A novel transparent and flexible pressure sensor for the human machine interface

The movement towards flexible and transparent electronics for use in displays, electronic skins, musical instruments and automotive industries, demands electrical components such as pressure sensors to evolve alongside circuitry and electrodes to ensure a fully flexible and transparent system. In the past, piezoresistive pressure sensors made with flexible electrodes have been fabricated, however, many of these systems are opaque. For the first time, we present a technology that exploits the natural self-assembly of polystyrene nanospheres to reproducibly create nanostructured materials to be used in optically transparent pressure sensors with sensing performance comparable to opaque industry standards. The performance of the piezoresistive pressure sensor relies on uniform elastic nano-dome arrays. A thin and homogeneous lining of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) renders the domes conductive and retains the transparent and flexible qualities of the underlying polymer. The film transparency is primarily dependant on PEDOT:PSS film thickness where transparencies as high as 79.3 \% are achieved for films of less than 100 nm in thickness. The sensors demonstrate a resistance response across the force range appropriate for all human machine interface interactions, which correspond here to 0.07 to 26 N. The fabrication process involves the creation of an electroactive mould which is used to create nanostructred polymer layers. To enable mould reuse and enhance process efficiency, an anti-adhesive treatment in the form of a self-assembled monolayer of alkanethiols has been developed. Three chain lengths for the alkanethiol of chemical structure H$_{3}$C-(CH$_{2}$)$_{n}$-SH where n = 3, 5, and 11 are investigated and SAM functionalisation is confirmed with XPS. Peel tests prove that all three are effective at preventing adhesion between the mould and PEDOT:PSS and the treatment is shown not to be detrimental to the polymer electrodeposition process. An adapted fabrication procedure with custom designed electrode housing enables larger samples to be created for prototype devices. A simple functional prototype in the form of a multi-pixel force sensor atop of an LED display is successfully designed and fabricated to highlight the technology for use at the human machine interface.Open Acces

An exploration of Peter Singer and Richard Posner's ethical arguments regarding the moral status of animals, with a specific focus on the use of animals for the consumption of food

The use of animals for the consumption of food is becoming a focus in recent times, due to environmental and animal welfare concerns. There has been an increase in research around the environmental concerns of the mass scale of the production of meat, with meat production in 2018 estimated at 330.51 million metric tons. In the UK alone, 182,000 cows were slaughtered in November 2018 and 108.4 million broiler chickens were slaughtered in October 2018. Many animal welfare groups argue against the inhumane conditions animals go through before they reach our plate. Due to this, a record number of people are reducing meat and animal product consumption, with some research indicating over 1.6 million people in the UK are vegan or vegetarian in 2016. With the questions and concerns around eating meat becoming so prominent today, it seems like the perfect time to revisit the philosophical arguments. This article will explore the global scale of using animals for the consumption of food, through the ethical arguments advocated by philosopher Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, of affording animals an equal moral status to humans. It will then consider the arguments advanced by Judge Richard Posner, as a tool to offer a critical analysis of Singer’s ideas

The fickle activity of a fly and a moth: variation in activity of two biocontrol agents of Chrysanthemoides monilifera

Biocontrol agents released to control exotic pests may not have the same spatial distribution as the pest species and may therefore vary in efficacy across the exotic range. These changes in distribution are unlikely to be known until species have had time to fill all preferred niches in the invasive habitat. However, studies of post-release activity of biocontrol agents rarely assess longer-term patterns of establishment in the landscape. Comostolopsis germana and Mesoclanis polana were released to control Chrysanthemoides monilifera spp. rotundata (bitou bush) between 29 and 32 years ago. We assessed their activity in foredune and hinddune habitats of coastal beaches across the major distribution of bitou bush and experimentally assessed the effectiveness of C. germana at preventing flowering and seed set. Both biocontrol agents were found to be distributed along the 870 km of coastline, representing the core area of infestation. Tip damage by C. germana was highly variable but was consistently more effective in the foredune. Comostolopsis germana was found to reduce flower production from 15 to 59% with tip damage increasing with latitude. Mesoclanis polana did not show differences in activity with latitude and only showed a marginal increase in activity in hinddunes. Comostolopsis germana and M. polana are reducing the reproductive output of bitou bush but are unlikely to be effective as a sole management strategy particularly in warmer latitudes where more seeds are released

Facilitation, competition and parasitic facilitation amongst invasive and native liana seedlings and a native tree seedling

Lianas are prevalent in gaps and edges of forests where they compete intensely with trees, reducing growth and recruitment. Invasive lianas have the potential to be particularly harmful as the competitive advantage of the liana life history may be coupled with the more competitive qualities of invasiveness. However, in early stages of growth of lianas and native tree seedlings, facilitatory interactions or competitive interactions associated with soil nutrients may be more prevalent. We investigated interactions at the early stages of growth between native and invasive lianas with a common rainforest tree of temperate Australian rainforests under different light conditions. Invasive lianas, as a group, were not more competitive than native lianas in reducing growth of a native rainforest seedling. At this stage in the life cycle most lianas were as competitive as a conspecific seedling. However, one invasive liana, Anredera cordifolia, was particularly competitive and reduced biomass of tree seedlings. Light had little effect on growth of lianas nor on the impact of competition, however, specific leaf area differed between low and medium light conditions. Moderate light did improve growth in the rainforest tree seedling. When lianas were grown with a rainforest tree, three liana species overyielded, while one species was unaffected by growing with the tree seedling. Overyielding suggests a strong positive interaction with the neighbouring plant, mediated through belowground processes. We discuss the potential for these interactions to be facilitative, parasitic or competitive. We therefore show that interactions early in the life of rainforest species can be complex mixtures of interactions which are likely to influence the ability of lianas to dominate rainforests

Eliminating Preventable HIV-Related Maternal Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Do We Need to Know?

Introduction: HIV makes a significant contribution to maternal mortality, and women living in sub-Saharan Africa are most affected. International commitments to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and reduce HIV-related deaths among pregnant and postpartum women by 50% will not be achieved without a better understanding of the links between HIV and poor maternal health outcomes and improved health services for the care of women living with HIV (WLWH) during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Methods: This article summarizes priorities for research and evaluation identified through consultation with 30 international researchers and policymakers with experience in maternal health and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and a review of the published literature. Results: Priorities for improving the evidence about effective interventions to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health among WLWH include better quality data about causes of maternal death among WLWH, enhanced and harmonized program monitoring, and research and evaluation that contributes to improving: (1) clinical management of pregnant and postpartum WLWH, including assessment of the impact of expanded antiretroviral therapy on maternal mortality and morbidity, (2) integrated service delivery models, and (3) interventions to create an enabling social environment for women to begin and remain in care. Conclusions: As the global community evaluates progress and prepares for new maternal mortality and HIV targets, addressing the needs of WLWH must be a priority now and after 2015. Research and evaluation on maternal health and HIV can increase collaboration on these 2 global priorities, strengthen political constituencies and communities of practice, and accelerate progress toward achievement of goals in both areas

Analyzing connectivity in collective transportation line networks by means of hypergraphs

In this paper we will show how hypergraphs and some measures related to them can help in extracting information about Collective Transportation Line Networks. We will also prove that these measures satisfy certain properties that validate their use to compare the connectivity of different networks. © 2013 EDP Sciences and Springer.This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Educacion, Ciencia e Innovacion (Spain)/FEDER under project MTM2009-14243 and by Junta de Andalucia (Spain)/FEDER under excellence proyects P09-TEP-5022 and FQM-5849. Special thanks are due to two anonymous referees for their valuable comments and advice.Barrena, E.; De-Los-Santos, A.; Mesa López-Colmenar, JA.; Perea Rojas Marcos, F. (2013). Analyzing connectivity in collective transportation line networks by means of hypergraphs. European Physical Journal - Special Topics. 215(1):93-108. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2013-01717-3S931082151D.J. Watts, S.H. Strogatz, Nature 393, 440 (1998)V. Latora, M. Marchiori, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 198701 (2001)V. Latora, M. Marchiori, Physica A 314, 109 (2002)R. Criado, B. Hernández-Bermejo, M. Romance, Int. J. Bifurcation Chaos 17, 2289 (2007)A. De-Los-Santos, G. Laporte, J.A. Mesa, F. Perea, Transp. Res. Part C: Emerging Technol. 20, 34 (2012)E. Barrena, A. De-Los-Santos, J.A. Mesa, F. Perea, Technical proofs of paper “Analyzing Connectivity in Collective Transportation Line Networks by means of Hypergraphs”, http://grupo.us.es/transfers/ (2012)C. Berge, Graphs and Hypergraphs (Elsevier Science Ltd., 1985)C. Berge, Hypergraphs: combinatorics of finite sets (North Holland)D.J. Watts, Small Worlds: The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1999), p. 262M.E.J. Newman, Technical report, Santa Fe Institute (2001)M.E.J. Newman, Phys. Rev. E 64, 016131 (2001)M.E.J. Newman, Phys. Rev. E 64, 016132 (2001)E. Estrada, J.A. Rodríguez-Velázquez, Phys. A: Statist. Mech. Appl. 364, 581 (2006)R. Dechter, Constraint Processing (Morgan Kaufmann, 2003), p. 450P. Sen, S. Dasgupta, A. Chatterjee, P.A. Sreeram, G. Mukherjee, S.S. Manna, Phys. Rev. E 67 (2003)P. Crucitti, V. Latora, M. Marchiori, A. Rapisarda, Physica A 320, 642 (2002) [cond-mat/0205601]V. Latora, M. Marchiori, Chaos Solitons Fract. 20, 69 (2004)V. Latora, M. Marchiori, Eur. Phys. J. B 32, 249 (2002

The combined use of cross-section analysis and other stratigraphic recording systems in the cleaning of two panel paintings from the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century

Cross sections are frequently used in the stratigraphic study of pictorial structures. Thanks to cross sections, it is possible to study and record original and non-original strata that may provide important information regarding the artist's technique and later restoration processes. This information helps conservators design different strategies in processes such as cleaning. However, it is often in cleaning where the advantages and limitations of cross sections become obvious. When dealing with a complex structure, cross sections may not be enough to record in a comprehensive and accurate manner all the strata removed during cleaning. In some cases, the conservator may obtain during cleaning a great amount of stratigraphic information that is not visible in the cross sections. Therefore, it may be necessary to resort to other recording systems, such as the stratigraphic unit recording sheet and the stratigraphic diagram, which are frequently used in archaeological stratigraphy. This article demonstrates how cross-section analysis was combined with stratigraphic study during the cleaning of two panel paintings to gain an improved understanding of their complicated layer structure.Barros García, JM.; Reina De La Torre, A.; Pérez Marín, E. (2014). The combined use of cross-section analysis and other stratigraphic recording systems in the cleaning of two panel paintings from the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century. Studies in Conservation. 60(4):245-252. doi:10.1179/2047058414Y.0000000128S24525260

Dense matter with eXTP

In this White Paper we present the potential of the Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for determining the nature of dense matter; neutron star cores host an extreme density regime which cannot be replicated in a terrestrial laboratory. The tightest statistical constraints on the dense matter equation of state will come from pulse profile modelling of accretion-powered pulsars, burst oscillation sources, and rotation-powered pulsars. Additional constraints will derive from spin measurements, burst spectra, and properties of the accretion flows in the vicinity of the neutron star. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.Comment: Accepted for publication on Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. (2019

Long-Range Architecture in a Viral RNA Genome

We have developed a model for the secondary structure of the 1058-nucleotide plus-strand RNA genome of the icosahedral satellite tobacco mosaic virus (STMV) using nucleotide-resolution SHAPE chemical probing of the viral RNA isolated from virions and within the virion, perturbation of interactions distant in the primary sequence, and atomic force microscopy. These data are consistent with long-range base pairing interactions and a three-domain genome architecture. The compact domains of the STMV RNA have dimensions of 10 to 45 nm. Each of the three domains corresponds to a specific functional component of the virus: The central domain corresponds to the coding sequence of the single (capsid) protein encoded by the virus, whereas the 5′ and 3′ untranslated domains span signals essential for translation and replication, respectively. This three-domain architecture is compatible with interactions between the capsid protein and short RNA helices previously visualized by crystallography. STMV is among the simplest of the icosahedral viruses but, nonetheless, has an RNA genome with a complex higher-order structure that likely reflects high information content and an evolutionary relationship between RNA domain structure and essential replicative functions

Smc5/6 coordinates formation and resolution of joint molecules with chromosome morphology to ensure meiotic divisions

During meiosis, Structural Maintenance of Chromosome (SMC) complexes underpin two fundamental features of meiosis: homologous recombination and chromosome segregation. While meiotic functions of the cohesin and condensin complexes have been delineated, the role of the third SMC complex, Smc5/6, remains enigmatic. Here we identify specific, essential meiotic functions for the Smc5/6 complex in homologous recombination and the regulation of cohesin. We show that Smc5/6 is enriched at centromeres and cohesin-association sites where it regulates sister-chromatid cohesion and the timely removal of cohesin from chromosomal arms, respectively. Smc5/6 also localizes to recombination hotspots, where it promotes normal formation and resolution of a subset of joint-molecule intermediates. In this regard, Smc5/6 functions independently of the major crossover pathway defined by the MutLγ complex. Furthermore, we show that Smc5/6 is required for stable chromosomal localization of the XPF-family endonuclease, Mus81-Mms4Eme1. Our data suggest that the Smc5/6 complex is required for specific recombination and chromosomal processes throughout meiosis and that in its absence, attempts at cell division with unresolved joint molecules and residual cohesin lead to severe recombination-induced meiotic catastroph