Development Of A Supersonic Wind Tunnel Rapid Real-Time Data Acquisition And Control System

As a part of the revitalization of the supersonic wind tunnel maintained by the Aerospace Engineering Department of Mississippi State University, a new data acquisition and control system became incumbent. Previous data acquisition and control systems used in the operation of the supersonic wind tunnel made use of now outdated hardware and functioned with two central processing units; one processor was used for recording system response, while the other monitored and controlled the tunnel. A new system is required to provide adequate rapid real-time control, along with rapid acquisition of raw tunnel feedback or response data and tunnel pressure data all implemented on one computer processor. The data acquisition and control program that was developed provides synchronized data storage and control output commands, while providing the operator with all essential information and checklists required for running the tunnel. The program is a general user interface developed from previously implemented data acquisition and control systems to perform all predetermined tasks while minimizing operator front panel inputs. When the supersonic wind tunnel repair is completed, the compiled data acquisition and control program will be implemented in the operation of the tunnel. This paper details the development of the supersonic wind tunnel data acquisition and control system employed in the revitalization project. Without the information on the details of the data acquisition and control program, any future editing of the control system source codes will be a laborious task

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways