Rotorcraft Transmission Noise Path Model, Including Distributed Fluid Film Bearing Impedance Modeling

A computational approach for simulating the effects of rolling element and journal bearings on the vibration and sound transmission through gearboxes has been demonstrated. The approach, using ARL/Penn State s CHAMP methodology, uses Component Mode Synthesis of housing and shafting modes computed using Finite Element (FE) models to allow for rapid adjustment of bearing impedances in gearbox models. The approach has been demonstrated on NASA GRC s test gearbox with three different bearing configurations: in the first condition, traditional rolling element (ball and roller) bearings were installed, and in the second and third conditions, the traditional bearings were replaced with journal and wave bearings (wave bearings are journal bearings with a multi-lobed wave pattern on the bearing surface). A methodology for computing the stiffnesses and damping in journal and wave bearings has been presented, and demonstrated for the journal and wave bearings used in the NASA GRC test gearbox. The FE model of the gearbox, along with the rolling element bearing coupling impedances, was analyzed to compute dynamic transfer functions between forces applied to the meshing gears and accelerations on the gearbox housing, including several locations near the bearings. A Boundary Element (BE) acoustic model was used to compute the sound radiated by the gearbox. Measurements of the Gear Mesh Frequency (GMF) tones were made by NASA GRC at several operational speeds for the rolling element and journal bearing gearbox configurations. Both the measurements and the CHAMP numerical model indicate that the journal bearings reduce vibration and noise for the second harmonic of the gear meshing tones, but show no clear benefit to using journal bearings to reduce the amplitudes of the fundamental gear meshing tones. Also, the numerical model shows that the gearbox vibrations and radiated sound are similar for journal and wave bearing configurations

Embeddings in Non-Vacuum Spacetimes

A scheme is discussed for embedding n-dimensional, Riemannian manifolds in an (n+1)-dimensional Einstein space. Criteria for embedding a given manifold in a spacetime that represents a solution to Einstein's equations sourced by a massless scalar field are also discussed. The embedding procedures are illustrated with a number of examples.Comment: 17 pages, Plain Latex. Extended discussion on embeddings with scalar fields and further examples included. In press, Classical and Quantum Gravit

Maverick dark matter at colliders

Assuming that dark matter is a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) species X produced in the early Universe as a cold thermal relic, we study the collider signal of pp or ppbar -> XXbar + jets and its distinguishability from standard-model background processes associated with jets and missing energy. We assume that the WIMP is the sole particle related to dark matter within reach of the LHC--a "maverick" particle--and that it couples to quarks through a higher dimensional contact interaction. We simulate the WIMP final-state signal XXbar + jet and dominant standard-model (SM) background processes and find that the dark-matter production process results in higher energies for the colored final state partons than do the standard-model background processes, resulting in more QCD radiation and a higher jet multiplicity. As a consequence, the detectable signature of maverick dark matter is an excess over standard-model expectations of events consisting of large missing transverse energy, together with large leading jet transverse momentum and scalar sum of the transverse momenta of the jets. Existing Tevatron data and forthcoming LHC data can constrain (or discover!) maverick dark matter.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the GoActive intervention to increase physical activity among UK adolescents: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Less than 20% of adolescents globally meet recommended levels of physical activity, and not meeting these recommended levels is associated with social disadvantage and rising disease risk. The determinants of physical activity in adolescents are multilevel and poorly understood, but the school’s social environment likely plays an important role. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a school-based programme (GoActive) to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescents. Methods and findings: Non-fee-paying, co-educational schools including Year 9 students in the UK counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex were eligible for inclusion. Within participating schools (n = 16), all Year 9 students were eligible and invited to participate. Participants were 2,862 13- to 14-year-olds (84% of eligible students). After baseline assessment, schools were computer-randomised, stratified by school-level pupil premium funding (below/above county-specific median) and county (control: 8 schools, 1,319 participants, mean [SD] participants per school n = 165 [62]; intervention: 8 schools, 1,543 participants, n = 193 [43]). Measurement staff were blinded to allocation. The iteratively developed, feasibility-tested 12-week intervention, aligned with self-determination theory, trained older adolescent mentors and in-class peer-leaders to encourage classes to conduct 2 new weekly activities. Students and classes gained points and rewards for engaging in any activity in or out of school. The primary outcome was average daily minutes of accelerometer-assessed MVPA at 10-month follow-up; a mixed-methods process evaluation evaluated implementation. Of 2,862 recruited participants (52.1% male), 2,167 (76%) attended 10-month follow-up measurements; we analysed the primary outcome for 1,874 participants (65.5%). At 10 months, there was a mean (SD) decrease in MVPA of 8.3 (19.3) minutes in the control group and 10.4 (22.7) minutes in the intervention group (baseline-adjusted difference [95% confidence interval] −1.91 minutes [−5.53 to 1.70], p = 0.316). The programme cost £13 per student compared with control; it was not cost-effective. Overall, 62.9% of students and 87.3% of mentors reported that GoActive was fun. Teachers and mentors commented that their roles in programme delivery were unclear. Implementation fidelity was low. The main methodological limitation of this study was the relatively affluent and ethnically homogeneous sample. Conclusions: In this study, we observed that a rigorously developed school-based intervention was no more effective than standard school practice at preventing declines in adolescent physical activity. Interdisciplinary research is required to understand educational-setting-specific implementation challenges. School leaders and authorities should be realistic about expectations of the effect of school-based physical activity promotion strategies implemented at scale. Trial registration: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN31583496

Nonsystematic Reporting Biases of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant Mu Could Impact Our Understanding of the Epidemiological Dynamics of Emerging Variants

Developing a timely and effective response to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) is of paramount public health importance. Global health surveillance does not rely on genomic data alone to identify concerning variants when they emerge. Instead, methods that utilize genomic data to estimate the epidemiological dynamics of emerging lineages have the potential to serve as an early warning system. However, these methods assume that genomic data are uniformly reported across circulating lineages. In this study, we analyze differences in reporting delays among SARS-CoV-2 VOCs as a plausible explanation for the timing of the global response to the former VOC Mu. Mu likely emerged in South America in mid-2020, where its circulation was largely confined. In this study, we demonstrate that Mu was designated as a VOC ∼1 year after it emerged and find that the reporting of genomic data for Mu differed significantly than that of other VOCs within countries, states, and individual laboratories. Our findings suggest that nonsystematic biases in the reporting of genomic data may have delayed the global response to Mu. Until they are resolved, the surveillance gaps that affected the global response to Mu could impede the rapid and accurate assessment of future emerging variants

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The Value of Earthworms by Eric Johnson (page 1) Golf Course Bridge Construction by Robert A. Huntley (2) Importance of Trees and Care by Donald Pipczinski (3) Management Practices Help Control Turf Diseases by Larry Bunn (3) Class Will of \u2769 (5) Famous Sayings of \u2769 (6) The Reluctant Human by John Denison (A-1) Communicating by Frank Gallagher (A-4) Vandalism on the Golf Course by Edward B. Patroski (A-7) The GCSAA Organization - What it Means to You (A-13) Role of Potash in Turf Production by Lindsay D. Brown (A-17) Dew is Note Dew by Tom Mascaro (A-28) Insects in Turf and Their Control by John C. Schread (A-36) Turf Treatment and the Balance of Nature by Haim B. Gunner (A-39) The After-Effects of Irrigation by John C. Harper, II (A-40) Athletic Field Specifications by John C. Harper, II (A-45) Pennsylvania Turfgrass Survey by John C. Harper, II (A-52) Seeding Vs. Sodding by Norman Gray (A-54) Synthetic Turf by R. Spencer Thompson (A-58) Why Do We Have Dealers .. Does He Justify His Existence? (A-61) The Importance of Suppliers of Turf materials by John N. Magovern (A-64) Golf Course Maintenance at St. Andrews by John C. Campbell (A-68) Ground Covers for Golf Courses by Jack Eggens (A-75) Gardening - 600 BC to Country Club Road by Warren Bidwell (A-79) Blues Vs. Bents for Fairway Turf by James L. Holmes (A-87

Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler. VIII. A Fully Automated Catalog With Measured Completeness and Reliability Based on Data Release 25

We present the Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) catalog of transiting exoplanets based on searching four years of Kepler time series photometry (Data Release 25, Q1-Q17). The catalog contains 8054 KOIs of which 4034 are planet candidates with periods between 0.25 and 632 days. Of these candidates, 219 are new and include two in multi-planet systems (KOI-82.06 and KOI-2926.05), and ten high-reliability, terrestrial-size, habitable zone candidates. This catalog was created using a tool called the Robovetter which automatically vets the DR25 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs, Twicken et al. 2016). The Robovetter also vetted simulated data sets and measured how well it was able to separate TCEs caused by noise from those caused by low signal-to-noise transits. We discusses the Robovetter and the metrics it uses to sort TCEs. For orbital periods less than 100 days the Robovetter completeness (the fraction of simulated transits that are determined to be planet candidates) across all observed stars is greater than 85%. For the same period range, the catalog reliability (the fraction of candidates that are not due to instrumental or stellar noise) is greater than 98%. However, for low signal-to-noise candidates between 200 and 500 days around FGK dwarf stars, the Robovetter is 76.7% complete and the catalog is 50.5% reliable. The KOI catalog, the transit fits and all of the simulated data used to characterize this catalog are available at the NASA Exoplanet Archive.Comment: 61 pages, 23 Figures, 9 Tables, Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

Changes in serogroup and genotype prevalence among carried meningococci in the United Kingdom during vaccine implementation.

BACKGROUND: Herd immunity is important in the effectiveness of conjugate polysaccharide vaccines against encapsulated bacteria. A large multicenter study investigated the effect of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine introduction on the meningococcal population. METHODS: Carried meningococci in individuals aged 15-19 years attending education establishments were investigated before and for 2 years after vaccine introduction. Isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing, serogroup, and capsular region genotype and changes in phenotypes and genotypes assessed. RESULTS: A total of 8462 meningococci were isolated from 47 765 participants (17.7%). Serogroup prevalence was similar over the 3 years, except for decreases of 80% for serogroup C and 40% for serogroup 29E. Clonal complexes were associated with particular serogroups and their relative proportions fluctuated, with 12 statistically significant changes (6 up, 6 down). The reduction of ST-11 complex serogroup C meningococci was probably due to vaccine introduction. Reasons for a decrease in serogroup 29E ST-254 meningococci (from 1.8% to 0.7%) and an increase in serogroup B ST-213 complex meningococci (from 6.7% to 10.6%) were less clear. CONCLUSIONS: Natural fluctuations in carried meningococcal genotypes and phenotypes a can be affected by the use of conjugate vaccines, and not all of these changes are anticipatable in advance of vaccine introduction