Communication Chain Research Articles

The future role of relay satellites for orbital telerobotics

Orbital robotics focuses on a variety of applications, as e.g. inspection and repair activities, spacecraft construction or orbit corrections. On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) activities have to be closely monitored by operators on ground. A direct contact to the spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is limiting the operational time of the robotic application. Therefore, geostationary satellites are desirable to relay the OOS signals and extend the servicing time window. A geostationary satellite in the communication chain not only introduces additional boundary conditions to the mission but also increases the time delay in the system. The latter is not very critical if the servicer satellite is operating autonomously. However, if the servicer is operating in a supervised control regime with a human in the loop, the increased time delay will have an impact on the operator’s task performance.This paper describes the challenges, which have to be met when utilizing a relay satellite for orbital telerobotics. It shows a series of ground experiments that were undertaken with a relay satellite in the communication chain to simulate the end-to-end system. This case study proves that complex robotic applications in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are controllable by human operators on ground.

Enhanced Surveillance for White-Nose Syndrome in Bats

Enhanced Surveillance for White-Nose Syndrome in Bats

Sustainability, polysaccharide science, and bio-economy

At the opening of the 2nd EPNOE conference the role and responsibility of polysaccharide scientists was reflected upon and placed in the context of actual global issues like the transition process towards “sustainable bio-economy”. Difficulties in the chain of communication between the different parties involved and towards the wider public was addressed. The need for change in the relations between science and the public and to go beyond the horizon of the specialization was discussed. It was stated that polysaccharide science is one of the key sciences in those transitions.

ON A FRACTIONAL STOCHASTIC PATH INTEGRAL APPROACH IN MODELLING INTERNEURONAL CONNECTIVITY

A fractional stochastic path integral approach is presented as a natural framework for treating the random distribution of possible communication chains in the synaptic transmission of signals between initiator and distant target receptor neurons. Fractional Brownian motion parametrization is invoked to account for strong correlations between segments of a neuronal communication chain. We then obtain the probability density function (pdf) for the location of the target receptor neuron in terms of the Hurst index that classifies the dynamics into short-memory or long-memory domains. This pdf obtained by the path integral approach is a fundamental solution of the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation.

Distributed Path Planning for a UAV Communication Chain by Dual Decomposition

In this paper, a distributed approach to Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based path planning for a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) communication chain under radio path loss constraints is proposed. It is based on the dynamic dual decomposition method and reformulates the centralized path planning optimization problem with coupled constraints into an equivalent distributed path planning optimization problem, where the resulting sub-problems are completely decoupled. The MPC-based optimization sub-problems are computed autonomously within each UAV, using convex quadratic programming and gradient iterations, with the requirement that each UAV communicates its current measured position and the computed optimal velocity trajectory to its neighbouring UAVs.

An examination of interdependencies among major barriers to coordination in disaster response

This paper reports two exploratory research studies conducted to identify major barriers to coordination in disaster response and to understand causal relationships among those barriers. In the first study, two expert panels (emergency operations centre directors and firefighters) participated in a Delphi survey to identify and prioritise major barriers. In the second study, five focus group sessions were conducted with state and parish (county) emergency operations centre directors and response professionals. Each group created a conceptual map of major barriers and the causal relationships among them. Results are integrated in a Coordination Barrier Classification Framework that incorporates the relative importance and interdependencies among the six major barriers (planning, resources, training, chain of command, politics, and communication). Differences by stakeholder group are also identified. Preliminary implications and avenues for future research are suggested.

Integration of deliberative democracy and policy-making: A vision of a deliberative system

The paper examines major propositions of deliberative democratic theory, divided into problems of inclusion, deliberation and citizenship and their parallel articulation, as well as empirical examination and specification, in literature on post-empiricist policy-making. The theory of deliberative democracy and literature on deliberative policy-making have raised similar concerns and made parallel proposals about possible remedies of ills of contemporary democracy i.e. policy-making, specifically concerning broader inclusion in democratic and policy-making practices, deliberative consideration of issues in both policy-making and democratic politics and enhanced civic skills of democratic participants i.e. policy-takers. Authors in both sets of literature reach a similar conclusion about incorpora?tion of democratic i.e. policy-making deliberative efforts into institutions of liberal democracy so as to create a larger ?deliberative system? of interconnected chains of communication and legitimacy.

A Closer Look on Standards Based Personal Health Device Comminication: A Résumé over Four Years Implementing Telemonitoring Solutions

Background: For years telemedical systems have been presented as potential contribution for tackling the increasing incrimination on healthcare systems due to related costs of chronic diseases. Especially interoperable personal health de-vices (PHDs) are expected to facilitate the successful implementation of telemedical systems. Continua Health Alliance has published implementation guidelines for end-to-end device communication chains based on existing international standards and frameworks (IEEE, HL7, OASIS, IHE). Objectives: Based on the experience of multiple projects imple¬menting the Continua guidelines and the Continua architecture this paper identifies, examines and discusses the open issues that have to be solved for an effective, efficient and broad use of PHD communication. Methods: The developed Continua conform software components were tested with Continua certified devices, open source IHE software compo¬nents and within a simulated environment using Continua's test tools. Exchanged messages were manually reviewed and security observations were recorded. Regulatory and management questions were addressed by researching available literature, observing discussions among stakeholders and recording opinions of individuals within the project partner institutions. Results: The software components were successfully tested for conformance according to the Continua guidelines including their underlying standards and security requirements. Issues concerning security requirements, patient identification, regulatory aspects, market integration and EHR integration were identified. Conclusions: The Continua guidelines and tools enable technically complete implementations of telemedical solutions especially for most chronic diseases, but a number of issues still remain open. Technical obstacles are likely to be solved on international and standardized bases whereas regulatory issues and local regulation might result in locally limited solution biotopes.

Tips to Be a Great Leader in Student Affairs

Tips to Be a Great Leader in Student Affairs

Genre, stéréotypes et transmission de l'information: Une approche expérimentale de la communication intragroupe.

This study investigates the way that identity strategies affect the spreading of information. Participants (men vs. women) listened to a message that they had to transmit afterward to an individual of the same sex. Each communication chain comprised 3 participants. This message related a marital strife and manipulated the description of both protagonists (stereotypical vs. counterstereotypical gender traits description). The degree of responsibility attributed to each protagonist brings to light an in-group favouritism in the men’s group, whatever the description of the protagonists is. The same favouritism takes place in women’s group only in stereotypical conditions. These results are discussed on the basis of the subjective group dynamics.

An autonomous communications relay in GPS-denied environments via antenna diversity

In this paper we present a motion planning scheme for enabling a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to serve as an autonomous communications relay in indoor or GPS-denied environments. Using antenna selection diversity, the quadrotor is able to optimize its location in the communication chain so as to maximize the link throughput. Measurements of the communications field drive a gradient descent algorithm that moves the quadrotor to an optimal location while avoiding obstacles, all without the use of positioning data. Numerical simulations and preliminary experimental results verify the validity of the proposed extremum-seeking approach.

Communication in the Cladding Supply Chain

The increasing complexity of the cladding procurement and fragmentation of the supply chain bring challenges for communication and making informed decisions. Based on the study on cladding design and procurement process, this paper identifies the flows existing in the cladding supply chain and patterns of communication between the parties involved. The results of the research provide the foundation for further innovation on effective and secure approaches to information exchange and collaborative decision making.

A multi-robot exploration algorithm based on a static Bluetooth communication chain

In the first part of the present paper, a novel communication scheme of an autonomous robot team via Bluetooth radio is investigated. In the presented solution, an autonomous unit is equipped with two independent Bluetooth radios and so a relatively fast communication is possible in the team in a static (i.e. no ad hoc) networking topology. The performance of such a network was tested by implementing a linear graph topology by NXT robots. It was found that the reliability and the speed of such a communication scheme are satisfactory and give rise to applications in a robot team control task. In the second part of the paper, an area exploration method is presented based on the static linear communication network above. The method was tested by computer simulations for various obstacle configurations and densities. It was found that the proposed method performs better than the chosen reference methods in the case of zero or low obstacle density and when high (75% or 100%) exploration ratio is required. With a simple proof, we have shown that the proposed (fixed chain-like team) exploration method is optimal in the obstacle-free case under the constraint of the connectivity with the base station.

Religion as communication

From the perspective of social system theory, religion is a label by which it is possible to study the relation between the individual expressions of the sacred, on one hand, and the organized system of meanings to be referred to the sacred, on the other, developing a relatively free chain of communication. Therefore, coherently to this approach, the author suggests to assume the notion of religion as communication: a system of belief challenges the complexity of the world, trying to reduce that, transforming the external differentiation into a internal one. This theoretical approach supports three research strategies: (a) overcoming the disputing question secularization/de-secularization, focusing on the dynamics of the relation between a system of belief and the social change occurring in a social context; (b) going beyond the polarization between tradition and modernity, confuting the assumption that modernity means necessarily the decline of religion; (c) reconsidering religion in the light of the social theory.

Evaluation of a Heterogeneous Sensor Network Architecture for Highly Mobile Users

This paper presents experimental results of a heterogeneous sensor network architecture, which is a combination of a wireless sensor network and a personal area network. The proposed architecture uses the IEEE 802.15.4 standard to transmit sensor data to a sensor node which in turn forwards the data using TCP/IP to a database on the Internet via a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone and the mobile telephone access network. The performance of the entire communication chain is evaluated. First, a 3G network's performance is evaluated by measuring its round trip time for packet transmission. Second, the real-world end-to-end delay between a sensor node and a database server on the Internet is measured using two different experimental set-ups: single-hop transmission and two hops transmission. Finally, the proposed architecture's scalability is estimated in a Matlab simulation using the results of the experiments as a base. The results show that the proposed architecture is applicable for small-scale sensor networks used by highly mobile users.

Don’t shoot the messenger. A pragmaphilological approach to birchbark letter no. 497 from Novgorod

The article analyses the communicative function and linguistic form of Novgorod birchbark letter no. 497 (N497) within a pragmaphilological framework. By applying a function-to-form mapping and taking into account the graphic representation of the text, I propose a new reading, in which the messenger plays a central role in the communication chain and in which the spoken word continuously interacts with the production and interpretation of the written document. This makes N497 a ‘communicatively heterogeneous’ text, a recently identified category of birchbark letters which deserves special attention in the wider field of historical pragmatics.

Can Informal Communication Networks Disrupt Coordination in New Product Development Projects?

This paper investigates how the structure of the informal communication network that results from efforts to coordinate task interdependence between design teams in complex product development projects moderates the effect of task interdependence on interteam communication. Drawing on theoretical mechanisms from the social network and knowledge transfer literature, as well as on recent empirical advances in exponential random graphs models of social networks, we examine how the presence of a common third party in the communication network affects the likelihood of technical communication between interdependent teams designing the components of a large commercial aircraft engine. Although task interdependence has a strong and significant effect on the likelihood of communication between teams, this effect is moderated by the presence of common third parties. The nature of this moderation depends on the position of the common third party within the triadic communication structure. When the common third party seats in the middle of a communication chain between the potential source and the potential recipient of technical communication, its presence increases the likelihood of communication between these two teams. However, when the communication between the source and recipient can trigger cyclic exchanges between the three teams, the presence of the third party reduces the likelihood of communication between the two interdependent teams, increasing the risk of coordination disruptions. We discuss the implications of our findings on the literature of intraorganizational networks in new product development.

Anesthesia Literature Review

Anesthesia Literature Review

Consulting knowledge and organisation's absorptive capacity: A communication chain perspective

This study investigates the communication chain of consulting knowledge constituted by consultants and internal lecturers. We analyse the differences between consultants and internal lecturers in their capability of knowledge training and discuss its influence on organisations' absorption of consulting knowledge. Based on a Mann–Whitney U test of data from 47 quality management consultants and 235 internal lecturers in Taiwan, we found that internal lecturers significantly exhibited weaker capability than consultants, especially in knowledge structure, knowledge transformation, trainee orientation and training ethics. The capability gap was disadvantageous for organisations to absorb consulting knowledge and suggestions for improving this problem were provided finally.

Road safety communication: comparison of media reports and official risk statistics

Risk as a measure for safety consists of two orthogonal values: severity and frequence, as it is defined in most transport relevant standards. For safety evaluation and estimation, a thorough...