Comparison of Communication Architectures for Spacecraft Modular Avionics Systems

This document is a survey of publicly available information concerning serial communication architectures used, or proposed to be used, in aeronautic and aerospace applications. It focuses on serial communication architectures that are suitable for low-latency or real-time communication between physically distributed nodes in a system. Candidates for the study have either extensive deployment in the field, or appear to be viable for near-term deployment. Eleven different serial communication architectures are considered, and a brief description of each is given with the salient features summarized in a table in appendix A. This survey is a product of the Propulsion High Impact Avionics Technology (PHIAT) Project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). PHIAT was originally funded under the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program to develop avionics technologies for control of next generation reusable rocket engines. After the announcement of the Space Exploration Initiative, the scope of the project was expanded to include vehicle systems control for human and robotics missions. As such, a section is included presenting the rationale used for selection of a time-triggered architecture for implementation of the avionics demonstration hardware developed by the project tea

Equivalence of Electronic and Paper-and-Pencil Administration of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Meta-Analytic Review

AbstractObjectivesPatient-reported outcomes (PROs; self-report assessments) are increasingly important in evaluating medical care and treatment efficacy. Electronic administration of PROs via computer is becoming widespread. This article reviews the literature addressing whether computer-administered tests are equivalent to their paper-and-pencil forms.MethodsMeta-analysis was used to synthesize 65 studies that directly assessed the equivalence of computer versus paper versions of PROs used in clinical trials. A total of 46 unique studies, evaluating 278 scales, provided sufficient detail to allow quantitative analysis.ResultsAmong 233 direct comparisons, the average mean difference between modes averaged 0.2% of the scale range (e.g., 0.02 points on a 10-point scale), and 93% were within ±5% of the scale range. Among 207 correlation coefficients between paper and computer instruments (typically intraclass correlation coefficients), the average weighted correlation was 0.90; 94% of correlations were at least 0.75. Because the cross-mode correlation (paper vs. computer) is also a test–retest correlation, with potential variation because of retest, we compared it to the within-mode (paper vs. paper) test–retest correlation. In four comparisons that evaluated both, the average cross-mode paper-to-computer correlation was almost identical to the within-mode correlation for readministration of a paper measure (0.88 vs. 0.91).ConclusionsExtensive evidence indicates that paper- and computer-administered PROs are equivalent

Feel My Pain: Design and Evaluation of Painpad, a Tangible Device for Supporting Inpatient Self-Logging of Pain

Monitoring patients' pain is a critical issue for clinical caregivers, particularly among staff responsible for providing analgesic relief. However, collecting regularly scheduled pain readings from patients can be difficult and time-consuming for clinicians. In this paper we present Painpad, a tangible device that was developed to allow patients to engage in self-logging of their pain. We report findings from two hospital-based field studies in which Painpad was deployed to a total of 78 inpatients recovering from ambulatory surgery. We find that Painpad results in improved frequency and compliance with pain logging, and that self-logged scores may be more faithful to patients' experienced pain than corresponding scores reported to nurses. We also show that older adults may prefer tangible interfaces over tablet-based alternatives for reporting their pain, and we contribute design lessons for pain logging devices intended for use in hospital settings

Virus Transfer from Personal Protective Equipment to Healthcare Employees’ Skin and Clothing

We evaluated a personal protective equipment removal protocol designed to minimize wearer contamination with pathogens. Following this protocol often resulted in virus transfer to hands and clothing. An altered protocol or other measures are needed to prevent healthcare worker contamination

Validation of scales for researching stakeholders’ attitudes toward domestic violence in China

Domestic violence (DV) is a significant concern within China. Currently, there are few standardized measurement tools to gauge Chinese stakeholders’ perceptions and beliefs concerning DV. This research sought to validate tools to be used with such stakeholders. Factor analyses were utilized on cross-sectional, survey data from a purposive sample of 683 Chinese DV professionals working in four institutions in Guangdong. Analyses developed three scales for measuring DV Definitions, DV Attitudes, and DV Policing. The development of these scales is beneficial to advance the already growing research related to DV in China in ways that are relevant to the Chinese context

Effects of a Novel Ankle Strengthening Protocol on Later al Ankle Strength and Flexibility

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Implementation of Adaptive Digital Controllers on Programmable Logic Devices

Abstract Much has been made of the capabilities of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA's

Theoretical and experimental stress analyses of ORNL thin-shell cylinder-to- cylinder model 2

Model 2 in a series of four thin-shell cylinder-to-cylinder models was tested, and the experimentally determined elastic stress distributions were compared with theoretical predictions obtained from a thin-shell finite-element analysis. Both the cylinder and the nozzle of model 2 had outside diameters of 10 in., giving a d$sub 0$/D$sub 0$ ratio of 1.0, and both had outside diameter/ thickness ratios of 100. Sixteen separate loading cases in which one end of the cylinder was rigidly held were analyzed. An internal pressure loading, three mutually perpendicular force components, and three mutually perpendicular moment components were individually applied at the free end of the cylinder and at the end of the nozzle. In addition to these 13 loadings, 3 additional loads were applied to the nozzle (in-plane bending moment, out-of-plane bending moment, and axial force) with the free end of the cylinder restrained. The experimental stress distributions for each of the 16 loadings were obtained using 152 three- gage strain rosettes located on the inner and outer surfaces. All the 16 loading cases were also analyzed theoretically using a finite-element shell analysis. The analysis used flat-plate elements and considered five degrees of freedom per node in the final assembled equations. The comparisons between theory and experiment show reasonably good general agreement, and it is felt that the analysis would be satisfactory for most engineering purposes. (auth