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Small Spacecraft in Planetary Defence Related Applications–Capabilities, Constraints, Challenges
(2015)
In this paper we present an overview of the characteristics and peculiarities of small spacecraft missions related to planetary defence applications. We provide a brief overview of small spacecraft missions to small solar system bodies. On this background we present recent missions and selected projects and related studies at the German Aerospace Center, DLR, that contribute to planetary defence related activities. These range from Earth orbit technology demonstrators to active science missions in interplanetary space. We provide a summary of experience from recently flown missions with DLR participation as well as a number of studies. These include PHILAE, the lander recently arrived on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko aboard ESA’s ROSETTA comet rendezvous mission, and the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, MASCOT, now underway to near-Earth asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3 aboard the Japanese sample-return probe HAYABUSA-2. We introduce the differences between the conventional methods employed in the design, integration and testing of large spacecraft and the new approaches developed by small spacecraft projects. We expect that the practical experience that can be gained from projects on extremely
compressed timelines or with high-intensity operation phases on a newly explored small solar system body can contribute significantly to the study, preparation and realization of future planetary defence related missions. One is AIDA (Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment), a joint effort of ESA,JHU/APL, NASA, OCA and DLR, combining JHU/APL’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) and ESA’s AIM (Asteroid Impact Monitor) spacecraft in a mission towards
near-Eath binary asteroid (65803) Didymos.
This paper presents a numerical procedure for reliability analysis of thin plates and shells with respect to plastic collapse or to inadaptation. The procedure involves a deterministic shakedown analysis for each probabilistic iteration, which is based on the upper bound approach and the use of the exact Ilyushin yield surface. Probabilistic shakedown analysis deals with uncertainties originated from the loads, material strength and thickness of the shell. Based on a direct definition of the limit state function, the calculation of the failure probability may be efficiently solved by using the First and Second Order Reliability Methods (FORM and SORM). The problem of reliability of structural systems (series systems) is handled by the application of a special technique which permits to find all the design points corresponding to all the failure modes. Studies show, in this case, that it improves considerably the FORM and SORM results.
Attitude and Orbital Dynamics Modeling for an Uncontrolled Solar-Sail Experiment in Low-Earth Orbit
(2015)
Changes in intestinal microflora in rats induced by oral exposure to low lead (II) concentrations
(2015)
Gossamer-1 is the first project of the three-step Gossamer roadmap, the purpose of which is to develop, prove and demonstrate that solar-sail technology is a safe and reliable propulsion technique for long-lasting and high-energy missions. This paper firstly presents the structural analysis performed on the sail to understand its elastic behavior. The results are then used in attitude and orbital simulations. The model considers the main forces and torques that a satellite experiences in low-Earth orbit coupled with the sail deformation. Doing the simulations for varying initial conditions in attitude and rotation rate, the results show initial states to avoid and maximum rotation rates reached for correct and faulty deployment of the sail. Lastly comparisons with the classic flat sail model are carried out to test the hypothesis that the elastic behavior does play a role in the attitude and orbital behavior of the sail
We present an electromechanically coupled Finite Element model for cardiac tissue. It bases on the mechanical model for cardiac tissue of Hunter et al. that we couple to the McAllister-Noble-Tsien electrophysiological model of purkinje fibre cells. The corresponding system of ordinary differential equations is implemented on the level of the constitutive equations in a geometrically and physically nonlinear version of the so-called edge-based smoothed FEM for plates. Mechanical material parameters are determined from our own pressure-deflection experimental setup. The main purpose of the model is to further examine the experimental results not only on mechanical but also on electrophysiological level down to ion channel gates. Moreover, we present first drug treatment simulations and validate the model with respect to the experiments.
Influence of refrigerated storage on tensile mechanical properties of porcine liver and spleen
(2015)
Picosecond dynamics in haemoglobin from different species: A quasielastic neutron scattering study
(2014)
Molecular-genetic identification of emerged novel invasive pathogens of Asiatic Elm Ulmus pumila L
(2014)
The dwarf elm Ulmus pumila L. (Ulmaceae) is one of indigenous species of flora in Kazakhstan and forms a basis of dendroflora in virtually all settlements of the region. In the past decade, multiple outbreaks of previously unknown diseases of the small-leaved elm have been registered. In our study, by the molecular-genetic analysis it was found that the pathogens responsible for the outbreaks are microfungi belonging to the genus Fusarium – F. solani and F. oxysporum. The nucleotide sequences (ITS regions) isolated from the diseased trees showed very high similarity with the GenBank control numbers EU625403.1 and FJ478128.1 (100.0 and 99.0 % respectively). Oncoming research will focus on the search of natural microbial antagonists of the discovered phytopathogens.
One of the priority trends of carbon nanotechnology is creation of nanocomposite systems. Such carbon nanostructured composites were produced using - raw materials based on the products of agricultural waste, such as grape stones, apricot stones, rice husk. These products have a - wide spectrum of application and can be obtained in large quantities. The Institute of Combustion Problems has carried out the work on synthesis of the nanostructured carbon sorbents for multiple applications including the field of biomedicine. The article presents the data on the synthesis and physico-chemical properties of carbonaceous sorbents using physicochemical methods of investigation: separation and purification of biomolecules; isolation of phytohormone - fusicoccin; adsorbent INGO-1 in the form of an adsorption column for blood detoxification, oral (entero) sorbent - INGO-2; the study of efferent and probiotic properties and sorption activity in regard to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS), new biocomposites - based on carbonized rice husk (CRH) and cellular microorganisms; the use of CRH in wound treatment. A new material for blood detoxication (INGO-1) has been obtained. Adsorption of p-cresyl sulfate and indoxyl sulfate has shown that active carbon adsorbent can remove clinically significant level of p-cresyl sulfate and indoxyl sulfate from human plasma. Enterosorbent INGO-2 possesses high adsorption activity in relation to Gram-negative bacteria and their endotoxins. INGO-2 slows down the growth of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms, without having a negative effect on bifido and lactobacteria. The use of enterosorbent INGO-2 for sorption therapy may provide a solution to a complex problem - detoxication of the digestive tract and normalization of the intestinal micro ecology. The immobilized probiotic called "Riso-lact" was registered at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan as a biologically active food additive. The developed technology is patented and provides production of the medicine in the form of freeze-dried biomass immobilized in vials.
The scope of this study is the measurement of endotoxin adsorption rate for carbonized rice husk. It showed good adsorption properties for LPS. During the batch experiments, several techniques were used and optimized for improving the material’s adsorption behavior. Also, with the results obtained it was possible to differentiate the materials according to their adsorption capacity and kinetic characteristics.
Background
True date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are impressive trees and have served as an indispensable source of food for mankind in tropical and subtropical countries for centuries. The aim of this study is to differentiate date palm tree varieties by analysing leaflet cross sections with technical/optical methods and artificial neural networks (ANN).
Results
Fluorescence microscopy images of leaflet cross sections have been taken from a set of five date palm tree cultivars (Hewlat al Jouf, Khlas, Nabot Soltan, Shishi, Um Raheem). After features extraction from images, the obtained data have been fed in a multilayer perceptron ANN with backpropagation learning algorithm.
Conclusions
Overall, an accurate result in prediction and differentiation of date palm tree cultivars was achieved with average prediction in tenfold cross-validation is 89.1% and reached 100% in one of the best ANN.
A technology reference study for a multiple near-Earth object (NEO) rendezvous mission with solar sailcraft is currently carried out by the authors of this paper. The investigated mission builds on previous concepts, but adopts a strong micro-spacecraft philosophy based on the DLR/ESA Gossamer technology. The main scientific objective of the mission is to explore the diversity of NEOs. After direct interplanetary insertion, the solar sailcraft should—within less than 10 years—rendezvous three NEOs that are not only scientifically interesting, but also from the point of human spaceight and planetary defense. In this paper, the objectives of the study are outlined and a preliminary potential mission profile is presented.
Shakedown analysis of Reissner-Mindlin plates using the edge-based smoothed finite element method
(2014)
This paper concerns the development of a primal-dual algorithm for limit and shakedown analysis of Reissner-Mindlin plates made of von Mises material. At each optimization iteration, the lower bound of the shakedown load multiplier is calculated simultaneously with the upper bound using the duality theory. An edge-based smoothed finite element method (ES-FEM) combined with the discrete shear gap (DSG) technique is used to improve the accuracy of the solutions and to avoid the transverse shear locking behaviour. The method not only possesses all inherent features of convergence and accuracy from ES-FEM, but also ensures that the total number of variables in the optimization problem is kept to a minimum compared with the standard finite element formulation. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the present method.
Two single-incision mini-slings used for treating urinary incontinence in women are compared with respect to the stresses they produce in their surrounding tissue. In an earlier paper we experimentally observed that these implants produce considerably different stress distributions in a muscle tissue equivalent. Here we perform 2D finite element analyses to compare the shear stresses and normal stresses in the tissue equivalent for the two meshes and to investigate their failure behavior. The results clearly show that the Gynecare TVT fails for increasing loads in a zipper-like manner because it gradually debonds from the surrounding tissue. Contrary to that, the tissue at the ends of the DynaMesh-SIS direct may rupture but only at higher loads. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental observations thus the computational model helps to interpret the experimental results and provides a tool for qualitative evaluation of mesh implants.
Successful bone sawing requires a high level of skill and experience, which could be gained by the use of Virtual Reality-based simulators. A key aspect of these medical simulators is realistic force feedback. The aim of this paper is to model the bone sawing process in order to develop a valid training simulator for the bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, the most often applied corrective surgery in case of a malposition of the mandible. Bone samples from a human cadaveric mandible were tested using a designed experimental system. Image processing and statistical analysis were used for the selection of four models for the bone sawing process. The results revealed a polynomial dependency between the material removal rate and the applied force. Differences between the three segments of the osteotomy line and between the cortical and cancellous bone were highlighted.
There is significant interest in sampling subglacial environments for geobiological studies, but they are difficult to access. Existing ice-drilling technologies make it cumbersome to maintain microbiologically clean access for sample acquisition and environmental stewardship of potentially fragile subglacial aquatic ecosystems. The IceMole is a maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in situ analysis and sampling of glacial ice and subglacial materials. The design is based on the novel concept of combining melting and mechanical propulsion. It can change melting direction by differential heating of the melting head and optional side-wall heaters. The first two prototypes were successfully tested between 2010 and 2012 on glaciers in Switzerland and Iceland. They demonstrated downward, horizontal and upward melting, as well as curve driving and dirt layer penetration. A more advanced probe is currently under development as part of the Enceladus Explorer (EnEx) project. It offers systems for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in ice. For the EnEx-IceMole, we will pay particular attention to clean protocols for the sampling of subglacial materials for biogeochemical analysis. We plan to use this probe for clean access into a unique subglacial aquatic environment at Blood Falls, Antarctica, with return of a subglacial brine sample.
A technology reference study for a solar polar mission is presented. The study uses novel analytical methods to quantify the mission design space including the required sail performance to achieve a given solar polar observation angle within a given timeframe and thus to derive mass allocations for the remaining spacecraft sub-systems, that is excluding the solar sail sub-system. A parametric, bottom-up, system mass budget analysis is then used to establish the required sail technology to deliver a range of science payloads, and to establish where such payloads can be delivered to within a given timeframe. It is found that a solar polar mission requires a solar sail of side-length 100–125 m to deliver a ‘sufficient value’ minimum science payload, and that a 2.5 μm sail film substrate is typically required, however the design is much less sensitive to the boom specific mass.
A 3D finite element model of the female pelvic floor for the reconstruction of urinary incontinence
(2014)
This paper develops a new finite element method (FEM)-based upper bound algorithm for limit and shakedown analysis of hardening structures by a direct plasticity method. The hardening model is a simple two-surface model of plasticity with a fixed bounding surface. The initial yield surface can translate inside the bounding surface, and it is bounded by one of the two equivalent conditions: (1) it always stays inside the bounding surface or (2) its centre cannot move outside the back-stress surface. The algorithm gives an effective tool to analyze the problems with a very high number of degree of freedom. Our numerical results are very close to the analytical solutions and numerical solutions in literature.
A technology reference study for a displaced Lagrange point space weather mission is presented. The mission builds on previous concepts, but adopts a strong micro-spacecraft philosophy to deliver a low mass platform and payload which can be accommodated on the DLR/ESA Gossamer-3 technology demonstration mission. A direct escape from Geostationary Transfer Orbit is assumed with the sail deployed after the escape burn. The use of a miniaturized, low mass platform and payload then allows the Gossamer-3 solar sail to potentially double the warning time of space weather events. The mission profile and mass budgets will be presented to achieve these ambitious goals.
The necessity of e-books as a primary of learning, its opportunities for realization of competence during training biologist and biotechnologist specialists are determined. Definitions and requirements to the e-books, its advantages in comparison with traditional textbooks, and the ways of creation of e-books in the SunRav BookEditor program are considered.
The carbonized rice husk (CRH) was evaluated for its wound healing activity in rats using excision models. In this study, the influences of CRH on wound healing in rat skin in vivo and cellular behavior of human dermal fibroblasts in vitro were investigated. The obtained results showed that the CRH treatment promoted wound epithelization in rats and exhibited moderate inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro. CRH with lanolin oil treated wounds were found to epithelize faster as compared to controls.
Optical coherence tomography : a potential tool to predict premature rupture of fetal membranes
(2013)
Einschränkung von Taluskippung und -vorschub durch Sprunggelenkorthesen nach fibularer Bandruptur
(2013)
Die fibulare Bandruptur zählt zu einer der am häufigsten auftretenden Verletzungen des
Bewegungsapparats. In den meisten Fällen wird heute die konservativ frühfunktionelle Therapie mit Sprunggelenkorthesen allgemein bevorzugt. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie wurden 14 verschiedene Sprunggelenkorthesen im Hinblick auf ihre Einschränkung von Taluskippung und Talusvorschub
untersucht. Zur Simulation einer fibularen Bandruptur wurde ein Unterschenkelmodell aus Holz mit Fußteil, mit angelegten Orthesen in einen Scheuba-Halteapparat eingespannt und mit 150 N seitlich sowie anterior-posterior belastet. Anhand der erstellten "gehaltenen" Röntgenaufnahmen konnten Taluskippung und Talusvorschub jeder einzelnen Orthese eindeutig bestimmt werden. Die meisten Orthesen erreichten zufriedenstellende Ergebnisse. Es stellte sich heraus, dass vor allem eine eng anliegende, im Gelenkbereich anatomisch angepasste Form vorteilhaft zu sein scheint.
"To assess the habitability of the icy environments in the solar system, for example, on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus, the scientific analysis of material embedded in or underneath their ice layers is very important. We consider self-steering robotic ice melting probes to be the best method to cleanly access these environments, that is, in compliance with planetary protection standards. The required technologies are currently developed and tested."
Temperature-dependent ranges of coexistence in a model of a two-prey-one-predator microbial food web
(2012)
The objective of our study was to analyze the effects of temperature on the population dynamics of a three-species food web consisting of two prey bacteria (Pedobacter sp. and Acinetobacter johnsonii) and a protozoan predator (Tetrahymena pyriformis) as model organisms. We assessed the effects of temperature on the growth rates of all three species with the objective of developing a model with four differential equations based on the experimental data. The following hypotheses were tested at a theoretical level: Firstly, temperature changes can affect the dynamic behavior of a system by temperature-dependent parameters and interactions and secondly, food web response to temperature cannot be derived from the single species temperature response. The main outcome of the study is that temperature changes affect the parameter range where coexistence is possible within all three species. This has significant consequences on our ideas regarding the evaluation of effects of global warming.
Biodiversity and the coexistence of species have puzzled and fascinated biologists since decades and is a hotspot in todays’ natural sciences. Preserving this biodiversity is a great challenge as habitats and environments underlying tremendous changes like climate change and the loss of natural habitats, which are mainly due to anthropogenic influences. The coexistence of numerous species even in homogeneous environments is a stunning feature of natural communities and has been summarized under the term ‘paradox of plankton’. Up to now, there are several mechanisms discussed, which may contribute to local and global diversity of organisms. Several interspecific trade offs have been identified maintaining the coexistence of species like their abilities regarding competition and predator avoidance, their capability to disperse in space and time, and their ability to exploit variable resources. Further, micro-evolutionary dynamics supporting the coexistence of species have been added to our knowledge, and deriving from theoretical deterministic models, non-linear dynamics which describe the temporal fluctuation of abundances of organisms. Whereas competition and predation seem to be clue structural elements within interacting organisms, the intrinsic dynamic behavior – by means of temporal changes in abundance - plays an important role regarding coexistence within a community. The present work sheds light on different factors affecting the coexistence of species using experimental microbial model systems consisting of a bacterivorous ciliate as the predator and two bacteria strains as prey organism. Additionally, another experimental setup consisting of two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource was investigated. Highly controllable chemostat systems were established to exclude extrinsic disturbances. According to theoretical analyses I was able to show - experimentally and theoretically - that phenotypic plasticity of one species within a microbial one-predator-two-prey food web enlarges the range of possible coexistence of all species under different dynamic conditions, compared to a food web without phenotypic plasticity. This was accompanied by non-linear (chaotic) population dynamics within all experimental systems showing phenotypic plasticity. The experiments on the interplay of competition, predation and invasion showed that all aspects have an influence on species coexistence. Under undisturbed controlled conditions all aspects were analyzed in detail and in combination. Populations showed oscillations which were shown by quasi-chaotic attractors in phase space diagrams. Competition experiments with two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource showed that all organisms were able to coexist which was mediated by species oscillations entering a regime of chaos. Besides that fact it was found, that the productivity (biomass) as well as the total cell numbers – under the same nutrition supply – increased by an increasing number of species in the experimental systems. Up to now, the occurrence of non-linear dynamics in well controlled experimental studies has been recognized several times and this phenomenon seemed to be more common in natural systems than generally assumed.
Purpose: It was demonstrated previously that retinal pulse wave velocity (rPWV) as a measure of retinal arterial stiffness is increased in aged anamnestically healthy volunteers compared with young healthy subjects. Using novel methodology of rPWV assessment this finding was confirmed and investigated whether it might relate to the increased blood pressure usually accompanying the aging process, rather than to the aging itself.
Methods: A total of 12 young 25.5-year-old (24.0–28.8) [median(1st quartile–3rd quartile)] and 12 senior 68.5-year-old (63.8–71.8) anamnestically healthy volunteers; and 12 senior 63.0-year-old (60.8–65.0) validated healthy volunteers and 12 young 33.0-year-old (29.5–35.0) hypertensive patients were examined. Time-dependent alterations of vessel diameter were assessed by the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer in a retinal artery of each subject. The data were filtered and processed using mathematical signal analysis and rPWVs were calculated.
Results: rPWV amounted to 1200 (990-1470) RU (relative units)/s in the hypertensive group and to 1040 (700-2230) RU/s in anamnestically healthy seniors. These differed significantly from rPWVs in young healthy group (410 [280–500] RU/s) and in validated healthy seniors (400 [320–510] RU/s). rPWV associated with age and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the pooled cohort excluded validated healthy seniors. In a regression model these associations remain when alternately adjusted for MAP and age. When including validated healthy seniors in the pooled cohort only association with MAP remains.
Conclusions: Both aging (with not excluded cardiovascular risk factors) and mild hypertension are associated with elevated rPWV. rPWV increases to a similar extent both in young mildly hypertensive subjects and in aged anamnestically healthy persons. Healthy aging is not associated with increased rPWV.
All cells generate contractile tension. This strain is crucial for mechanically controlling the cell shape, function and survival. In this study, the CellDrum technology quantifying cell's (the cellular) mechanical tension on a pico-scale was used to investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on human aortic endothelial cell (HAoEC) tension. The LPS effect during gram-negative sepsis on endothelial cells is cell contraction causing endothelium permeability increase. The aim was to finding out whether recombinant activated protein C (rhAPC) would reverse the endothelial cell response in an in-vitro sepsis model. In this study, the established in-vitro sepsis model was confirmed by interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels at the proteomic and genomic levels by ELISA, real time-PCR and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activation by florescence staining. The thrombin cellular contraction effect on endothelial cells was used as a positive control when the CellDrum technology was applied. Additionally, the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) mRNA expression level was checked by real time-PCR to support contractile tension results. According to contractile tension results, the mechanical predominance of actin stress fibers was a reason of the increased endothelial contractile tension leading to enhanced endothelium contractility and thus permeability enhancement. The originality of this data supports firstly the basic measurement principles of the CellDrum technology and secondly that rhAPC has a beneficial effect on sepsis influenced cellular tension. The technology presented here is promising for future high-throughput cellular tension analysis that will help identify pathological contractile tension responses of cells and prove further cell in-vitro models.
Enceladus explorer - A maneuverable subsurface probe for autonomous navigation through deep ice
(2012)
Influence of a freeze–thaw cycle on the stress–stretch curves of tissues of porcine abdominal organs
(2012)
The paper investigates both fresh porcine spleen and liver and the possible decomposition of these organs under a freeze–thaw cycle. The effect of tissue preservation condition is an important factor which should be taken into account for protracted biomechanical tests. In this work, tension tests were conducted for a large number of tissue specimens from twenty pigs divided into two groups of 10. Concretely, the first group was tested in fresh state; the other one was tested after a freeze-thaw cycle which simulates the conservation conditions before biomechanical experiments. A modified Fung model for isotropic behavior was adopted for the curve fitting of each kind of tissues. Experimental results show strong effects of the realistic freeze–thaw cycle on the capsule of elastin-rich spleen but negligible effects on the liver which virtually contains no elastin. This different behavior could be explained by the autolysis of elastin by elastolytic enzymes during the warmer period after thawing. Realistic biomechanical properties of elastin-rich organs can only be expected if really fresh tissue is tested. The observations are supported by tests of intestines.