Безпілотні літальні апарати в космосі

Recent years have shown a rapid increase in air traffic. Unmanned Air Vehicles will deteriorate this situation. For this reason, Air Traffic Management should be adopt Unmanned Air Vehicles, than Unmanned Air Vehicles flights within Controlled Airspace, Uncontrolled Airspace and Special Use AirspaceПоказано, что полеты беспилотных летательных аппаратов могут резко увеличить интенсивность воздушных сообщений. Предложено учредить службу управления воздушным движением беспилотных летательных аппаратов, которая будет разрешать полеты в контролируемом, неконтролируемом и специальном воздушном пространствеПоказано, що польоти літальних апаратів можуть збільшити інтенсивність повітряних сполучень. Запропоновано запровадити службу керівництва повітряним рухом безпілотних літальних апаратів, яка буде дозволяти польоти в контрольованому, неконтрольованому і спеціальному повітряному простор

Principle and data analysis of vertical angle calibration of geodetic instruments

Many opto-electronic digital instruments, such as rotary encoders, theodolites, total stations, laser trackers, etc. are used in machine engineering and instrumentation, geodesy, surveying, robotics and other branches of industry. Most of optical-electronic geodetic measuring instruments consist, among the other elements, of the circular scales and angular transducers for angle determination in two perpendicular planes – horizontal and vertical. Accuracy of the instrument mostly depends on the accuracy of these means for angle measurement. Even if calibration of horizontal angle measurement instrumentation can be relatively easily solved implementing rotary tables of different constriction the calibration of vertical angle measurement instrumentation is still a very complicated and not easily solvable task. Here in this paper we present a review and some simple means and methods that can be used in the angle measurement metrology, especially in vertical plane angle calibration. The results of the experimental calibration with the brief errors analysis and possibilities of accuracy increase of tested instrument are also give

Research of positioning accuracy of robot MOTOMAN SSF2000

Research of the dynamic properties, positioning precision and repeatability of MOTOMAN SSF2000 movement is presented in this article. Dynamic properties were analyzed using a mobile equipment of measuring „Machine Diagnostic Toolbox Type 9727“ with a DELL notebook. The manipulator vibrations were measured in two robot’s positions: vertical and horizontal, and at three different speeds. The research was made under three different conditions, changing the tool mass and spee

Rescue of Degradation-Prone Mutants of the FK506-Rapamycin Binding (FRB) Protein with Chemical Ligands

We recently reported that certain mutations in the FK506-rapamycin binding (FRB) domain disrupt its stability in vitro and in vivo (Stankunas et al. Mol. Cell , 2003 , 12 , 1615). To determine the precise residues that cause instability, we calculated the folding free energy (Δ G ) of a collection of FRB mutants by measuring their intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence during reversible chaotropic denaturation. Our results implicate the T2098L point mutation as a key determinant of instability. Further, we found that some of the mutants in this collection were destabilised by up to 6 kcal mol −1 relative to the wild type. To investigate how these mutants behave in cells, we expressed firefly luciferase fused to FRB mutants in African green monkey kidney (COS) cell lines and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). When unstable FRB mutants were used, we found that the protein levels and the luminescence intensities were low. However, addition of a chemical ligand for FRB, rapamycin, restored luciferase activity. Interestingly, we found a roughly linear relationship between the Δ G of the FRB mutants calculated in vitro and the relative chemical rescue in cells. Because rapamycin is capable of simultaneously binding both FRB and the chaperone, FK506-binding protein (FKBP), we next examined whether FKBP might contribute to the protection of FRB mutants. Using both in vitro experiments and a cell-based model, we found that FKBP stabilizes the mutants. These findings are consistent with recent models that suggest damage to intrinsic Δ G can be corrected by pharmacological chaperones. Further, these results provide a collection of conditionally stable fusion partners for use in controlling protein stability.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56088/1/1162_ftp.pd

The prevalence of self-reported underuse of medications due to cost for the elderly: Results from seven European urban communities

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported underuse of medications due to procurement costs amongst older persons from seven European urban communities. Methods: The data were collected in a cross-sectional study (“ABUEL, Elder abuse: A multinational prevalence survey”) in 2009. Randomly selected people aged 60–84 years (n = 4,467) from seven urban communities: Stuttgart (Germany), Athens (Greece), Ancona (Italy), Kaunas (Lithuania), Porto (Portugal), Granada (Spain) and Stockholm (Sweden) were interviewed. Response rate - 45.2 %. Ethical permission was received in each country. Results: The results indicate that 3.6 % (n = 162) of the respondents self-reported refraining from buying prescribed medications due to cost. The highest prevalence of this problem was identified in Lithuania (15.7 %, n = 99) and Portugal (4.3 %, n = 28). Other countries reported lower percentages of refraining from buying medications (Germany – 2.0 %, Italy – 1.6 %, Sweden – 1.0 %, Greece – 0.6 %, Spain – 0.3 %). Females refrained more often from buying medications than males (2.6 % vs. 4.4 %, p < 0.0001). The prevalence of this refraining tended to increase with economic hardship. Discussion: These differences between countries can be only partly described by the financing of health-care systems. In spite of the presence of cost reimbursement mechanisms, patients need to make co-payments (or in some cases to pay the full price) for prescribed medications. This indicates that the purchasing power of people in 10.1186/s12913-015-1089-4 the particular country can play a major role and be related with the economic situation in the country. Lithuania, which has reported the highest refrain rates, had the lowest gross domestic product (at the time of conducting this study) of all participating countries in the study. Conclusions: Refraining from buying the prescribed medications due to cost is a problem for women and men in respect to ageing people in Europe. Prevalence varies by country, sex, and economic hardship.The ABUEL was supported by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) (Grant No., A/2007123) and participating institutions

The sound wave displacement-based ultrasonic meter dependence on various atmospheric factors

The dependence of speed of ultrasound in air on various climatic factors operating in the atmosphere has a significant impact on the accuracy of the ultrasonic flow measurement method. The article examines how to analyse, calculate and form mathematical formulas for air speed dependencies on all foreseen atmospheric factors that can affect the accuracy and results of measurements. The results obtained will be used for creating a mathematical model in MATLAB environment. The examination of a great number of sources suggests that a mathematical model of the speed of sound evaluating various influencing factors in a wide range has not been created until now. The article provides a partial analysis on this issue that would be applicable only for a partial application of the model used for an acoustic impulse mete

Activation and decay heat analysis of the European DEMO blanket concepts

Demonstrating tritium self-sufficiency is an important goal of the European tokamak demonstration fusion reactor. Currently four breeder blanket concepts are being considered: the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB), Helium Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL), Dual Cooled Lithium-Lead (DCLL) and Water Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL). Differences in materials and construction of the four breeder blanket concepts lead to differing nuclear responses. As well as affecting tritium breeding this is also of particular importance in safety analyses, such as the modelling of loss of coolant accidents, as it affects the blanket\u27s decay heat and nuclide inventory. This paper presents and discusses analysis performed for each of the 2014 designs of the blanket concepts to ascertain the decay heat and nuclide inventory for the entire reactor. It was found that the total decay heat at short decay times for the HCLL concept (17.5 MW at 1 s) was between 17% and 22% lower than the HCPB, WCLL and DCLL. At longer decay times (∼100 years) it was found that the DCLL and WCLL blankets had decay heats in the region of 2–3 orders of magnitude above the HCPB and HCLL blankets. The differences noted between the blanket concepts are discussed in terms of neutron spectrum and material compositio

Healthcare and aging: do European Union countries differ?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate socio-economic inequalities in the use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services amongst 60-84 year old people from seven European urban communities. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected in 2009. The target population was people aged 60-84 years from Stuttgart (Germany), Athens (Greece), Ancona (Italy), Kaunas (Lithuania), Porto (Portugal), Granada (Spain) and Stockholm (Sweden). The total sample comprised 4,467 respondents with a mean response rate across these countries of 45.2 per cent. Findings The study demonstrated that the majority of respondents had contact with a health care provider within the last 12 months. The highest percentages were reported by respondents from Spain (97.8 per cent) and Portugal (97.7 per cent). The results suggest that 13.0 per cent of respondents had refrained from seeking care services. The highest rates were amongst seniors from Lithuania (24.0 per cent), Germany (16.2 per cent) and Portugal (15.4 per cent). Logistic regression suggests that seniors who refrained from seeking health care was statistically significant associated with those with higher levels of education (odds ratios (OR)=1.21; 95 per cent confidence intervals (CI)=1.01-1.25) and financial strain (OR=1.26; 95 per cent CI=1.16-1.37). Furthermore, the majority of respondents were satisfied with health care services. Originality/value The findings from the "Elder Abuse: a multinational prevalence survey" study indicate the existence of significant variations in use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services by country and for socio-economic factors related to organizing and financing of care systems

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) family

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) enzymes are secreted, multi-domain matrix-associated zinc metalloendopeptidases that have diverse roles in tissue morphogenesis and patho-physiological remodeling, in inflammation and in vascular biology. The human family includes 19 members that can be sub-grouped on the basis of their known substrates, namely the aggrecanases or proteoglycanases (ADAMTS1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15 and 20), the procollagen N-propeptidases (ADAMTS2, 3 and 14), the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-cleaving enzymes (ADAMTS7 and 12), the von-Willebrand Factor proteinase (ADAMTS13) and a group of orphan enzymes (ADAMTS6, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19). Control of the structure and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a central theme of the biology of the ADAMTS, as exemplified by the actions of the procollagen-N-propeptidases in collagen fibril assembly and of the aggrecanases in the cleavage or modification of ECM proteoglycans. Defects in certain family members give rise to inherited genetic disorders, while the aberrant expression or function of others is associated with arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In particular, ADAMTS4 and 5 have emerged as therapeutic targets in arthritis. Multiple ADAMTSs from different sub-groupings exert either positive or negative effects on tumorigenesis and metastasis, with both metalloproteinase-dependent and -independent actions known to occur. The basic ADAMTS structure comprises a metalloproteinase catalytic domain and a carboxy-terminal ancillary domain, the latter determining substrate specificity and the localization of the protease and its interaction partners; ancillary domains probably also have independent biological functions. Focusing primarily on the aggrecanases and proteoglycanases, this review provides a perspective on the evolution of the ADAMTS family, their links with developmental and disease mechanisms, and key questions for the future