The Orion Microsatellite: A Demonstration of Formation Flying In Orbit

The Orion microsatellite project is funded by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The goals of the project are to demonstrate determination of position and attitude of spacecraft in a formation using carrier phase differential GPS, and closed loop autonomous control of the formation. The mission is designed so it can be performed with a constellation of three or more Orion spacecraft, or a constellation of one Orion spacecraft and the Emerald spacecraft. The spacecraft are designed and built by the Formation Flying Laboratory and the Space Systems Development Laboratory, both at Stanford. The Orion spacecraft will build on the heritage of prior Stanford satellites: Sapphire and Opal. The bus will be cube shaped, 0.5 meters on the side. The command and data handler is the SpaceQuest CPU, based on the NEC V-53 microprocessor. In addition there will be another StrongARM based CPU performing mission specific, CPU intensive calculations. This second CPU could be combined with the GPS computer. The Orion spacecraft will use a cold-gas propulsion system, using Nitrogen gas. The onboard propellant will provide 40 mls delta V. Kiraly, Engberg, Busse, Prof. Twiggs and How Magnetic torquer coils will be used for detumbling after deployment. The subsystems will be connected using an 12C serial data bus. The GPS receiver and computer is in development at Stanford. A single Orion spacecraft is slated to fly with the University Nanosatellite mission

Die Kleinschmetterlinge (Microlepidoptera) der Diluviallandschaften um Eberswalde

Mikrolepidopteren gehörten seit der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts zum Gegenstand entomologischer Forschung in Eberswalde. Zentren der Forschung waren zunächst die Forstlichen Lehranstalten und Institute, später auch das Deutsche Entomologische Institut. Außerdem war die Eberswalder Gegend stets Anziehungspunkt für viele Mikrolepidopteren-Spezialisten, die nicht an einschlägigen wissenschaftlichen Instituten arbeiteten.In der vorgelegten Arbeit werden die Forschungsergebnisse aus der Vergangenheit regionalfaunistisch ausgewertet und durch Ergebnisse aktueller faunistischer Forschungen zu einem Verzeichnis der Microlepidoptera der Diluviallandschaften um Eberswalde ergänzt. Das Verzeichnis umfasst mit 863 Arten aus 47 Familien 57 % der im Land Brandenburg nachgewiesenen Mikrolepidopteren-Arten, darunter ein Neufund für Deutschland: Clepsis coriacanus; 13 Neufunde für das Land Brandenburg: Coleophora adjectella, Colephora sylvaticella, Coleophora ramosella, Mompha terminella, Monochroa arundinetella, Bryotropha umbrosella, Anarsia innoxiella, Telephila schmidtiellus, Cydia gemmiferana, Acrobasis legatea, Pammene herrichiana, Pammene ignorata, Schreckensteinia festaliella; und 45 Wiederfunde im Land Brandenburg. Die Autoren konnten 332 Arten erstmals im Eberswalder Raum nachweisen. Für 531 Arten wurden ältere/historische Nachweise ausgewertet. Das Vorkommen von 408 dieser Arten konnte bestätigt werden.Die Funddaten sind tabellarisch dargestellt und sowohl Naturräumen des Gebietes als auch Messtischblättern zugeordnet.Microlepidoptera have been the subject of entomological research in Eberswalde since the first half of the 19th Century. Centres of research were at first the forestry colleges and institutes, later also the German Entomological Institute. Furthermore, the Eberswalde area has always been a magnet for many Microlepidoptera specialists who did not work at scientific institutes.In this paper the results of past research are evaluated faunistically at the regional level and supplemented by data obtained during recent research. The result is a list of Microlepidoptera of the diluvial landscapes around Eberswalde. Comprising 863 species in 47 families, the inventory includes 57 % of the Microlepidoptera species found in the state of Brandenburg, including a species not previously recorded in Germany: Clepsis coriacanus; 13 new finds for the state of Brandenburg: Coleophora adjectella, Colephora sylvaticella, Coleophora ramosella, Mompha terminella, Monochroa arundinetella, Bryotropha umbrosella, Anarsia innoxiella, Telephila schmidtiellus, Cydia gemmiferana, Acrobasis legatea, Pammene herrichiana, Pammene ignorata, Schreckensteinia festaliella; and 45 rediscoveries for the State of Brandenburg. The authors were able to record 332 species for the first time in the Eberswalde area. For 531 species older/ historical evidence was evaluated. The occurrence of 408 of these species is confirmed.The record data are presented in tabular form and assigned both to the classification of natural areas of the region and to the map sheets of the ordinance survey

Pectus excavatum in motion: dynamic evaluation using real-time MRI.

OBJECTIVES The breathing phase for the determination of thoracic indices in patients with pectus excavatum is not standardized. The aim of this study was to identify the best period for reliable assessments of morphologic indices by dynamic observations of the chest wall using real-time MRI. METHODS In this prospective study, patients with pectus excavatum underwent morphologic evaluation by real-time MRI at 3 T between January 2020 and June 2021. The Haller index (HI), correction index (CI), modified asymmetry index (AI), and modified eccentricity index (EI) were determined during free, quiet, and forced breathing respectively. Breathing-related differences in the thoracic indices were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Motion of the anterior chest wall was analyzed as well. RESULTS A total of 56 patients (11 females and 45 males, median age 15.4 years, interquartile range 14.3-16.9) were included. In quiet expiration, the median HI in the cohort equaled 5.7 (4.5-7.2). The median absolute differences (Δ) in the thoracic indices between peak inspiration and peak expiration were ΔHI = 1.1 (0.7-1.6, p .05 each). Furthermore, the dynamic evaluation revealed three distinctive movement patterns of the funnel chest. CONCLUSIONS Real-time MRI reveals patterns of chest wall motion and indicate that thoracic indices of pectus excavatum should be assessed in the end-expiratory phase of quiet expiration. KEY POINTS • The thoracic indices in patients with pectus excavatum depend on the breathing phase. • Quiet expiration represents the best breathing phase for determining thoracic indices. • Real-time MRI can identify different chest wall motion patterns in pectus excavatum

Mean muscle attenuation correlates with severe acute pancreatitis unlike visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a frequent disorder with considerable morbidity and mortality. Obesity has previously been reported to influence disease severity. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the association of adipose and muscle parameters with the severity grade of AP. Methods: In total 454 patients were recruited. The first contrast-enhanced computed tomography of each patient was reviewed for adipose and muscle tissue parameters at L3 level. Associations with disease severity were analysed through logistic regression analysis. The predictive capacity of the parameters was investigated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: No distinct variation was found between the AP severity groups in either adipose tissue parameters (visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue) or visceral muscle ratio. However, muscle mass and mean muscle attenuation differed significantly with p-values of 0.037 and 0.003 respectively. In multivariate analysis, low muscle attenuation was associated with severe AP with an odds ratio of 4.09 (95% confidence intervals: 1.61-10.36, p-value 0.003). No body parameter presented sufficient predictive capability in ROC-curve analysis. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that a low muscle attenuation level is associated with an increased risk of severe AP. Future prospective studies will help identify the underlying mechanisms and characterise the influence of body composition parameters on AP.Peer reviewe

Successful Multidisciplinary Treatment with Secondary Metastatic Liver Resection after Downsizing by Palliative Second-Line Treatment of Colorectal Cancer: A Curative Option

Introduction: The prognostic outcome following progression after palliative first-line treatment for patients suffering from metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma is generally poor. Long-term relapse-free survival with palliative second-line treatment may be achieved in only a limited number of individual cases. Case Report: A 37-year-old patient presented with bilobar liver metastases of colon cancer confirmed by histology with wild-type K-RAS (exon 2). Due to progressive disease after eight cycles of first-line therapy with FOLFIRI plus cetuximab, second-line chemotherapy with modified FOLFOX4 (mFOLFOX4) plus bevacizumab was initiated. During four cycles of mFOLFOX4 plus bevacizumab (2 months), no higher-grade toxicity occurred. Liver MRI with contrast medium revealed downsizing of the segment II/III metastases, as well as regressive, small, faint, hardly definable lesions in segments VI and IVb. The interdisciplinary tumor board of the University of Erlangen thus decided to perform resection of the liver metastases. Segments II and III were resected, and the liver metastases in segments IVa and VI were excised (R0). Histopathology confirmed three of the R0-resected metastases to be completely necrotic, with residual scarring. As perioperative therapy, four additional cycles of mFOLFOX4 plus bevacizumab were administered postoperatively. No higher-grade toxicity was observed. Three years after the initial diagnosis, the patient is relapse free, professionally fully reintegrated, and has an excellent performance status. Conclusion: Patients suffering from metastatic colorectal cancer may benefit from multidisciplinary treatment with secondary metastatic liver resection after downsizing by palliative second-line treatment. In individual cases, patients may even have a curative treatment option, provided that close interdisciplinary collaboration exists

The value of health care – a matter of discussion in Germany

BACKGROUND: Interest in assessing the value of health-care services in Germany has considerably increased since the foundation of the Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen, IQWiG (Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care). The practical application of value assessment illustrates how problematic the process can be. In all decisions made for the provision of health care, data concerning the measurable dimensions (quantity and quality of efficacy and effectiveness, validity of the results and costs) flow into a complex and not yet standardized decision-making process concerning public financing. Some of these decisions are based on data of uncertain validity, unknown reproducibility and unclear appropriateness. DISCUSSION: In this paper we describe the theoretical aspects of value from psychological and economic viewpoints and discuss national and international approaches. Methodic details and difficulties in assessing the value of health-care services are analysed. A definition of the intangible value of health-care services will be proposed which contains only three factors: the absolute risk reduction (usually a measure of efficacy), the validity of the scientific papers examined and the type of the expected effectiveness (prevention of death and disability, restitution of well-being). The intangible value describes the additional benefit when comparing two possible actions, like treatment or observation only. CONCLUSION: The description of intangible value from the viewpoint of different stakeholders is a useful measure for subsequent steps (not discussed here) – the evaluation of costs and of patient benefit. A standardised, transparent, fair and democratic evaluation is essential for the definition of a basic benefit package