In-Flight Tests of Intruder Detection Vision System.

In the near future, the integration of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles into the common airspace will proceed. The changes taking place mean that the safety of light aircraft, ultralight aircraft and unmanned air vehicles (UAV) will become an increasing problem. The IDAAS project (Intruder Detection And collision Avoidance System) meets the new challenges as it aims to produce technically advanced detection and collision avoidance systems for light and unmanned aerial vehicles. The work discusses selected elements of research and practical tests of the intruder detection vision system, which is part the of IDAAS project. At the outset, the current formal requirements related to the necessity of installing anticollision systems on aircraft are presented. The concept of the IDAAS system and the structure of algorithms related to image processing are also discussed. The main part of the work presents the methodology developed for the needs of dedicated flight tests, its implementation and the results obtained. The initial tests of the IDAAS system carried out on an ultralight aircraft generally indicate the possibility of the effective detection of intruders in the airspace with the use of vision methods, although they also indicated the existence of conditions in which this detection may prove difficult or even impossible.

A Vision-Based Method for Determining Aircraft State during Spin Recovery.

This article proposes a vision-based method of determining in which of the three states, defined in the spin recovery process, is an aircraft. The correct identification of this state is necessary to make the right decisions during the spin recovery maneuver. The proposed solution employs a keypoints displacements analysis in consecutive frames taken from the on-board camera. The idea of voting on the temporary location of the rotation axis and dominant displacement direction was used. The decision about the state is made based on a proposed set of rules employing the histogram spread measure. To validate the method, experiments on flight simulator videos, recorded at varying altitudes and in different lighting, background, and visibility conditions, were carried out. For the selected conditions, the first flight tests were also performed. Qualitative and quantitative assessments were conducted using a multimedia data annotation tool and the Jaccard index, respectively. The proposed approach could be the basis for creating a solution supporting the pilot in the process of aircraft spin recovery and, in the future, the development of an autonomous method.

Bone Diaphysis Metastases, the Ways and Results of Surgical Treatment Saving the Joints.

BACKGROUND: A consequence of the progress in oncological treatment is an increasing number of bone complications asso-ciated with metastases. With appropriate choice of oncological treatment and appropriate surgical management, patients may recover their physical function and maintain the previous level of quality of life. Available surgical techniques include intrame-dullary nailing, stabilisation with plates and screws and the use of modular prostheses. AIM OF THE STUDY: to retrospectively assess the techniques and outcomes of surgical treatment of long bone metastases at the Oncology Orthopaedics Department of the Speciality Hospital in Brzozów, present the possibilities of surgical management and benefits of the chosen method and tentatively choose the most effective approach for restoring function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 2013 and 2017, a total of 82 patients were treated for long bone metastases at the Depart-ment of Oncological Orthopaedics. The most common cancers causing bone metastases were breast cancer (37%), myeloma (16%), lung cancer (8%), kidney (15%), prostate (8%), thyroid 4%, colon 1%, uterus 1%, with other sites accounting for 10%. Pathological fractures were diagnosed in 68 patients. Before the surgical treatment, the patients' quality of life was assessed using the Karnofsky scale, Bollen prognostic scale, severity of pain in a VAS scale, and MSTS performance scale. Metastasis morpho-logy was evaluated with conventional radiographs, CT and PET-CT. Types of surgery comprised intramedullary nailing, the use of plates and screws and the placement of modular prostheses. Patients were divided into three groups with regard to the stabi-li-sation systems used and another three related to tumour location (humerus, femur or tibia). RESULTS: Post-operatively, there was a reduction of pain in the VAS scale. Function (MSTS) was best in patients treated with minimally invasive methods and modular prostheses (p <0.05). An improvement in quality of life in the Karnofsky scale was also noted. The complication rate was 7% and was related to wound healing and thromboembolic complications. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Patients with long-bone cancer metastases with pathological fractures or risk of fracture require surgical management. 2. Nailing or modular prosthesis produced the best functional result at 6 weeks post-operatively. 3. All methods of surgical treatment reduced pain and improved the quality of life.

Complications after Surgical Treatment of Spinal Metastases.

BACKGROUND: Metastases predominate among spinal tumors. The choice of the best treatment is always done on a case-by-case basis and is multi-faceted. Surgical treatment is increasingly being used and is often com-bined with postoperative radiotherapy. However, it is fraught with the risk of complications. Awareness of these risks and an ability to reduce their incidence is the key to obtaining good results. The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess complications in patients treated for spinal tumors in our Department of Orthopedic Oncology at the Hospital in Brzozów. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Out of the 846 patients treated for spinal tumors in the years 2011-2016, 723 (85%) were operated on. The results of imaging and biochemical tests, documentation on the course of treatment, surgical protocols as well as patient records from the outpatient clinic were assessed. RESULTS: In our series, complications occurred in 14% of the patients. They were divided into general-medical (2.7%), orthopedic and neurological (wound healing problems, dural injury, paresis) (11%), and mechanical (0.3%). Complications occurred most often after surgery using a posterior approach in the thoracic spine. In wound healing problems, good results were obtained after surgical treatment of wounds. Damage to the dura mater was repaired du-ring the original operation and cerebrospinal fluid leaks usually resolved spontaneously. Destabilized hardware was replaced during revision procedures. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The rate of complications in the present study was comparable to figures reported in the lite-rature. 2. Radiation therapy had a significant impact on the risk of wound healing complications. The most important risk factor is patients' overall health status, age, previous radiotherapy and steroid therapy, and the presence of neu-rological deficits. 3. Mechanical complications occur mainly in the junctional segments of the spine. 4. Operative treat-ment of wound healing complications produces good results."