Socialite in derSpittelberg: Incorporating Animated Conversation into a Web-Based Community-Building Tool

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High performance p-type organic thin film transistors with an intrinsically photopatternable, ultrathin polymer dielectric layer

AbstractA high-performing bottom-gate top-contact pentacene-based oTFT technology with an ultrathin (25–48nm) and electrically dense photopatternable polymeric gate dielectric layer is reported. The photosensitive polymer poly((±)endo,exo-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, diphenylester) (PNDPE) is patterned directly by UV-exposure (λ=254nm) at a dose typical for conventionally used negative photoresists without the need for any additional photoinitiator. The polymer itself undergoes a photo-Fries rearrangement reaction under UV illumination, which is accompanied by a selective cross-linking of the macromolecules, leading to a change in solubility in organic solvents. This crosslinking reaction and the negative photoresist behavior are investigated by means of sol–gel analysis. The resulting transistors show a field-effect mobility up to 0.8cm2V−1s−1 at an operation voltage as low as −4.5V. The ultra-low subthreshold swing in the order of 0.1Vdec−1 as well as the completely hysteresis-free transistor characteristics are indicating a very low interface trap density. It can be shown that the device performance is completely stable upon UV-irradiation and development according to a very robust chemical rearrangement. The excellent interface properties, the high stability and the small thickness make the PNDPE gate dielectric a promising candidate for fast organic electronic circuits

Species richness in dry grassland patches of eastern Austria: A multi-taxon study on the role of local, landscape and habitat quality variables

AbstractAccording to island biogeography theory, the species richness of patches is determined by their size and spatial isolation, while in conservation practice, it is patch quality that determines protection and guides management. We analysed whether size, isolation or habitat quality are most important for the species richness in a set of 50 dry grassland fragments in agricultural landscapes of eastern Austria. We studied two plant taxa (vascular plants, bryophytes) and 11 invertebrate taxa (gastropods, spiders, springtails, grasshoppers, true bugs, leafhoppers and planthoppers, ground beetles, rove beetles, butterflies and burnets, ants and wild bees). The species richness of three categories was analysed: (1) dry grassland specialist species, (2) all grassland species and (3) all species. We used regression and hierarchical partitioning techniques to determine the relationship between species richness and environmental variables describing patch size and shape, patch quality, landscape configuration and landscape quality. The area-isolation paradigm was only applicable for dry grassland specialists, which comprised 12% of all species. Richness of all grassland species was determined mostly by landscape heterogeneity parameters. Total species richness was highly influenced by spillover from adjacent biotopes, and was significantly determined by the percentage of arable land bordering the patches. When analysing all taxa together, species richness of dry grassland specialists was significantly related to historical patch size but not to current patch size, indicating an extinction debt. At the landscape scale, the variable ‘short-grass area’ was a better predictor than the less specific variable ‘area of extensively used landscape elements’. ‘Distance to mainland’ was a good predictor for specialists of mobile animal taxa. Plant specialists showed a pronounced dependence on quality measures at the patch scale and at the landscape scale, whereas animal specialists were influenced by patch size, patch quality, landscape quality and isolation measures. None of the taxa benefited from linear structures in the surroundings. In conclusion, high patch quality and a network of high-quality areas in the surrounding landscape should be the best conservation strategy to ensure conservation of dry grassland specialists. This goal does not conflict with the specific demands of single taxa

GWAS meta-analysis of over 29,000 people with epilepsy identifies 26 risk loci and subtype-specific genetic architecture

Epilepsy is a highly heritable disorder affecting over 50 million people worldwide, of which about one-third are resistant to current treatments. Here we report a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study including 29,944 cases, stratified into three broad categories and seven subtypes of epilepsy, and 52,538 controls. We identify 26 genome-wide significant loci, 19 of which are specific to genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE). We implicate 29 likely causal genes underlying these 26 loci. SNP-based heritability analyses show that common variants explain between 39.6% and 90% of genetic risk for GGE and its subtypes. Subtype analysis revealed markedly different genetic architectures between focal and generalized epilepsies. Gene-set analyses of GGE signals implicate synaptic processes in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the brain. Prioritized candidate genes overlap with monogenic epilepsy genes and with targets of current antiseizure medications. Finally, we leverage our results to identify alternate drugs with predicted efficacy if repurposed for epilepsy treatment

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

In die dritte Dimension alpiner Lebensräume: Erfassung der Laufkäfer (Coleoptera, Carabidae) mit Subterranfallen

Das Besammeln von alpinen Lebensräumen, wie Dolinen, Blockhalden oder Gletschervorfeldern mit den Standard-Sammelmethoden für Bodentiere liefert oftmals nur unbefriedigende Ergebnisse. Das Relief dieser Lebensräume wird von Gesteinsbruchstücken verschiedener Größenklassen gebildet und zeigt meist auch eine starke Ausdehnung. Daher wurde in der vorliegenden Studie eine neu konstruierte Subterranfalle verwendet, die es möglich macht, das Substrat störungsfrei und in verschiedenen Tiefen zu besammeln. Die Fallen waren von 2000 bis 2004 an vier alpinen Standorten in Verwendung (Zillertaler Alpen, Tirol; Schneeberg, Niederösterreich; Koralpe und Hochobir, Kärnten). Es konnten 19 Laufkäferarten mit 1823 Individuen gefangen werden. 94 Prozent aller Individuen wurden in einer Tiefe bis 20 cm gefangen, einige Exemplare sogar in 50 cm Tiefe. Die Gattung Oreonebria ist, sowohl als Adulte wie auch als Larven, an jedem Standort das häufigste Taxon. Von drei Oreonebria-Arten (O. austriaca, O. diaphana, O. schusteri) konnten erstmals Larvenstadien gefangen werden