2,251 research outputs found
RCAF Identity in Bomber Command: Squadron Names and Sponsors
Royal Canadian Air Force bomber squadrons which served overseas during the Second World War were not only identified on the Commonwealth air forces order of battle by the customary squadron number but by a title or nickname as well. Additionally, Canadian squadrons received formal sponsorship and support, generally from Canadian communities or other organizations. In one instance the sponsor was a major Hollywood film studio which also mobilized its roster of movie stars to the cause. Needless to say, these practices were something of a departure from the general orthodoxy within the parent RAF, where the normal practice was to identify squadrons by a unit number only. Nor were they much observed within the other Dominion air forces. But for Canada they played a part in fostering the identity and esprit of the RCAF, publicizing the contributions of Canadian bomber crews and serving the policy of Canadianization
Cycling of rare earth elements at the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary
CRediT authorship contribution statement J.G.T. Armstrong: Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. J. Parnell: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Supervision, Writing – original draft.Peer reviewe
Stakeholder perspectives on the development of a virtual clinic for diabetes care : qualitative study
Background: The development of the Internet has created new opportunities for health care provision, including its use as a
tool to aid the self-management of chronic conditions. We studied stakeholder reactions to an Internet-based “virtual clinic,”
which would allow people with diabetes to communicate with their health care providers, find information about their condition,
and share information and support with other users.
Objective: The aim of the study was to present the results of a detailed consultation with a variety of stakeholder groups in
order to identify what they regard as the desirable, important, and feasible characteristics of an Internet-based intervention to aid
diabetes self-management.
Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 12 people with type 1 diabetes who used insulin pumps. Participants were
recruited through a local diabetes clinic. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 5 health care professionals from the same
clinic (2 doctors, 2 nurses, 1 dietitian) and with 1 representative of an insulin pump company. We gathered patient consensus via
email on the important and useful features of Internet-based systems used for other chronic conditions (asthma, epilepsy, myalgic
encephalopathy, mental health problems). A workshop to gather expert consensus on the use of information technology to improve
the care of young people with diabetes was organized.
Results: Stakeholder groups identified the following important characteristics of an Internet-based virtual clinic: being grounded
on personal needs rather than only providing general information; having the facility to communicate with, and learn from, peers;
providing information on the latest developments and news in diabetes; being quick and easy to use. This paper discusses these
characteristics in light of a review of the relevant literature. The development of a virtual clinic for diabetes that embodies these
principles, and that is based on self-efficacy theory, is described.
Conclusions: Involvement of stakeholders is vital early in the development of a complex intervention. Stakeholders have clear
and relevant views on what a virtual clinic system should provide, and these views can be captured and synthesized with relative
ease. This work has led to the design of a system that is able to meet user needs and is currently being evaluated in a pilot study
Pilomatrix carcinoma presenting as an extra axial mass: clinicopathological features
Pilomatrix carcinoma is the rare malignant counterpart of pilomatrixoma, a skin adnexal tumour originating from hair matrix cells. Pilomatrix carcinoma can arise as a solitary lesion de novo, or through transformation of a pilomatrixoma. Pilomatrixoma was first described erroneously as being of sebaceous gland origin but was later discovered to be derived from hair matrix cells. They are rare, slow growing tumours of the skin found in the lower dermis and subcutaneous fat and are predominantly found in the neck and the scalp. While known to be locally aggressive, no malignant form was thought to exist until it was described relatively recently. Since then, approximately ninety cases of pilomatrix carcinoma have been reported
Robotic proctectomy for rectal cancer: analysis of 71 patients from a single institution
BackgroundDespite increasing use of robotic surgery for rectal cancer, few series have been published from the practice of generalizable US surgeons.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed for 71 consecutive patients who underwent robotic low anterior resection (LAR) or abdominoperineal resection (APR) for rectal adenocarcinoma between 2010 and 2014.Results46 LARs (65%) and 25 APRs (35%) were identified. Median procedure time was 219 minutes (IQR 184–275) and mean blood loss 164.9 cc (SD 155.9 cc). Radial margin was negative in 70/71 (99%) patients. Total mesorectal excision integrity was complete/near complete in 38/39 (97%) of graded specimens. A mean of 16.8 (SD+/− 8.9) lymph nodes were retrieved. At median follow‐up of 21.9 months, there were no local recurrences.ConclusionsRobotic proctectomy for rectal cancer was introduced into typical colorectal surgery practice by a single surgeon, with a low conversion rate, low complication rate, and satisfactory oncologic outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139933/1/rcs1841_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139933/2/rcs1841.pd
High-Resolution Image Reconstruction from a Sequence of Rotated and Translated Frames and its Application to an Infrared Imaging System
Some imaging systems employ detector arrays that are not sufficiently dense to meet the Nyquist criterion during image acquisition. This is particularly true for many staring infrared imagers. Thus, the full resolution afforded by the optics is not being realized in such a system. This paper presents a technique for estimating a high-resolution image, with reduced aliasing, from a sequence of undersampled rotated and translationally shifted frames. Such an image sequence can be obtained if an imager is mounted on a moving platform, such as an aircraft. Several approaches to this type of problem have been proposed in the literature. Here we extend some of this previous work. In particular, we define an observation model that incorporates knowledge of the optical system and detector array. The high-resolution image estimate is formed by minimizing a regularized cost function based on the observation model. We show that with the proper choice of a tuning parameter, our algorithm exhibits robustness in the presence of noise. We consider both gradient descent and conjugate-gradient optimization procedures to minimize the cost function. Detailed experimental results are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm using digital video from an infrared imager
Low-Temperature Fluorocarbonate Mineralization in Lower Devonian Rhynie Chert, UK
Funding: J.G.T.A was partially funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, grant number NE/T003677/1. Acknowledgments: We are grateful to W. Ritchie, J. Johnston, and J. Bowie for skilled technicalsupport. Samples were archived by N.H. Trewin, C.M. Rice and S. Fayers.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Improved spacecraft radio science using an on-board atomic clock: application to gravitational wave searches
Recent advances in space-qualified atomic clocks (low-mass, low
power-consumption, frequency stability comparable to that of ground-based
clocks) can enable interplanetary spacecraft radio science experiments at
unprecedented Doppler sensitivities. The addition of an on-board digital
receiver would allow the up- and down-link Doppler frequencies to be measured
separately. Such separate, high-quality measurements allow optimal data
combinations that suppress the currently-leading noise sources: phase
scintillation noise from the Earth's atmosphere and Doppler noise caused by
mechanical vibrations of the ground antenna. Here we provide a general
expression for the optimal combination of ground and on-board Doppler data and
compute the sensitivity such a system would have to low-frequency gravitational
waves (GWs). Assuming a plasma scintillation noise calibration comparable to
that already demonstrated with the multi-link CASSINI radio system, the
space-clock/digital-receiver instrumentation enhancements would give GW strain
sensitivity of for randomly polarized, monochromatic GW
signals over a two-decade ( Hz) region of the low-frequency
band. This is about an order of magnitude better than currently achieved with
traditional two-way coherent Doppler experiments. The utility of optimally
combining simultaneous up- and down-link observations is not limited to GW
searches. The Doppler tracking technique discussed here could be performed at
minimal incremental cost to also improve other radio science experiments (i.e.
tests of relativistic gravity, planetary and satellite gravity field
measurements, atmospheric and ring occultations) on future interplanetary
missions.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
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