Mega-Constellations Based TT&C Resource Sharing: Keep Reliable Aeronautical Communication in an Emergency

With the development of the transportation industry, the effective guidance of aircraft in an emergency to prevent catastrophic accidents remains one of the top safety concerns. Undoubtedly, operational status data of the aircraft play an important role in the judgment and command of the Operational Control Center(OCC). However, how to transmit various operational status data from abnormal aircraft back to the OCC in an emergency is still an open problem. In this paper, we propose a novel Telemetry, Tracking,and Command(TT&C) architecture named Collaborative TT&C(CoTT&C) based on mega-constellation to solve such a problem. CoTT&C allows each satellite to help the abnormal aircraft by sharing TT&C resources when needed, realizing real-time and reliable aeronautical communication in an emergency. Specifically, we design a dynamic resource sharing mechanism for CoTT&C and model the mechanism as a single-leader-multi-follower Stackelberg game. Further, we give an unique Nash Equilibrium(NE) of the game as a closed form. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed resource sharing mechanism is effective, incentive compatible, fair, and reciprocal. We hope that our findings can shed some light for future research on aeronautical communications in an emergency.

Cross-regional emergency scheduling planning for petroleum based on the supernetwork model

Petroleum, the most important energy source in the world, plays an essential role in securing economic development. If a petroleum shortage happens, it will severely disrupt production and life. Cross-regional emergency scheduling can effectively alleviate a petroleum shortage and further enhance the efficiency of the emergency response. Considering the general lack of focus on cross-regional petroleum dispatching management, we propose a three-layer emergency scheduling network for petroleum based on a supernetwork model that can increase the regional emergency correlation by adding a transfer management process. Then, we compare the total demand for petroleum and the emergency costs considered in the petroleum emergency scheduling supernetwork model（the single-region and the cross-region scenarios）.The result shows that the cross-regional emergency scheduling pattern can effectively enhance the efficiency of the emergency preparations and reduce the emergency costs in most cases. However, when the vulnerabilities in the crossregional link grow or the regional linkage decreases, the effect of single-regional scheduling is better. In addition, the advantages of the cross-regional emergency scheduling network will be strengthened with an increase in its maximum emergency capability. Nonetheless, this advantage will disappear when the petroleum demand in the crisis layer reaches the maximum emergency response capacity. Finally, according to the comparative analysis simulation among scenarios,certain strategic policy recommendations are suggested to improve the petroleum emergency scheduling ability in regions.These recommendations include strengthening the cross-regional coordination mechanism, increasing the modes of petroleum transportation and enhancing the carrying capacity of regional emergency routes.

NOMA-Based UAV-Aided Networks for Emergency Communications

High spectrum efficiency(SE)requirement and massive connections are the main challenges for the fifth generation(5G)and beyond 5G(B5G)wireless networks,especially for the case when Internet of Things(IoT)devices are located in a disaster area.Non-orthogonal multiple access(NOMA)-based unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-aided network is emerging as a promising technique to overcome the above challenges.In this paper,an emergency communications framework of NOMA-based UAV-aided networks is established,where the disasters scenarios can be divided into three broad categories that have named emergency areas,wide areas and dense areas.First,a UAV-enabled uplink NOMA system is established to gather information from IoT devices in emergency areas.Then,a joint UAV deployment and resource allocation scheme for a multi-UAV enabled NOMA system is developed to extend the UAV coverage for IoT devices in wide areas.Furthermore,a UAV equipped with an antenna array has been considered to provide wireless service for multiple devices that are densely distributed in disaster areas.Simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the above three schemes.Finally,potential research directions and challenges are also highlighted and discussed.

Constructing of wireless emergency communication system for underground coal mine based on WMN technology

Based on the Wireless Mesh Network (WMN), a wireless emergency communicationsystem for underground coal mine which was designed to be capable of videosurveillance, voice communication, and environment monitoring at the same time wasproposed.The network architecture of the system was proposed, and its service model,extensible technology, medium access control, routing algorithm, channel allocation andsystem management technologies were analyzed according to the actual rescue requirementsof underground coal mine and the characteristics of underground spatial structureand radio transmissions.The relevant theories and key technologies were extracted,which would provide theoretical support for the system development.

Communication Mechanism and Algorithm of Composite Location Analysis of Emergency Communication based on Rail

The emergency communication system based on rail is an unconventional emergency communication mode,it is a complement equipment for that conventional communication system can’t work while tunnel mine accident occurs.Medium of transmission channel is the widely existing rail in the tunnel.In this paper we analyzed the characteristics of the rail transmission channel,verified the feasibility that information is transmitted by vibration signal in rail,we proposed the realization plan of the system.Communication protocol and processing mechanism suitable for rail transmission are designed according to the characteristics of channel bandwidth and low data transmission.Information communication with low bit rate and low bit error is realized in the communication simulation model.In the simplified model,we realized to transmit recognition speech information,and the error rate of the key text information is low to accept.The most concerned problem of personnel location in the mine disaster rescue is proposed,the composite algorithm is based on the model of signal amplitude attenuation,key node information and data frame transmission delay.Location information of hitting point can be achieved within the simplified model of the experiment.Furthermore,we discuss the characteristics of vibration signals passing through different channels.

German critical incident reporting system database of prehospital emergency medicine: Analysis of reported communication and medication errors between 2005–2015

BACKGROUND: Communication failure in prehospital emergency medicine can affect patient safety as it does in other areas of medicine as well. We analyzed the database of the critical incident reporting system for prehospital emergency medicine in Germany retrospectively regarding communication errors.METHODS: Experts of prehospital emergency medicine and risk management screened the database for verbal communication failure, non-verbal communication failure and missing communication at all.RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2015, 845 reports were analyzed, of which 247 reports were considered to be related to communication failure. An arbitrary classifi cation resulted in six different kinds: 1) no acknowledgement of a suggestion; 2) medication error; 3) miscommunication with dispatcher; 4) utterance heard/understood improperly; 5) missing information transfer between two persons; and 6) other communication failure.CONCLUSION: Communication defi cits can lead to critical incidents in prehospital emergency medicine and are a very important aspect in patient safety.

Multi-Objective Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm Based on Effective Area in Cognitive Emergency Communication Networks

Cognitive emergency communication net-works can meet the requirements of large capac-ity,high density and low delay in emergency com-munications.This paper analyzes the properties of emergency users in cognitive emergency communi-cation networks,designs a multi-objective optimiza-tion and proposes a novel multi-objective bacterial foraging optimization algorithm based on effective area(MOBFO-EA)to maximize the transmission rate while maximizing the lifecycle of the network.In the algorithm,the effective area is proposed to prevent the algorithm from falling into a local optimum,and the diversity and uniformity of the Pareto-optimal solu-tions distributed in the effective area are used to eval-uate the optimization algorithm.Then,the dynamic preservation is used to enhance the competitiveness of excellent individuals and the uniformity and diversity of the Pareto-optimal solutions in the effective area.Finally,the adaptive step size,adaptive moving direc-tion and inertial weight are used to shorten the search time of bacteria and accelerate the optimization con-vergence.The simulation results show that the pro-posed MOBFO-EA algorithm improves the efficiency of the Pareto-optimal solutions by approximately 55%compared with the MOPSO algorithm and by approx-imately 60%compared with the MOBFO algorithm and has the fastest and smoothest convergence.

Leadership,communication,and science:three pillars essential to public health emergency response and closing the gap in the HIV response among key populations

Globally,there have been multiple public health emergencies in recent decades.High rates of morbidity,occasionally mortality,and economic instability are usually associated with pandemics.One of the epidemics that has significantly increased morbidity and mortality worldwide is the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)and acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS)pandemic.HIV has a disproportionately negative impact on key populations.Strong leadership,effective communication,and sound science are necessary for public health emergency(PHE)responses to be successful.These three PHE response pllars are also essential for bridging the HIV response gap among key populations in the setting of restrictive laws.In this review,we explored the importance of these three pillars of successful PHEs responses,and how they are essential to closing the gap in the HIV response among key populations.Leaders must make decisions and instil a sense of authority in the populace during PHEs to foster trust and confidence.Leaders should base their choices on scientific evidence.Effective communication during PHEs should be proactive,polite,imaginative,innovative,and constructive.To address gaps in the HIV response among key populations,leaders must create a supportive environment for effective communication and scientific research,communication should be used to raise awareness of HIV and to dispel stigma and discrimination,while science should provide evidence of efficacy and effectiveness of interventions amongkey populations.

Application Analysis of the Emergency Communication System in Weather Radar

According the work arrangements and requirements of carried satellite emergency communications, Fujian Meteorological Bureau establishes a satellite emergency communication system for radar stations to meet the needs of data transmission under the radar state of emergency. This paper introduces the main construction content, structure diagram, network diagram, drills and emergency communications procedures of the emergency communication system for the province’s meteorological radar satellite and provides the test emergency situation of the province’s meteorological radar-satellite data transmission. Satellite emergency communication system can basically meet the needs of emergency radar data transmission.

Risk Communication and External Emergency Plan in Angra dos Reis, Brazil

The presence of a potentially hazardous facility in a community demands several safety procedures. Bringing risk communication among those actions may help the population that lives near the facility feel more confident and have the required knowledge on how to behave in an emergency situation. A research performed in Angra dos Reis, RJ, Brazil, where a nuclear power plant is located, shows that there is a lack of information and awareness about the emergency plan.

Hybrid Satellite-Aerial-Terrestrial Networks in Emergency Scenarios:A Survey

Natural disaster or large-scale unexpected events easily make the terrestrial network overloaded,paralyzed, or totally destroyed. It is highly demanded to build an emergency network which can be deployed rapidly, offer high data rate and wide coverage. The emergence of aerial platforms especially the low altitude platforms(LAPs) indicates a stable and reliable direction for the development of emergency network. Hybrid satellite-aerial-terrestrial(HSAT) networks have the ability to provide effective services rather than traditional infrastructures during the emergency situation. In this paper, the aerial platforms and the HSAT networks are surveyed and the key technologies are discussed from several aspects. The challenges of the HSAT networks are also outlined finally.

Analysis of good practice of Public Health Emergency Operations Centers

Objective: To study the public health Emergency Operations Centers(EOCs)in the US, the European Union, the UK and Australia, and summarize the good practice for the improvement of National Health Emergency Response Command Center in Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission. Methods: Literature review was conducted to explore the EOCs of selected countries. Results: The study focused on EOC function, organizational structure, human resources and information management. The selected EOCs had the basic EOC functions of coordinating and commanding as well as the public health related functions such as monitoring the situation, risk assessment, and epidemiological briefings. The organizational structures of the EOCs were standardized, scalable and flexible. Incident Command System was the widely applied organizational structure with a strong preference. The EOCs were managed by a unit of emergency management during routine time and surge staff were engaged upon emergencies. The selected EOCs had clear information management framework including information collection, assessment and dissemination. Conclusions: The performance of National Health Emergency Response Command Center can be improved by learning from the good practice of the selected EOCs, including setting clear functions, standardizing the organizational structure, enhancing the human resource capacity and strengthening information management.

Towards Intelligent Reflecting Surface Empowered 6G Terahertz Communications: A Survey

Terahertz(THz)communications have been widely envisioned as a promising enabler to provide adequate bandwidth and achieve ultra-high data rates for sixth generation(6G)wireless networks.In order to mitigate blockage vulnerability caused by serious propagation attenuation and poor diffraction of THz waves,an intelligent reflecting surface(IRS),which manipulates the propagation of incident electromagnetic waves in a programmable manner by adjusting the phase shifts of passive reflecting elements,is proposed to create smart radio environments,improve spectrum efficiency and enhance coverage capability.Firstly,some prospective application scenarios driven by the IRS empowered THz communications are introduced,including wireless mobile communications,secure communications,unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)scenario,mobile edge computing(MEC)scenario and THz localization scenario.Then,we discuss the enabling technologies employed by the IRS empowered THz system,involving hardware design,channel estimation,capacity optimization,beam control,resource allocation and robustness design.Moreover,the arising challenges and open problems encountered in the future IRS empowered THz communications are also highlighted.Concretely,these emerging problems possibly originate from channel modeling,new material exploration,experimental IRS testbeds and intensive deployment.Ultimately,the combination of THz communications and IRS is capable of accelerating the development of 6G wireless networks.

A comparison of perspectives on costs in emergency care among emergency department patients and residents

BACKGROUND: Costs of care are increasingly important in healthcare policy and, more recently, in clinical care in the emergency department(ED). We compare ED resident and patient perspectives surrounding costs in emergency care.METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods study using surveys and qualitative interviews at a single, academic ED in the United States. The two study populations were a convenience sample of adult ED patients(>17 years of age) and ED residents training at the same institution. Participants answered open- and closed-ended questions on costs, medical decision making, cost-related compliance, and communication about costs. Closed-ended data were tabulated and described using standard statistics while open-ended responses were analyzed using grounded theory.RESULTS: Thirty ED patients and 24 ED residents participated in the study. Both patients and residents generally did not have knowledge of medical costs. Patients were comfortable discussing costs while residents were less comfortable. Residents agreed that doctors should consider costs when making medical decisions whereas patients somewhat disagreed. Additionally, residents generally took costs into consideration during clinical decision-making, yet nearly all residents agreed that they had too little education on costs.CONCLUSION: There were several notable differences in ED patient and resident perspectives on costs in this U.S. sample. While patients somewhat disagree that cost should factor into decision making, generally they are comfortable discussing costs yet report having insuf? cient knowledge of what care costs. Conversely, ED residents view costs as important and agree that cost should factor into decision making but lack education on what emergency care costs.

A Scalable Communication Mechanism in Service Emergence Based on Bio-network

A scalable communication mechanism is proposed for service emergence based on bio-network.Service emergence is a novel model inspired by the characteristics of emergence and self-evolution in biological neuroendocrine and immune system,emergent communication means a group communication of mobile bio-entities.A series of protocol and algorithm are presented within frequently bio-entities migration and failure,it includes distribution and parallelization of message propagation method,a token-ring protocol that considerably improves the performance of emergence,and failure detection mechanisms.Experiment results show the desired capability via the proposed solution.

Modeling Components and Services of LTE Mobile Communications System

The latest wireless broadband network standard is LTE (Long Term Evolution) which is developed by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). It will enable mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops to access Internet at a very high speed along with lots of multimedia services. There are many issues that are yet to be solved due to dynamic complex nature of wireless systems, multimedia software applications and software requirements. Poor service quality, service disconnections due to mobility, seamless handover, handover interruption time and downward compatibility to other Radio Access Networks (RAN) are some of the key issues for the current LTE systems that are addressed very recently in the scientific literature. Formal method is one of the promising software engineering techniques that assure quality and perfection in software system models. Formal methods use mathematical language to explicitly specify system specifications and requirements that serve as initial grounds for further development and implementation. It efficiently handles all component connections and resource management parameters using discrete structures. Z Schema language is used to model static aspects of LTE communications system. All the schemas are being verified using Z/Eves toolset. The aim is to provide sound mathematical foundation for system validation and verification that eventually results in a more reliable, scalable and complete software system.

Assessment of Weight and Health in the Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity and obesity-related diseases continues to rise. A key aspect of prevention and treatment of these disorders requires clear communication about weight and health between patients and healthcare providers. Objective: We sought to examine the prevalence rate of obesity and associated comorbid illnesses in an emergency department (ED) population. A second aim was to assess patients’ perceptions of their weight and their overall health. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed in an academic tertiary-care center using a representative sample of patients (≥18 yr) who presented to the ED. Pregnant patients, patients who were medically unstable, cognitively impaired or who were unable or unwilling to provide informed consent were excluded. Anthropometric measurements were taken which include BMI (the ratio of a patient’s weight and height expressed as kg/m2) and waist circumference. In addition, the prevalence rates of all enrolled patients who 1) feel their health is affecting their weight and 2) who have had or recall discussions about their health and weight with their provider were examined by using a two-question validated survey. Results: The overall prevalence rate of obesity in this study was 38.6%. Only 71.8% (95% CI, 63.2% - 80.6%) of overweight patients (BMI = 25.0 - 29.9) and 28.4% (95% CI, 21.6% - 35.2%) of obese patients (BMI ≥ 30.0) believe their present weight is damaging to their health. Further, only 15.5% (95% CI, 8.5% - 22.6%) and 59.4% (95% CI, 53% - 67%) of those overweight and obese, respectively, recall being informed by their healthcare provider they are overweight. For morbidly obese patients (BMI ≥ 40.0), 79.6% (95% CI, 12.2 - 28.6) feel their weight is damaging their health and 83.7% (95% CI, 9.4 - 23.2) recall having a conversation about weight with their healthcare provider. Conclusion: Many obese and overweight patients believe their weight does not impact their health and have not had discussion about weight and health with their healthcare provider.

Diversity of Emergency Codes in Hospitals

Background: Hospitals must be prepared to deal efficiently and effectively with different emergencies. To accomplish this, several countries have standardized their hospital emergency codes to improve their response capability. This is particularly important in Puerto Rico given that many health professionals, particularly physicians and nurses, provide services in more than one hospital. This study examined the emergency codes and alerts utilized in Puerto Rican hospitals. Objective: To assess hospitals’ level of emergency preparedness and response capability related to the variability of emergency codes and alerts utilized to respond to a situation in Puerto Rico. Method: A survey was conducted to characterize hospital emergency department level of preparedness and response to a mass fatality incident. A total of 39 out of a sample of 44 hospitals participated in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered by the research team to members of each hospital’s administrative staff to explore the following: general hospital characteristics, emergency plans, emergency department capacity, collaborative agreements, personnel training, emergency communications, laboratory facilities, treatment protocols, security, epidemiologic surveillance, equipment and infrastructure. Results: Some hospitals in Puerto Rico use color coded emergency alerts, while others use key words or codes. Single color emergency codes can have different meanings in different hospitals. Conclusions: The findings clearly show that there is a lack of uniformity and clarity in the emergency codes utilized by hospitals in Puerto Rico. Single color codes have diverse meanings in different hospitals. This could adversely affect hospitals’ efficient and effective emergency response.

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: Challenges and opportunities for militaries

The communal nature of living and training environments, alongside suboptimal hygiene and stressors in the field, place military personnel at higher risk of contracting emerging infectious diseases. Some of these diseases spread quickly within ranks resulting in large outbreaks, and personnel deployed are also often immunologically na?ve to otherwise uncommonly-encountered pathogens. Furthermore, the chance of weaponised biological agents being used in conventional warfare or otherwise remains a very real, albeit often veiled, threat. However, such challenges also provide opportunities for the advancement of preventive and therapeutic military medicine, some of which have been later adopted in civilian settings. Some of these include improved surveillance, new vaccines and drugs, better public health interventions and inter-agency co-operations. The legacy of successes in dealing with infectious diseases is a reminder of the importance in sustaining efforts aimed at ensuring a safer environment for both military and the community at large.

UAV-Aided Networks for Emergency Communications in Areas with Unevenly Distributed Users

Nowadays,daily human life is closely intertwined with various networks.When natural disasters or malicious attacks break out,the failure of communication infrastructure due to direct destruction or indirect impact tends to cause a massive outage of communications.Emergency communication networks play a significant role in rescue operations.Recently,a flexible and efficient solution has been provided for emergency communications using unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).By means of their excellent characteristics,UAVs,serving as aerial base stations(ABSs),can be rapidly deployed to temporarily rebuild a damaged communication network to restore the users’connectivity.In this study,we investigate the use of UAVs as ABSs for an emergency communication scene where user equipment is unevenly distributed and the communication infrastructure has completely failed due to a severe disaster.Effective communication probability(ECP),which integrates throughput coverage and connectivity,is used to evaluate the performance of a communication network.Through simulations,we analyze communication improvements that can be obtained by the flexible deployment of ABSs.The results show a noticeable increase in ECP when some ABSs are deployed in optimal locations.