Development and Experimentation of a CubeSat Magnetic Attitude Control System Testbed

For CubeSats requiring high pointing accuracy and slewing agility, ground-based hardware-in-the-loop simulations are strongly demanded to test and validate spacecraft subsystems and guidance, navigation, and control algorithms. In this article, a magnetic attitude control system (MACS) testbed for a CubeSat is developed utilizing a spherical air bearing and a Helmholtz cage. The design, development, and verification procedure of MACS is presented together with different test scenarios. To generate enough torque with the magnetorquer system in the dynamic testbed, the Helmholtz coil system of the testbed has driven to provide an augmented magnetic field. As an example of experimentation, the B-dot control algorithm was implemented to dissipate the angular momentum of the dynamic MACS testbed. The experimental results were compared with those of the numerical simulations

Ex vivo experimental study on the Thulium laser system : new horizons for interventional endoscopy (with videos)

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The Thulium laser system (TLS) is an emerging interventional tool adopted in many surgical specialties. Its 2.0-\u3bcm wavelength allows precise coagulation (0.2\u200a-\u200a0.4\u200amm in depth) and cutting, limiting the possibilities of collateral injuries. We tested the impact of the TLS for gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) ex vivo in pigs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ex vivo porcine stomach and esophagus models underwent 2 POEMs, and 3 ESDs (mean diameter 3.5\u200acm) with TLS using a 272-\ub5m and a 365-\ub5m thick optical fibers. Both continuous and pulsed laser emission were evaluated. Subsequent histopathological analysis was performed by an expert GI pathologist on the whole porcine models. RESULTS: Complete POEMs and gastric ESDs were successfully performed in all cases in 30 to 70 and 15 to 20 minutes. Both optical fibers were equally effective and precise. The best power output for mucosal incision was 25 to 30\u200aW during ESD and 25\u200aW for POEM using continuous laser emission. During submucosal dissection and tunneling the favorite power output was 20\u200aW and 15 to 20\u200aW, respectively, operating in continuous mode. No transmural perforation occurred throughout the operations and histopathology confirmed the absence of accidental muscular layer damage. CONCLUSIONS: The TLS stands out as a precise and manageable instrument in ex vivo models. This technique appears to be a promising tool for advanced interventional endoscopy

Emotional susceptibility trait modulates insula responses and functional connectivity in flavor processing

The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between Emotional Susceptibility (ES), an aspect of the personality trait Neuroticism, and individual differences in the neural responses in anterior insula to primary sensory stimuli colored by affective valence, i.e., distasting or pleasantly tasting oral stimuli. In addition, it was studied whether intrinsic functional connectivity patterns of brain regions characterized by such differential responses could be related to ES. To this purpose 25 female participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning, while being involved in a flavor experiment. During the experiment, flavor stimuli were administered consisting of small amounts of liquid with a different affective valence: neutral, pleasant, unpleasant. The results showed that individual differences in ES trait predicted distinct neural activity patterns to the different stimulus conditions in a region of left anterior insula that a previous meta-analysis revealed to be linked with olfacto-gustatory processing. Specifically, low ES was associated with enhanced neural responses to both pleasant and unpleasant stimuli, compared to neutral stimuli. By contrast, high ES participants showed equally strong neural responses to all types of stimuli without differentiating between the neutral and affective stimuli. Finally, during a task-free state, high ES trait appeared also to be related to decreased intrinsic functional connectivity between left anterior insula and left cerebellum. Our findings show that individual differences in ES are associated with differential anterior insula responses to primary sensory (flavor) stimuli as well as to intrinsic functional cortico-cerebellar connectivity, the latter suggesting a basis in the brain intrinsic functional architecture of the regulation of emotional experiences

Sfrp1 and Sfrp2 are required for normal male sexual development in mice

AbstractSecreted frizzled-related proteins (Sfrps) are antagonists of WNT signalling implicated in a variety of biological processes. However, there are no reports of a direct role for Sfrps in embryonic organogenesis in mammals. Using in vivo loss-of-function studies we report here for the first time a redundant role for Sfrp1 and Sfrp2 in embryonic sexual development of the mouse. At 16.5 dpc, male embryos lacking both genes exhibit multiple defects in gonad morphology, reproductive tract maturation and gonad positioning. Abnormal positioning of the testis appears to be due to failed gubernaculum development and an unusually close association between the cranial end of the reproductive tract and the kidney. The testes of double homozygotes are smaller than controls, contain fewer cords from the earliest stages, but still express Insl3, which encodes the hormone required for gubernacular masculinisation. Lgr8, which encodes the Insl3 receptor, is also expressed in the mutant gubernaculum, suggesting that Sfrp1/Sfrp2 signalling is not required for expression of the ligand or receptor that controls transabdominal testicular descent. Similarities between the abnormalities of embryonic sexual development in Sfrp1−/− Sfrp2−/− embryos with those exhibited by the Looptail and Wnt5a mutants suggest that disrupted non-canonical Wnt signalling may cause these defects

Terminal ileum ileoscopy and histology in patients undergoing high-definition colonoscopy with virtual chromoendoscopy for chronic nonbloody diarrhea : a prospective, multicenter study

Background and aims: Ileo-colonoscopy is the procedure of choice for chronic nonbloody diarrhea (CNBD) of unknown origin. Histological evaluation at different colonic sites is mandatory to assess the presence of microscopic colitis. However, the value of routine ileal biopsy on normal-appearing mucosa as assessed by means of standard-resolution white-light ileoscopy is controversial given its reported low diagnostic yield. Hence, we have assessed for the first time the accuracy of retrograde ileoscopy using high-definition and dyeless chromoendoscopy (HD + DLC), thereby calculating the impact and cost of routine ileal biopsy in CNBD. Methods: Patients with CNBD of unknown origin were prospectively enrolled for ileo-colonoscopy with HD + DLC at five referral centers. Multiple biopsies were systematically performed on each colorectal segment and in the terminal ileum for histopathological analysis. Results: Between 2014 and 2017, 546 consecutive patients were recruited. Retrograde ileoscopy success rate was 97.6%. A total of 492 patients (mean age: 53 \ub1 18 years) fulfilled all the inclusion criteria: Following endoscopic and histopathological work-up, 7% had lymphoid nodular hyperplasia and 3% had isolated ileitis. Compared to the histopathology as the gold standard, retrograde ileoscopy with HD + DLC showed 93% sensitivity, 98% specificity and 99.8% negative predictive value. In patients with normal ileo-colonoscopy, ileum histology had no diagnostic gain and resulted in a cost of US $26.5 per patient. Conclusions: Retrograde ileoscopy with HD + DLC predicts the presence of ileitis in CNBD with excellent performance. The histopathological evaluation of the terminal ileum is the gold standard for the diagnostic assessment of visible lesions but has no added diagnostic value in CNBD patients with negative ileo-colonoscopy inspection using modern endoscopic imaging techniques

Positive Youth Development: Parental Warmth, Values, and Prosocial Behavior in 11 Cultural Groups

The current cross-cultural study aimed to extend research on parenting and children\u27s prosocial behavior by examining relations among parental warmth, values related to family obligations (i.e., children\u27s support to and respect for their parents, siblings, and extended family), and prosocial behavior during the transition to adolescence (from ages 9 to 12). Mothers, fathers, and their children (N = 1107 families) from 8 countries including 11 cultural groups (Colombia; Rome and Naples, Italy; Jordan; Kenya; the Philippines; Sweden; Thailand; and African Americans, European Americans, and Latin Americans in the United States) provided data over 3 years in 3 waves (M-age of child in wave 1 = 9.34 years, SD = 0.75; 50.5% female). Overall, across all 11 cultural groups, multivariate change score analysis revealed positive associations among the change rates of parental warmth, values related to family obligations, and prosocial behavior during late childhood (from age 9 to 10) and early-adolescence (from age 10 to 12). In most cultural groups, more parental warmth at ages 9 and 10 predicted steeper mean-level increases in prosocial behavior in subsequent years. The findings highlight the prominent role of positive family context, characterized by warm relationships and shared prosocial values, in fostering children\u27s positive development in the transition to adolescence. The practical implications of these findings are discussed

Proposta de uso da vazão de referência mensal em substituição à anual no Rio Dourados.

bitstream/item/145320/1/CT201636.pd

Tumor biopsy and patient enrollment in clinical trials for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor biopsies may help to reliably distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other tumors, mostly cholangiocarcinoma as well as to identify the patient populations who most benefit from target-driven HCC treatments, in order to improve the success rate of experimental therapies. Clarifying tumor biology may also lead to identify biomarkers with prognostic role and/or enabling to predict response or resistance to therapies. Recently, clinical trials have more efficiently included biomarker endpoints and increasingly collected tumor tissue from enrolled patients. Due to their frail status and sometimes fast-progressing disease, the performance status of patients with HCC progressing on first-line therapy can deteriorate quickly, preventing their enrollment in clinical trials. However, the challenge of identifying the proper patient at the proper time can be overcome by periodic inter-department meetings involving the key specialists taking care of HCC patients, and solid networks between research centers and referring institutions. An early planned biopsy would also facilitate timely inclusion of patients in biology-driven clinical trials. Ultimately, institution of multidisciplinary teams can optimize treatment choice, biopsy timing, and quick enrollment of patients in clinical trials, before their performance status deteriorates