Humanitarian Protection of People in a Technological Age: Drones and Social Media - to use or not to use

Technology and the digital space are transforming the nature of power in humanitarian settings on an extensive scale and at a fast pace.  Humanitarians are recognising that even sharper threats loom if emergent issues are not dealt with prudently.  Adapting to new technology without compromising the humanitarian principles is necessary.  A protection-centred approach to the use of drones in humanitarian operations is crying out for clarity. Protection issues linked to social media also need clarity, especially as new actors come into humanitarian space.  Over the course of three years in the north of Syria alone nine hundred local NGOs joined the aid response.  This paper considers some issues that arise at the intersection of humanitarian work and ongoing technological developments.  It touches on whether fundamental humanitarian and protection principles and practices are keeping pace with developments to ensure those in need of humanitarian assistance can be advantaged by new technology and still protected

Evaluation of Some Aspects of Educational Inputs and Outputs of Community Medicine Departments in Iran Medical Sciences Schools and Universities

Background: Human health is strongly related to economic, political, cultural, administrative and environmental conditions. Therefore, Medical sciences are not limited to biomedical sciences but also include social and psychological sciences. This viewpoint has led to an outlook named Community-Oriented Medicine. After integration of Health System with Medical Education in Iran, conditions for Community- oriented Medical Education were provided and the departments of "Community Medicine" in universities with Faculty of Health and departments of "Health and Community Medicine" in universities without "Faculty of Health" were established. In spite of various attempts, there is still no evidence showing the outputs and outcomes of Community-oriented activities in Community Medicine Departments of our universities. Objective: This study was performed to determine the statue of Community Medicine Departments of all Medical Sciences schools and Universities of Iran in regard to their facilities and resources. Methods: In this descriptive cross- sectional study some inputs and outputs of educational and research processes of departments of Community Medicine in all Medical Sciences Universities affiliated to the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education were analyzed. Results: Educational facilities and learning aids of first class universities were to some extent adequate but inadequate in the two other classes. Community Medicine Departments in all three classes of universities were active in conducting students’ theses but they were not very active in publishing books and articles and conducting research projects. Conclusion: Transition from traditional Medical Education to the community-oriented Medical Education requires short-term and long-term programs for improving Community Medicine Departments and making them closer to standard goals. Keywords: Educational evaluation, Community Medicine, Educational resource, Community- oriented Medical Education

A novel Lyapunov-based nonlinear controller design for model-based MPPT of the thermoelectric generators

A novel model-based approach for closed-loop control and maximum power point tracking(MPPT) of thermoelectric generators (TEG) has been presented using the nonlinear Lyapunov-based approach. As the TEG power derivative is always zero at maximum power point (MPP), the TEG power derivative can be employed as a feedback signal for the controller. Hence, the reference value of controller will always be zero which simplifies the controller structure significantly. Since the reference calculation block can be removed, there is no need for a cascade multi-loop controller and for this reason, the controller dynamic response can be improved. Due to the elimination of reference calculation unit, the proposed controller enjoys a superior performance, e.g., during temperature and load changes. The asymptotic stability of proposed controller has been proved. To evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach, it is simulated by using MATLAB software. Moreover, the experimental responses are provided by employing the TMS320F28335 digital signal processor from Texas Instruments. According to the simulation and experimental results and despite temperature and load values changes in a wide range, it is shown that the proposed closed-loop system enjoys a stable and robust performance as well as fast dynamic response and zero steady-state error

Experimental evaluation of the backstepping‐based input resistance controller in step‐up DC–DC converter for maximum power point tracking of the thermoelectric generators

In this paper, a novel non-linear model-based approach is presented for maximum power point (MPP) tracking of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) using the backstepping controller. Considering the output voltage range of the thermoelectric devices, a step-up DC–DC converter is employed as an interface between the load and input power source. According to the maximum power transfer theorem, if the equivalent input resistance of the converter (Rin) is equal to the internal resistance of the input source (RTEG), the TEG operation at the MPP will be achieved. Hence, defining the RTEG as a reference value and Rin as a feedback variable for a closed-loop controller, the backstepping non-linear controller is developed for input resistance control of the boost DC–DC converter. Owing to the non-linear nature of the error variable in the input resistance control of the converters, conventional linear controllers cannot guarantee the system’s closed-loop stability within an extensive operational range. However, despite changes in generator’s open-circuit voltage (VOC) and RTEG, the designed closed-loop controller can successfully stabilize the thermoelectric converter in different operational conditions. Considering the Lyapunov theorem and the Barbalat lemma, the asymptotic stability of the backstepping controller is proved. During the steady-state operation, the actual values of the VOC and RTEG are updated periodically by the measurement of the converter input voltage/current values. To verify the functionality of the designed control method, PC-based simulations are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink software. Moreover, by using TMS320F28335 digital signal processor from Texas Instruments and a simple thermoelectric simulator, the experimental response of the proposed controller is evaluated in dynamic and steady-state conditions. The developed closed-loop system can track the MPP of a TEG with zero steady-state error, regardless of uncertain parameter variations

The Neural Correlates of Mental Flexibility in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Mental flexibility is an important executive function, facilitating flexibility in thought and action. Neurodevelopmental disorders represent a heterogeneous group of disorders, characterized by impaired brain development and function. Despite shared impairments in mental flexibility, it is not known whether the various neurodevelopmental disorders share the same aberrant neural correlates. To investigate, children [total n=110, ages 8-15 years; 22 typically developing, 38 autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 28 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 22 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)] completed a mental flexibility task in a magnetoencephalograph (MEG). Results revealed that typically developing children generally relied on the expected fronto-parietal network. However, all clinical groups showed an atypical reliance on the parietal regions, while patterns of delayed and atypical frontal activity differentiated the three clinical groups. This is the first neuroimaging study to elucidate the similarities and differences in the spatio-temporal profiles of neural regions involved in mental flexibility in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.M.Sc

En jämförelse mellan Bobathmetoden och andra interventionsmetoder för Behandling av strokepatienter.

Örebro Universitet Institutionen för hälsovetenskap och medicin           Arbetsterapi Arbetes art: Uppsatsarbete omfattande 15 högskolepoäng, inom ämnet arbetsterapi. Svensk Titel: En jämförelse mellan Bobathmetoden och andra interventionsmetoder för behandling av strokepatienter Engelsk titel: A comparison between the Bobath method and other interventions for stroke patients Författare: Maryam Tondkar Mogadam Handledare: Marie Holmefur Datum: 2012-05-03   Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Bobath behandlingsmetod utvecklades i England på 1940-talet för patienter med hjärnskador. I denna behandlingsmetod ska patienter lära sig att kontrollera sina onormala rörelser och muskelspasticitet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra Bobathmetoden med andra interventionsmetoder för att kunna se vilken behandlingsmetod som har bättre effekt för strokepatienter. Metod: Systematisk litteraturstudie gjordes i databasen AMED, PubMed och Cinahl för att ta fram aktuell forskning inom detta område. Artiklarna som kom fram är kvantitativa och Randomiserade Kontrollerade studier. Resultat: Resultatet av studierna visar att Bobathmetoden har positiv effekt för att klara aktiviteter i dagliga livet. Bobathmetoden visar förbättring från akuta fasen till efter behandling i ADL aktiviteter. Studierna visar att Motor Relearning Programme, Arm Basis training och Balance Performance Monitor träning har bättre effekt än Bobathmetoden i ADL aktiviteter. Arm Basis training, Motor Relearning Programme och Bobathmetoden förbättrade handfunktionen över tiden. Transcutan Electric Nerve Stimulation visade att det har förbättrat handrörelsen och handfunktionen förbättrades men i Bobathmetoden visade det bara förbättring av handfunktionen. Patienter som har tränat med Bobathmetoden kunde lättare sträcka ut sina muskler och hade förbättrat sin rörelseförmåga. Bobathmetoden har bättre effekt i rörelseförmågan än Orthopaedic Approach och Moment Science metoden. Antal ord: 4738 Sökord: Bobath, Behandlingsresultat, Stroke, Aktiviteter i det dagliga livet (ADL)och Arbetsterap