Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gedruckte elektrochemische Leuchtzellen auf Basis von biologisch kompatiblen und biologisch abbaubaren Materialien

Die Bioelektronik beschaftigt sich aktuell mit der Erschliesung neuer Anwendungsgebiete im Bereich der Medizintechnik sowie mit der Entwicklung von tragbarer und nachhaltiger Elektronik. Aufgrund der viel-faltigen Nutzbarkeit als Beleuchtung, Display oder fur therapeutische Zwecke sind lichtemittierende Bau-teile fur das Forschungsfeld von besonderem Interesse. Als Voraussetzung fur die Marktreife solcher Tech-nologien verlangt es nach einer kosteneffizienten Herstellung und Bauteilen, die aus biologisch kompatiblen und biologisch abbaubaren Materialien bestehen. Diese Anforderungen wurden durch licht-emittierende elektrochemische Leuchtzellen (LEC) basierend auf Biomaterialien erfullt, die durch indust-rierelevante Druckprozesse hergestellt wurden. Eine LEC besteht aus nur einer Aktivschicht, die aus der Flussigphase abgeschieden werden kann und ist somit fur die Fabrikation durch Drucktechniken beson-ders gut geeignet. Die drei Komponenten der LEC-Aktivschicht (Emitter, ionenleitfahiges Polymer und Elektrolyt) wurden in dieser Arbeit teilweise durch biologisch kompatible Materialien ersetzt. Funktionie-rende Bauteile konnten mit den Biomaterialien Poly(laktid-co-glykolid), Cholinacetat, Poly(caprolakton-co-trimethylencarbonat) und Tetrabutylammoniumbis(oxalato)borat hergestellt werden. Dabei lieferten LECs, die den Emitter Super Yellow zusammen mit dem ionenleitfahigen Polymer Poly(caprolakton-co-trimethylencarbonat) und dem Elektrolyten Tetrabutylammoniumbis(oxalato)borat nutzen, die besten Resultate bezuglich der Bauteilleistung. Diese LECs erreichten eine maximale Leuchtdichte von circa 12 000 cd m-2, eine Einsatzspannung von 3,7 V, eine maximale Stromausbeute von circa 2 cd A-1 und eine Lebensdauer von uber 100 Stunden. Vollstandig gedruckte Bauteile bei denen sowohl die Aktivschicht als auch die Elektroden mit Drucktechniken wie Tintenstrahldruck und Rakeln abgeschieden wurden, konn-ten auf der biologisch abbaubaren Substratfolie Cellulosediacetat hergestellt werden. Die Leistung dieser Bauteile ist mit 200 cd m-2 und einer Lebensdauer von wenigen Minuten zwar gering, allerdings bestehen die LECs, einschlieslich des Substrats zu 99 Vol.-% aus Biomaterialien, weshalb diese unter Vorbehalt als biologisch abbaubar angesehen werden konnen und eine neue Referenz im Bereich der nachhaltigen Elektronik darstellen. Durch eine Weiterentwicklung des Druckprozesses wurden vollstandig gedruckte LECs auf einer ultradunnen biologisch kompatiblen Parylene-C-Folie fabriziert. Diese Bauteile erreichten eine maximale Leuchtdichte von 900 cd m-2, eine Einsatzspannung von 6,7 V, eine Stromausbeute von 1 cd A-1 und eine Lebensdauer von 8,8 Stunden. Die digitale Strukturierung der Bauteile durch Tinten-strahldruck erlaubt die Herstellung von Pixelformen, die mit herkommlichen Techniken nicht moglich sind. Beispiele demonstrieren eine hohe mechanische Flexibilitat des Bauteils, was die Anwendung als tragbare Elektronik ermoglicht.
Effects of experience with live insects on the development of fear of snakes in squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus


Abstract Abstract. Three groups of adult female squirrel monkeys were tested for their fear of real, toy and model snakes, and neutral objects. The groups consisted of wild-born animals, laboratory-born animals who had been fed with small live insects as well as fruits and monkey chow, and laboratory-born animals fed only with fruits and monkey chow who had not been exposed to any live animal other than conspecifics and humans. Presentation of snake-like objects evoked an intense fear response in the wild-born animals, but not in the laboratory-born animals fed with only fruits and monkey chow. However, the laboratory-born animals fed with insects showed as strong a fear reaction as did the wild-born animals. The results indicate that experiences with small live animals sensitize a fear of snakes in squirrel monkeys in the absence of any specific experience with snakes.
A Low Power Energy-Efficient Precision CMOS Temperature Sensor

This paper presents a low power, energy-efficient precision CMOS temperature sensor. The front-end circuit is based on bipolar junction transistors, and employs a pre-bias circuit and bipolar core. To reduce measurement errors arising from current ratio mismatch, a new dynamic element-matching mode is proposed, which dynamically matches all current sources in the front-end circuit. The first-order fitting and third-order fitting are used to calibrate the output results. On the basis of simulation results, the sensor achieves 3σ-inaccuracies of +0.18/−0.13 °C from −55 °C to +125 °C. Measurement results demonstrate sensor 3σ-inaccuracies of ±0.2 °C from 0 °C to +100 °C. The circuit is implemented in 0.18 μm CMOS, and consumes 6.1 μA with a 1.8 V supply voltage.
Differentially Private and Skew-Aware Spatial Decompositions for Mobile Crowdsensing

Mobile Crowdsensing (MCS) is a paradigm for collecting large-scale sensor data by leveraging mobile devices equipped with small and low-powered sensors. MCS has recently received considerable attention from diverse fields, because it can reduce the cost incurred in the process of collecting a large amount of sensor data. However, in the task assignment process in MCS, to allocate the requested tasks efficiently, the workers need to send their specific location to the requester, which can raise serious location privacy issues. In this paper, we focus on the methods for publishing differentially a private spatial histogram to guarantee the location privacy of the workers. The private spatial histogram is a sanitized spatial index where each node represents the sub-regions and contains the noisy counts of the objects in each sub-region. With the sanitized spatial histograms, it is possible to estimate approximately the number of workers in the arbitrary area, while preserving their location privacy. However, the existing methods have given little concern to the domain size of the input dataset, leading to the low estimation accuracy. This paper proposes a partitioning technique SAGA (Skew-Aware Grid pArtitioning) based on the hotspots, which is more appropriate to adjust the domain size of the dataset. Further, to optimize the overall errors, we lay a uniform grid in each hotspot. Experimental results on four real-world datasets show that our method provides an enhanced query accuracy compared to the existing methods.
RNA Catabolites Contribute to the Nitrogen Pool and Support Growth Recovery of Wheat

Turn-over of RNA and catabolism of nucleotides releases one to four ammonia molecules; the released nutrients being reassimilated into primary metabolism. Preliminary evidence indicates that monocots store high levels of free nucleotides and nucleosides but their potential as a source of internal organic nitrogen for use and remobilization is uncharted. Early tillering wheat plants were therefore starved of N over a 5-day time-course with examination of nucleic acid yields in whole shoots, young and old leaves and roots. Nucleic acids constituted ∼4% of the total N pool of N starved wheat plants, which was comparable with the N available from nitrate (NO3-) and greater than that available from the sum of 20 proteinogenic amino acids. Methods were optimized to detect nucleotide (purine and pyrimidine) metabolites, and wheat orthologs of RNA degradation (TaRNS), nucleoside transport (TaENT1, TaENT3) and salvage (TaADK) were identified. It was found that N starved wheat roots actively catabolised RNA and specific purines but accumulated pyrimidines. Reduced levels of RNA corresponded with induction of TaRNS2, TaENT1, TaENT3, and TaADK in the roots. Reduced levels of GMP, guanine, xanthine, allantoin, allantoate and glyoxylate in N starved roots correlated with accumulation of allantoate and glyoxylate in the oldest leaf, suggesting translocation of allantoin. Furthermore, N starved wheat plants exogenously supplied with N in the form of purine catabolites grew and photosynthesized as well as those plants re-supplied with NO3-. These results support the hypothesis that the nitrogen and carbon recovered from purine metabolism can support wheat growth.
Sperm competition in the sand lizard, Lacerta agilis


Abstract Abstract. Sperm competition between males will occur when more than one male successfully inseminates a single female and the viable sperm from different males compete for fertilization of that female's egg(s). The fertilization success of males may depend on at least two factors: the viability of sperm over time, and whether males can prevent other males from fertilizing eggs in subsequent copulations. In this study on the sand lizard, sperm did not survive in the female reproductive tract between ovulations, and sterilized males did not lower the probability of paternity for males in a second copulation occurring within 24 h. Using a genetic marker trait and DNA fingerprinting, we confirmed that multiple inseminations of different fully fertile males led to multiple paternity among offspring. The results provide evidence suggesting that neither mating order nor time between copulations has any impact on the reproductive success of first or last males.
Direct Crosstalk Between O-GlcNAcylation and Phosphorylation of Tau Protein Investigated by NMR Spectroscopy

The formation of intraneuronal fibrillar inclusions of tau protein is associated with several neurodegenerative diseases referred to as tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease (AD). A common feature of these pathologies is hyperphosphorylation of tau, the main component of fibrillar assemblies such as Paired Helical Filaments (PHFs). O-β-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) is another important posttranslational modification involved in regulation of tau pathophysiology. Among the benefits of O-GlcNAcylation, modulation of tau phosphorylation levels and inhibition of tau aggregation properties have been described while decreased O-GlcNAcylation could be involved in the raise of tau phosphorylation associated with AD. However, the molecular mechanisms at the basis of these observations remain to be defined. In this study, we identify by NMR spectroscopy O-GlcNAc sites in the longest isoform of tau and investigate the direct role of O-GlcNAcylation on tau phosphorylation and conversely, the role of phosphorylation on tau O-GlcNAcylation. We show here by a systematic examination of the quantitative modification patterns by NMR spectroscopy that O-GlcNAcylation does not modify phosphorylation of tau by the kinase activity of ERK2 or a rat brain extract while phosphorylation slightly increases tau O-GlcNAcylation by OGT. Our data suggest that indirect mechanisms act in the reciprocal regulation of tau phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation in vivo involving regulation of the enzymes responsible of phosphate and O-GlcNAc dynamics.
Optimal locally private estimation under 𝓁p loss for 1≤ p≤ 2

We consider the minimax estimation problem of a discrete distribution with support size $k$ under locally differential privacy constraints. A privatization scheme is applied to each raw sample independently, and we need to estimate the distribution of the raw samples from the privatized samples. A positive number $\epsilon$ measures the privacy level of a privatization scheme. In our previous work (IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 2018), we proposed a family of new privatization schemes and the corresponding estimator. We also proved that our scheme and estimator are order optimal in the regime $e^{\epsilon} \ll k$ under both $\ell_2^2$ (mean square) and $\ell_1$ loss. In this paper, we sharpen this result by showing asymptotic optimality of the proposed scheme under the $\ell_p^p$ loss for all $1\le p\le 2. $ More precisely, we show that for any $p\in[1,2]$ and any $k$ and $\epsilon,$ the ratio between the worst-case $\ell_p^p$ estimation loss of our scheme and the optimal value approaches $1$ as the number of samples tends to infinity. The lower bound on the minimax risk of private estimation that we establish as a part of the proof is valid for any loss function $\ell_p^p, p\ge 1. $
DNA fingerprinting reveals a low incidence of extra-pair fertilizations in the lesser kestrel

DNA fingerprinting of socially monogamous, colonially breeding lesser kestrels, Falco naumanni, revealed that three of 87 (3.4%) nestlings were illegitimate, and all three came from a single nest of 26 sampled (3.8%). Extra-pair paternity may have arisen through either extra-pair copulation (EPC) or mate replacement. The maximum level of extra-pair fertilization (EPF) was low (3.4%) compared to that found in other socially monogamous species and was also lower than predicted according to the frequency of EPCs in a previous study (6.7%). Paired females depend strongly on male provisioning throughout the breeding season and may refuse to engage in EPCs to prevent withdrawal of parental investment by their mates. The DNA analysis also indicated that two nestlings in two diVerent nests resulted from intraspecific brood parasitism. The frequency of parasitized broods revealed by DNA fingerprinting (7.4%, N=27) was higher than that inferred from egg-marking during nest inspections (3.8%, N=52). Pair copulation rates are high in the lesser kestrel but occur in a context of low sperm competition (i.e. low frequency of both EPCs and EPFs). Instead of assuring paternity, frequent copulations may function in females to assess their mate's condition. Alternatively, copulations may have a pair-bond function or may reduce the availability of an individual to other potential mates. 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
A Review of the State of Dry Adhesives: Biomimetic Structures and the Alternative Designs They Inspire

Robust and inexpensive dry adhesives would have a multitude of potential applications, but replicating the impressive adhesive organs of many small animals has proved challenging. A substantial body of work has been produced in recent years which has illuminated the many mechanical processes influencing a dry adhesive interface. The especially potent footpads of the tokay gecko have inspired researchers to develop and examine an impressive and diverse collection of artificial fibrillar dry adhesives, though study of tree frogs and insects demonstrate that successful adhesive designs come in many forms. This review discusses the current theoretical understanding of dry adhesive mechanics, including the observations from biological systems and the lessons learned by recent attempts to mimic them. Attention is drawn in particular to the growing contingent of work exploring ideas which are complimentary to or an alternative for fibrillar designs. The fundamentals of compliance control form a basis for dry adhesives made of composite and “smart,” stimuli-responsive materials including shape memory polymers. An overview of fabrication and test techniques, with a sampling of performance results, is provided.
Tattoo Image Search at Scale: Joint Detection and Compact Representation Learning

The explosive growth of digital images in video surveillance and social media has led to the significant need for efficient search of persons of interest in law enforcement and forensic applications. Despite tremendous progress in primary biometric traits (e.g., face and fingerprint) based person identification, a single biometric trait alone can not meet the desired recognition accuracy in forensic scenarios. Tattoos, as one of the important soft biometric traits, have been found to be valuable for assisting in person identification. However, tattoo search in a large collection of unconstrained images remains a difficult problem, and existing tattoo search methods mainly focus on matching cropped tattoos, which is different from real application scenarios. To close the gap, we propose an efficient tattoo search approach that is able to learn tattoo detection and compact representation jointly in a single convolutional neural network (CNN) via multi-task learning. While the features in the backbone network are shared by both tattoo detection and compact representation learning, individual latent layers of each sub-network optimize the shared features toward the detection and feature learning tasks, respectively. We resolve the small batch size issue inside the joint tattoo detection and compact representation learning network via random image stitch and preceding feature buffering. We evaluate the proposed tattoo search system using multiple public-domain tattoo benchmarks, and a gallery set with about 300K distracter tattoo images compiled from these datasets and images from the Internet. In addition, we also introduce a tattoo sketch dataset containing 300 tattoos for sketch-based tattoo search. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has superior performance in tattoo detection and tattoo search at scale compared to several state-of-the-art tattoo retrieval algorithms.
Comparing endoscopic ultrasound-guided core biopsies of solid pancreatic and extrapancreatic lesions: a large single-operator experience with a new fine-needle biopsy needle

Background There has been a paradigm shift in tertiary centers from endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine-needle aspiration to EUS fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) for tissue acquisition in solid lesions. While data exists on the use of FNB needles in solid pancreatic lesions, very few studies looked at the utility of FNB in solid extrapancreatic lesions. Our aim was to study and compare the technical success and feasibility of EUS-FNB in evaluating solid pancreatic and extrapancreatic lesions using a novel FNB needle. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with solid masses or lesions needing EUS-guided core biopsy at the University of Utah between May 2016 and November 2017. All core biopsies were obtained using an Acquire™Fine Needle Biopsy Device (Boston Scientific Corporation, Natick MA, USA). Rapid on-site evaluation was performed by a board-certified cytopathologist in all cases. Results One hundred thirty-two patients (87 male) were included. Ninety-nine (73.3%) of the lesions were located in the pancreas. All needle sizes (19 G, 22 G and 25 G) had similar yield. The mean number of passes needed was 2.28±0.7. EUS-FNB of the pancreatic lesions had a diagnostic accuracy of 97.9%, comparable to the 97.2% for the biopsied extra-pancreatic lesions. Only 3 of 132 cases needed re-biopsy at a later date. No immediate adverse events were reported. Conclusion In this large, single-center study, EUS-FNB with a novel Franseen-design needle was proven to be an effective modality for tissue acquisition from both pancreatic and extrapancreatic solid lesions.
Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate signaling maintains the activity of glutamate uptake in Bergmann glia

The maintenance of synaptic functions is essential for neuronal information processing in the adult brain. Astrocytes express glutamate transporters that rapidly remove glutamate from the extracellular space and they play a critical role in the precise operation of glutamatergic transmission. However, how the glutamate clearance function of astrocytes is maintained remains elusive. Here, we describe a maintenance mechanism for the glutamate uptake capacity of Bergmann glial cells (BGs) in the cerebellum. When inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) signaling was chronically and selectively inhibited in BGs in vivo, the retention time of glutamate around parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapses was increased. Under these conditions, a decrease in the level of the glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) in BGs was observed. The same effects were observed after chronic in vivo inhibition of purinergic P2 receptors in the cerebellar cortex. These results suggest that the IP3 signaling cascade is involved in regulating GLAST levels in BGs to maintain glutamate clearance in the mature cerebellum.
P 4-a 05 Effects of 660 nm low-intensity laser irradiation on neuronal excitability and neurotransmission in neocortex

We previously reported that extrasynaptic NMDA receptor (NMDA-R)mediated plateau potential can be induced either by synaptic stimulation in the presence of glutamate transporter antagonist TBOA, or by iontophoresis of glutamate in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (Suzuki et al., 2008, EJN). This plateau potential is accompanied by substantial [Ca]i elevation mainly due to Ca2+ entry from voltage gated Ca2+ channels and partly due to entry from NMDA-R channels (Kodama et al., 2008). To confirm these findings further, we induced the potential by iontophoretically applying NMDA and examined the source of Ca2+. We performed whole-cell recordings and Ca2+ imagings simultaneously from single CA1 pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slices. Neurons were loaded with Ca2+ indicator Fluo-4. To maximize Ca2+ entry from NMDA-R, Mg2+ were reduced from the hippocampal slice condition. Iontophoretically applied NMDA generated a long lasting depolarization (plateau potential) with burst spiking action potentials, accompanying large Ca2+ elevation in the soma and the main shaft of apical dendrites. Bath application of TTX (voltage gated sodium channel blocker) blocked action potential and risen the depolarization. This Ca2+ elevation was completely blocked by TTX (voltage gated sodium channel blocker) and Cd2+ (voltage gated calcium channel blocker), but the plateau potential remain. The depolarizing potential was blocked by DL-APV and 5,7-dCK (NMDA receptor antagonist). Our result shows that the plateau potential caused substantial Ca2+ elevation which was primarily due to influx from voltage gated Ca2+ channels.
Percutaneous retropelvic endopyelotomy for treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction

Purpose: A new minimally invasive approach for endopyelotomy for the treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is described. The results are compared with those of other lines of treatment. Materials and Methods: A total of 39 patients with UPJO underwent percutaneous retropelvic endopyelotomy. Retrograde percutaneous renal access, using the Lawson catheter and deflecting guidewire, was done for creation of the nephrostomy tract. Using holmium laser through a 28-Fr nephroscope, a small window was made in the posterolateral surface of the renal pelvis. The nephroscope was advanced from the renal pelvis to the retropelvic space through that window. Crossing vessels were easily detected and were either coagulated or avoided. The window incision was extended distally, and the narrow ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) was incised using holmium laser. Results: The entire procedure was done in the supine position within 1 h. The presence of secondary stones, hugely dilated renal pelvis, high insertion of the UPJ, and whether UPJO was primary or secondary, did not alter the results. The only factor that affected the results was split function of the obstructed renal unit. The success rate was 100% when the split function exceeded 35%. When the split function was <35%, the success rate dropped to 56%. Conclusion: Percutaneous retropelvic endopyelotomy is a promising approach for the treatment of UPJO that gave favorable results. The use of the nephroscope provided a wide visual field. The wide-field facilitated detection of crossing blood vessels with no incident of vascular injury. It also facilitated endopyelotomy with high precision. Ureteral injury was not a risk factor.