Search

Given the growing global increase in harm from alcohol and substance use, and the inadequacy of standard treatment to tackle the challenge, the use of physical activity (PA) interventions has received increased attention. The aim of this review is to identify common and cross cutting themes relating to how and why physical activity may impact on reduction of/abstinence from alcohol and other drug use to support future intervention design (including aspects of physical activity, barriers and facilitators, and elements of support which may have an impact). Twenty papers including qualitative data were included in the synthesis. A deductive coding framework was created and sought to identify biological, environmental and psycho-social barriers, facilitators and mechanisms of participants’ experience of engaging with physical activity interventions. Key themes supported in the evidence included how interventions influence use (e.g. reduced cravings, increases in bodily awareness and health and fitness, the development of positive focus and new identity, and increases in mood and quality of life); the impact of frequency, intensity, type, duration and timing of physical activity; perceived barriers and facilitators to engaging in physical activity (e.g. health and fitness, access and affordability, perceptions of others); and details of how much support and in what form best supports sustained changes in physical activity (e.g. social support and environment). Despite evidence being sparse, key barriers and facilitators pertinent to intervention design were identified. Recommendations for future research are indicated and the evidence promotes the need for individually tailored programmes of support for physical activity.

Background Little is known about the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of interventions, such as health trainer support, to improve the health and well-being of people recently released from prison or serving a community sentence, because of the challenges in recruiting participants and following them up. Objectives This pilot trial aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the trial methods and intervention (and associated costs) for a randomised trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health trainer support versus usual care. Design This trial involved a pilot multicentre, parallel, two-group randomised controlled trial recruiting 120 participants with 1 : 1 individual allocation to receive support from a health trainer and usual care or usual care alone, with a mixed-methods process evaluation, in 2017–18. Setting Participants were identified, screened and recruited in Community Rehabilitation Companies in Plymouth and Manchester or the National Probation Service in Plymouth. The intervention was delivered in the community. Participants Those who had been out of prison for at least 2 months (to allow community stabilisation), with at least 7 months of a community sentence remaining, were invited to participate; those who may have posed an unacceptable risk to the researchers and health trainers and those who were not interested in the trial or intervention support were excluded. Interventions The intervention group received, in addition to usual care, our person-centred health trainer support in one-to-one sessions for up to 14 weeks, either in person or via telephone. Health trainers aimed to empower participants to make healthy lifestyle changes (particularly in alcohol use, smoking, diet and physical activity) and take on the Five Ways to Well-being [Foresight Projects. Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Final Project Report. 2008. URL: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-capital-and-wellbeing-making-the-most-of-ourselves-in-the-21st-century (accessed 24 January 2019).], and also signposted to other options for support. The control group received treatment as usual, defined by available community and public service options for improving health and well-being. Main outcome measures The main outcomes included the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores, alcohol use, smoking behaviour, dietary behaviour, physical activity, substance use, resource use, quality of life, intervention costs, intervention engagement and feasibility and acceptability of trial methods and the intervention. Results A great deal about recruitment was learned and the target of 120 participants was achieved. The minimum trial retention target at 6 months (60%) was met. Among those offered health trainer support, 62% had at least two sessions. The mixed-methods process evaluation generally supported the trial methods and intervention acceptability and feasibility. The proposed primary outcome, the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores, provided us with valuable data to estimate the sample size for a full trial in which to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions Based on the findings from this pilot trial, a full trial (with some modifications) seems justified, with a sample size of around 900 participants to detect between-group differences in the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores at a 6-month follow-up. Future work A number of recruitment, trial retention, intervention engagement and blinding issues were identified in this pilot and recommendations are made in preparation of and within a full trial. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN80475744. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 7, No. 20. See the National Institute for Health Research Journals Library website for further project information.

The aim of this review is to systematically describe and quantify the effects of PA interventions on alcohol and other drug use outcomes, and to identify any apparent effect of PA dose and type, possible mechanisms of effect, and any other aspect of intervention delivery (e.g. key behaviour change processes), within a framework to inform the design and evaluation of future interventions. Systematic searches were designed to identify published and grey literature on the role of PA for reducing the risk of progression to alcohol and other drug use (PREVENTION), supporting individuals to reduce alcohol and other drug use for harm reduction (REDUCTION), and promote abstinence and relapse prevention during and after treatment of alcohol and other drug use (TREATMENT). Searches identified 49,518 records, with 49,342 excluded on title and abstract. We screened 176 full text articles from which we included 32 studies in 32 papers with quantitative results of relevance to this review. Meta-analysis of two studies showed a significant effect of PA on prevention of alcohol initiation (risk ratio [RR]: 0.72, 95%CI: 0.61 to 0.85). Meta-analysis of four studies showed no clear evidence for an effect of PA on alcohol consumption (Standardised Mean Difference [SMD]: 0.19, 95%, Confidence Interval −0.57 to 0.18). We were unable to quantitatively examine the effects of PA interventions on other drug use alone, or in combination with alcohol use, for prevention, reduction or treatment. Among the 19 treatment studies with an alcohol and other drug use outcome, there was a trend for promising short-term effect but with limited information about intervention fidelity and exercise dose, there was a moderate to high risk of bias. We identified no studies reporting the cost-effectiveness of interventions. More rigorous and well-designed research is needed. Our novel approach to the review provides a clearer guide to achieve this in future research questions addressed to inform policy and practice for different populations and settings., Highlights • A comprehensive systematic review of physical activity and alcohol and/or substance use. • Looks at the prevention, reduction, and treatment of alcohol and/or substance use. • Highlights what may be most effective and gaps in knowledge. • Considers different elements of physical activity interventions for best practice.

The mm-wavelength sky reveals the initial phase of structure formation, at all spatial scales, over the entire observable history of the Universe. Over the past 20 years, advances in mm-wavelength detectors and camera systems have allowed the field to take enormous strides forward – particularly in the study of the Cosmic Microwave Background – but limitations in mapping speeds, sensitivity and resolution have plagued studies of astrophysical phenomena. In fact, limitations due to inherent biases in the ground-based mm-wavelength surveys conducted over the last 2 decades continue to motivate the need for deeper and wider-area maps made with increased angular resolution. TolTEC is a new camera that will fill the focal plane of the 50m diameter Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) and provide simultaneous, polarization-sensitive imaging at 2.0, 1.4, and 1.1mm wavelengths. The instrument, now under construction, is a cryogenically cooled receiver housing three separate kilo-pixel arrays of Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) that are coupled to the telescope through a series of silicon lenses and dichroic splitters. TolTEC will be installed and commissioned on the LMT in early 2019 where it will become both a facility instrument and also perform a series of 100 hour “Legacy Surveys” whose data will be publicly available. The initial four surveys in this series: the Clouds to Cores Legacy Survey, the Fields in Filaments Legacy Survey, the Ultra-Deep Legacy Survey and the Large Scale Structure Survey are currently being defined in public working groups of astronomers coordinated by TolTEC Science Team members. Data collection for these surveys will begin in late 2019 with data releases planned for late 2020 and 2021. Herein we describe the instrument concept, provide performance data for key subsystems, and provide an overview of the science, schedule and plans for the initial four Legacy Survey concepts.

Background Alcohol and substance use results in significant human and economic cost globally and is associated with economic costs of £21 billion and £15billion within the UK, respectively, and trends for use are not improving. Pharmacological interventions are well researched, but relapse rates across interventions for substance and alcohol use disorders are as high as 60–90%. Physical activity may offer an alternative or adjunct approach to reducing rates of alcohol and substance use that is associated with few adverse side effects, is easily accessible, and is potentially cost-effective. Through psychological, behavioural, and physiological mechanisms, physical activity may offer benefits in the prevention, reduction, and treatment of alcohol and substance use across the lifespan. Whilst physical activity is widely advocated as offering benefit, no systematic review exists of physical activity (in all forms) and its effects on all levels of alcohol and substance use across all ages to help inform policymakers, service providers, and commissioners. Methods The objectives of this mixed methods systematic review are to describe and evaluate the quantitative and qualitative research obtained by a diverse search strategy on the impact of physical activity and its potential to:Reduce the risk of progression to alcohol and/or substance use (PREVENTION)Support individuals to reduce alcohol and/or substance use for harm reduction (REDUCTION), andPromote abstinence and relapse prevention during and after treatment for an alcohol and/or substance use disorder (TREATMENT). With the input of key stakeholders, we aim to assess how what we know can be translated into policy and practice. Quantitative, qualitative, service evaluations, and economic analyses will be brought together in a final narrative synthesis that will describe the potential benefits of physical activity for whom, in what conditions, and in what form. Discussion This review will provide details of what is known about physical activity and the prevention, reduction, and treatment of alcohol and/or substance use. The synthesised findings will be disseminated to policymakers, service providers, and commissioners in the UK. Systematic review registration PROSPERO number: CRD42017079322. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-018-0674-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction People with experience of the criminal justice system typically have worse physical and mental health, lower levels of mental well-being and have less healthy lifestyles than the general population. Health trainers have worked with offenders in the community to provide support for lifestyle change, enhance mental well-being and signpost to appropriate services. There has been no rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing such community support. This study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a randomised trial and delivering a health trainer intervention to people receiving community supervision in the UK. Methods and analysis A multicentre, parallel, two-group randomised controlled trial recruiting 120 participants with 1:1 individual allocation to receive support from a health trainer and usual care or usual care alone, with mixed methods process evaluation. Participants receive community supervision from an offender manager in either a Community Rehabilitation Company or the National Probation Service. If they have served a custodial sentence, then they have to have been released for at least 2 months. The supervision period must have at least 7 months left at recruitment. Participants are interested in receiving support to change diet, physical activity, alcohol use and smoking and/or improve mental well-being. The primary outcome is mental well-being with secondary outcomes related to smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and diet. The primary outcome will inform sample size calculations for a definitive trial. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the Health and Care Research Wales Ethics Committee (REC reference 16/WA/0171). Dissemination will include publication of the intervention development process and findings for the stated outcomes, parallel process evaluation and economic evaluation in peer-reviewed journals. Results will also be disseminated to stakeholders and trial participants. Trial registration numbers ISRCTN80475744; Pre-results.

The Large Millimeter Telescope observatory is extending its night time operation to the day time. A sun avoidance strategy was therefore implemented in the control system in real-time to avoid excessive heating and damage to the secondary mirror and the prime focus. The LMT uses an ”on-the-fly” trajectory generator that receives as input the target location of the telescope and in turn outputs a commanded position to the servo system. The sun avoidance strategy is also implemented ”on-the-fly” where it intercepts the input to the trajectory generator and alters that input to avoid the sun. Two sun avoidance strategies were explored. The first strategy uses a potential field approach where the sun is represented as a high-potential obstacle in the telescope’s workspace and the target location is represented as a low-potential goal. The potential field is repeatedly calculated as the sun and the telescope move and the telescope follows the induced force by this field. The second strategy is based on path planning using visibility graphs where the sun is represented as a polygonal obstacle and the telescope follows the shortest path from its actual position to the target location via the vertices of the sun’s polygon. The visibility graph approach was chosen as the favorable strategy due to the efficiency of its algorithm and the simplicity of its computation.

This paper will focus on monitoring the integrity of fixed equipment in oil and gas production assets. The insight gained from a real time understanding of asset integrity enables enhanced evidence based operational decision making to improve safety and profitability. A case study and lessons learned from the use of online integrity monitoring systems will be given for upstream facilities.

A speech-based system was evaluated to assess general task and on-road performance across vehicular control and subjective measures. The system under evaluation enabled users to send text messages and obtain route guidance through destination entry while driving. A brief introduction to the speech-based system and its capabilities was provided to participants before they were asked to complete three practice tasks. General observations of these initial uninformed interactions (i.e., absent assistance by the experimenter) with the system indicated that the system was intuitive and easy to use. Errors, when observed, were commonly related to word recognition. Participants were then instructed to navigate a closed test track at 72 km/h (45 mph) while engaging in nine secondary tasks: three manual modality texting tasks, three equivalent voice modality texting tasks, and three voice modality destination-entry tasks. As expected, driving performance measures, glance behavior, and subjective ratings were all significantly degraded during manual texting tasks as compared with similar tasks completed using voice commands. Performance during speech-based destination tasks was similar to that observed during speech-based texting. Subjectively, participants generally believed that tasks requiring the use of the speech-based interface could be accomplished safely. The majority of participants (83%) expressed a desire to have this speech-based interface available on their next vehicle.

International audience; We have measured nonzero closure phases for about 29% of our sample of 56 nearby asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, using the three-telescope Infrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA) interferometer at near-infrared wavelengths (H band) and with angular resolutions in the range 5-10 mas. These nonzero closure phases can only be generated by asymmetric brightness distributions of the target stars or their surroundings. We discuss how these results were obtained and how they might be interpreted in terms of structures on or near the target stars. We also report measured angular sizes and hypothesize that most Mira stars would show detectable asymmetry if observed with adequate angular resolution.

One of the fundamental design principles of the LMT is that its segmented primary surface must be active: the position and orientation of each of the segments must be moved in order to maintain the precise parabolic surface that is required by the specifications. Consequently, a system of actuators, one at the corner of each segment, is used to move the segments to counteract surface deformations attributed to gravity or thermal effects. A new control system was designed and built within the project to implement an active surface at the LMT. The technical concept for the active surface control system is to provide a set of bus boxes with built-in control and I/O capabilities to run four actuators each. Bus boxes read the LVDT sensor position and limit switch status for each actuator and use this information to drive the actuator’s DC motor, closing the position loop. Each bus box contains a DC power supply for the electronics, a second DC power supply for the motors, an embedded controller with I/O to close the position loop, and a custom printed circuit board to condition the LVDT signals and drive the motors. An interface printed circuit board resides in each actuator providing a single connector access to the LVDT, the motor, and the limit switches. During the fall of 2013, 84 bus boxes were commissioned to control the 336 actuators of the inner three rings of the telescope. The surface correction model was determined using holography measurements and the active surface system has been in regular use during the scientific observation at the LMT.

The spring scheduling coprocessor is a novel very large scale integration (VLSI) accelerator for multiprocessor real-time systems. The coprocessor can be used for static as well as online scheduling. Many different policies and their combinations can be used (e.g., earliest deadline first, highest value first, or resource-oriented policies such as earliest available time first). In this paper, we describe a coprocessor architecture, a CMOS implementation, an implementation of the host/coprocessor interface and a study of the overall performance improvement. We show that the current VLSI chip speeds up the main portion of the scheduling operation by over three orders of magnitude. We also present an overall system improvement analysis by accounting for the operating system overheads and identify the next set of bottlenecks to improve. The scheduling coprocessor includes several novel VLSI features. It is implemented as a parallel architecture for scheduling that is parameterized for different numbers of tasks, numbers of resources, and internal wordlengths. The architecture was implemented using a single-phase clocking style in several novel ways. The 328 000 transistor custom 2-/spl mu/m VLSI accelerator running with a 100-MHz clock, combined with careful hardware/software co-design results in a considerable performance improvement, thus removing a major bottleneck in real-time systems.

The Spring system is a highly integrated collection of software and hardware that synergistically operates to provide end-to-end support in building complex real-time applications. In this paper, we show how Spring‘s specification language, programming language, software generation system, and operating system kernel are applied to build a flexible manufacturing testbed. The same ingredients have also been used to realize a predictable version of a robot pick and place application used in industry. These applications are good examples of complex real-time systems that require flexibility. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the integrated nature of the system and the benefits of integration; in particular, the use of reflective information and the value of function and time composition. The lessons learned from these applications and the project as a whole are also presented.

The benefits of integrated design and manufacturing systems in mid to high volume production are widely accepted. The low production volume, large component size and high complexity product domain is less well served by this technology. Examples of this kind of product are machine tools, ships, aircraft and buildings. Design for assembly techniques are a method by which design and manufacture can be integrated and aid the realization of full‐process concurrent engineering. Quantifies the significance of this product domain to the UK economy, describes the particular nature of these designs for assembly processes, reviews existing work in the field and specifies the problems encountered. Defines an industrial and academic solution programme. Proposes an integrated approach to applying design for assembly to this repetitive direct engineering domain.

Discusses the crucial integration of engineering and production knowledge which is the objective behind the SCOPES (Systematic Concurrent design of Products, Equipments and control Systems) project. Presents the results of this three‐year project to develop a suite of integrated software modules which enable design support on the downstream functions associated with the assembly of mechanical and electromechanical products throughout the design process. Provides an outline of overall system architecture and the specifications of the individual modules – product design, assembly planning, resource planning, simulation, scheduling and flow control shopfloor control and monitoring – which make up the SCOPES solution.

The infrared optical telescope array (IOTA), one of the most productive interferometers in term of science and new technologies was decommissioned in summer 2006. We discuss the testing of a low-resolution spectrograph coupled with the IOTA-3T integrated-optics beam combiner and some of the scientific results obtained from this instrument.

We present a brief review of recent scientific and technical advances at the Infrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA). IOTA is a long-baseline interferometer located atop Mount Hopkins, Arizona. Recent work has emphasized the use of the three-telescope interferometer completed in 2002. We report on results obtained on a range of scientific targets, including AGB stars, Herbig AeBe Stars, binary stars, and the recent outburst of the recurrent nova RS Oph. We report the completion of a new spectrometer which allows visibility measurements at several high spectral resolution channels simultaneously. Finally, it is our sad duty to report that IOTA will be closed this year.

Closure-phase science and technology are dominant features of the recent activity at IOTA. Our science projects include imaging several spectroscopic binary stars, imaging YSOs including Herbig AeBe stars, detecting asymmetries in a large sample of Mira stars, and measuring water shells around Miras. Many technology projects were pursued in order to make these science observations possible. These include installation of a third-generation integrated-optics 3-beam combiner (IONIC), completion of the real-time control system software, installation of fringe-packet tracking software, use of narrow sub-H band fllters, validation of the phase-closure operation, development of CPLD control of the science camera (PICNIC) and star-tracker camera (LLiST), installation of a new star-tracker camera, expansion of the observing facility, and installation of new semi-automated optical alignment tools.

Closure-phase science and technology are dominant features of the recent activity at IOTA. Our science projects include imaging several spectroscopic binary stars, imaging YSOs including Herbig AeBe stars, detecting asymmetries in a large sample of Mira stars, and measuring water shells around Miras. Many technology projects were pursued in order to make these science observations possible. These include installation of a third-generation integrated-optics 3-beam combiner (IONIC), completion of the real-time control system software, installation of fringe-packet tracking software, use of narrow sub-H band fllters, validation of the phase-closure operation, development of CPLD control of the science camera (PICNIC) and star-tracker camera (LLiST), installation of a new star-tracker camera, expansion of the observing facility, and installation of new semi-automated optical alignment tools.

The monitor and control system of a telescope must provide users with a way to control certain values in the system and view other constantly changing values. Users may also want to log system values to a database and chart changes to numerical values in real time. The components of a telescope system may change and instruments may be added and removed. The set of values that the monitor and control system must provide access to may therefore change. The challenge is to provide a flexible monitor and control system to accommodate changes to the system. The Large Millimeter Telescope monitor and control system is automatically generated from a set of XML configuration files. Because the code for the system's software objects is generated automatically it is easy to include in the generated code sufficient information about the objects to inform the display. This paper will present monitor, control, logging and charting tools that automatically change to reflect changes in the components and properties of the system. These tools depend on generating software objects that include information about their own fields.

The Large Millimeter Telescope monitor and control system (LMTMC) is an automatically generated software system that is implemented using XML and Java. One of the requirements of the system is catalog support. Rather than developing new catalog navigation techniques and building them into the automatically generated code, we chose to use JSky. JSky is a set of Java components providing catalog and image support for Astronomy. The JSky classes are extended to form new classes with additional capabilities that tighten the integration with the LMTMC system. Not only can users navigate local and web hosted catalogs, they can also direct output from catalogs into the control panels of the system eliminating error-prone typing or cut and paste operations. In addition, users can retrieve digital sky survey images from the catalogs, and superimpose scientific data on them to verify correct operation.

The Large Millimeter Telescope monitor and control system is automatically generated from a set of XML configuration files. This insures that all inter-system communications and user interfaces adhere to a common standard. The system was originally designed to control the electro-mechanical components of the telescope but it maps well to the control of instruments. Properties of the instruments are defined in XML and subsequent control and communication code and user interfaces are generated. This approach works well in theory, however, when it comes to installing the system on the actual instruments, several problems arise: the goals of instrument developers, software support for instrument developers, hardware compatibility issues, and choice of computer architecture and development environment. In this paper, we present a discussion of the above issues and suggest tried solutions.

Remote access to telescope monitor and control capabilities necessitates strict security mechanisms to protect the telescope and instruments from malicious or unauthorized use, and to prevent data from being stolen, altered, or corrupted. The Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) monitor and control system (LMTMC) utilizes the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) middleware technology to connect remote software components. The LMTMC provides reliable and secure remote observing by automatically generating SSLIOP enabled CORBA objects. TAO, the ACE open source Object Request Broker (ORB), now supports secure communications by implementing the Secure Socket Layer Inter-ORB Protocol (SSLIOP) as a pluggable protocol. This capability supplies the LMTMC with client and server authentication, data integrity, and encryption. Our system takes advantage of the hooks provided by TAO SSLIOP to implement X.509 certificate based authorization. This access control scheme includes multiple authorization levels to enable granular access control.

We present a novel VLSI co-processor for real-time multiprocessor scheduling. The co-processor can be used for sophisticated static scheduling as well as for online scheduling using many different algorithms such as earliest deadline first, highest value first, or the Spring scheduling algorithm. When such an algorithm is used online it is important to assess the performance impact of the interface of the co-processor to the host system, in this case, the Spring kernel. We focus on the interface and its implications for overall scheduling performance. We show that the current VLSI chip speeds up the main portion of the scheduling operation by over three orders of magnitude and speeds up the overall scheduling operation 30 fold. The parallel VLSI architecture for scheduling is briefly presented. This architecture can be scaled for different numbers of tasks, resources, and internal word lengths. The implementation uses an advanced clocking scheme to allow further scaling using future IC technologies. >

We present a novel co-processor for multiprocessor scheduling in the Spring real-time operating system. Since most dynamic scheduling problems are NP-complete, we use a heuristic algorithm which uses a smart searching scheme to find a feasible schedule for a set of specified tasks and hard deadlines. A parallel VLSI architecture for scheduling is developed that can be scaled for different numbers of tasks, numbers of resources, internal wordlengths, and future IC technologies. The scheduling architecture is implemented in a 0.8/spl mu/ CMOS technology and uses an advanced clocking scheme to allow further scaling to future technologies. With an internal clock rate of 100 MHz, a speed increase of two orders of magnitude is expected for scheduling tasks, thus removing a major bottleneck in real-time systems. >

The Spring real-time system and environment provides methods for program representation and corresponding run-time system support that allow programs to meet the predictability demands of complex real-time applications. The primary objective of the work described in this paper is to present the experiences gained and the lessons learned from porting a real-world, real-time application to make it predictable and flexible. The exercise has also provided a test case which helps to answer questions about the completeness and ease of use of software development tools that have been developed to provide for flexibility while achieving real-time guarantees. This test case is derived from an existing real-time application in industry-a robotic work-cell that is currently in use for the assembly of circuit boards. From our experience with this reengineering exercise, we believe that a user must possess a good understanding of the following: (1) the general properties of the target hardware-for effective process and resource layout, and (2) the shared resource usage and interprocess communication, and, more generally, the statements that cause processes to suspend-for efficient run-time representation of the tasks. Tools that help the user obtain this understanding and perform detailed timing analysis are essential. Although the algorithms and tools used in the reimplementation were developed in the context of the Spring real-time environment, we believe that the lessons learned from this experiment will be useful not only to potential users of Spring, but also to real-time practitioners at large.

A telescope system is composed of a set of real-world objects that are mapped onto software objects whose properties are described in XML configuration files. These XML files are processed to automatically generate user interfaces, underlying communication mechanisms, and extendible source code. Developers need not write user interfaces or communication methods but can focus on the production of scientific results. Any modifications or additions of objects can be easily achieved by editing or generating corresponding XML files and compiling them into the system. This framework can be utilized to implement servo controllers, device drivers, observing algorithms and instrument controllers; and is applicable to any problem domain that requires a user-based interaction with the inputs and outputs of a particular resource or program. This includes telescope systems, instruments, data reduction methods, and database interfaces. The system is implemented using Java, C++, and CORBA.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

The design of a kernel-level thread package for dynamic, hard real-time environments is presented. A highly integrated design is used to ensure predictability. A system description language and real-time programming language are used to specify key properties of threads and thread groups. For a thread, this includes whether or not the thread spawns other threads at run-time, the type of performance guarantee the thread requires, how the thread interacts with other threads, and what processors the thread may execute on. A predictable kernel uses this information along with on-line dynamic guarantees to ensure predictable execution of threads. The first phase of the thread package has been implemented and performance measurements have indicated a 66% improvement in context switching costs.

Rising costs and decreasing resources have resulted in an increased emphasis upon management controls in military command. This thesis focuses on an analysis of the management control structure and process of the trailer leasing program at the Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California. the purpose of the trailer leasing program is to meet temporary facility space requirements for various organizational and tenant units at Camp Pendleton. Data were obtained by interviewing key personnel involved in the trailer leasing process and examining archival material. the study follows the trailer leasing process through the operations of the three major program participants and provides recommendations focused on improving the effective management of the program. http://archive.org/details/managementcontro1094522339 Captain, United States Marine Corps Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Research has identified that rurally located persons face health inequities when compared to their urban peers. While health policies and practice frameworks to address the needs of rural people are largely developed on the principles of evidence-based medicine, it is not clear whether this evidence base appropriately considers geographic factors that may impact participant outcomes. The purpose of this project was to examine whether research within leading health and medical journals identified the geographic classification (location) of their participants, thus enabling the original authors and subsequent readers to appropriately consider this factor in the making of policy and practice recommendations. A retrospective analysis of study participants’ geographic identifiers within articles from medical and health journals was carried out in this project. Eleven journals were chosen for evaluation, with 300 consecutive eligible papers from each journal retrospectively reviewed. All 3300 papers were analyzed to determine whether the research participants’ geographic location was identified. This classification was then stratified into varying categories of rural or urban, as appropriate. It was not possible to identify participants’ geographic location in 2193 (66%) of the 3300 reviewed articles. A total of 121 papers (4%) had sole focus on rural residents, with another 95 articles (3%) comparing outcomes between rural and urban locations. Slightly more than a quarter (27%) of the articles either just featured urban participants or made no distinction between rural and urban locations. These findings indicate that insufficient attention is given to the geographic location of participants. This failure means that the outcomes and recommendations of the research base may be invalid for a large section of the world’s population and result in inequities in healthcare services. There is an emerging concern about using this evidence base for developing health guidelines and policy frameworks, as the needs of a substantial proportion of the population may not have been appropriately captured.