An exploratory survey of current practice in the medical device industry

This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here. Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose – This study seeks to examine the extent to which mainstream tools and strategies are applied in the medical devices sector, which is highly fragmented and contains a high percentage of small companies, and to determine if company size impacts on manufacturing strategy selection. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed and disseminated through a number of channels. Responses were received from 38 companies in the UK and Ireland, describing 68 products taken to market in the past five years. Findings – Because of the limited scope of the survey, the findings are indicative rather than conclusive, and interesting trends have emerged. New to the world products were much more likely to exceed company expectations of market success compared to derivative products. It was found that the majority of these innovative products were developed by small companies. Large companies appear to favour minor upgrades over major upgrades even though these prove – on the data presented – to be less successful overall. Practical implications – These results provide those engaged in this sector with comparative information and some insights for further improvement. The reported trends with respect to company size and product complexity (or degree of novelty) are particularly illuminating. Academically, this sets some expected trends on a firmer footing and unearths one or two unexpected findings. Originality/value – It is believed that this is the largest survey of determinants of success in UK medical device companies and it provides a comparison with other sectors

Quantification of stochastic fragmentation of self-gravitating discs

Using 2D smoothed particle hydrodynamics, we investigate the distribution of wait times between strong shocks in a turbulent, self-gravitating accretion disc. We show the resulting distributions do not depend strongly on the cooling time or resolution of the disc and that they are consistent with the predictions of earlier work (Young & Clarke 2015; Cossins et al. 2009, 2010). We use the distribution of wait times between shocks to estimate the likelihood of stochastic fragmentation by gradual contraction of shear-resistant clumps on the cooling time scale. We conclude that the stochastic fragmentation mechanism (Paardekooper 2012) cannot change the radius at which fragmentation is possible by more than ~20%, restricting direct gravitational collapse as a mechanism for giant planet formation to the outer regions of protoplanetary discs.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 6 pages and 3 figure

Power Counting Regime of Chiral Effective Field Theory and Beyond

Chiral effective field theory complements numerical simulations of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) on a space-time lattice. It provides a model-independent formalism for connecting lattice simulation results at finite volume and a variety of quark masses to the physical world. The asymptotic nature of the chiral expansion places the focus on the first few terms of the expansion. Thus, knowledge of the power-counting regime (PCR) of chiral effective field theory, where higher-order terms of the expansion may be regarded as negligible, is as important as knowledge of the expansion itself. Through the consideration of a variety of renormalization schemes and associated parameters, techniques to identify the PCR where results are independent of the renormalization scheme are established. The nucleon mass is considered as a benchmark for illustrating this general approach. Because the PCR is small, the numerical simulation results are also examined to search for the possible presence of an intrinsic scale which may be used in a nonperturbative manner to describe lattice simulation results outside of the PCR. Positive results that improve on the current optimistic application of chiral perturbation theory beyond the PCR are reported.Comment: 18 pages, 55 figure

Empirical studies of upper atmospheric species

The first month of spin-scan ozone imaging (SOI) data (October 1981) was processed and compared with total ozone mapping spectrometer and ground based data. Short term variations in the ozone field have been revealed using animated sequences of SOI data. High correlations were observed between SOI ozone and upper tropospheric meteorological data. The relationship between ozone and temperature in the stratosphere was investigated by examining Nimbus 4 backscattered ultraviolet ozone and selective chopper radiometer temperature measurements as well as solar Nimbus 7 solar backscattered ultraviolet ozone and stratospheric and mesospheric sounder temperature measurements. Results from these ozone temperature studies were compared with calculations from theoretical 2-D models. All of the lims infrared monitor of the stratosphere data was processed at 10 pressure levels and correlations between various species have been performed. The Venus Atmospheric Drag model was modified taking into account recent investigations on the Venus thermosphere and the resulting model was considered for incorporation into the Venus International Reference Atmosphere

Research study of an aircraft-contained radar zero-zero landing system, volume 1 Final report, Jan. - Dec. 1967

Two rapid scan radar/display techniques evaluated for use in aircraft-contained zero-zero landing syste

Are you a researcher as well as a medical illustrator?

When we list the areas of practice for medical illustrators we always include research, but how involved in research are we? The aim of this activity is to encourage your professional development not just as a medical illustrator but your involvement with research whether that is undertaking your own research, undertaking evidence based practice (1) , working as part of a research team, advising researchers on the value of medical illustration or supporting a student undertaking a research project for their degree or post-graduate qualification

Research study of an aircraft-contained radar zero-zero landing system, volume 2 Final report, Jan. - Dec. 1967

Conceptual development of long wave radar display based on processed plan position indicator and cross beam raster scan technique