Simulation of an automatically-controlled STOL aircraft in a microwave landing system multipath environment

The simulated response is described of a STOL aircraft to Microwave Landing System (MLS) multipath errors during final approach and touchdown. The MLS azimuth, elevation, and DME multipath errors were computed for a relatively severe multipath environment at Crissy Field California, utilizing an MLS multipath simulation at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. A NASA/Ames six-degree-of-freedom simulation of an automatically-controlled deHavilland C-8A STOL aircraft was used to determine the response to these errors. The results show that the aircraft response to all of the Crissy Field MLS multipath errors was small. The small MLS azimuth and elevation multipath errors did not result in any discernible aircraft motion, and the aircraft response to the relatively large (200-ft (61-m) peak) DME multipath was noticeable but small

A 2-year follow-up of a study to compare the efficacy of lateral wedged insoles with subtalar strapping and in-shoe lateral wedged insoles in patients with varus deformity osteoarthritis of the knee

SummaryObjectiveThis study was conducted in order to assess the effect of wearing a lateral wedged insole with a subtalar strap for 2 years in patients with osteoarthritis varus deformity of the knee (knee OA).DesignThe setting was an outpatient clinic. The efficacies of the strapped insole and a traditional shoe insert wedged insole (the inserted insole), as a positive control, were compared at the baseline and after 2 years of treatment. Randomization was performed according to birth date. The 61 female outpatients with knee OA who completed a prior 6-month study were asked to wear their respective insoles continuously as treatment during the course of the 2-year study. The femorotibial angle (FTA) was assessed by standing radiographs obtained while the subjects were barefoot and the Lequesne index of the knee OA at 2 years was compared with those at baseline in each insole group.ResultsThere were 61 patients in the original study, but 13 patients (21.3%) did not want to wear the insole continuously and five (8.2%) withdrew for other reasons. The 42 patients who completed the 2-year study were evaluated. At the 2-year assessment, participants wearing the subtalar strapped insole (n=21) demonstrated significantly decreased FTA (P=0.015), and significantly improved Lequesne index (P=0.031) in comparison with their baseline assessments. These significant differences were not found in the group with the traditional shoe inserted wedged insole (n=21).ConclusionOnly those participants using the subtalar strapped insole demonstrated significant change in the FTA in comparison with the baseline assessments. If the insole with a subtalar strap maintains FTA for more than 2 years, it may restrict the progression of degenerative articular cartilage lesions of knee OA

A comparison of intra-articular hyaluronan injection accuracy rates between three approaches based on radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis

SummaryObjectiveTo compare the accuracy rates of intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injections for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee between the modified Waddell approach (an anteromedial approach with manipulative ankle traction at 30° of knee flexion), an anteromedial approach with the subjects seated (hereinafter the seated anteromedial approach) and a lateral patellar approach based on the Kellgren–Lawrence (K–L) radiographic grade (II, III and IV).DesignsFifty patients with knee OA received HA injections through the three approaches. The accuracy rates were confirmed with a single radiograph after injections of a mixture of radiographic contrast medium.ResultsIn the K–L grade IV cases (n=11), the accuracy rates through the modified Waddell approach (11 out of 11, 100%) were significantly higher than those through the seated anteromedial approach (six out of 11, 55%) and the lateral patellar approach (six out of 11, 55%) (P=0.035). No significant differences were detected in the accuracy rates of the participants classified as grade II (n=21) or III (n=18) cases between the modified Waddell approach (86% and 78%, respectively), the seated anteromedial approach (71% and 56%, respectively) and the lateral patellar approach (86% and 61%, respectively) (P>0.05).ConclusionAlthough previous studies have been conducted on the accuracy of needle placement into the intra-articular space of the knee, no evaluations were performed with the results categorized by radiographic severity. This study highlighted the need for clinicians to change the approach employed for HA injections, according to the severity of knee OA

Influence of concomitant heeled footwear when wearing a lateral wedged insole for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee

SummaryObjectiveTo compare the influence of concomitant heeled footwear when wearing a lateral wedged insole for medial compartment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, between everyday walking shoes for outdoor use and socks or flat footwear without a heel for indoor use.DesignA total of 227 outpatients were prospectively randomized and treated with a neutral wedged insole inserted into shoes (placebo with shoes; n=45), a wedged insole inserted into shoes (inserted insole with shoes; n=45), a sock-type ankle supporter with a wedged insole when wearing socks or flat footwear (inserted insole without shoes; n=46), a subtalar strapped insole when wearing shoes (strapped insole with shoes; n=45), and the strapped insole with socks or flat footwear (strapped insole without shoes; n=46). The Lequesne index of knee OA at week 12 was compared with the baseline in each treatment group.ResultsTwenty patients withdrew from the study, and the 207 patients who completed the 12-week study were evaluated. At the final assessment, participants wearing the inserted insole without shoes (P=0.003), the strapped insole with shoes (P<0.0001), and the strapped insole without shoes (P<0.0001) demonstrated significantly improved Lequesne index scores in comparison with their baseline assessments. No significant differences were found in the placebo (P=0.16) or the inserted insole with shoes (P=0.2) groups.ConclusionConcomitant heeled footwear may decrease the efficacy of an inserted lateral wedged insole. The optimal usage of a lateral wedged insole for knee OA would be the combination with socks or flat footwear without heels

Imaging of Cherenkov and Transition Radiation from Thin Films and Particles

Cherenkov radiation and transition radiation, which are generated by high energy electrons with constant velocity, can be detected in a transmission electron microscope using a cathodoluminescence (CL) detection system. The characteristic peaks due to interference were observed in the emission spectra from thin films of mica, silicon and silver, and their dependence on sample thickness and accelerating voltage was studied. Particles of BaTiO3 and MgO also showed characteristic feature in the spectra which changed with their size. A recently developed imaging system revealed the two-dimensional intensity distribution of these radiations; for example, oscillating contrast, such as equal thickness contour appears in silicon, and hole edges in a silver thin film show bright fringe contrast due to radiative surface plasmon

Reductions of the Volterra and Toda chains

The Volterra and Toda chains equations are considered. A class of special reductions for these equations are derived.Comment: LaTeX, 6 page

Optimal Lighting Conditions for Office Workers from the Perspective of Non-visual Effects

University is one of the institutions that may have to face disaster events. For two decades, there have been a number of disasters that have negatively impacted the university. Resilience is an important concept that has been developed in the field of disaster management. This concept emphasizes on building adaptive capacitythrough social development, community competences, and strong communication and information systems. Students as a community often stay in campus for their activities such as study, research, and organization activities and are therefore prone to risks and dangers. It is important for students to be prepared in facing possible disasters so as to increase the resilience in the event of a disaster in the university. This research will show the perception of students in facing disaster, and furthermore will develop comprehensive disaster mitigation at the university, not only structural resilience, but also human resource to prepare in facing disasters. The purpose of this study is to describe the preparedness and awareness of the students of the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Nursing, and Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Indonesia in facing disasters in an effort to increase disaster resilience in the university. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study performed on 388 respondents. Results show that generally the respondents are resilient enough in facing disasters. It showed from their answers with a percentage &gt; 50%, there are: awareness of potentials for disaster on campus, respondents need to prepare in facing disasters, they got information from valid sources, they have been trained in disaster, appropriate answers regarding to emergency response during disaster, and knowledge regarding nearest health services. However, improvements are still needed for several variables, including disaster preparedness on campus, knowledge of early warning system in campus, ownership of catastrophe insurance, level of preparedness (which is still low at 30.9%), valid information sources, and participation in disaster response training should be increased. Keywords: disaster, disaster management, awareness, preparedness, resilience, universit

Reflectionless analytic difference operators I. algebraic framework

We introduce and study a class of analytic difference operators admitting reflectionless eigenfunctions. Our construction of the class is patterned after the Inverse Scattering Transform for the reflectionless self-adjoint Schr\"odinger and Jacobi operators corresponding to KdV and Toda lattice solitons