An evaluation of Qol-Steps : idiographic assessment of quality of life for patients in palliative care : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate an assessment tool that would enable patients in palliative care to communicate their individual quality of life(QoL) concerns. An examination of existing QoL assessment instruments suggested that most were based upon assumptions more appropriate for research on groups of patients. Such assessment can be classified as standard needs measures. While useful for comparing patients at the aggregate level, standard needs approaches to assessing QoL may not be useful in clinical situations. Instead, an idiographic approach to the assessment of QoL was adopted and it is the development of a particular instrument, called QoL-Steps, which forms the basis for this study. QoL-Steps used a graphical procedure that enabled patients to nominate their important personal aspects of quality of life, rank these aspects in order of importance, and rate the current and ideal levels of each aspect in two different time periods. The data from a sample of 42 out-patients of a hospice programme, highlighted the variability that would be expected from an idiographic approach to the assessment of individual patients. Results from Qol-Steps suggest that the instrument is a viable tool. QoL-Steps provided a wide range of variability for patients, in terms of content, difference scores, rankings and patterns of change. Importantly, many patients saw QoL-Steps as a means of communicating their unique needs within an individual context

The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System: Operation, Accuracy and Error Analysis

The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) is a United States Department of Defense satellite survey system which is being developed to replace the present TRANSIT system in the 1990s. When fully operational, the system will enable virtually instantaneous and continuous position to be determined throughout the world, 24 hours a day. This dissertation aims to examine the operation of GPS, with particular interest in firstly the various sources of error within the system, and secondly methods of reducing or negating such errors. This leads to an examination of expected final accuracies for GPS. The first three chapters discuss Global Positioning System design and operation in terms of three segments. The Space Segment covers the satellite orbit configuration and the structure of the electromagnetic signals which they transmit. The Control Segment describes how the GPS satellite orbits are obtained, and how predicted orbits are provided for each satellite. The User Segment is both wide and complex, comprising all those methods employed by receivers to obtain a position fix, using the signals transmitted by the GPS satellites. This chapter describes the four main GPS measurement modes (pseudo - r ange, carrier phase, interferometric delay and integrated Doppler), before introducing the other relevant variables in GPS receivers. Some of the more common GPS receivers are also examined in more detail at this point. Following a discussion of height determination with respect to GPS, the main sources of error in the system are studied. Observation, ephemeris, clock, refraction, multipath and instrumental errors are all examined, along with the effect that satellite geometry has on the final accuracy. Methods of improving the accuracy of GPS (for example, various forms of differencing, ionospheric and tropospheric refraction correction, cycle slip detection, antenna design) are then detailed, along with several other possible techniques. The final chapter examines the variation in GPS accuracies, before comparing The system's performance with other survey systems. The peculiarities of GPS survey procedures are also dealt with, and the factors involved in drafting specifications for a GPS survey. A final section discusses GPS applications, and possible future developments within the system. Appendix A tabulates the major characteristics of 25 GPS receivers. This dissertation was completed largely by library research, the information being collected from well over 100 articles, papers and brochures which discuss the Global Positioning System

Reduced-Complexity Maximum-Likelihood Detection in Downlink SDMA Systems

The literature of up-link SDMA systems is rich, but at the time of writing there is a paucity of information on the employment of SDMA techniques in the down-link. Hence, in this paper a Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) down-link (DL) multi-user communication system invoking a novel low-complexity Maximum Likelihood (ML) space-time detection technique is proposed, which can be regarded as an advanced extension of the Complex Sphere Decoder (CSD). We demonstrate that as opposed to the previously published variants of the CSD, the proposed technique may be employed for obtaining a high effective throughput in the so-called “over-loaded” scenario, where the number of transmit antennas exceeds that of the receive antennas. The proposed method achieves the optimum performance of the ML detector even in heavily over-loaded scenarios, while the associated computational complexity is only moderately increased. As an illustrative example, the required Eb/N0 increased from 2 dB to 9 dB, when increasing the normalized system load from unity, representing the fully loaded system, to a normalized load of 1.556

Fast Response, Open-Celled Porous, Shape Memory Effect Actuators with Integrated Attachments

This invention relates to the exploitation of porous foam articles exhibiting the Shape Memory Effect as actuators. Each foam article is composed of a plurality of geometric shapes, such that some geometric shapes can fit snugly into or around rigid mating connectors that attach the Shape Memory foam article intimately into the load path between a static structure and a moveable structure. The foam is open-celled, composed of a plurality of interconnected struts whose mean diameter can vary from approximately 50 to 500 microns. Gases and fluids flowing through the foam transfer heat rapidly with the struts, providing rapid Shape Memory Effect transformations. Embodiments of porous foam articles as torsional actuators and approximately planar structures are disposed. Simple, integral connection systems exploiting the ability to supply large loads to a structure, and that can also supply hot and cold gases and fluids to effect rapid actuation are also disposed

Application of photon Doppler velocimetry to direct impact Hopkinson pressure bars.

Direct impact Hopkinson pressure bar systems offer many potential advantages over split Hopkinson pressure bars, including access to higher strain rates, higher strains for equivalent striker velocity and system length, lower dispersion, and faster achievement of force equilibrium. Currently, these advantages are gained at the expense of all information about the striker impacted specimen face, preventing the experimental determination of force equilibrium, and requiring approximations to be made on the sample deformation history. In this paper, we discuss an experimental method and complementary data analysis for using photon Doppler velocimetry to measure surface velocities of the striker and output bars in a direct impact bar experiment, allowing similar data to be recorded as in a split bar system. We discuss extracting velocity and force measurements, and the precision of measurements. Results obtained using the technique are compared to equivalent split bar tests, showing improved stress measurements for the lowest and highest strains in fully dense metals, and improvement for all strains in slow and non-equilibrating materials.This research was supported by grants from QinetiQ and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from AIP Publishing via http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.494093

Briefing: UK Ministry of Defence Force Protection Engineering Programme

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory sponsored, QinetiQ-led Force Protection Engineering Research Programme has two main strands, applied and underpinning research. The underpinning strand is led by Blastech Ltd. One focus of this research is into the response of geomaterials to threat loading. The programme on locally won fill is split into four main characterisation strands: high-stress (GPa) static pressure–volume; medium-rate pressure–volume (split Hopkinson bar); high-rate (flyer plate) pressure–volume; and unifying modelling research at the University of Sheffield, which has focused on developing a high-quality dataset for locally won fill in low and medium strain rates. With the test apparatus at Sheffield well-controlled tests can be conducted at both high strain rate and pseudo-static rates up to stress levels of 1 GPa. The University of Cambridge has focused on using one-dimensional shock experiments to examine high-rate pressure–volume relationships. Both establishments are examining the effect of moisture content and starting density on emergent rate effects. Blastech Ltd has been undertaking carefully controlled fragment impact experiments, within the dataspace developed by the Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge. The data from experiments are unified by the QinetiQ-led modelling team, to predict material behaviour and to derive a scalable locally won fill model for use in any situation

A survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in relation to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease in Western Australia

On average, more than 1,000 individuals will acquire a mosquito-borne disease in Western Australia (WA) each year. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in relation to mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease have not yet been investigated within Australia. A randomized telephone survey of 2,500 households across 12 regions in WA was undertaken between February and May 2014. The aim of the survey was to obtain baseline KAP data surrounding mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases in different regions of WA, across a range of age groups and between males and females. The results of this survey indicate that the majority of respondents are aware of the potential for mosquitoes in WA to transmit Ross River virus, while awareness of other endemic mosquito-borne diseases remains limited. Common misconceptions exist in relation to exotic mosquito-borne diseases, with respondents incorrectly identifying malaria and dengue as endemic diseases in WA. The survey also highlighted a range of important issues, such as limited awareness of the potential for backyard breeding in domestic containers, occupational exposure to mosquitoes in regions with a large employment base in the mining and resources sector, increased exposure to mosquitoes as a result of participation in outdoor recreational activities in the north of the State, and reduced awareness of mosquito-borne disease in individuals aged 18-34 years. The results of this study will be used to inform the development of a new communication strategy by the Department of Health, to further raise awareness of mosquito-borne disease in WA. The data will then provide a baseline against which to compare future survey results, facilitating the rigorous evaluation of new communication efforts

Behaviour of moist and saturated sand during shock and release

Relatively little is known about the changes that occur in the shock compaction and release of granular matter with varying levels of moisture. Here, we report a series of plate impact experiments giving shock Hugoniot and release data for a well characterized sand at dry, 10% moist and saturated water contents. The results reveal that at low moisture content the shock impedance is slightly reduced, while the release remains predominantly inelastic. Close to saturation, much more substantial changes occur: the shock impedance stiffens substantially, the Hugoniot appears to split into two branches, and the release becomes almost completely elastic. We discuss mechanisms underpinning these changes in behavior.This work was supported through the Force Protection Engineering research programme led by QinetiQ Plc. on behalf of DSTL.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from AIP via http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.493468