Evaluation of two minimally invasive techniques for electroencephalogram recording in wild or freely behaving animals

Insight into the function of sleep may be gained by studying animals in the ecological context in which sleep evolved. Until recently, technological constraints prevented electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of animals sleeping in the wild. However, the recent development of a small recorder (Neurologger 2) that animals can carry on their head permitted the first recordings of sleep in nature. To facilitate sleep studies in the field and to improve the welfare of experimental animals, herein, we test the feasibility of using minimally invasive surface and subcutaneous electrodes to record the EEG in barn owls. The EEG and behaviour of four adult owls in captivity and of four chicks in a nest box in the field were recorded. We scored a 24-h period for each adult bird for wakefulness, slow-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep using 4s epochs. Although the quality and stability of the EEG signals recorded via subcutaneous electrodes were higher when compared to surface electrodes, the owls' state was readily identifiable using either electrode type. On average, the four adult owls spent 13.28h awake, 9.64h in SWS, and 1.05h in REM sleep. We demonstrate that minimally invasive methods can be used to measure EEG-defined wakefulness, SWS, and REM sleep in owls and probably other animal

Datenerfassungs- und Anlagensteuerungssoftware DeAs 1.0, Designbeschreibung, Version 1.0.

Die Kapitel 4 - 6 dieses Architektur-Dokuments sollen einen Ueberblick ueber den internen Aufbau von DeAs aus programmtechnischer Sicht vermitteln und so dem Programmierer einen Einstieg ermoeglichen. Es wird in diesem Dokument kurz die Funktion der einzelnen Klassen erklaert und die Beziehungen der Klassen untereinander beschrieben. Den internen Aufbau einer Klasse entnimmt man dem Kapitel 7 "DeAs-Klassenbeschreibung nach den Templates von Booch"

Untersuchung zur Abformung von galvanisierbaren Mikrostrukturen mit grosser Strukturhoehe aus elektrisch isolierenden und leitfaehigen Kunststoffen

Thesis of M. HarmeningCopy held by FIZ Karlsruhe; available from UB/TIB Hannover / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Abformung von Mikrostrukturen auf prozessierten Wafern

Improving the LIGA technology a method was developed to mold microstructures on processed wafers and hence onto microelectronic circuits. Applying this method microstructures are generated by molding of a thermoplastic polymer (mold material) using a molding tool. In order to otain very good adhesion to the wafer and very little adhesion to the molding tool in the process of plastic molding a two-layer PMMA base mold material was developed. It consists of an adhesion layer of only a few micrometers thickness and the actual mold material which contains an internal release agent. The properties of the mold material as well as the filling of the molding tool with mold material - which provide the basis for microstructure molding through relief printing - were studied. In the process of demolding the friction between the molding tool and microstructures must be overcome. The demolding force required for this purpose was determined as a function of the fraction of release agent in the mold material, the impression force, the demolding temperature, and the rate of demolding. In order to be able to generate metal microstructures on processed wafers removal of the residual layer between the molded microstructures was examined in an oxygen plasma and electrodeposition of microstructures made of nickel and copper onto the plating base uncovered by etching in the oxygen plasma was demonstrated. The electrical values measured in typical test circuits prior to and after molding of the microstructures did not exhibit any impairment of microelectronics through molding of the microstructures made of mold materialDissertation submitted by A. MichelSIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: ZA 5141(5171) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Grundlegende Untersuchungen zur Fertigung gestufter Mikrostrukturen aus fluorierten Polymeren nach dem LIGA-Verfahren

In this work the fundamentals for fabrication of stepped microstructures from fluorinated polymers using the LIGA technique are discussed. By means of these developments, applicability of the LIGA technique has been enhanced considerably. The process developed to fabricate micropatterned molding tools for plastic molding of LIGA microstructures with two or more level heights is described. A first single-step LIGA molding tool is used to structure a modified resist layer by plastic molding. This pre-structured resist layer is then structured by deep-etch X-ray lithography and subsequently used as a negative mold for electroforming of the stepped molding tool. Using this molding tool LIGA microstructures with a real three-dimensional shape have been produced by plastic molding. The essential developments are shown. In LIGA technique, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) is the molding material preferred for plastic molding. However, many applications, especially in medical and environmental technologies, require materials with high chemical and thermal stability. Especially for this, fluorinated polymers are well suited but could not be microstructured by the LIGA process so far. Therefore the process of vacuum hot embossing of microstructures from PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) was developed. The potentials of both developments are demonstrated by the example of molded stepped micro valve plates of PMMA and PVDF. These micro valve plates were built in miniaturized valves and tested successfully. (orig.)Dissertation submitted by H. KalbAvailable from TIB Hannover: ZA 5141(5576) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman