Feasibility and Validity of Asking Patients to Define Individual Levels of Meaningful Change on Patient-Reported Outcomes

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are frequently used in clinical care to monitor treatment response. However, most guidelines on PRO use treat all patients the same. This study tested the feasibility and validity of a method for determining individually meaningful change in PRO measures. Methods: Participants (n = 398) completed 12 pain and distress questions to define individually meaningful change. This mixed-methods study used both quantitative and qualitative analyses, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and content analysis. Results: Two-thirds (67%) of the sample reported at least one medical condition, including depression and back pain. Most participants (70%–90%) were able to answer the questions as intended. Participants varied widely in the amount of change they considered meaningful (coefficients of variation: 40%–99%). Higher symptom levels were associated with larger amounts of change considered meaningful and with greater likelihood of answering questions as intended. Participants reported a variety of reasons for why they considered an amount of change in pain or distress meaningful. The hypothetical nature of the questions and the need to reference previous questions was found to be confusing. Conclusions: Asking patients to define an individual level for meaningful change on PROs was feasible and valid. Having patients define their own goals on PROs for treatment of pain or distress could make treatment more patient-centered

Multi-channel SAR for tactical UAV

A light weight SAR has been designed and built, suitable for use on short range tactical UAVs. The system consists of a fully digital receive array, and a very compact active transmit antenna. The approximate weight of the complete system is 6 kg, with power consumption below 75 W, depending on the required data acquisition volume. This X-band system is designed to provide an image resolution down to 10-15 cm at a maximum range of approximately 5 km. The design is described, and initial ground test results are presented

Transient Tolerant Automated Control System for the LEDA 75kV Injector

The Low-Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA) injector is designed to inject 75-keV, 110-mA, proton beams into the LEDA RFQ. The injector operation has been automated to provide long term, high availability operation using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). Automated recovery from spark-downs demands reliable spark detection and sequence execution by the injector controller. Reliable computer control in the high-energy transient environment required transient suppression and isolation of hundreds of analog and binary data lines connecting the EPICS computer controller to the injector and it's power supplies and diagnostics. A transient suppression design based on measured and modeled spark transient parameters provides robust injector operation. This paper describes the control system hardware and software design, implementation and operational performance