International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Radio frequency power margins in well planned line-of-sight (LOS) air-to-ground digital data transmission systems usually produce signal to noise ratios (SNR) that can deliver error free service. Sometimes field performance falls short of design and customer expectations. Recent flight tests conducted by the tri-service Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) project confirm that the dominant source of bit errors and short term link failures are “clusters” of severe error burst activity produced by flat fading, dispersive fading and poor antenna patterns on airborne vehicles. This paper introduces the techniques used by ARTM to measure bit error performance of aeronautical telemetry links.

The way in which students perceive their learningsituation is the starting point for a successful learning process in school, aswell as the starting point for individualized teaching. The study´s aim was todescribe the findings from a group of students at a secondary special schoolwho use a tablet as a tool in learning situations. The study is based onqualitative methods with focus group interviews and research underpinning thecollated data. The study connects students´ perceptions with the conceptsmediated artifacts, motivation and availability to clarify students´ experiencesin different situations. The results shows that the tablet is a flexible toolwhere the possibilities for personalization are great if there is knowledgeabout how, when and for what purpose it will be used. Students express bothinterest and a good understanding of the use of the tablet as a tool, but theyalso experience the obstacle of inaccessibility, depending on how much tabletuse the teacher allows during lessons. Research shows that students withintellectual disabilities feel stimulation from the use of the tablet as atool. This is useful in special educational contexts where the focus is onproviding students with the right conditions to acquire and develop skills.

Equitable access to essential medicines is a major challenge for policy-makers world-wide, including Central and Eastern European countries. This study analyses whether socioeconomic determinants influence the use of prescribed and non-prescribed medicines in eight Central and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia). Further, the study discusses observed (in)equalities in medicine use in the context of the pharmaceutical policy framework and the implementation in these countries. The study is based on cross-sectional data from the first wave of the European Health Interview Survey (2007-2009). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the association between socioeconomic status and medicine use (prescribed and non-prescribed medicines). This was supplemented by a pharmaceutical policy analysis based on indicators in four policy dimensions (sustainable funding, affordability, availability and accessibility, and rational selection and use of medicines). Overall, the analysis showed a gradient favouring individuals from higher socioeconomic groups in the consumption of non-prescribed medicines in the eight surveyed countries, and for prescribed medicines in three countries (Latvia, Poland, Romania). The pharmaceutical systems in the eight countries were, to varying degrees, characterized by a lack of (public) funding, thus resulting in high and growing shares of private financing (including co-payments for prescribed medicines), inefficiencies in the selection of medicines into reimbursement and limitations in medicines availability. Pharmaceutical policies aiming at reducing inequalities in medicine use require not only a consideration of the role of co-payments and other private expenditure but also adequate investment in medicines and transparent and clear processes regarding the inclusion of medicines into reimbursement. (authors' abstract)

A common issue with the power grid during natural disasters is low availability. Many critical applications that are required during and after natural disasters, for rescue and logistical operations require highly available power supplies. Microgrids with distributed generation resources along with the grid provide promising solutions in order to improve the availability of power supply during natural disasters. However, distributed generators (DGs) such as diesel gensets depend on lifelines such as transportation networks whose behavior during disasters affects the genset fuel delivery systems and as a result affect the availability. Renewable sources depend on natural phenomena that have both deterministic as well as stochastic aspects to their behavior, which usually results in high variability in the output. Therefore DGs require energy storage in order to make them dispatchable sources. The microgrids availability depends on the availability characteristics of its distributed generators and energy storage and their dependent infrastructure, the distribution architecture and the power electronic interfaces. This dissertation presents models to evaluate the availability of power supply from the various distributed energy resources of a microgrid during natural disasters. The stochastic behavior of the distributed generators, storage and interfaces are modeled using Markov processes and the effect of the distribution network on availability is also considered. The presented models supported by empirical data can be hence used for microgrid planning. / text

<p>Populationer av öring består av både migrerande och stationära individer, och det tycks vara både genetiska och miljömässiga faktorer som påverkar en individs beslut att vandra eller ej. Syftet med denna studie var att testa vilken effekt tillgång på föda har på tillväxt och smoltifieringsprocess hos öring (Salmo trutta). Min hypotes var att öring med hög tillförsel av mat växer bättre och smoltifieras därmed inte till samma grad som öring med låg tillförsel av mat. Som en konsekvens av skillnader i mattillgång förväntades att ATPas-aktiviteten, vilken indikerar smoltstatus, var lägre vid god tillförsel av mat än vid låg tillförsel. Experimentet utfördes från november 2003 till april 2004 vid fiskeodlingen i Brattfors, Värmland, där 2+ Klarälvsöringar utsattes för tre olika födonivåer, med fyra replikat av varje födonivå. Var 4-5 vecka fångades fisken för att vägas och mätas och slutligen togs biopsi på öringens gälar för en analys av Na+,K+ -ATPas aktivitet. I slutet av experimentet klassificerades fiskarna som parr eller smolt.</p><p>Parr hade en signifikant lägre Na+, K+ -ATPas aktivitet än smolt i de tre olika födonivåerna. Na+, K+ -ATPas aktiviteten visade dock ingen signifikant skillnad mellan födonivåerna. Parr hade ökat sin vikt och längd mest i samtliga födonivåer och störst skillnad var det i den lägsta födonivån, parr hade ökat i genomsnitt 17 g och 3,5 mm mer än smolt. Av de två högsta födonivåerna var andelen klassificerade som smolt 37 % och vid den lägsta födonivån var andelen smolt 76 %.</p> / <p>Populations of brown trout consist of both migratory and resident individuals, and it is likely that both genetic and environmental factors influence the decision to migrate. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of food availability on growth and the smolting process in brown trout (Salmo trutta). My hypothesis was that brown trout subjected to a high food supply grows better and smoltifies to a lesser degree than brown trout subjected to a low food supply. As a consequence of differences in food supply I expected that ATPase-activity, which indicates smoltification status, would be lower with a high food supply than with a low supply. The experiment was run from November 2003 until April 2004 in a fish hatchery in Brattfors, Värmland, where 2+ brown trout from the river Klarälven were exposed to three food levels, each replicated four times. Every 4-5 weeks the fish were weighed and measured and a biopsy was taken from the gills for analysis of Na+, K+ -ATPase activity at the end of the experiment. At the end of the experiment the fish were classified as parr or smolt.</p><p>Parr had a significantly lower Na+, K+ -ATPase activity than smolt for the three different food treatments. Na+, K+ -ATPase activity did not differ significantly between food levels. Parr grew faster (both weight and length) than smolt at all food levels, and the largest difference between parr and smolt was observed at the lowest food level, where parr increased on average 17 g and 3,5 mm more than smolt. At the two highest food levels the proportion classified as smolt was 37 % and at the lowest foodlevel the proportion of smolt was 76 %.</p>

New Zealand wood availability forecasts indicate that increases in the future wood availability significantly relies on small-scale forest owners' resources. This "small-scale" resource is poorly understood and comprises a large number of owners. It is questionable how many of these forests are established with consideration of the cost and practicality of harvesting. An improved understanding of the likelihood of this resource ever being harvested is important for understanding future wood supply. The main objective of this study is to answer a fundamental question on how much small scale forest area is economic to harvest. The study aims to estimate the basic stumpage value of the forests at modelled costs and different log price levels, and to analyse the profitability of the small scale forests by looking at the historic rate of return, as well as the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return on existing and future forest land. The emission trading scheme (ETS) was also taken into account during the analyses and the effects of the ETS on the profitability, optimum age and future wood availability were investigated. The methodology developed for this study uses a forest growth model (Radiata Pine Calculator), Geographic Information Systems, the Visser harvest cost model, and Microsoft Excel. The growth model enables the analysis to be customised to a specific region of interest, while spatial characteristics such as slope and transportation distance of individual forests were taken into account by using GIS. The cost model allows the analysis to be customised to individual forests to some extent although a number of assumptions are made generalising the forests as whole. Developing the overall framework within Excel allows easy analysis of the results and changes to the underlying assumptions. Harvesting and transportation costs are the main drivers in determining the profitability of small scale forests. A significant increase in log prices is required for the existing forests to obtain substantial profit from log production. At current log prices 90% of small-scale forests in the Wanganui District are economically available. The other 10% small blocks on steep sites, have negative stumpage revenues because of high harvesting costs. Additional cashflows from entering the ETS have the potential to generate significant revenue for post-89 forests. However the substantial increases in optimal rotation age are likely to delay the increase in harvest volumes forecast from the small-scale estate.

The face of the workplace has changed dramatically over the past decade and most organisations have to survive in a fiercely competitive global economy. The impact of the changing world of work is most evident in changes in the psychological contract (agreement) between employees and organisations. Employees are expected to give more in terms of time, effort, skills and flexibility, whereas they receive less in terms of career opportunities, lifetime employment and job security. It is in view of the above work complexities that employee engagement has become a focus area. in particular, to understand the mediating effects of certain psychological conditions in relation to work engagement. "Why do some employees stay engaged at work, even whilst being challenged with consistent change and greater job insecurity and why do others' disengage at work?" The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of three psychological conditions, namely psychological meaningfulness, psychological safety, and psychological availability on employees' work engagement. A survey research design was used with a questionnaire as data-gathering instrument. Stratified random samples (N=171) were taken from employees of a multinational oil company. The Work Engagement Scale and the Work Experiences Scale were administered. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the effects of the variables in this study. The results confirmed that psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability were significant predictors of work engagement. Meaningfulness displayed the strongest positive relation with engagement. The relation of work role fit with engagement was fully mediated by the psychological condition of meaningfulness. Cognitive, emotional and physical resources had the strongest effect on psychological availability. Feelings of self- consciousness impacted on psychological availability, implying that someone who is less self-conscious is psychologically more available to engage at work. It was therefore confirmed that psychological meaningfulness fully mediated the effects of work role fit on engagement and psychological availability fully mediated the effects of resources and self-consciousness on engagement. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Med allt fler äldre i samhället ökar belastningen inom vård- och omsorgssektorn. E-hälsa kan bidra till en effektivare vård av äldre med medicinsk information och vårdtjänster via internet samt vårdrelaterad service som utförs via ny teknologi. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa äldres erfarenheter av e-hälsa. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie där tio vetenskapliga artiklar utgjorde underlag. Resultatet visade att e-hälsa kunde skapa empowerment hos den äldre vårdtagaren genom möjligheten att få stanna i sitt hem samtidigt som det gav egenkontroll av sjukdom och hälsa. Det fanns dock en oro hos äldre att e-hälsa skulle ersätta fysisk kontakt och äldre uppfattade att tekniken var komplicerad. E-hälsa kunde öka tillgängligheten av vård men för att den ska fungera optimalt behöver den individanpassas. Äldres erfarenheter av e-hälsa bör ligga till grund för utveckling av lämpligare och bättre e-hälsolösningar. Kunskapen om äldres erfarenheter kan hjälpa sjuksköterskan att implementera e-hälsolösningar på ett bra och effektivt sätt. Genom ökad kunskap om äldres erfarenheter kan e-hälsa bli ett värdefullt verktyg för en bättre och effektivare vård av äldre. / Telehealth can contribute to a more effective system of health care for elderly patients through medical information and support given via the Internet as well as health related services initiated through new technology. The aim of the study was to highlight older people's experiences of telehealth. The study was conducted as a literature review in which ten scientific articles provided input and formed the basis. The results showed that telehealth could create empowerment amongst the elderly patients as they would be able to stay at home whilst providing self-monitoring of their health and illness. However, there are concerns among the elderly who believe that telehealth would replace physical contact and many think that the technology is to complex to comprehend. Telehealth could be the solution to increasing the availability of health care, but in order for it to function optimally it needs to be individualized. Older people's experiences with telehealth should be the basis for the development of more appropriate telehealth solutions. Knowledge on older people’s telehealth experiences can help nurses implement solutions in a good and efficient way. By broadening and researching the information on the elderly’s experiences with telehealth it can become a valuable health tool.

Food supply has been suggested as the main determinant of reproductive success in birds. Riparian species can take advantage of seasonal pulses of both terrestrial and aquatic prey, though aquatic resources are often overlooked in studies of diet and reproductive ecology. This study investigates the flux of both aquatic (mayfly) and terrestrial (caterpillar) prey resources and nestling diet of the Prothonotary Warbler throughout the breeding season in two eastern Virginia sites. One site had significantly higher aquatic prey (mayfly) availability. Nestling diet was generally reflective of prey availability, and nestlings grew faster at the site with high aquatic prey availability. At the site with low aquatic prey availability, nestling growth rates and condition were positively correlated with the amount of aquatic prey in the diet. Our results provide evidence that aquatic subsidies are an important resource for nestlings, and are crucial to understanding the breeding ecology of riparian species.

The graduation thesis focuses on the economics of health, particularly for medical factor -- the availability of healthcare. The aim of this thesis is to determine regional differences in availability of healthcare in the regions of the Czech Republic. The availability has been analyzed from a geographical point of view, therefore, on the basis of density of the network of health facilities. The objective is achieved by using statistical processing of data provided by ÚZIS ČR and ČSÚ. The thesis has been performed using the methods of statistical analysis, synthesis, comparison and deduction. In the provision of hospital care there were not found any more significant regional disparities. The availability of outpatient care was found that the availability of primary health care was from the 90th years pushed by ordination of professional specialists. In the availability of general practitioners there appeared some interregional differences. The worst availability was analyzed in the regions Středočeský and Ústecký.