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Autonomous aircraft systems have testing requirements that are distinct from traditional manned and unmanned aircraft. In traditional aircraft testing, the airworthiness is predicated on the ability of an aircrew (test pilot or operator) to safely control the vehicle through the test envelope. Autonomous aircraft, conversely, are designed to obviate the need for human-in-the-loop controls, so traditional airworthiness paradigms are not sufficient. Rockwell Collins and the University of Iowa's Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) have developed a Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC)-enabled testing environment that bridges the gap between traditional test methods and the highly innovative development environments used to produce autonomous vehicle technology. The environment we describe is a single integrated set of reconfigurable LVC-enabled resources that host the entire spectrum of testing, from development and integration tests through humanfact ors evaluations and final operational flight tests. Our LVC environment allows seamless transition between (1) lab or benchtop testing of individual components, (2) subsystem or systemwide simulation of multiple components, and (3) subsystem or system-wide testing on live aircraft without impact to software. Additionally, the testbed data and equipment can be used to generate the ma chine lea rning (ML) training data required to fuel late- stage innovation as testing progresses. This paper describes how the LVC environment reduces program risk by decoupling software and hardware de pendencies, including allowing applica tion testing before hardware availability, and reusing toolsets and capabilities in all permutations of live and synthetic environments for maximum efficiency and reusability. We also describe the applicability of these features to autonomous aircraft, including the need to exploit late-stage innovation that frequently occurs in research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporal punishment of children is pervasive throughout the Pacific Island nation of Tonga. In May 2014, a mother was imprisoned for causing the death of her 14-year-old daughter who was beaten with a stick, watering hose and hammer and left to die on her living room floor. Tonga remains in a group of 39 countries that retain corporal punishment of children as a legal sanction for a crime and has defied recent calls during the Universal Periodic Review to abolish these laws. Despite the Tongan Court of Appeal observing corporal punishment to be a violation of the Constitution of Tonga and the jus cogens right to freedom from torture, the court has yet to suspend the operation of these laws. This article argues that the court has failed to protect the fundamental rights guaranteed to children and uphold the Constitution as the supreme law of Tonga. Analysis of the Constitution and the presentation of literature detailing the pervasive and destructive nature of corporal punishment in Tonga highlights the material extent of this injustice. This supports a call for the complete legislative prohibition of corporal punishment in Tonga, including in the criminal justice system, schools and the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Carbamazepine (CBZ) effectively treats simple, complex, and secondarily generalized partial seizures. Computer simulations were carried out to investigate the effect of missing or delaying doses of carbamazepine extended-release capsules (CBZ-ERC) on plasma CBZ levels and the optimal dosing strategy to return plasma concentrations to therapeutic levels., Patients and Methods: A one-compartment open model with first-order absorption and elimination was generated from the results of a previous study measuring plasma concentrations following one 400-mg fasting dose of CBZ-ERC. The model was used to simulate plasma CBZ concentrations following multiple doses given every 12 h to hypothetical long-term CBZ-treated patients, with the CBZ elimination half-life set to 13.7 h to account for enzymatic autoinduction. The model was then used to simulate plasma CBZ concentrations when a dose is taken 3, 6, or 9 h late, or when two doses are taken at one time., Results: Predicted plasma CBZ concentrations in this simulation fell from a trough of approximately 6.4 microg/ml only to 4 microg/ml after 24 h without medication, and only to 2.5 microg/ml after 36 h without medication. Predicted plasma CBZ concentrations in this simulation never rose above 9 microg/ml, indicating that taking missed doses of CBZ-ERC as soon as remembered, up to two missed doses 3 h before taking the next scheduled dose, will not lead to harmful spikes in plasma concentrations of CBZ., Conclusions: The simulations suggest that taking a missed dose of CBZ-ERC as soon as remembered, up to two doses at one time, may be the best strategy to return plasma CBZ concentrations to steady-state levels. Since the model used in this study is a simplified model of a highly complex situation, caution should be used when relating these results to clinical practice until trials are conducted in patients.

Study Objectives: To assess the bioavailability of three test formulations of a single dose of extended-release Adderall 20-mg capsules compared with two doses of immediate-release Adderall 10-mg tablets, and to assess the bioequivalence of a single 30-mg dose of the chosen extended-release Adderall formulation (designated as SLI381) administered in applesauce (sprinkled) and the same dose administered as an intact capsule with or without food., Design: Randomized, open-label, crossover study., Setting: Clinical research unit., Patients: Forty-one healthy adults., Interventions: Study A had four treatment sequences: three test formulations (A, B, and C) of a single dose of extended-release Adderall 20 mg, and two 10-mg doses of Adderall given 4 hours apart. Study B had three treatment sequences: a single dose of SLI381 30 mg as an intact capsule after overnight fast, an intact capsule after a high-fat breakfast, and the contents of a capsule sprinkled in 1 tablespoon of applesauce., Measurements and Main Results: The 20-mg test formulation A had comparable pharmacokinetic profiles and bioequivalence in rate and extent of drug absorption to Adderall 10 mg twice/day for both d- and l-amphetamine. Formulations B and C had statistically significant differences from the reference drug in some pharmacokinetic parameters. A 30-mg dose of SLI381 showed no significant differences in rate and extent of absorption of d- and l-amphetamine for fasted or sprinkled conditions compared with the high-fat meal condition., Conclusion: SLI381 20 mg/day is bioequivalent to Adderall 10 mg twice/day. SLI381 30 mg administered in applesauce is bioequivalent in terms of both rate and extent of absorption to the same dose administered as an intact capsule in both fasted and fed states.