FPGA-based operational concept and payload data processing for the Flying Laptop satellite

Flying Laptop is the first small satellite developed by the Institute of Space Systems at the Universität Stuttgart. It is a test bed for an on-board computer with a reconfigurable, redundant and self-controlling high computational ability based on the field pro- grammable gate arrays (FPGAs). This Technical Note presents the operational concept and the on-board payload data processing of the satellite. The designed operational concept of Flying Laptop enables the achievement of mission goals such as technical demonstration, scientific Earth observation, and the payload data processing methods. All these capabilities expand its scientific usage and enable new possibilities for real-time applications. Its hierarchical architecture of the operational modes of subsys- tems and modules are developed in a state-machine diagram and tested by means of MathWorks Simulink-/Stateflow Toolbox. Furthermore, the concept of the on-board payload data processing and its implementation and possible applications are described

Prefrontal involvement in imitation learning of hand actions : effects of practice and expertise.

In this event-related fMRI study, we demonstrate the effects of a single session of practising configural hand actions (guitar chords) on cortical activations during observation, motor preparation, and imitative execution. During the observation of non-practised actions, the mirror neuron system (MNS), consisting of inferior parietal and ventral premotor areas, was more strongly activated than for the practised actions. This finding indicates a strong role of the MNS in the early stages of imitation learning. In addition, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was selectively involved during observation and motor preparation of the non-practised chords. This finding confirms Buccino et al.’s (2004a) model of imitation learning: for actions that are not yet part of the observer’s motor repertoire, DLPFC engages in operations of selection and combination of existing, elementary representations in the MNS. The pattern of prefrontal activations further supports Shallice’s (2004) proposal of a dominant role of the left DLPFC in modulating lower-level systems, and of a dominant role of the right DLPFC in monitoring operations

Rapid Normalization of Epidermal Integrin Expression After Allografting of Human Keratinocytes

Allogeneic keratinocyte grafts have beneficial effects on skin wounds, but the underlying interactions between graft and woundbed remain to be explored in detail. The epidermal integrins play a pivotal role in mediating cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. In unwounded epidermis, α2β1-, α3β1-, α6β4-, α5β1-, and αvβ5-integrins are confined to basal cells. During healing of incisional wounds, these integrins are also expressed in suprabasal cells, where they remain detectable even after epidermal integrity is fully reestablished. We examined the integrin subunits α2, α3, α6, α5, and αv in partial thickness burn wounds grafted with allogeneic keratinocytes and asked whether the effect of allogeneic keratinocyte grafts, i.e., fast reepithelialization, is reflected by an accelerated reversion to a normal integrin pattern. Biopsies were taken after wound debridement before grafting and 10 d after transplantation. After 10 d, a stratified epidermis had developed in all cases and integrins were mainly restricted to the basal cell layer of the neo-epidermis. α2-, α3-, α6-, and αv-subunits were present at basal and/or lateral cell borders, duplicating the integrin pattern in normal epidermis. The findings indicate that grafting accelerates the shift of the epidermis from an inflammatory to a regenerative state, as reflected by the reversion of the integrin pattern from a “spread-and-migrate” to the “steady-state” phenotype

Bedeutung des Wasserstoffs bei der zukünftigen Energiebedarfsdeckung

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, die Bedeutung des Wasserstoffs als langfristige Energieversorgungsoption aufzuzeigen. Die Darstellung erfolgt am Beispiel der Energieversorgung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Für andere Nationen werden sich auf Grund anderer Rahmenbedingungen die eine oder andere Aussage etwas anders gestalten, aber das gemeinsame Problem der hohen Importabhängigkeit von Erdöl und Erdgas und die Suche nach langfristigen Optionen lassen die Grundtendenz der Aussagen auch für weitere Länder gültig erscheinen

CIRURGIA METABÓLICA EM DOENTES COM DIABETES TIPO 2. FICÇÃO OU OPÇÃO TERAPÊUTICA?

A diabetes tipo 2 tem uma elevada prevalência a nível mundial e está associada à inatividade física e ao excesso de peso. Em doentes obesos, a redução de peso através de cirurgia bariátrica tem-se revelado mais eficaz no controlo do metabolismo glicídico que abordagens conservadoras. Por outro lado, o reconhecimento do papel das hormonas digestivas no controlo glicémico e na homeostase energética conduziu a uma nova visão dos mecanismos subjacentes à cirurgia bariátrica que, no contexto da sua eficácia no controlo de comorbilidades, também tem sido apelidada de cirurgia metabólica. Após a cirurgia, observa-se um aumento pós-prandial das hormonas com efeitos anorético e incretina, bem como a supressão de hormonas orexigénicas. Estudos experimentais em modelos não-obesos de diabetes tipo 2 demonstraram efeitos pós-cirúrgicos semelhantes, aparentemente independentes da perda de peso. Pequenas séries iniciais, utilizando técnicas estandardizadas em doentes portadores de diabetes tipo 2 com um índice de massa corporal <35 kg/m2, demonstraram resultados favoráveis. Novas técnicas cirúrgicas derivadas da experimentação animal que incluem a transposição de um segmento ileal para o tubo digestivo próxima,l demonstraram resultados promissores em estudos que incluíam doentes diabéticos tipo 2 anteriormente considerados sem indicação cirúrgica. Sociedades científicas da área médica e da área cirúrgica têm vindo a modificar as suas orientações terapêuticas no sentido de considerar a opção cirúrgica num grupo cada vez mais alargado de doentes

Circulating Dopamine Is Regulated by Dietary Glucose and Controls Glucagon-like 1 Peptide Action in White Adipose Tissue

Funding: This work was supported by a grant from GIFT (Grupo de Investigação Fundamental e Translational) from the Portugal Society of Diabetes and Portugal Foundation for Science and Technology (PEst UID/NEU/04539/2013 and UID/NEU/04539/2019: CNC.IBILI; PEst UIDB/04539/2020 and UIDP/04539/2020: CIBB). G.T. and D.R.S. were supported by Ph.D. Grants from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PD/BD/127822/2016 and 2021.08160.BD respectively). J.F.S. is supported by a contract from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (CEEC IND/02428/2018).Dopamine directly acts in the liver and white adipose tissue (WAT) to regulate insulin signaling, glucose uptake, and catabolic activity. Given that dopamine is secreted by the gut and regulates insulin secretion in the pancreas, we aimed to determine its regulation by nutritional cues and its role in regulating glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) action in WAT. Solutions with different nutrients were administered to Wistar rats and postprandial dopamine levels showed elevations following a mixed meal and glucose intake. In high-fat diet-fed diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats, sleeve gastrectomy upregulated dopaminergic machinery, showing the role of the gut in dopamine signaling in WAT. Bromocriptine treatment in the same model increased GLP-1R in WAT, showing the role of dopamine in regulating GLP-1R. By contrast, treatment with the GLP-1 receptor agonist Liraglutide had no impact on dopamine receptors. GLP-1 and dopamine crosstalk was shown in rat WAT explants, since dopamine upregulated GLP-1-induced AMPK activity in mesenteric WAT in the presence of the D2R and D3R inhibitor Domperidone. In human WAT, dopamine receptor 1 (D1DR) and GLP-1R expression were correlated. Our results point out a dietary and gut regulation of plasma dopamine, acting in the WAT to regulate GLP-1 action. Together with the known dopamine action in the pancreas, such results may identify new therapeutic opportunities to improve metabolic control in metabolic disorders.publishersversionpublishe

Einsatzmöglichkeiten der Kernenergie zur Deckung des Wärmebedarfs einer hochindustrialisierten Region und die sich daraus ergebenden Strukturänderungen : dargestellt am Beispiel Nordrhein-Westfalen

Die vorliegende Studie gibt einen Überblick über die mögliche Verwendung der Kernenergie, speziell der Hochtemperaturreaktor-Technologie, auf dem Wärme- und Elektrizitätsmarkt einer hochindustrialisierten Region. Es wird gezeigt, inwieweit die Kernenergie eine Chance bietet, die fossilen Primärenergieträger Kohle, Erdöl und Erdgas zu substituieren, damit diese ihrer in Zukunft an Bedeutung gewinnenden Rolle als Rohstoff in stärkerem Umfang gerecht werden können. Neben einer Beschreibung der Einsatzmöglichkeiten und des Einsatzpotentials für Hochtemperaturreaktoren in NRW werden die sich aus dem Einsatz ergebenden Konsequenzen im betriebs- und regionalwirtschaftlichen Bereich, sowie auf dem Sektor Umwelt untersucht

Impact of Clinical Presentation on Early Vascular Healing After Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Implantation

BackgroundOptimal strut coverage and early vascular healing are important factors to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis. Data on early vascular healing with the new bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) are lacking. Further, healing response after BVS implantation in different clinical presentation has not been fully investigated. Methods and ResultsWe assessed with optical coherence tomography (OCT) the early vascular response to BVS implantation in 26 consecutive patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stable angina (SA). Images from 16 BVSs (17,166 struts) in ACS patients and 17 BVSs (23,045 struts) in SA patients were analyzed. The mean implanted BVS diameter and length was 3.10.4mm and 20.4 +/- 5.8mm. At mean 47.6 +/- 6.3 days, overall 99% of BVS struts were covered. There were no differences between ACS and SA on the amount of tissue coverage per strut (0.09 +/- 0.02mm vs. 0.09 +/- 0.01mm;P=0.86, respectively) and lumen area stenosis (24.2 +/- 19.3% vs. 22.3 +/- 22.0%;P=0.78, respectively). However, a numerically higher proportion of protruding (ACS 1.2 +/- 2.7%;SA 4.2 +/- 6.5%;P=0.11) and malapposed (ACS 0.4 +/- 0.5%;SA 2.4 +/- 5.8%;P=0.18) struts were observed in SA compared to ACS, with trendy better healing score in ACS (1.87 +/- 1.67 vs. 5.28 +/- 7.28, P=0.08). ConclusionEarly after BVS implantation almost complete scaffold strut coverage without any thrombi was observed by OCT, independent by the clinical presentation at index coronary intervention. However, BVS in ACS lesions were associated with easier strut penetration and a trendy better healing score compared with SA