Flight Test Results from the NF-15B Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) Project with Adaptation to a Simulated Stabilator Failure

Adaptive flight control systems have the potential to be more resilient to extreme changes in airplane behavior. Extreme changes could be a result of a system failure or of damage to the airplane. A direct adaptive neural-network-based flight control system was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NF-15B Intelligent Flight Control System airplane and subjected to an inflight simulation of a failed (frozen) (unmovable) stabilator. Formation flight handling qualities evaluations were performed with and without neural network adaptation. The results of these flight tests are presented. Comparison with simulation predictions and analysis of the performance of the adaptation system are discussed. The performance of the adaptation system is assessed in terms of its ability to decouple the roll and pitch response and reestablish good onboard model tracking. Flight evaluation with the simulated stabilator failure and adaptation engaged showed that there was generally improvement in the pitch response; however, a tendency for roll pilot-induced oscillation was experienced. A detailed discussion of the cause of the mixed results is presented

What can mathematical models bring to the control of equine influenza?

Mathematical modelling of infectious disease is increasingly regarded as an important tool in the development of disease prevention and control measures. This article brings together key findings from various modelling studies conducted over the past 10 years that are of relevance to those on the front line of the battle against equine influenza

The virtual pedagogy initiative

Contemporary Higher Education Institutions must adapt to address government funded calls for expansion and widened participation. The adoption of e-learning strategies, such as the use of the podcasts, can facilitate flexible learning around the needs and expectations of students. In this article we outline a number of e-learning developments at Aston University collectively referred to as the Virtual Pedagogy Initiative. Each of the strands, podcasts, vodcasts, mobile telephony and the campus wide remote broadcasts, are described pedagogically as well as technically. Where possible data highlighting the student response and experience are included. The article begins with the contention that contemporary undergraduates may be qualitatively different and can considered „digital natives?

Advanced Characterization of Fractured Reservoirs in Carbonate Rocks: The Michigan Basin

The main objective of this project is for a university-industry consortium to develop a comprehensive model for fracture carbonate reservoirs based on the ''data cube'' concept using the Michigan Basin as a prototype. This project combined traditional historical data with 2D and 3D seismic data as well as data from modern logging tools in a novel way to produce a new methodology for characterizing fractured reservoirs in carbonate rocks. Advanced visualization software was used to fuse the data and to image it on a variety of scales, ranging from basin-scale to well-scales

Adiabatic invariance with first integrals of motion

The construction of a microthermodynamic formalism for isolated systems based on the concept of adiabatic invariance is an old but seldom appreciated effort in the literature, dating back at least to P. Hertz [Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 33, 225 (1910)]. An apparently independent extension of such formalism for systems bearing additional first integrals of motion was recently proposed by Hans H. Rugh [Phys. Rev. E 64, 055101 (2001)], establishing the concept of adiabatic invariance even in such singular cases. After some remarks in connection with the formalism pioneered by Hertz, it will be suggested that such an extension can incidentally explain the success of a dynamical method for computing the entropy of classical interacting fluids, at least in some potential applications where the presence of additional first integrals cannot be ignored.Comment: 2 pages, no figures (REVTeX 4

Predicting 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis: an exploratory analysis of process of care and patient characteristics

Background Sepsis represents a significant public health burden, costing the NHS £2.5 billion annually, with 35% mortality in 2006. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate risk factors predictive of 30-day mortality amongst patients with sepsis in Nottingham. Methods Data were collected prospectively from adult patients with sepsis in Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust as part of an on-going quality improvement project between November 2011 and March 2014. Patients admitted to critical care with the diagnosis of sepsis were included in the study. In all, 97 separate variables were investigated for their association with 30-day mortality. Variables included patient demographics, symptoms of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, organ dysfunction or tissue hypoperfusion, locations of early care, source of sepsis and time to interventions. Results A total of 455 patients were included in the study. Increased age (adjOR = 1.05 95%CI = 1.03–1.07 p < 0.001), thrombocytopenia (adjOR = 3.10 95%CI = 1.23–7.82 p = 0.016), hospital-acquired sepsis (adjOR = 3.34 95%CI = 1.78–6.27 p < 0.001), increased lactate concentration (adjOR = 1.16 95%CI = 1.06–1.27 p = 0.001), remaining hypotensive after vasopressors (adjOR = 3.89 95%CI = 1.26–11.95 p = 0.02) and mottling (adjOR = 3.80 95%CI = 1.06–13.55 p = 0.04) increased 30-day mortality odds. Conversely, fever (adjOR = 0.46 95%CI = 0.28-0.75 p = 0.002), fluid refractory hypotension (adjOR = 0.29 95%CI = 0.10–0.87 p = 0.027) and being diagnosed in surgical wards (adjOR = 0.35 95%CI = 0.15–0.81 p = 0.015) were protective. Treatment timeliness were not significant factors. Conclusion Several important predictors of 30-day mortality were found by this research. Retrospective analysis of our sepsis data has revealed mortality predictors that appear to be more patient-related than intervention-specific. With this information, care can be improved for those identified most at risk of death

Irregular graph pyramids and representative cocycles of cohomology generators

Structural pattern recognition describes and classifies data based on the relationships of features and parts. Topological invariants, like the Euler number, characterize the structure of objects of any dimension. Cohomology can provide more refined algebraic invariants to a topological space than does homology. It assigns ‘quantities’ to the chains used in homology to characterize holes of any dimension. Graph pyramids can be used to describe subdivisions of the same object at multiple levels of detail. This paper presents cohomology in the context of structural pattern recognition and introduces an algorithm to efficiently compute representative cocycles (the basic elements of cohomology) in 2D using a graph pyramid. Extension to nD and application in the context of pattern recognition are discussed

Carbon nanotubes : from molecular to macroscopic sensors

The components that contribute to Raman spectral shifts of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT’s) embedded in polymer systems have been identified. The temperature dependence of the Raman shift can be separated into the temperature dependence of the nanotubes, the cohesive energy density of the polymer, and the buildup of thermal strain. Discounting all components apart from the thermal strain from the Raman shift-temperature data, it is shown that the mechanical response of single-wall carbon nanotubes in tension and compression are identical. The stress-strain response of SWNT’s can explain recent experimental data for carbon nanotube-composite systems

The perseverance of Pacioli's goods inventory accounting system

This paper details sources of the 'undoubtedly strange' (Yamey, 1994a, p.119) system of goods inventory records described in Pacioli’s 1494 bookkeeping treatise and traces the longevity and widespread use of this early perpetual inventory recording (EPIR) system in English language texts. By doing so and contrasting this system with the bookkeeping treatment of modern texts, it is shown that the EPIR system persisted as the dominant form of goods inventory accounting for between 400 and 500 years and that the reasons for its demise are worthy of further consideration and research