Nonlinear H_infinity control of UAVs for collision avoidance in gusty environments

This paper proposes a nonlinear H_infinity controller for stabilization of velocities, attitudes and angular rates of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a windy environment. The suggested controller aims to achieve a steady-state flight condition in the presence of wind gusts such that the host UAV can be maneuvered to avoid collision with other UAVs during cruise flight with safety guarantees. This paper begins with building a proper model capturing flight aerodynamics of UAVs. Then a nonlinear controller is developed with gust attenuation and rapid response properties. Simulations are conducted for the Shadow UAV to verify performance of the proposed con- troller. Comparative studies with the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers demonstrate that the proposed controller exhibits great performance improvement in a gusty environment, making it suitable for integration into the design of flight control systems for cruise flight of UAVs.

Unpacking the micro-macro nexus: narratives of suffering and hope among refugees from Burma recently settled in Australia

Narratives of forced migration are open to a variety of interpretations. In mental health, refugee narratives of arduous journeys in the face of systemic macro socio-political forces are often transformed from this context into a medicalized micro context of inner individual worlds. Both the dominant pathogenic lens of trauma studies and the growing salutogenic lens embodied in resilience research, often reflect a western cultural idiom of focusing on the individualized nature of these phenomena. Using qualitative data collected from refugees from Burma now settling in Australia, the article emphasizes the need for a more reflexive and expansive account of both suffering and hope within refugee narratives. It recounts these narratives within a conceptual framework which acknowledges the importance of the connections between the micro individual experience and the macro, socio-political context. This is not only a question of political principle, but also a matter of listening to the voice of those who know most about the relationship between macro forces of human rights violations and their impact on individual, family and community trajectories.

The asthmatic athlete, inhaled beta agonists, and performance

INTRODUCTION: The large increase in the number of athletes who apply to use inhaled beta agonists (IBAs) at the Olympic Games is a concern to the medical community. This review will examine the use of IBAs in the asthmatic athlete, the variability that exists between countries and sport, and outline a plan to justify the use of these medications. DATA SOURCES: Much of this article is a result of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission-sponsored meeting that took place in May 2001. Records of the use of IBAs at previous Olympics were reviewed. MEDLINE Searches (PubMed interface) were performed using key words to locate published work relating to asthma, elite athletes, performance, treatment, and ergogenic aids. MAIN RESULTS: Since 1984 there have been significant increases in the use of IBAs at the Olympic Games as well as marked geographical differences in the percentage of athletes requesting the use of IBAs. There are large differences in the incidence of IBA use between sports with a trend towards increased use in endurance sports. There are no ergogenic effects of any IOC-approved IBA given in a therapeutic dose. CONCLUSIONS: In many cases, the prescription of IBAs to this population has been made on empirical grounds. Beginning with the 2002 Winter Games, athletes will be required to submit to the IOC Medical Commission clinical and laboratory evidence that justifies the use of this medication. The eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea test will be used to assess individuals who have not satisfied an independent medical panel of the need to use an IBA.

Situational non-flammable control valves for oxygen service

Past work has clearly demonstrated that numerous commonly used metallic materials will support burning in oxygen, especially at higher pressures. An approach to rectify this significant safety problem has been successfully developed and implemented by applying the concept of Situational Non-Flammability. This approach essentially removes or breaks one leg of the conceptual fire triangle, a tool commonly used to define the three things that are required to support burning; a fuel, an ignition source and an oxidizer. Since an oxidiser is always present in an oxygen system as are ignition sources, the concept of Situational Non-Flammability essentially removes the fuel leg of the fire triangle by only utilising materials that will not burn at the maximum pressure, for example, that the control valve is to be used in. The utilisation of this approach has lead to the development of a range of oxygen components that are practically unable to burn while in service at their design pressure thus providing an unparalleled level of first safety while not compromising on the performance or endurance required in the function of these components. This paper describes the concept of Situational Non-Flammability, how it was used to theoretically evaluate designs of components for oxygen service and the outcomes of the actual development, fabrication and finally utilisation of these components in real oxygen systems in a range of flow control devices.

Interobserver variability of radiation therapists aligning to fiducial markers for prostate radiation therapy

As the use of fiducial markers (FMs) for the localisation of the prostate during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has become part of routine practice, radiation therapists (RTs) have become increasingly responsible for online image interpretation. The aim of this investigation was to quantify the limits of agreement (LoA) between RTs when localising to FMs with orthogonal kilovoltage (kV) imaging. Methods Six patients receiving prostate EBRT utilising FMs were included in this study. Treatment localisation was performed using kV imaging prior to each fraction. Online stereoscopic assessment of FMs, performed by the treating RTs, was compared with the offline assessment by three RTs. Observer agreement was determined by pairwise Bland-Altman analysis. Results Stereoscopic analysis of 225 image pairs was performed online at the time of treatment, and offline by three RT observers. Eighteen pairwise Bland-Altman analyses were completed to assess the level of agreement between observers. Localisation by RTs was found to be within clinically acceptable 95% LoAs. Conclusions Small differences between RTs, in both the online and offline setting, were found to be within clinically acceptable limits. RTs were able to make consistent and reliable judgements when matching FMs on planar kV imaging.

A case for optimising fracture healing through inverse dynamization

The mechanical conditions in the repair tissues are known to influence the outcome of fracture healing. These mechanical conditions are determined by the stiffness of fixation and limb loading. Experimental studies have shown that there is a range of beneficial fixation stiffness for timely healing and that fixation stiffness that is either too flexible or too stiff impairs callus healing. However, much less is known about how mechanical conditions influence the biological processes that make up the sequence of bone repair and if indeed mechanical stimulation is required at all stages of repair. Secondary bone healing occurs through a sequence of events broadly characterised by inflammation, proliferation, consolidation and remodelling. It is our hypothesis that a change in fixation stiffness from very flexible to stiff can shorten the time to healing relative to constant fixation stiffness. Flexible fixation has the benefit of promoting greater callus formation and needs to be applied during the proliferative stage of repair. The greater callus size helps to stabilize the fragments earlier allowing mineralization to occur faster. Together with stable/rigid fixation applied during the latter stage of repair to ensure mineralization of the callus. The predicted benefits of inverse dynamization are shortened healing in comparison to very flexible fixation and healing time comparable or faster than stable fixation with greater callus stiffness.

Sustainability reporting in construction contractors : a case study

Construction activities have significant impacts on the environment, economy and society. As a result, sustainability has become an agenda in construction related business. This is evidenced by an increasingly number of construction related companies adopting sustainability reporting practice. Construction contractors are no exception. This study aims to investigate the sustainability reporting practices adopted by top Chinese contractors active in the international arena. The focus is placed on those Chinese contractors ranked top 50 by the Engineering News Record (ENR) top 225 international contractors. The results showed that the sustainability reporting practices of these top Chinese contractors, in terms of both approaches and the depth, varied significantly however there is a clear trend of growing level of disclosure of sustainability related information. Similarly, environmental sustainability seems the predominate focus of sustainability reporting exercises of top international contractors from China. These findings help to assist senior management of construction contractors to form business strategies to facilitate disclosure and other sustainability related practices.

A retrospective cohort investigation of active range of motion within one week of open reduction and internal fixation of distal radius fractures

Distal radius fractures stabilized by open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) have become increasingly common. There is currently no consensus on the optimal time to commence range of motion (ROM) exercises post-ORIF. A retrospective cohort review was conducted over a five-year period to compare wrist and forearm range of motion outcomes and number of therapy sessions between patients who commenced active ROM exercises within the first seven days and from day eight onward following ORIF of distal radius fractures. One hundred and twenty-one patient cases were identified. Clinical data, active ROM at initial and discharge therapy assessments, fracture type, surgical approaches, and number of therapy sessions attended were recorded. One hundred and seven (88.4%) cases had complete datasets. The early active ROM group (n = 37) commenced ROM a mean (SD) of 4.27 (1.8) days post-ORIF. The comparator group (n = 70) commenced ROM exercises 24.3 (13.6) days post-ORIF. No significant differences were identified between groups in ROM at initial or discharge assessments, or therapy sessions attended. The results from this study indicate that patients who commenced active ROM exercises an average of 24 days after surgery achieved comparable ROM outcomes with similar number of therapy sessions to those who commenced ROM exercises within the first week.

Perspectives on a decolonizing approach to research about Indigenous women’s health : the Indigenous women’s wellness study

This paper explores a decolonizing approach to research about Indigenous women’s health in Australia. The paper identifies the strengths of decolonizing methodologies as a way to prioritize Indigenous values and world views, develop partnerships between researchers and the researched, and contribute to positive change. The authors draw on Laenui’s (2000) five-step model of decolonization to describe their work in the Indigenous Women’s Wellness Project in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. They argue that Laenui’s model presents a valuable framework for conducting decolonizing research projects about women’s health with Australian Indigenous women. The authors demonstrate that working within a decolonizing framework offers autonomy and sustainability for women’s wellness activities, while continuing to improve a community’s health and wellbeing outcomes.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Far North Queensland, Australia, 2004 to 2010 : midwives’ perinatal data most accurate source

Objectives: This study examines the accuracy of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) case-ascertainment in routinely collected data. Methods: Retrospective cohort study analysed routinely collected data from all births at Cairns Base Hospital, Australia, from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2010 in the Cairns Base Hospital Clinical Coding system (CBHCC) and the Queensland Perinatal Data Collection (QPDC). GDM case ascertainment in the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) and Cairns Diabetes Centre (CDC) data were compared. Results: From 2004 to 2010, the specificity of GDM case-ascertainment in the QPDC was 99%. In 2010, only 2 of 225 additional cases were identified from the CDC and CBHCC, suggesting QPDC sensitivity is also over 99%. In comparison, the sensitivity of the CBHCC data was 80% during 2004–2010. The sensitivity of CDC data was 74% in 2010. During 2010, 223 births were coded as GDM in the QPDC, and the NDSS registered 247 women with GDM from the same postcodes, suggesting reasonable uptake on the NDSS register. However, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women was lower than expected. Conclusion: The accuracy of GDM case ascertainment in the QPDC appears high, with lower accuracy in routinely collected hospital and local health service data. This limits capacity of local data for planning and evaluation, and developing structured systems to improve post-pregnancy care, and may underestimate resources required. Implications: Data linkage should be considered to improve accuracy of routinely collected local health service data. The accuracy of the NDSS for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women requires further evaluation.

Infrared and Raman spectroscopic characterization of the carbonate mineral huanghoite - and in comparison with selected rare earth carbonates

Raman spectroscopy complimented with infrared spectroscopy has been used to study the rare earth based mineral huanghoite with possible formula given as BaCe(CO3)2F and compared with the Raman spectra of a series of selected natural halogenated carbonates from different origins including bastnasite, parisite and northupite. The Raman spectrum of huanghoite displays three bands are at 1072, 1084 and 1091 cm−1 attributed to the symmetric stretching vibration. The observation of three symmetric stretching vibrations is very unusual. The position of symmetric stretching vibration varies with mineral composition. Infrared spectroscopy of huanghoite show bands at 1319, 1382, 1422 and 1470 cm−1. No Raman bands of huanghoite were observed in these positions. Raman spectra of bastnasite, parisite and northupite show a single band at 1433, 1420 and 1554 cm−1 assigned to the ν3 (CO3)2− antisymmetric stretching mode. The observation of additional Raman bands for the ν3 modes for some halogenated carbonates is significant in that it shows distortion of the carbonate anion in the mineral structure. Four Raman bands for huanghoite are observed at 687, 704, 718 and 730 cm−1and assigned to the (CO3)2− ν2 bending modes. Raman bands are observed for huanghoite at around 627 cm−1 and are assigned to the (CO3)2− ν4 bending modes. Raman bands are observed for the carbonate ν4 in phase bending modes at 722 cm−1 for bastnasite, 736 and 684 cm−1 for parisite, 714 cm−1 for northupite. Raman bands for huanghoite observed at 3259, 3484 and 3589 cm−1 are attributed to water stretching bands. Multiple bands are observed in the OH stretching region for bastnasite and parisite indicating the presence of water and OH units in their mineral structure. Vibrational spectroscopy enables new information on the structure of huanghoite to be assessed.

Non-covalent surface modification of boron nitride nanotubes for enhanced catalysis

Boron nitride nanotubes were functionalized by microperoxidase-11 in aqueous media, showing improved catalytic performance due to a strong electron coupling 10 between the active centre of microperoxidase-11 and boron nitride nanotubes. One main application challenge of enzymes as biocatalysts is molecular aggregation in the aqueous solution. This issue is addressed by immobilization of enzymes on solid supports which 15 can enhance enzyme stability and facilitate separation, and recovery for reuse while maintaining catalytic activity and selectivity. The protein-nanoparticle interactions play a key role in bio-nanotechnology and emerge with the development of nanoparticle-protein “corona”. Bio-molecular coronas provide a 20 unique biological identity of nanosized materials.1, 2 As a structural analogue to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), Boron nitride nanotubes have boron and nitrogen atoms distributed equally in hexagonal rings and exhibit excellent mechanical strength, unique physical properties, and chemical stability at high-temperatures. 25 The chemical inertness of BN materials suits to work in hazardous environments, making them an optimal candidate in practical applications in biological and medical field.3, 4

Surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer : clinical features and outcomes for a consecutive series at an Irish tertiary referral centre

Background: Few patients diagnosed with lung cancer are still alive 5 years after diagnosis. The aim of the current study was to conduct a 10-year review of a consecutive series of patients undergoing curative-intent surgical resection at the largest tertiary referral centre to identify prognostic factors. Methods: Case records of all patients operated on for lung cancer between 1998 and 2008 were reviewed. The clinical features and outcomes of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stage I-IV were recorded. Results: A total of 654 patients underwent surgical resection with curative intent during the study period. Median overall survival for the entire cohort was 37 months. The median age at operation was 66 years, with males accounting for 62.7 %. Squamous cell type was the most common histological subtype, and lobectomies were performed in 76.5 % of surgical resections. Pneumonectomy rates decreased significantly in the latter half of the study (25 vs. 16.3 %), while sub-anatomical resection more than doubled (2 vs. 5 %) (p < 0.005). Clinico-pathological characteristics associated with improved survival by univariate analysis include younger age, female sex, smaller tumour size, smoking status, lobectomy, lower T and N status and less advanced pathological stage. Age, gender, smoking status and tumour size, as well as T and N descriptors have emerged as independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis. Conclusion: We identified several factors that predicted outcome for NSCLC patients undergoing curative-intent surgical resection. Survival rates in our series are comparable to those reported from other thoracic surgery centres. © 2012 Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

Phase III trial of gemcitabine and carboplatin versus mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin or mitomycin, vinblastine, and cisplatin in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND. The authors compared gemcitabine and carboplatin (GC) with mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (MIC) or mitomycin, vinblastine, and cisplatin (MVP) in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The primary objective was survival. Secondary objectives were time to disease progression, response rates, evaluation of toxicity, disease-related symptoms, World Health Organization performance status (PS), and quality of life (QoL). METHODS. Three hundred seventy-two chemotherapy-naïve patients with International Staging System Stage III/IV NSCLC who were ineligible for curative radiotherapy or surgery were randomized to receive either 4 cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on Days 1, 8, and 15) plus carboplatin (area under the serum concentration-time curve, 5; given on Day 1) every 4 weeks (the GC arm) or MIC/MVP every 3 weeks (the MIC/MVP arm). RESULTS. There was no significant difference in median survival (248 days in the MIC/MVP arm vs. 236 days in the GC arm) or time to progression (225 days in the MIC/MVP arm vs. 218 days in the GC arm) between the 2 treatment arms. The 2-year survival rate was 11.8% in the MIC/MVP arm and 6.9% in the GC arm. The 1-year survival rate was 32.5% in the MIC/MVP arm and 33.2% in the GC arm. In the MIC/MVP arm, 33% of patients responded (4 complete responses [CRs] and 57 partial responses [PRs]) whereas in the GC arm, 30% of patients responded (3 CRs and 54 PRs). Nonhematologic toxicity was comparable for patients with Grade 3-4 symptoms, except there was more alopecia among patients in the MIC/MVP arm. GC appeared to produce more hematologic toxicity and necessitated more transfusions. There was no difference in performance status, disease-related symptoms, of QoL between patients in the two treatment arms. Fewer inpatient stays for complications were required with GC. CONCLUSIONS. The results of the current study failed to demonstrate any difference in efficacy between the newer regimen of GC and the older regimens of MIC and MVP. © 2003 American Cancer Society.

An evaluation of dog-assisted therapy for residents of aged care facilities with dementia.

Although some research suggests that dog-assisted therapy may be beneficial for people with dementia living in residential aged care facilities, the intervention has not been adequately investigated. To address this shortcoming, we conducted a randomized controlled trial of dog-assisted therapy versus a human-therapist-only intervention for this population. Fifty-five residents with mild to moderate dementia living in three Australian residential aged care facilities completed an 11-week trial of the interventions. Allocation to the intervention was random and participants completed validated measures of mood, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life (QOL), both prior to and following the intervention. No adverse events were associated with the dog-assisted intervention, and following it participants who had worse baseline depression scores demonstrated significantly improved depression scores relative to participants in the human-therapist-only intervention. Participants in the dogassisted intervention also showed significant improvements on a measure of QOL in one facility compared with those in the human-therapist-only group (although worse in another facility that had been affected by an outbreak of gastroenteritis). This study provides some evidence that dog-assisted therapy may be beneficial for some residents of aged care facilities with dementia.