Simulation of Multi-element Antenna Systems for Navigation Applications

The application of user terminals with multiple antenna inputs for use with the global satellite navigation systems like GPS and Galileo becomes more and more attraction in last years. Multiple antennas may be spread over the user platform and provide signals required for the platform attitude estimation or may be arranged in an antenna array to be used together with array processing algorithms for improving signal reception, e.g. for multipath and interference mitigation. In order to generate signals for testing of receivers with multiple antenna inputs and corresponding receiver algorithms in a laboratory environment a unique HW signal simulation tool for wavefront simulation has been developed. The signals for a number of antenna elements in a flexible user defined geometry are first generated as digital signals in baseband and then mixed up to individual RF-outputs. The paper describes the principle function of the system and addresses some calibration issues. Measurement set-ups and results of data processing with simulated signals for different applications are shown and discussed

A Multi Antenna Receiver for Galileo SoL Applications

One of the main features of the Galileo Satellite Navigation System is integrity. To ensure a reliable and robust navigation for Safety of Life applications, like CAT III aircraft landings, new receiver technologies are indispensable. Therefore, the German Aerospace Centre originated the development of a complete safety-of-life Galileo receiver to demonstrate the capabilities of new digital beam-forming and signal-processing algorithms for the detection and mitigation of interference. To take full advantage of those algorithms a carefully designed analogue signal processing is needed. The development addresses several challenging questions in the field of antenna design, frontend development and digital signal processing. The paper will give an insight in the activity and will present latest results

Angiopoietin-2 und Fibroblast Growth Factor 23: Prognostische Bedeutung neuer Biomarker im kardiogenen Schock. Eine Substudie der IABP-SHOCK II Studie

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde die prognostische Relevanz von Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) und Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF-23) als Prädiktor der 30-Tages sowie Ein-Jahres Mortalität bei Patienten im infarktbedingten kardiogenen Schock (CS) untersucht und dargestellt. Das betrachtete Patientenkollektiv dieser Substudie rekrutierte sich dabei aus den 218, im Rahmen der IABP- SHOCK II Studie in Leipzig eingeschlossenen Patienten. Nach Hospitalisierung und Randomisierung in den jeweiligen Therapiearm (IABP, Nicht-IABP) erfolgte eine prospektiv geplante Blutentnahme an den Tagen eins bis drei. Zur laborchemischen Bestimmung der Serum-, beziehungsweise Plasma Proteinkonzentration mittels ELISA von Ang-2 standen 189, für das Phosphathormon FGF-23 182 Blutproben zur Verfügung. Die 30-Tages Mortalität der untersuchten Substudien-Kohorte betrug 40%, die Ein-Jahres Mortalität 57%. Die vorliegende Arbeit bestätigt Ang-2 als einen starken und unabhängigen negativen Prädiktor des Kurz- und Langzeitverlaufs bei Patienten im CS auf Grund eines akuten Myokardinfarks. Weiterhin zeigt die Auswertung, dass die prognostische Relevanz des betrachteten Biomarkers im zeitlichen Verlauf signifikant zunimmt und verschiedene klinische Parameter wie beispielsweise eine akut eingeschränkte Nierenfunktion oder Blutungskomplikationen unabhängig mit erhöhten Ang-2 Konzentrationen assoziiert sind. Somit sind im infarktbedingten CS hohe Werte von Ang-2 unabhängig mit einem schlechteren klinischen Verlauf des Patienten, sowie dem Reperfusionserfolg und weiteren Komplikationen assoziiert. Patienten der Substudien-Kohorte im infarktbedingten CS waren durch signifikant erhöhte Konzentrationen von FGF-23 charakterisiert. Weiterhin zeigte sich, dass diese signifikant erhöhten Werte unabhängig mit einer deutlich schlechteren Prognose der 30-Tages und Ein-Jahres Mortalität verbunden sind. Diese Assoziation konnte jedoch ausschließlich bei Patienten mit eingeschränkter Nierenfunktion nachgewiesen werden

Dual function of GTPBP6 in biogenesis and recycling of human mitochondrial ribosomes

Translation and ribosome biogenesis in mitochondria require auxiliary factors that ensure rapid and accurate synthesis of mitochondrial proteins. Defects in translation are associated with oxidative phosphorylation deficiency and cause severe human diseases, but the exact roles of mitochondrial translation-associated factors are not known. Here we identify the functions of GTPBP6, a homolog of the bacterial ribosome-recycling factor HflX, in human mitochondria. Similarly to HflX, GTPBP6 facilitates the dissociation of ribosomes in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to HflX, GTPBP6 is also required for the assembly of mitochondrial ribosomes. GTPBP6 ablation leads to accumulation of late assembly intermediate(s) of the large ribosomal subunit containing ribosome biogenesis factors MTERF4, NSUN4, MALSU1 and the GTPases GTPBP5, GTPBP7 and GTPBP10. Our data show that GTPBP6 has a dual function acting in ribosome recycling and biogenesis. These findings contribute to our understanding of large ribosomal subunit assembly as well as ribosome recycling pathway in mitochondria

ЗАДАЧА СИНТЕЗА ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫХ ПЛАНОВ ОБУЧЕНИЯ В ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ВИРТУАЛЬНЫХ УЧЕБНЫХ ГРУПП

The approach of educational planning and organization of educational process is offered to provide students the ability to select and adjust trajectories of learning. The mathematical description of curriculum and algorithm of synthesis individual curriculums are presented. The results of applying the algorithm are showed using an automated system.Рассмотрен подход учебного планирования и организации учебного процесса, предусматривающий возможность выбора и корректировки траектории обучения студентов. Представлено математическое описание учебных планов и алгоритм синтеза индивидуальных учебных планов. Приводятся результаты применения алгоритма с использованием автоматизированной системы

Detection of sexually transmitted infection and human papillomavirus in negative cytology by multiplex-PCR

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and 15 species that cause sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in negative cytology. In addition, we compared the diagnostic performance of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with widely available techniques used to detect HPV.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We recruited 235 women of reproductive age who had negative cytology findings in a liquid-based cervical smear. STIs were identified by multiplex PCR, and HPV genotypes by multiplex PCR, hybrid capture 2, and DNA microaray; discordant results were analyzed by direct sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Approximately 96.6% of patients with negative cytology results were positive for pathogens that cause STIs. The pathogens most frequently detected were <it>Gardnerella vaginalis, Ureaplasma urealyticum</it>. The incidence of HPV in negative cytology was 23.3%. Low-risk HPV infection was significantly correlated with <it>Chalmaydia trachomatis</it>, and high-risk HPV infection was significantly correlated with <it>Group β streptococcus</it>. The analytical sensitivities of the multiplex PCR and DNA microarray were higher than 80%, and the analytical specificity was nearly 100% for all tests.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Multiplex PCR yielded results that most of patients with negative cytology were positive for pathogens that cause STIs, and were more similar to that of DNA microarray, than that of hybrid capture 2 in terms of analytical sensitivity and prediction value of HPV infection.</p

Frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis in Ureaplasma-positive healthy women attending their first prenatal visit in a community hospital in Sapporo, Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although <it>Chlamydia trachomatis </it>is the most commonly reported pathogen that causes urogenital infection such as urethritis or cervicitis, <it>Ureaplasma parvum </it>and <it>Ureaplasma urealyticum</it>, which are commensals in the genital tract, have also now been recognized as contributors to urogenital infection. However, whether the presence of either <it>U. parvum </it>or <it>U. urealyticum </it>is related to that of <it>C. trachomatis </it>in the urogenital tract remains unknown. We therefore attempted to estimate by PCR the prevalence of <it>C. trachomatis, U. parvum </it>and <it>U. urealyticum </it>in endocervical samples obtained from healthy women attending their first prenatal visit in Sapporo, Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The samples were taken from 303 apparently healthy women, and the extracted DNAs (<it>n </it>= 280) were used for PCR detection targeting <it>C. trachomatis, U. parvum </it>and <it>U. urealyticum</it>. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by Fisher's exact test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PCR detection revealed that the prevalence of <it>C. trachomatis, U. parvum </it>and <it>U. urealyticum </it>was 14.3% (40/280), 41.7% (117/280) and 8.9% (25/280), respectively. <it>C. trachomatis ompA </it>genotype D was most frequently identified. Surprisingly, either <it>C. trachomatis </it>or <it>Ureaplasma </it>spp. was detected in almost half of the healthy women. Mixed infection of <it>C. trachomatis </it>with either <it>U. parvum </it>or <it>U. urealyticum </it>was also observed in 9.2% (26/280) of the women. There was a significant association between <it>C. trachomatis </it>and either <it>U. parvum </it>(<it>p </it>= 0.023) or <it>Ureaplasma </it>total (<it>p </it>= 0.013), but not <it>U. urealyticum </it>(<it>p </it>= 0.275).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated that the presence of <it>Ureaplasma </it>had a significant effect on the presence of <it>C. trachomatis </it>in the genital tract of healthy women, suggesting that mixed infection is an important factor in bacterial pathogenesis in the genital tract.</p