Konzept und prototypische Umsetzung eines "Four Vision"-Kamerasystems mit Anwendungen in kommunalen und landwirtschaftlichen Bereichen für den Einsatz auf UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)

In der Arbeit wurde ein Mehrkamerasystem mit schrägblickenden Kameras für den Einsatz an unbemannten Trägerplattformen konzipiert, gebaut, kalibriert und getestet. Die Funktionstüchtigkeit des Kamerasystems konnte durch zwei Befliegungen unter Beweis gestellt werden. Dabei wurde für Anwendungen im Agrarbereich das Versuchsfeld und für kommunale Anwendungen der Campus der Agrar- und Umweltwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Rostock überflogen. Als Ergebnisse entstanden Orthophotos, OrthoDEMs und 3D-Punktwolken, die durch die schrägen Visuren richtungsabhängig ausgewertet werden können

Radiographic cervical spine degenerative findings: a study on a large population from age 18 to 97 years

AbstractPurposeThe aims of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of radiographic cervical disc degeneration in a large population of patients aged from 18 to 97 years; (2) to investigate individually the prevalence and distribution of height loss, osteophyte formation, endplate sclerosis and spondylolisthesis; and (3) to describe the patterns of cervical disc degeneration.MethodsA retrospective study was performed. Standard lateral cervical spine radiographs in standing, neutral position of 1581 consecutive patients (723 males, 858 females) with an average age of 41.2 ± 18.2 years were evaluated. Cervical disc degeneration was graded from C2/C3 to C6/C7 based on a validated quantitative grading system. The prevalence and distribution of radiographic findings were evaluated and associations with age were investigated.Results53.9% of individuals had radiographic disc degeneration and the most affected level was C5/C6. The presence and severity of disc degeneration were found to be significantly associated with age both in male and female subjects. The most frequent and severe occurrences of height loss, osteophyte formation, and endplate sclerosis were at C5/C6, whereas spondylolisthesis was most observed at C4/C5. Age was significantly correlated with radiographic degenerative findings. Contiguous levels degeneration pattern was more likely found than skipped level degeneration. The number of degenerated levels was also associated with age.ConclusionsThe presence and severity of radiographic disc degeneration increased with aging in the cervical spine. Older age was associated with greater number of degenerated disc levels. Furthermore, the correlations between age and the degree of degenerative findings were stronger at C5/C6 and C6/C7 than at other cervical spinal levels

Sagittal wedging of intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies in the cervical spine and their associations with age, sex and cervical lordosis: A large-scale morphological study

AbstractMany recent studies have focused on the functional and clinical importance of cervical lordosis. However, there is little accurate knowledge of the anatomical parameters that constitute cervical lordosis (i.e., the sagittal wedging angles of intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies) and their associations with age and sex. Standing lateral cervical radiographs of 1020 subjects (424 males, 596 females) with a mean age of 36.6 ± 17.0 years (range 7–95 years) were evaluated retrospectively. Cervical lordosis, the sum of intervertebral disc wedging angles from C2/C3 to C6/C7 and the sum of vertebral body wedging angles from C3 to C7 were measured. The sum of intervertebral disc wedging and the sum of vertebral body wedging were 20.6° ± 14.7° and −12.8° ± 10.3°, respectively. The sum of intervertebral disc wedging increased significantly with age and was significantly greater in males than females, whereas there was no sex‐related difference in the sum of vertebral body wedging. The sum of intervertebral disc wedging was negatively correlated with sum of vertebral body wedging. Wedging of discs contributed to C2–C7 cervical lordosis more significantly than wedging of vertebral bodies. There were moderate positive correlations between cervical lordosis and intervertebral disc wedging angles at C3/C4, C4/C5 and C5/C6; weak correlations were observed at C2/C3 and C6/C7. This study constitutes the largest currently available analysis comprehensively documenting the anatomical characteristics of sagittal wedging of intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies in the cervical spine. The findings could improve understanding of the internal architecture of cervical lordosis among clinicians

BTDAzo: A Photoswitchable TRPC5 Channel Activator

Photoswitchable reagents can be powerful tools for high-precision biological control. TRPC5 is a Ca2+-permeable cation channel with distinct tissue-specific roles, from synaptic function to hormone regulation. Reagents giving spatiotemporally-resolved control over TRPC5 activity may be key to understanding and harnessing its biology. Here we develop the first photoswitchable TRPC5-modulator, BTDAzo, to address this goal. BTDAzo can photocontrol TRPC5 currents in cell culture, as well as controlling endogenous TRPC5-based neuronal Ca2+ responses in mouse brain slices. BTDAzos are also the first reported azo-benzothiadiazines, an accessible and conveniently derivatised azoheteroarene with strong two-colour photoswitching. BTDAzo ' s ability to control TRPC5 across relevant channel biology settings makes it suitable for a range of dynamically reversible photoswitching studies in TRP channel biology, with the aim to decipher the various biological roles of this centrally important ion channel

Sensitivity, Specificity and the Hybridization Isotherms of DNA Chips

Competitve hybridization, at the surface and in the bulk, lowers the sensitivity of DNA chips. Competitive surface hybridization occurs when different targets can hybridize with the same probe. Competitive bulk hybridization takes place when the targets can hybridize with free complementary chains in the solution. The effects of competitive hybridization on the thermodynamically attainable performance of DNA chips are quantified in terms of the hybridization isotherms of the spots. These relate the equilibrium degree of the hybridization to the bulk composition. The hybridization isotherm emerges as a Langmuir isotherm modified for electrostatic interactions within the probe layer. The sensitivity of the assay in equilibrium is directly related to the slope of the isotherm. A simpler description is possible in terms of $c_{50}$s specifying the bulk composition corresponding to 50% hybridization at the surface. The effects of competitive hybridization are important for the quantitative analysis of DNA chip results especially when used to study point mutations.Comment: 18 pages and 7 figures. To be published in Biophys.

A Magnetosome-Based Platform for Flow Biocatalysis

Biocatalysis in flow reactor systems is of increasing importance for the transformation of the chemical industry. However, the necessary immobilization of biocatalysts remains a challenge. We here demonstrate that biogenic magnetic nanoparticles, so-called magnetosomes, represent an attractive alternative for the development of nanoscale particle formulations to enable high and stable conversion rates in biocatalytic flow processes. In addition to their intriguing material characteristics, such as high crystallinity, stable magnetic moments, and narrow particle size distribution, magnetosomes offer the unbeatable advantage over chemically synthesized nanoparticles that foreign protein “cargo” can be immobilized on the enveloping membrane via genetic engineering and thus, stably presented on the particle surface. To exploit these advantages, we develop a modular connector system in which abundant magnetosome membrane anchors are genetically fused with SpyCatcher coupling groups, allowing efficient covalent coupling with complementary SpyTag-functionalized proteins. The versatility of this approach is demonstrated by immobilizing a dimeric phenolic acid decarboxylase to SpyCatcher magnetosomes. The functionalized magnetosomes outperform similarly functionalized commercial particles by exhibiting stable substrate conversion during a 60 h period, with an average space–time yield of 49.2 mmol L–1 h–1. Overall, our results demonstrate that SpyCatcher magnetosomes significantly expand the genetic toolbox for particle surface functionalization and increase their application potential as nano-biocatalysts

Böden und gentechnisch veränderter Mais (Bt-Mais) Teil I - Quantifizierung der Sorption von Cry3Bb1 an Bodenfraktionen einer Freisetzungsfläche

Die Sorption des Cry3Bb1 Proteins aus Bt-Mais an drei Größenfraktionen der Böden einer Freisetzungsfläche und der Einfluss von pH-Wert und Ionenstärke auf die Sorption von Cry3Bb1 wurden untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine deutliche Abhängigkeit der Sorption von der Partikelgröße. Der pH-Werte zeigte einen unklaren Einfluss, während die Sorption in Anwesenheit von Calcium in der Hintergrundlösung stark zunahm

Report on the Third Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE3)

This report records and discusses the Third Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE3). The report includes a description of the keynote presentation of the workshop, which served as an overview of sustainable scientific software. It also summarizes a set of lightning talks in which speakers highlighted to-the-point lessons and challenges pertaining to sustaining scientific software. The final and main contribution of the report is a summary of the discussions, future steps, and future organization for a set of self-organized working groups on topics including developing pathways to funding scientific software; constructing useful common metrics for crediting software stakeholders; identifying principles for sustainable software engineering design; reaching out to research software organizations around the world; and building communities for software sustainability. For each group, we include a point of contact and a landing page that can be used by those who want to join that group's future activities. The main challenge left by the workshop is to see if the groups will execute these activities that they have scheduled, and how the WSSSPE community can encourage this to happen

Untersuchungen von optischen Scansystemen zur geometrischen Erfassung von Unterwasserstrukturen

Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit optischen Erfassungs- und Scansystemen für den Bereich unter Wasser. Dabei wurde eine Einteilung in photogrammetrische, trigonometrische und impulsbasierte Systeme vorgenommen. Es wurden Messungen mit verschiedenen Systemen im Schleppkanal des Lehrstuhls für Strömungstechnik der Universität Rostock durchgeführt. Stellvertretend für photogrammetrische Erfassungssysteme kam das Stereokamerasystem vom Fraunhofer-Institut für Graphische Datenverarbeitung zum Einsatz. Das ULS-200-Scansystem von 2GRobotics und das SeaVision- Lasersystem von Kraken Robotik standen stellvertretend für trigonometrische Scansysteme zur Verfügung. Ein impulsbasiertes Scansystem stand für die Untersuchungen nicht bereit. Zusätzlich wurde das SeaVision-Scansystem in der Ostsee nahe des künstlichen Riffs bei Nienhagen unter realistischen Bedingungen getestet. Die Messungen spiegeln das derzeitige Potenzial optischer Messsysteme für den Bereich unter Wasser wider. Vor- und Nachteile der Systeme werden diskutiert