Entwicklung eines mikrofluidischen Brailledisplays

Aus Kostengründen sind Brailledisplays, die Sehgeschädigte zur Darstellung digitaler Daten für den Tastsinn nutzen, meist auf einzelne Textzeilen beschränkt. Unter Verwendung kostengünstiger, mikrofluidischer Aktoren lassen sich jedoch großflächige, grafikfähige Brailledisplays herstellen. Funktionsweise und Herstellung der Komponenten eines solchen Displays sowie die Ergebnisse einer Nutzerumfrage zu den Anforderungen an großflächige Brailledisplays werden innerhalb der Arbeit beschrieben

Targeting of Drosophila Rhodopsin Requires Helix 8 but Not the Distal C-Terminus

BACKGROUND: The fundamental role of the light receptor rhodopsin in visual function and photoreceptor cell development has been widely studied. Proper trafficking of rhodopsin to the photoreceptor membrane is of great importance. In human, mutations in rhodopsin involving its intracellular mislocalization, are the most frequent cause of autosomal dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal pathology characterized by progressive blindness. Drosophila is widely used as an animal model in visual and retinal degeneration research. So far, little is known about the requirements for proper rhodopsin targeting in Drosophila. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Different truncated fly-rhodopsin Rh1 variants were expressed in the eyes of Drosophila and their localization was analyzed in vivo or by immunofluorescence. A mutant lacking the last 23 amino acids was found to properly localize in the rhabdomeres, the light-sensing organelle of the photoreceptor cells. This constitutes a major difference to trafficking in vertebrates, which involves a conserved QVxPA motif at the very C-terminus. Further truncations of Rh1 indicated that proper localization requires the last amino acid residues of a region called helix 8 following directly the last transmembrane domain. Interestingly, the very C-terminus of invertebrate visual rhodopsins is extremely variable but helix 8 shows conserved amino acid residues that are not conserved in vertebrate homologs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite impressive similarities in the folding and photoactivation of vertebrate and invertebrate visual rhodopsins, a striking difference exists between mammalian and fly rhodopsins in their requirements for proper targeting. Most importantly, the distal part of helix 8 plays a central role in invertebrates. Since the last amino acid residues of helix 8 are dispensable for rhodopsin folding and function, we propose that this domain participates in the recognition of targeting factors involved in transport to the rhabdomeres

Organizational approaches to the forming of strategic partnership of enterprises of region

Систематизовано організаційні підходи до формування стратегічного партнерства підприємств, що існують у вітчизняній та зарубіжній науковій літературі. Виділено цільовий, або проблемно-орієнтовний, підхід, первинним етапом якого є встановлення стратегічних цілей; ресурсно-компетенційний підхід, який засновано на визначенні наявних ресурсів та компетенцій підприємств – потенційних партнерів, та проектний підхід, згідно з яким формування стратегічного партнерства підприємств пов’язано з реалізацією сукупності проектів. Обґрунтовано функціональний, або структурний, підхід, що передбачає включення у партнерство підприємств тих галузей, які є ключовими та які визначають спеціалізацію регіону. Використання запропонованого підходу забезпечить комплексний соціально-економічний розвиток господарства регіону.Organizational approaches to forming of strategic partnership of enterprises which exist in domestic and foreign scientific literature are systematized. Target, or problem-orientated, approach the primary stage of which is establishment of strategic aims; resource-competent approach which is based on determination of present resources and jurisdictions of enterprises – potential partners, and project approach, according to which the forming of strategic partnership of enterprises is related with the realization of complex of projects are selected. Functional, or structural, approach, which foresees plugging in partnership of enterprises of those industries which are key and which determine specialization of region is grounded. Offered approach has the followings stages: determination of regional type and basic industries of industrial production, successful development of which will become the key factor of regional economic development; formulation of strategic aims of enterprises of priority industries according to norms and normative correlations, set the most perfect technologies, by organization of production on the whole and separate subsystems of enterprises which are utilized in the proper industries in Ukraine and world; estimation by the enterprises of present and necessary resources and jurisdictions, determination of potential partners after the criterion of presence of necessary resources and jurisdictions and choice of enterprises – potential partners, clarification of strategic and operative aims of strategic partnership that formalize the relations of enterprises-partners. The use of this approach will provide complex socio-economic development of economy of region

Impact of Ear Occlusion on In-Ear Sounds Generated by Intra-oral Behaviors

We conducted a case study with one volunteer and a recording setup to detect sounds induced by the actions: jaw clenching, tooth grinding, reading, eating, and drinking. The setup consisted of two in-ear microphones, where the left ear was semi-occluded with a commercially available earpiece and the right ear was occluded with a mouldable silicon ear piece. Investigations in the time and frequency domains demonstrated that for behaviors such as eating, tooth grinding, and reading, sounds could be recorded with both sensors. For jaw clenching, however, occluding the ear with a mouldable piece was necessary to enable its detection. This can be attributed to the fact that the mouldable ear piece sealed the ear canal and isolated it from the environment, resulting in a detectable change in pressure. In conclusion, our work suggests that detecting behaviors such as eating, grinding, reading with a semi-occluded ear is possible, whereas, behaviors such as clenching require the complete occlusion of the ear if the activity should be easily detectable. Nevertheless, the latter approach may limit real-world applicability because it hinders the hearing capabilities.</p

Ivermectin Inhibits the Replication of Usutu Virus In Vitro

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging mosquito-borne arbovirus within the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae. Similar to the closely related West Nile virus (WNV), USUV infections are capable of causing mass mortality in wild and captive birds, especially blackbirds. In the last few years, a massive spread of USUV was present in the avian population of Germany and other European countries. To date, no specific antiviral therapies are available. Nine different approved drugs were tested for their antiviral effects on the replication of USUV in vitro in a screening assay. Ivermectin was identified as a potent inhibitor of USUV replication in three cell types from different species, such as simian Vero CCL-81, human A549 and avian TME R. A 2- to 7-log10 reduction of the viral titer in the supernatant was detected at a non-cytotoxic concentration of 5 µM ivermectin dependent on the applied cell line. IC50 values of ivermectin against USUV lineage Africa 3 was found to be 0.55 µM in Vero CCL-81, 1.94 µM in A549 and 1.38 µM in TME-R cells. The antiviral efficacy was comparable between the USUV lineages Africa 2, Africa 3 and Europe 3. These findings show that ivermectin may be a candidate for further experimental and clinical studies addressing the treatment of USUV disease, especially in captive birds