The Preliminary Design of a Standardized Spacecraft Bus for Small Tactical Satellites

Current satellite design philosophies concentrate on optimizing and tailoring a particular satellite bus to a specific payload or mission. Today\u27s satellites take a long time to build, checkout, and launch. An alternate approach shifts the design paradigm to one that focuses on access to space, enabling tactical deployment on demand and the capability to put current payload technology into orbit, versus several years by today\u27s standards, by which time the technology is already obsolete. This design study applied systems engineering methods to create a satellite bus architecture that can accommodate a range of remote sensing mission modules. System-level and subsystem-level tradeoffs provided standard components and satellite structures, and an iterative design approach provided candidate designs constructed with those components. A cost and reliability trade study provided initial estimates for satellite performance. Modeling and analysis based upon the Sponsor\u27s objectives converged the designs to an optimum solution. Major products of this study include not only a preliminary satellite design to meet the sponsor\u27s needs, but also a software modeling and analysis tool for satellite design, integration, and test. Finally, the report provides an initial implementation scheme and concept for operations for the tactical support of this satellite system

Literature review of visual representation of the results of benefit–risk assessments of medicinal products

Background The PROTECT Benefit–Risk group is dedicated to research in methods for continuous benefit–risk monitoring of medicines, including the presentation of the results, with a particular emphasis on graphical methods. Methods A comprehensive review was performed to identify visuals used for medical risk and benefit–risk communication. The identified visual displays were grouped into visual types, and each visual type was appraised based on five criteria: intended audience, intended message, knowledge required to understand the visual, unintentional messages that may be derived from the visual and missing information that may be needed to understand the visual. Results Sixty-six examples of visual formats were identified from the literature and classified into 14 visual types. We found that there is not one single visual format that is consistently superior to others for the communication of benefit–risk information. In addition, we found that most of the drawbacks found in the visual formats could be considered general to visual communication, although some appear more relevant to specific formats and should be considered when creating visuals for different audiences depending on the exact message to be communicated. Conclusion We have arrived at recommendations for the use of visual displays for benefit–risk communication. The recommendation refers to the creation of visuals. We outline four criteria to determine audience–visual compatibility and consider these to be a key task in creating any visual. Next we propose specific visual formats of interest, to be explored further for their ability to address nine different types of benefit–risk analysis information

Recommendations for benefit–risk assessment methodologies and visual representations

Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw on the practical experience from the PROTECT BR case studies and make recommendations regarding the application of a number of methodologies and visual representations for benefit–risk assessment. Methods Eight case studies based on the benefit–risk balance of real medicines were used to test various methodologies that had been identified from the literature as having potential applications in benefit–risk assessment. Recommendations were drawn up based on the results of the case studies. Results A general pathway through the case studies was evident, with various classes of methodologies having roles to play at different stages. Descriptive and quantitative frameworks were widely used throughout to structure problems, with other methods such as metrics, estimation techniques and elicitation techniques providing ways to incorporate technical or numerical data from various sources. Similarly, tree diagrams and effects tables were universally adopted, with other visualisations available to suit specific methodologies or tasks as required. Every assessment was found to follow five broad stages: (i) Planning, (ii) Evidence gathering and data preparation, (iii) Analysis, (iv) Exploration and (v) Conclusion and dissemination. Conclusions Adopting formal, structured approaches to benefit–risk assessment was feasible in real-world problems and facilitated clear, transparent decision-making. Prior to this work, no extensive practical application and appraisal of methodologies had been conducted using real-world case examples, leaving users with limited knowledge of their usefulness in the real world. The practical guidance provided here takes us one step closer to a harmonised approach to benefit–risk assessment from multiple perspectives

A study of the effect and efficiency of germicides on bacteria that produce ropiness in bread

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Bibliography: p. 80-81.Not availabl

Unplanned admissions of older people : exploring the issues

NIHR Project 08/1618/136National strategies, local initiatives, cross-agency agreements, various targets and financial incentives have all been deployed in an effort to reverse the growth in emergency bed days (EBDs). Within this rapidly changing context there was another effort underway: the Improving the Future for Older People (IFOP) programme of the Innovation Forum. A group of nine English councils created their own network in 2003, with the primary aim of reducing use of emergency bed days. Specifically, they agreed to work in partnership with health and third sector organisations to achieve the ‘headline target’ of a 20% reduction in EBDs for people aged 75 and over, over a three-year period from 2004 to 200

Unplanned hospital admissions of older people: exploring the issues

This study will look at the ways in which social services, hospitals and community health services work together to finance, organise and deliver services, and particularly how this affects the use of hospital services by people aged 75 or older. Finding the best ways for these organisations to work together would help to make sure that older people get the right services provided by the right people in the right place at the right time. Nine councils spread across England have been brought together as part of the government's Innovation Forum. They are aiming to reduce the number of days that older people spend in hospital by providing alternative services that are at least as good and which improve the lives of older people. Most people want to avoid going in to hospital or staying longer than is necessary, and many efforts are being made to develop alternative services. The councils in this study want to lower the total number of days that older people spend in hospital by 20% over a three year period. In each council the local Primary Care Trust(s) and the hospital trust(s) have agreed on this target and on ways to achieve it. The study will ask these questions: - What achievements have been made in lowering hospital bed use by older people? - How do health and social services staff - together with housing providers, charities and others - work together to run services that are alternatives to hospital care? - What changes have been made in these 9 areas so that they can have fewer emergency admissions to hospital? The research will take 2 years to complete and will include activities to ensure that people working in the health and social services are aware of the findings