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Category: electronics – Page 62

Striatal dopamine mediates hallucination-like perception in mice

There has not been enough progress in our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying psychosis. Studying psychotic disorders in animal models is difficult because the diagnosis relies on self-reported symptoms that can only be assessed in humans. Schmack et al. developed a paradigm to probe and rigorously measure experimentally controlled hallucinations in rodents (see the Perspective by Matamales). Using dopamine-sensor measurements and circuit and pharmacological manipulations, they demonstrated a brain circuit link between excessive dopamine and hallucination-like experience. This could potentially be useful as a translational model of common psychotic symptoms described in various psychiatric disorders. It may also help in the development of new therapeutic approaches based on anatomically selective modulation of dopamine function.

Science, this issue p. see also p. [33][2]

### INTRODUCTION

How Metaphors Shape Our Ideas About Education

An interview with Dr. Yulia Turchaninova on What would be your take on that?

Many parents employ a “job” metaphor for school. But as a parent, do you bring your work home every night? Do it over the weekend? Take it with you on vacation? And if you do, are you still eager to work on it when the whole family sits down to chat, play and watch TV after dinner? And how many direct bosses do you have above you? How about six to eight different ones a day, each with their own quirks? Do they replace each other at the ring of the bell, demanding that you instantly and completely switch to the new assignment, regardless of whether you have completed the previous one, and do it in their idiosyncratic way? And if you do, is this the kind of life that you would wish for your children?

Brodsky: So, what would be a better way of treating our metaphors?

Turchaninova: Since metaphors shape our understanding of complex issues, it may be wise for parents and educators to reflect on the metaphors we use while talking about school. It would be great for us as a society to come up with a new set of metaphors that help us express the essence of the kind of education we want for our children in the upcoming century.

Energy-harvesting card treats 5G networks as wireless power grids

A team from Georgia Tech has just announced a world-first: a 3D-printed rectifying antenna the size of a playing card that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals and use it to power devices, turning 5G networks into wireless power grids.

Wireless communications put a lot of energy into the air, and over the years we’ve covered a number of efforts to harvest that energy. Short-range Wi-Fi signals have been the target of several projects, TV broadcasts and radio signals have been the focus of others. One device even hopes to increase the life of a smartphone’s battery by 30 percent just by harvesting some of the radio waves the phone itself is generating.

But 5G communications offer a whole new opportunity. 5G has been designed for blazing fast and low-latency communications, reads the Georgia Tech team’s latest study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. To do so, mm-wave frequencies were adopted and allowed unprecedently high radiated power densities by the FCC. Unknowingly, the architects of 5G have, thereby, created a wireless power grid capable of powering devices at ranges far exceeding the capabilities of any existing technologies.

Breakthrough in electronic display fabrics could help pave the way for smart clothing

The fabric is about as bright as the average flat-screen TV. The researchers noted their prototype was also significantly more durable than conventional thin-film flexible displays, making it more suitable for practical use. The performance for most of the display remained stable after 1000 cycles of bending, stretching and pressing, and 100 cycles of washing and drying.

Floating Holographic Buttons May Make Smart Toilets Even Better

“The Murakami Corporation has partnered with Parity Innovations, a startup that developed a holographic display technology, the Parity Mirror, which breaks up a projected image using a series of tiny mirrors and then refocuses them into a reconstituted image that appears to float in mid-air. What the Murakami Corporation brings to the table is its infrared sensors, which are able to detect the presence of fingers without them having to make physical contact. The result is a series of glowing buttons that don’t actually exist but can still be activated by touching them.”

Japanese smart toilets already provide a luxe experience, but this high-tech upgrade will take them to the next level.

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