Ministry of Defence

With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.

A broad, integrative theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between individual differences and various leader behaviors is presented; it proposes a new individual-differences construct called the motivation to lead (MTL). A large-scale study using 3 samples in different occupational and cultural contexts shows 3 factors underlying MTL, namely, affective-identity, noncalculative, and social-normative MTL. A parsimonious model of antecedents to MTL is developed through hierarchical regression modeling and is cross-validated using confirmatory latent variable modeling. MTL is shown to provide incremental validity over other predictors such as general cognitive ability, values, personality, and attitudes in the prediction of 2 behavioral measures of leadership potential. Findings are discussed with reference to the theoretical framework proposed for understanding individual differences in leader behavior.

The standard and real-time communication technology is an unalloyed inevitability for the development of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, the selection of a standard and effective messaging protocol is a challenging and daunting task for any organisation because it depends on the nature of the IoT system and its messaging requirements. Copious messaging protocols have been developed and employed by various organisations based on their requirements in the last two decades. Though, none of them is able to support all messaging requirements of all types of IoT systems. Messaging protocol is an ongoing dilemma for the IoT industry; consequently, it is important to understand the pros and cons of the widely accepted and emerging messaging protocols for IoT systems to determine their best-fit scenarios. Therefore, this paper presents an evaluation of the four established messaging protocols MQTT, CoAP, AMQP and HTTP for IoT systems. Firstly, it presents the broad comparison among these messaging protocols to introduce their characteristics comparatively. Afterwards, it performs a further in-depth and relative analysis based on some interrelated criteria to gain insight into their strengths and limitations. Thus, based on this detailed evaluation, the user can decide their appropriate usage in various IoT systems according to their requirements and suitability.

Drawing on social exchange and similarity-attraction theories, we hypothesized that individuals' demographic characteristics, values, and personality influence their acquisition of central positions in their teams' social networks. Education and neuroticism predicted centrality five months later; individuals who were highly educated and low in neuroticism became high in advice and friendship centrality and low in adversarial centrality. Team members' values similarity to their teammates also predicted advice and friendship centrality; demographic similarity had limited effects.

Since the original Institute of Medicine (IOM) report was published there has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety. This article is intended to review the current available scientific evidence on the impact of different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. We conclude that health information technology improves patient's safety by reducing medication errors, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving compliance to practice guidelines. There should be no doubt that health information technology is an important tool for improving healthcare quality and safety. Healthcare organizations need to be selective in which technology to invest in, as literature shows that some technologies have limited evidence in improving patient safety outcomes.

In early September 2018, two cases of monkeypox were reported in the United Kingdom (UK), diagnosed on 7 September in Cornwall (South West England) and 11 September in Blackpool (North West England). The cases were epidemiologically unconnected and had recently travelled to the UK from Nigeria, where monkeypox is currently circulating. We describe the epidemiology and the public health response for the first diagnosed cases outside the African continent since 2003.

Measurements are presented of the wavelength dependence of the aerosol absorption coefficient taken during the Tropical Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX) over the northern Atlantic. The data show an approximate 1 variation between 0.40 and 1.0 m. The theoretical basis of the wavelength variation of the absorption of solar radiation by elemental carbon [or black carbon (BC)] is explored. For a wavelength independent refractive index the small particle absorption limit simplifies to a 1 variation in relatively good agreement with the data. This result implies that the refractive indices of BC were relatively constant in this wavelength region, in agreement with much of the data on refractive indices of BC. However, the result does not indicate the magnitude of the refractive indices.

The successful optimisation of the detection performance of maritime surveillance radars requires a detailed knowledge and understanding of both forward- and backscattering from the ocean surface. Such an understanding enables the development of suitable signal-processing techniques. The paper is therefore divided into two parts, the first being concerned with radar scattering from an ocean environment and the second with target detection. In the first part it is shown, through the analysis of full-scale measurements, how the amplitude and correlation properties of high-resolution radar backscatter (sea clutter) can be accurately represented by the compound K-distribution model which has the unique characteristic of providing realistic performance predictions for a wide range of signal-processing techniques. Although the model has been presented before, the paper gives the first detailed account of the evidence and statistical analysis which have led to the model. In addition to modelling noncoherent clutter it is shown how the spectral and polarisation characteristics of coherently detected sea clutter relate to those observed in the noncoherent case. Results are also presented of forward-scattering and multipath propagation. This includes a consideration of the importance of the spatial and temporal coherence of the forward-scattered wavefront.

Summary The resource concentration hypothesis predicts that specialist insect herbivores attain higher loads (density per unit mass of the host‐plant species) when their food plants grow in high‐density patches in pure stands. We tested the resource concentration hypothesis for nine specialist insect herbivore species sampled from a field experiment where plant diversity had been manipulated experimentally, generating gradients of host‐plant abundance. The specialist insects responded to varying host‐plant abundance in two contrasting ways: as expected, specialist herbivore species were more likely to be present when their host‐plant species were abundant; however, counter to predictions, in plots where specialists were present we found strong negative linear relationships between herbivore loads and host‐plant abundances ‐ a ‘resource dilution’ rather than concentration effect. Increased plant species‐richness had an additional, but weak, negative influence on loads beyond that due to host‐plant abundance. We discuss the implications of resource dilution effects for biodiversity manipulation experiments and for the study of plant–herbivore interactions more generally.

This paper represents a study of the trajectories of an ideal missile homing on a target according to the proportional navigation law. A qualitative study is performed and conditions are determined which enable one to demonstrate that: 1) the missile always reaches the target regardless of the initial conditions at launch; 2) the rotational rate of the line of sight is decreasing at the pursuit end.

Photoreceptor transplantation is a potential future treatment for blindness caused by retinal degeneration. Photoreceptor transplantation restores visual responses in end-stage retinal degeneration, but has also been assessed in non-degenerate retinas. In the latter scenario, subretinal transplantation places donor cells beneath an intact host outer nuclear layer (ONL) containing host photoreceptors. Here we show that host cells are labelled with the donor marker through cytoplasmic transfer-94±4.1% of apparently well-integrated donor cells containing both donor and host markers. We detect the occurrence of Cre-Lox recombination between donor and host photoreceptors, and we confirm the findings through FISH analysis of X and Y chromosomes in sex-discordant transplants. We do not find evidence of nuclear fusion of donor and host cells. The artefactual appearance of integrated donor cells in host retinas following transplantation is most commonly due to material transfer from donor cells. Understanding this novel mechanism may provide alternate therapeutic strategies at earlier stages of retinal degeneration.

Abstract The present paper considers the strength of CFRP/steel double-lap joints loaded in tension. A detailed stress analysis has been conducted of the shear and transverse tensile stresses in the joint, using an elastic-plastic model for the rubber-modified epoxy adhesive. The results of this analysis have been combined with the measured properties of the materials forming the joint in order to predict quantitatively the failure strengths of the various joint designs studied. There was good agreement between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured strengths. These studies have led to a highly efficient design being developed.

OBJECTIVES: Military organizations are keen to address barriers to mental health care yet stigma and barriers to care remain little understood, especially potential cultural differences between Armed Forces. The aim of this study was to compare data collected by the US, UK, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian militaries using Hoge et al.'s perceived stigma and barriers to care measure (Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health problems and barriers to care. New Engl J Med 2004;351:13-22). DESIGN: Each member country identified data sources that had enquired about Hoge et al.'s perceived stigma and perceived barriers to care items in the re-deployment or immediate post-deployment period. Five relevant statements were included in the study. SETTING: US, UK Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Armed Forces. RESULTS: Concerns about stigma and barriers to care tended to be more prominent among personnel who met criteria for a mental health problem. The pattern of reported stigma and barriers to care was similar across the Armed Forces of all five nations. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers to care continue to be a major issue for service personnel within Western military forces. Although there are policy, procedural and cultural differences between Armed Forces, the nations studied appear to share some similarities in terms of perceived stigma and barriers to psychological care. Further research to understand patterns of reporting and subgroup differences is required.

BACKGROUND: Circulatory collapse is a leading cause of mortality among traumatic major exsanguination and in ruptured aortic aneurysm patients. Approximately 40% of patients die before hemorrhage control is achieved. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is an adjunct designed to sustain the circulation until definitive surgical or endovascular repair. A systematic review was conducted for the current clinical use of REBOA in patients with hemodynamic instability and to discuss its potential role in improving prehospital and in-hospital outcome. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis (1900-2017) using MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science and Central and Emcare using the keywords "aortic balloon occlusion", "aortic balloon tamponade", "REBOA", and "Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion" in combination with hemorrhage control, hemorrhage, resuscitation, shock, ruptured abdominal or thoracic aorta, endovascular repair, and open repair. Original published studies on human subjects were considered. RESULTS: A total of 490 studies were identified; 89 met criteria for inclusion. Of the 1436 patients, overall reported mortality was 49.2% (613/1246) with significant differences (p < 0.001) between clinical indications. Hemodynamic shock was evident in 79.3%, values between clinical indications showed significant difference (p < 0.001). REBOA was favored as treatment in trauma patients in terms of mortality. Pooled analysis demonstrated an increase in mean systolic pressure by almost 50 mmHg following REBOA use. CONCLUSION: REBOA has been used in trauma patients and ruptured aortic aneurysm patients with improvement of hemodynamic parameters and outcomes for several decades. Formal, prospective study is warranted to clarify the role of this adjunct in all hemodynamic unstable patients.

A qualitative analysis of the trajectories of a missile pursuing a maneuvering target according to the proportional navigation law is presented. Conditions for a missile to reach the target from any initial state are determined. The existence of a boundary for the required missile acceleration is demonstrated.

This paper deals with data hiding in compressed video. Unlike data hiding in images and raw video which operates on the images themselves in the spatial or transformed domain which are vulnerable to steganalysis, we target the motion vectors used to encode and reconstruct both the forward predictive (P)-frame and bidirectional (B)-frames in compressed video. The choice of candidate subset of these motion vectors are based on their associated macroblock prediction error, which is different from the approaches based on the motion vector attributes such as the magnitude and phase angle, etc. A greedy adaptive threshold is searched for every frame to achieve robustness while maintaining a low prediction error level. The secret message bitstream is embedded in the least significant bit of both components of the candidate motion vectors. The method is implemented and tested for hiding data in natural sequences of multiple groups of pictures and the results are evaluated. The evaluation is based on two criteria: minimum distortion to the reconstructed video and minimum overhead on the compressed video size. Based on the aforementioned criteria, the proposed method is found to perform well and is compared to a motion vector attribute-based method from the literature.

Abstract In this paper, the missile pitch‐axis autopilot design is revisited using a new and recently available linear parameter‐varying (LPV) control technique. The missile plant model is characterized by a linear fractional transformation (LFT) representation. The synthesis task is conducted by exploiting new capabilities of the LPV method: firstly, a set of H 2 / H ∞ criteria defined channel‐wise is considered; secondly, different Lyapunov and scaling variables are used for each channel/specification which is known to reduce conserva tism; and finally, the controller gain‐scheduling function is constructed as affine matrix‐valued function in the polytopic co‐ordinates of the scheduled parameter. All these features are examined and evaluated in turn for the missile control problem. The method is shown to provide additional flexibility to tradeoff conflicting and demanding performance and robustness specifications for the missile while preserving the practical advantage of previous single‐objective LPV methods. Finally, the method is shown to perform very satisfactorily for the missile autopilot design over a wide range of operating conditions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

It is apparent from review of published papers and books that misunderstanding and confusion exists in the minds of many authors describing the interaction of penetrating missiles with tissues. These misapprehensions may influence the management of wounds by suggesting didactic approaches based upon a preconceived notion of the nature and severity of the wound for different types of projectiles. This review considers the biophysics of penetrating missile wounds, highlights some of the more common misconceptions and seeks to reconcile the conflicting and confusing management doctrines that are promulgated in the literature-differences that arise not only from two scenarios, peace and war, but also from misapprehensions of the wounding process. Wounds of war and of peacetime differ both in the nature of the wound and in the propensity for wound infection. Additionally, the limitations imposed by war dictate the type of management that may be practised and result in procedures that would be considered inappropriate by some in civilian clinical practice. Many of the procedures described in civilian peacetime settings, such as reliance on antibiotics alone for the control of infection in penetrating wounds, or minimal excision and debridement, can yield good results but would herald disaster if transposed to a war setting.

A multi-core-shell with a conductive network structured C-PANI-S@PANI composite with high sulfur content up to 87% was synthesized. The composite cathode delivers higher specific capacity and excellent cycle stability, retaining a reversible discharge capacity of 835 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles when the sulfur loading of the cathode was above 6 mg cm(-2).

This critical interpretive research synthesis is on the topic of adaptation and skill. After an initial identification of 1995 abstracts we identified and collated a database of 140 publications that explicitly reference expertise and adaptation. We found that empirical data on adaptive skill are sparse and the literature base is largely conceptual. We differentiate the adaptive nature of expertise from routine or every day skill, and we redress the balance between what constitutes expertise and when expertise matters. We present an overview of current models of expertise including a project that we completed for the UK Ministry of Defence on the nature of adaptive skill. We discuss implications for future training by presenting empirically based training principles designed to develop adaptive skill. We assert that adaptive skill is the conditio sine qua non of expertise and conclude with suggestions for further research.