradual decline in number density at the bright end (MUV  5 samples, our results further support little evolution in the very bright end of the rest-frame UV LF from z = 5–10, potentially signalling a lack of mass quenching and/or dust obscuration in the most massive galaxies in the first Gyr

Freshwater prawn farming trials in Bangladesh

Details are given of pond trials conducted in Bangladesh regarding the culture of freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii ). Integrated rice and prawn farming systems were also experimented and results indicated that the prawn could be a suitable species for such integration. Such systems, pond or integrated, are suggested to be best practiced in the southeastern and southwestern areas of the country where there is tidal water exchange and post-larvae are naturally available

Impact of hedonic and utilitarian shopping motive on online purchase decision

VARADARAJ, A., CHARUMATHI, D. Impact of hedonic and utilitarian shopping motive on online purchase decision. CSIE Working Papers Series. March 2019, issue 11, pp. 6-16. ISSN 2537-6187.The change in technological area all over the world has changed the concept of information and communication. The use of internet for commercial purposes gave rise to the existence of the electronic commerce (e-commerce) phenomenon. Online shopping or e-shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. The study focuses on the impact of hedonic and utilitarian motives on the consumers buying behaviour towards online shopping. Questionnaire was used to collect the primary data. The sample size of the study was 125 and the sample design adopted was convenience sampling. This paper tried to find out the impact of hedonic and utilitarian motive on the consumer buying behaviour towards online shopping and gives suggestions to improve the same