Maintaining New Zealand’s electrical reserve management tool

Managing the electrical reserves in a small, geographically elongated nation like New Zealand is a challenge. The Reserve Management Tool (RMT) developed over a decade ago optimally schedules the reserve load given the current and anticipated circumstances every half hour to ensure that the reserve requirement for electricity is always met. However with changes in the underlying computing platform, and the recognition that the tool needed to be more flexible to incorporate future generator development meant that this tool needed a revamp. This paper describes the present tool, the motivation for the redesign and demonstrates the new capabilities

Consistent and reproducible slice selection in rodent brain using a novel stereotaxic device for MRI

Available online 18 March 2004.Typically small animal radiological images are obtained after placing the animal in the center of the imaging device using beds or platforms, and then adjusting the position after obtaining a scout image. Such a process does not permit the reproducible visualization of the same anatomical plane with repeated examinations. We have developed a device that allows stereotaxic placement of an animal in precisely the same position for repeated examinations. The instrument incorporates a full range of physiological monitoring and life support systems including temperature control, anesthesia delivery and respiratory monitoring. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the accuracy and reliability of this device is demonstrated in a rat traumatic brain injury (TBI) model.S. T. Fricke, R. Vink, C. Chiodo, I. Cernak, L. Ileva and A. I. Fade