The Impact of Biosciences Requirements on Biosatellite Attitude Control

The design, development, and flight test results of the Biosatellite attitude control system shall be discussed. Preliminary remarks describing the several Biosatellite missions shall show how mission constraints were interpreted by the controls engineer and how the zero - gu and recovery requirements were ultimately translated into attitude control performance criteria. Results of analyses of payload perturbing effects shall answer questions of the nature: What are the forces and moments to which the payload is sensitive ? From what sources are these disturbances derived ? How can payload accelerations of the order of 10 ~5 - g be sensed and controlled in a practical and economic way? The paper shall also include a discussion on the prominent role a continuing simulation activity played in the development of the attitude control system. Of particular interest to the controls oriented engineer will be the discussion stressing the importance of these simulation studies to the analysis and evaluation of control system performance in the deorbit phase of the mission. Here, performance of state-of-the-art hardware will be evaluated and its selection justified. Also included in these remarks will be comments on the effects of geophysical phenomena on sensors and how these were incorporated in the simulation program to enhance its validity. Control system configuration shall be defined and features, such as the versatility of recovery time and location, will be discussed

Dao, harmony and personhood: towards a Confucian ethics of technology

A closer look at the theories and questions in philosophy of technology and ethics of technology shows the absence and marginality of non-Western philosophical traditions in the discussions. Although, increasingly, some philosophers have sought to introduce non-Western philosophical traditions into the debates, there are few systematic attempts to construct and articulate general accounts of ethics and technology based on other philosophical traditions. This situation is understandable, for the questions of modern sciences and technologies appear to be originated from the West; at the same time, the situation is undesirable. The overall aim of this paper, therefore, is to introduce an alternative account of ethics of technology based on the Confucian tradition. In doing so, it is hoped that the current paper can initiate a relatively uncharted field in philosophy of technology and ethics of technology

Using online blogs to explore positive outcomes after burn injuries

This study uses blog analysis, a new and novel technique, to explore the positive outcomes experienced by burn survivors. This study examined 10 burn survivor blogs to offer a unique, longitudinal insight into burn survivor recovery. Using thematic analysis, three themes emerged: shift in self-perception, enhanced relationships and a change in life outlook. Many of these themes contained stories and experiences unique to a traumatic burn injury, suggesting that standardised trauma scales are not effectively measuring the impact of a burn in this population. Reflections on blog analysis are discussed, along with a recommendation that health researchers utilise the vast amount of data available from online blogs

Regional differences and trends in breast cancer surgical procedures and their relation to socioeconomic disparities and screening patterns

Background Important regional disparities in patterns of care in breast cancer have recently been described. In Switzerland, nationwide data on hospitalisations have been collected since 1998. They have not been used up to now to explore space–time patterns and trends of breast cancer healthcare-related procedures for control and health planning purposes. We aimed to assess geographical and temporal variation of mastectomy rates. Methods Bayesian negative-binomial spatio-temporal models have been applied. Covariates included patient characteristics as provided in the hospital data, data on mammography screening programme duration, and surgeon and gynaecologist density. Results We analyzed more than 70,000 patients. Mastectomy rates declined from 43% to 30% in Switzerland between 2000 and 2012 for patients aged 50–69 and from 61% to 43% for those 70+, and remained stable for those under 50. Important geographical differences in rates were present. Rates were significantly influenced by age [relative rate ratio (RR) 50–69: 0.92, RR 70+: 1.25], differences in co-morbidity (RR one co-morbidity: 1.17, RR more than one: 1.35), higher surgeon or gynaecologist density (RR surgeons: 1.01, RR gynaecologists: 1.06). Regions in the French-speaking part (RR: 0.72) and/or with mammography screening programmes showed significantly lower rates (RR: 0.87). No difference was found for patients in different socio-economic groups or with different insurance types. Conclusion This research unveiled important differences in mastectomy rates in Switzerland. The results play an essential role in the identification of regions where special attention is required, and indications for extensive surgery in breast cancer should be revisited

Kirigami-Inspired Organic and Inorganic Film-Based Flexible Thermoelectric Devices with Built-In Heat Sink

Thermoelectric (TE) devices can convert heat to electricity directly, which offers a unique opportunity to realize waste heat recovery. However, conventional TE devices inevitably use heat sinks, which are bulky, rigid and heavy, limiting practical applications. Herein, we propose a fully integrated film-based TE device with intrinsically built-in fins as heat sink in a hexagonal honeycomb device structure, that simultaneously achieves high TE performance and conformability, as confirmed by experiments and modelling. A flexible Kapton substrate with copper electrodes, integrating either carbon nanotube (CNT) veils or bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) TE ‘legs’, both of n- and p-type, achieved a remarkable specific power of 185.4 nW K−2 for a Bi2Te3-based device and 53.1 nW K−2 for a CNT-based device, thanks to the heat dissipation effect granted by the built-in fins. Besides, the addition of oriented polymer films interconnects, contracting when above their glass transition temperature, allowed a single substrate two-dimensional (2D) TE device to self-fold into a three-dimensional (3D) hexagonal honeycomb structure, with built-in fins, contactlessly and autonomously. The demonstrated shape-programmed kirigami-inspired scalable TE device paves the way for realising self-powered applications comprising hundreds of TE legs with both inorganic (e.g., Bi2Te3) and organic (e.g. CNT veils) TE materials and integrated heat sinks

What’s in a (pseudo)name?: Ethical conundrums for the principles of anonymisation in social media research

Scholars from wide-ranging disciplines are turning to social media platforms as research sites, and as platforms expand their communicative possibilities, they create more spaces for users to enact a multitude of identities. Most platforms allow users to have ‘pseudonymous’ identities; that is, they can engage in practices intended to facilitate nonidentifiable content. But pseudonymity presents a series of unique challenges to the principles of anonymisation in qualitative research. This article explores the slippery nature of dealing with pseudonymous social media users’ personally identifiable data during research, framed around my responses to four questions I was asked when I applied for ethical approval to conduct research with pseudonymous fan communities on social media. The four questions concern: (Q1) changing notions of ‘public’ and ‘private’ forms of data; (Q2) identifying underage and therefore vulnerable participants online; (Q3) changes to the processes of obtaining informed consent from social media users; and (Q4) the risks social media research might bring to those conducting it. This article concludes by calling for qualitative researchers and Ethics Review Boards (ERBs) to engage with institutional ethics review across the duration of a project, or at the very least to advocate for ongoing consent as research progresses, especially for (but certainly not limited to) research involving pseudonymous social media users. The article aims to be useful to other researchers facing similar dilemmas. Indeed, given the popularity of pseudonymity on social media and the growing penetration of platforms across global demographics, a need for ethical discussions of this kind is surely set to increase

Predictors of state-of-the-art management of early breast cancer in Switzerland

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of state-of-the-art management of early breast cancer in Switzerland. Patients and methods: The study included 3499 women aged 25-79 years diagnosed with invasive breast cancer stages I-IIIA in 2003-2005. Patients were identified through population-based cancer registries and treated in all kinds of settings. Concordance with national and international recommendations was assessed for 10 items covering surgery, radiotherapy, systemic adjuvant therapy and histopathology reporting. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors of high (10 points) and low (≤7 points) concordance. Results: In one-third of the patients, management met guidelines in all items, whereas in about one-fifth, three or more items did not comply. Treatment by a surgeon with caseload in the upper tercile and team involved in clinical research were independent predictors of a high score, whereas treatment by a surgeon with a caseload in the lower tercile was associated with a low score. Socioeconomic characteristics such as income and education were not independent predictors, but patient's place of residence and age independently predicted management according to recommendations. Conclusion: Specialization and involvement in clinical research seem to be key elements for enhancing the quality of early breast cancer management at population leve