Helicopter simulation validation using flight data

A joint NASA/Army effort to perform a systematic ground-based piloted simulation validation assessment is described. The best available mathematical model for the subject helicopter (UH-60A Black Hawk) was programmed for real-time operation. Flight data were obtained to validate the math model, and to develop models for the pilot control strategy while performing mission-type tasks. The validated math model is to be combined with motion and visual systems to perform ground based simulation. Comparisons of the control strategy obtained in flight with that obtained on the simulator are to be used as the basis for assessing the fidelity of the results obtained in the simulator

Microminiaturized, biopotential conditioning system (MBCS)

Multichannel, medical monitoring system allows almost complete freedom of movement for subject during monitoring periods. System comprises monitoring unit (biobelt), transmission line, and data acquisition unit. Belt, made of polybenzimidizole fabric, is wrapped around individual's waist and held in place by overlapping sections of Velcro closure material

Kidney cell electrophoresis in space flight: Rationale, methods, results and flow cytometry applications

Cultures of human embryonic kidney cells consistently contain an electrophoretically separable subpopulation of cells that produce high levels of urokinase and have an electrophoretic mobility about 85 percent as high as that of the most mobile human embryonic kidney cells. This subpopulation is rich in large epithelioid cells that have relatively little internal structure. When resolution and throughput are adequate, free fluid electrophoresis can be used to isolate a broad band of low mobility cells which also produces high levels of plasminogen activators (PAs). In the course of performing this, it was discovered that all electrophoretic subpopulations of cultured human embryonic kidney cells produce some PAs and that separate subpopulations produce high quantities of different types of PA's. This information and the development of sensitive assays for this project have provided new insights into cell secretion mechanisms related to fibrinolysis. These advances would probably not have been made without the NASA program to explore fundamental questions of free fluid electrophoresis in space

Entropic effects on the Size Evolution of Cluster Structure

We show that the vibrational entropy can play a crucial role in determining the equilibrium structure of clusters by constructing structural phase diagrams showing how the structure depends upon both size and temperature. These phase diagrams are obtained for example rare gas and metal clusters.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

High-Dose Glycine Treatment of Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder in a 5-Year Period

This paper describes an individual who was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) at age 17 when education was discontinued. By age 19, he was housebound without social contacts except for parents. Adequate trials of three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, two with atypical neuroleptics, were ineffective. Major exacerbations following ear infections involving Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus at ages 19 and 20 led to intravenous immune globulin therapy, which was also ineffective. At age 22, another severe exacerbation followed antibiotic treatment for H. pylori. This led to a hypothesis that postulates deficient signal transduction by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). Treatment with glycine, an NMDAR coagonist, over 5 years led to robust reduction of OCD/BDD signs and symptoms except for partial relapses during treatment cessation. Education and social life were resumed and evidence suggests improved cognition. Our findings motivate further study of glycine treatment of OCD and BDD

Vector species richness increases haemorrhagic disease prevalence through functional diversity modulating the duration of seasonal transmission

© Copyright Cambridge University Press 2015. SUMMARY Although many parasites are transmitted between hosts by a suite of arthropod vectors, the impact of vector biodiversity on parasite transmission is poorly understood. Positive relationships between host infection prevalence and vector species richness (SR) may operate through multiple mechanisms, including (i) increased vector abundance, (ii) a sampling effect in which species of high vectorial capacity are more likely to occur in species-rich communities, and (iii) functional diversity whereby communities comprised species with distinct phenologies may extend the duration of seasonal transmission. Teasing such mechanisms apart is impeded by a lack of appropriate data, yet could highlight a neglected role for functional diversity in parasite transmission. We used statistical modelling of extensive host, vector and microparasite data to test the hypothesis that functional diversity leading to longer seasonal transmission explained variable levels of disease in a wildlife population. We additionally developed a simple transmission model to guide our expectation of how an increased transmission season translates to infection prevalence. Our study demonstrates that vector SR is associated with increased levels of disease reporting, but not via increases in vector abundance or via a sampling effect. Rather, the relationship operates by extending the length of seasonal transmission, in line with theoretical predictions

Erratum: Vector species richness increases haemorrhagic disease prevalence through functional diversity modulating the duration of seasonal transmission (Parasitology (2015) 143 (874-879) DOI: 10.1017/S0031182015000578)

© Cambridge University Press 2016. The publisher apologises for the link to the Supplementary Material being incorrect. On page 878, the Supplementary Material section should read as follows: SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL To view supplementary material for this article, please visit https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182015000578

Neutrino masses and mixing angles from leptoquark interactions

In this paper we show that the mixing between leptoquarks (LQ's) from different $SU(2)_l$ multiplets can generate a non-trivial Majorana mass matrix for neutrinos through one loop self energy diagrams. Such mixing can arise from gauge invariant and renormalizable LQ-Higgs interaction terms after EW symmetry breaking. We use the experimental indication on neutrino oscillation to find constraints on specific combinations of LQ couplings to quark-lepton pairs and to the SM higgs boson. These constraints are compared with the ones from $\pi\to e\bar {\nu}_e$.Comment: The expressions for majorana mass matrix of neutrinos have been corrected so that they are symmetric. Final version to be published in Physical Review

New Periodic Variables from the Hipparcos Epoch Photometry

Two selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodic variables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. The primary selection criterion is a signal to noise ratio. The dependence of this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated using about 30 000 randomly permuted Hipparcos datasets. A significance level of 0.1% is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables. The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffected if the data are de-trended by low order polynomials. We find 2675 new candidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from the Hipparcos "unsolved" variables. Potential problems with the interpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA