Minimum thrust levels for spinning drag-free satellites = Niveaux minimums de la force motrice pour des satellites rotatoires sans résistance = Minimum triebkraftniveaus für rotierende wiederstandsfreie satelliten

A drag-free satellite, which contains an internal unsupported proof mass, is shielded from external forces such as solar pressure. Thrustors force the satellite to follow the proof mass and hence the satellite follows an almost purely gravitational orbit. The dominant internal disturbing force is the mass attraction of the satellite on the proof mass. Spinning the satellite reduces this force and it has been investigated what the size of the thrustors must be in this case. This size is much smaller than originally thought. Its impact on some other features is shown

N -Person Dynamic Stackelberg Difference Games with Open-Loop Information Pattern

Abstract. In this paper, extensions are presented for the open-loop Stackelberg equilibrium solution of n-person discrete-time affine-quadratic dynamic games of prespecified fixed duration, concerning the number of followers and the possibility of an algorithmic disintegration. The given results extend the current state of research which is defined by the results for one leader and one follower that are given in T. Başar and G. Olsde

Development, validation and evaluation of a patient information booklet for rectal cancer survivors with a stoma:A three-step approach

OBJECTIVE: Quantitatively measure the degree of patient satisfaction and perceived acquired knowledge through the development of a patient information booklet for rectal cancer survivors with a stoma, according to a novel three-step approach. METHODS: The study included a systematic literature review to identify relevant information for the booklet, which was validated by experts based on relevance, clarity and essentiality. It underwent testing on quality, readability, and layout and design and was quantitatively evaluated by rectal cancer survivors with a stoma. RESULTS: In total, 145 articles were used for the development of the booklet. It scored 91% for relevance according to 17 experts, 70% for readability, 75.63% for quality and 23 out of 32 for design. The mean score of patient satisfaction was 8.03 out of 10. All 20 patients found the booklet 'useful' and 95% felt better informed. CONCLUSIONS: The booklet scored high for patient satisfaction and increased perceived acquired information. It ensured satisfactory levels of quality, readability, and layout and design. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study offers a novel three-step approach for development of informational tools for cancer survivors, assuring that a variety of newly created written patient materials would be of increased quality and relevance to any target population

The level set method for the two-sided eigenproblem

We consider the max-plus analogue of the eigenproblem for matrix pencils Ax=lambda Bx. We show that the spectrum of (A,B) (i.e., the set of possible values of lambda), which is a finite union of intervals, can be computed in pseudo-polynomial number of operations, by a (pseudo-polynomial) number of calls to an oracle that computes the value of a mean payoff game. The proof relies on the introduction of a spectral function, which we interpret in terms of the least Chebyshev distance between Ax and lambda Bx. The spectrum is obtained as the zero level set of this function.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures. Changes with respect to the previous version: we explain relation to mean-payoff games and discrete event systems, and show that the reconstruction of spectrum is pseudopolynomia