The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) CubeSat: optomechanical design validation and laboratory calibration

Coronagraphs on future space telescopes will require precise wavefront correction to detect Earth-like exoplanets near their host stars. High-actuator count microelectromechanical system (MEMS) deformable mirrors provide wavefront control with low size, weight, and power. The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) payload will demonstrate a 140 actuator MEMS deformable mirror (DM) with \SI{5.5}{\micro\meter} maximum stroke. We present the flight optomechanical design, lab tests of the flight wavefront sensor and wavefront reconstructor, and simulations of closed-loop control of wavefront aberrations. We also present the compact flight DM controller, capable of driving up to 192 actuator channels at 0-250V with 14-bit resolution. Two embedded Raspberry Pi 3 compute modules are used for task management and wavefront reconstruction. The spacecraft is a 6U CubeSat (30 cm x 20 cm x 10 cm) and launch is planned for 2019.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figues. Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, Austin, Texas, US

Prestimulus vigilance predicts response speed in an easy visual discrimination task

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Healthy adults show considerable within-subject variation of reaction time (RT) when performing cognitive tests. So far, the neurophysiological correlates of these inconsistencies have not yet been investigated sufficiently. In particular, studies rarely have focused on alterations of prestimulus EEG-vigilance as a factor which possibly influences the outcome of cognitive tests. We hypothesised that a low EEG-vigilance state immediately before a reaction task would entail a longer RT. Shorter RTs were expected for a high EEG-vigilance state.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>24 female students performed an easy visual discrimination task while an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. The vigilance stages of 1-sec-EEG-segments before stimulus presentation were classified automatically using the computer-based Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig (VIGALL). The mean RTs of each EEG-vigilance stage were calculated for each subject. A paired t-test for the EEG-vigilance main stage analysis (A vs. B) and a variance analysis for repeated measures for the EEG-vigilance sub-stage analysis (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2/3) were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Individual mean RT was significantly shorter for events following the high EEG-vigilance stage A compared to the lower EEG-vigilance stage B. The main effect of the sub-stage analysis was marginal significant. A trend of gradually increasing RT was observable within the EEG-vigilance stage A.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that an automatically classified low EEG-vigilance level is associated with an increased RT. Thus, intra-individual variances in cognitive test might be explainable in parts by the individual state of EEG-vigilance. Therefore, the accuracy of neuro-cognitive investigations might be improvable by simultaneously controlling for vigilance shifts using the EEG and VIGALL.</p

Automatically generating runtime monitors from tests

A large portion of the software development industry relies on testing as the main technique for quality assurance while other techniques which can provide extra guarantees are largely ignored. A case in point is runtime verification which provides assurance that a system’s behaviour is correct at runtime. Compared to testing, this technique has the advantage of checking the actual runs of a system rather than a number of representative testcases.peer-reviewe

Investigating Antimicrobial Chemicals Released from Amphibian Eggs

Undergraduate Basi

Using gherkin to extract tests and monitors for safer medical device interaction design

Number entry systems on medical devices are safety critical and it is important to get them right. Interaction design teams can be multidisciplinary, and in this work we present a process where the requirements of the system are drawn up using a Controlled Natural Language (CNL) that is understandable by non-technical experts or clients. These CNL requirements can also be directly used by the Quality Assurance (QA) team to test the system and monitor whether or not the system runs as it should once deployed. Since commonly, systems are too complex to test all possible execution paths before deployment, monitoring the system at runtime is useful in order to check that the system is running correctly. If at runtime, it is discovered that an anomaly is detected, the relevant personnel is notified through a report in natural language.peer-reviewe

cAMP signalling and its role in host cell invasion by malaria parasites.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important signalling molecule across evolution, but until recently there was little information on its role in malaria parasites. Advances in gene editing - in particular conditional genetic approaches and mass spectrometry have paved the way for characterisation of the key components of the cAMP signalling pathway in malaria parasites. This has revealed that cAMP signalling plays a critical role in invasion of host red blood cells by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites through regulating the phosphorylation of key parasite proteins by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). These insights will help us to investigate parasite cAMP signalling as a target for novel antimalarial drugs

Agronomic Performance of Madre De Agua (Trichantera Gigantean Nees) Under Upland Area in Abucay, Bataan

Madre de Agua (Trichantera gigantean Nees) is forage and considered a Multiple Purpose Tree Species used for ruminants and poultry animals with a good potential source of protein and contain good amino acid. Few studies were conducted in terms of the agronomic characteristics of the Madre de Agua prior to utilization as feeds and most studies conducted were mainly conducted to feed monogastric animals. The study intends to produce data for the agronomic characteristics of Madre de Agua as planted and produces a shaded portion of the upland area in BPSU Abucay Campus, Abucay, Bataan. The following parameters were gathered; Plant Height, Leaf to Stem Ratio, Herbage Yield, and Dry Matter Yield and Soil Analysis. Moreover, the following baseline data were used: the area with an elevation of 141.1 feet above sea level with an average rainfall of 296.45mm and temperature ranges from 26oC to 30oC during the duration of the study. Fertilizer requirements are based on the result of BSWM soil analysis (30g/tree ammonium phosphate, 169g/tree Urea, and 4kg/tree organic fertilizer) applied during and after transplanting with adequate irrigation.&nbsp; The study was carried out using systematic random sampling for plants. The result of agronomic characteristics in upland conditions showed that the average plant height of Madre De Agua was 110.50 cm, Leaf to Stem Ratio was 65.82%/34.18% per plant, herbage yield was 556.50 grams per plant, dry matter yield (oven dry) was 87.57% per plant. The established area for the production of the Madre de Agua will be utilized to provide a continuous source of feed to small ruminants and other monogastric species for future research in animal production

Hyaluronidase Hyal1 Increases Tumor Cell Proliferation and Motility through Accelerated Vesicle Trafficking

Background: Hyal1 is a turnover enzyme for hyaluronan that accelerates metastatic cancer by increasing cell motility. Results: Hyal1-overexpressing cells have a higher rate of endocytosis that impacts cargo internalization and recycling. Conclusion: The higher rate of vesicle trafficking increases motility receptor function and nutrient uptake. Significance: This novel mechanism implicates Hyal1 trafficking in multiple signaling events during tumor progression

An Estimate of Plasma Volume Changes Following Moderate-High Intensity Running and Cycling Exercise and Adrenaline Infusion

Introduction: Plasma volume (PV) changes in response to physical activity, possibly as a consequence of adrenergic activation. We estimated changes in PV in response to common exercise modalities; cycling and running as well as adrenaline infusion and control at rest.Methods: On separate days, forty circulatory healthy subjects [aged 60 years (range: 42–75)] with knee osteoarthritis underwent moderate-high intensity cycling, running, and intravenous adrenaline infusion to mimic the circulatory response to exercise. Blood samples were obtained from peripheral veins taken at several pre-defined time points before, during, and after the interventions. PV changes were estimated using venous hemoglobin and the derived hematocrit. The temporal associations between PV and selected biomarkers were explored.Results: Changes in PV were observed during all four interventions, and the response to cycling and running was similar. Compared to rest, PV decreased by -14.3% (95% CI: -10.0 to -18.7) after cycling, -13.9% (95% CI: -10.9 to -17.0) after running, and -7.8% (95% CI: -4.2 to -11.5) after adrenaline infusion.Conclusion: PV decreased in response to moderate-high intensity running and cycling. Adrenaline infusion mimicked the PV change observed during exercise, suggesting a separate influence of autonomic control on blood volume homeostasis. In perspective, a temporal association between PV and biomarker dynamics suggests that consideration of PV changes could be relevant when reporting plasma/serum constituents measured during exercise, but more research is needed to confirm this