May 2016 - This Month in JoVE: Cheetah footprints, lens stiffness, and digitally printed solar cells

Protocol

Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints

Zoe C. Jewell^1,2, Sky K. Alibhai^1,2, Florian Weise^3,4, Stuart Munro³, Marlice Van Vuuren⁵, Rudie Van Vuuren⁵

¹WildTrack 501(c)3 (wildtrack.org), ²Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, ³N∕a′an ku sê Research Programme, ⁴Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, ⁵N∕a′an ku sê Foundation

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an iconic, endangered species, but conservation efforts are challenged by habitat shrinkage and conflict with commercial farmers. The footprint identification technique, a robust, accurate and cost-effective image classification system, is a new approach to monitoring cheetahs.

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Joshua Wyman, Ida Foster, Victoria Talwar

Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University

The current methodology is designed to provide an ecologically relevant approach for measuring the veracity, length and quality of children's true and false testimonies. Implications of the current methodology for future research and professionals who interview children will also be discussed.

Sequential Application of Glass Coverslips to Assess the Compressive Stiffness of the Mouse Lens: Strain and Morphometric Analyses

Catherine Cheng, David S. Gokhin, Roberta B. Nowak, Velia M. Fowler

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute

Age-related increases in eye lens stiffness are linked to presbyopia. This protocol describes a simple, cost-effective method for measuring mouse lens stiffness. Mouse lenses, like human lenses, become stiffer with age. This method is precise and can be adapted for lenses from larger animals.

Digital Printing of Titanium Dioxide for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Ruth Cherrington, Benjamin Michael Wood, Iulia Salaoru, Vannessa Goodship

Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick

This paper investigates the suitability of inkjet printing for the manufacturing of dye-sensitized solar cells. A binder-free TiO₂ nanoparticle ink was formulated and printed onto a FTO glass substrate. The printed layer was fabricated into a cell with an active area of 0.25 cm² and an efficiency of 3.5%.