An economic comparison of three heavy lift airborne systems

Current state of art trends indicate that a 50-ton payload helicopter could be built by the end of the decade. However, alternative aircraft that employ LTA principles are shown to be more economically attractive, both in terms of investment and operating costs for the ultra-heavy lift role. Costing methodology follows rationale developed by airframe manufacturers, and includes learning curve factors

A case study of technical change and rehabilitation: Intervention design and interdisciplinary team interaction

The design of effective interventions in sport psychology often requires a subtle blend of techniques, tailored to meet the client’s specific needs. Input from a variety of disciplinary support specialists, working as a team, is also frequently needed. Accordingly, this study investigated an interdisciplinary team approach to the technical change and rehabilitation of an elite weight lifter following injury; necessitating the avoidance of regression when performing under competitive pressure. Multiple coaching approaches were used and complimented by targeting specific mental skills. Kinematic analyses indicated progressive technical, and subsequently permanent, change even after 2 years. Self-report measures of self-efficacy and imagery use were deemed essential in facilitating the change. Finally, a discussion focuses on the intervention’s multifactorial nature, its application within high performance coaching, and how this may advise future research into the refinement of already existing and well-established skills

The NASA firefighter's breathing system program

The research is reported in the development of a firefighter's breathing system (FBS) to satisfy the operational requirements of fire departments while remaining within their cost constraints. System definition for the FBS is discussed, and the program status is reported. It is concluded that the most difficult problem in the FBS Program is the achievement of widespread fire department acceptance of the system

Judicial Interference: Redefining the Role of the Judiciary within the Context of U.S. and E.U. Merger Clearance Coordination

In December 2003, Sony and Bertelsmann AG (BMG)sought approval from the Federal Trade Commission and European Commission to effectuate a joint venture between the two companies. Remarkably, almost two years after both antitrust authorities had cleared the Sony-BMG joint venture, the Court of First Instance annulled the European Commission\u27s decision to approve the transaction. This groundbreaking decision by the Court of First Instance has the potential to undermine coordination efforts between antitrust authorities in the United States and the European Union, as well as to frustrate the predictability and efficiency that businesses need in merger regulation. Using the regulatory review of the Sony-BMG transaction as a starting point, this Note examines judicial review of merger clearance decisions in the United States and the European Union. The Note then suggests that judicial standards of review should recognize successful multinational coordination as a reason to defer to antitrust authority decisions and require increased transparency to facilitate such review

Long term frequency stability analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR 6 Cesium clock

Time domain measurements, taken between the NAVSTAR 6 Spacecraft Vehicle (SV) and the Vandenberg Global Positioning System (GPS) Monitor Site, by a pseudo random noise receiver, were collected over an extended period of time and analyzed to estimate the long term frequency stability of the NAVSTAR 6 onboard frequency standard, referenced to the Vandenberg MS frequency standard. The technique employed separates the clock offset from the composite signal by first applying corrections for equipment delays, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, Earth rotation and the relativistic effect. The data are edited and smoothed using the predicted SV ephemeris to calculate the geometric delay. Then all available passes from each of the four GPS monitor stations, are collected at 1-week intervals and used to calculate the NAVSTAR orbital elements. The procedure is then completed by subtracting the corrections and the geometric delay, using the final orbital elements, from the composite signal, thus leaving the clock offset and random error

Establishment, Impacts, and Current Range of Spotted Knapweed (\u3ci\u3eCentaurea Stoebe\u3c/i\u3e Ssp. \u3ci\u3eMicranthos\u3c/i\u3e) Biological Control Insects in Michigan

Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos (Gugler) Hayek (spotted knapweed) is an invasive plant that has been the target of classical biological control in North America for more than four decades. Work in the western U.S. and Canada has shown the seedhead-feeding weevils Larinus minutus Gyllenhal and Larinus obtusus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and the root-boring weevil Cyphocleonus achates (Fahraeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to be the most effective C. stoebe control agents. These three weevils have recently been introduced into the eastern U.S., including sites in Michigan in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, we made additional releases at six sites in Michigan, monitoring them for three years 2011-13. Here we report on the establishment, impact, and cur- rent range of L. minutus, L. obtusus, and C. achates in Michigan. We also report on the initial results of native plant overseeding treatments that were applied to biological control release sites with the aim of supplementing the nectar source C. stoebe provides. We found that L. minutus has established at all of its Michigan release sites and is widespread in the southwestern part of the state, while L. obtusus has established at the single site where it was released in 2007 and is spreading to adjoining counties. We also found C. achates to be present at four sites and established at one additional site in Michigan, but in all cases abundances are low and dispersal has been minimal (\u3c 10 m). In the three years following the 2010 releases, we found no measurable impacts of these biological control agents on C. stoebe growth, demographics, or plant community metrics. We also found little evidence of native flowering plant establishment at seeded sites. These baseline data will be useful in monitoring the spread and potential impacts of biological control agents on C. stoebe in Michigan