Replacement bearing for Rocketdyne SSME HPOTPs using alternate self-lubricating retainer materials

Research was conducted to develop replacement bearings for the Rocketdyne Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) high pressure oxidizer turbopumps (HPOTPs). The replacement bearings consisted of standard balls and races with a special Battelle Self-Lubricating Insert Configuration (BASIC) retainer. The BASIC retainer consists of a phosphor bronze housing with inserts consisting of a polytetrafluoretheylene (PTFE) and bronze compound. The PTFE contacts the balls and the land guiding surface on the outer race. A PTFE transfer film is formed on balls and races, which lubricates the critical interfaces. The BASIC retainer is a one-to-one replacement for the current Armalon retainer, but has superior lubricating properties and is stronger over the broad temperature range anticipated for the HPOTP bearings. As a part of the project 40 sets of balls and races (two sizes) and 52 BASIC retainers were shipped to NASA/MSFC

Challenges to providing culturally sensitive drug interventions for black and Asian minority ethnic (BAME) groups within UK youth justice systems

To explore how substance use practitioners intervene with ethnically and culturally diverse groups of young people in contact with the youth justice system. Telephone, face to face interviews and a focus group were conducted. Data were analysed thematically using a frame reflective theoretical approach. Practitioners tended to offer individualised interventions to young people in place of culturally specific approaches partly due to a lack of knowledge, training or understanding of diverse cultural needs, and for practical and resource reasons. Practitioners reject the official narrative of BAME youth in the justice system as dangerous and in need of control, viewing them instead as vulnerable and in need of support but report they lack experience, and sufficient resources, in delivering interventions to diverse groups. There is little information regarding how practitioners respond to diversity in their daily practice. This paper is an exploration of how diversity is framed and responded to in the context of youth substance use and criminal justice

Framing 'drug prevention' for young people in contact with the criminal justice system in England: views from practitioners in the field

Drawing on the work of Rein and Schon (1993; 1996), we explore the ways in which ‘young people’, ‘vulnerability’, ‘risk’, ‘prevention’ and ‘prevention practice’ were defined and framed by practitioners engaged in the design, delivery and commissioning of drug prevention interventions for young people in contact with the criminal justice system. We argue that practitioners describe their work in terms of both a preventative frame – based on a ‘deficit’ model - and a transformative praxis frame, more in line with an increasing shift towards ‘positive youth justice’ where practitioners aspire to actively involve the young person in a process of change. The implications of those, often competing, frames are discussed in relation to the development of prevention approaches and the challenges in designing drugs prevention for this group of young people. The paper is based on interviews and focus groups with thirty-one practitioners in England and is part of the EU funded EPPIC project (Exchanging Prevention Practices on Polydrug Use among Youth in Criminal Justice Systems 2017-2020)

The engagement of young people in drug interventions in coercive contexts: findings from a cross-national European study

Background: The engagement of young people has been a neglected area in youth justice and drugs policy and practice. This paper explores the concept of ‘engagement’ in relation to drugs interventions in custodial and community settings in different European countries. Methods: Interviews were undertaken with young people (aged 14-25 years) in contact with the criminal justice system who use illegal drugs and with practitioners involved in the delivery of interventions for our target group in Denmark, Italy, Poland the UK. Results: The key techniques to engage young people were described in similar terms across the countries. These included forming relationships based on trust, honesty and empathy, setting goals collaboratively and employing practitioners with lived experience and understanding. The objectives and activities on offer are often constrained by the criminal justice contexts. Conclusions: Despite the differences between the countries in terms of criminal justice systems and the structure of drug interventions, there were remarkable similarities in the ways young people and practitioners described effective engagement. Strong emphasis on operational engagement to ensure positive relationships between young people and practitioners was important in the design and delivery of interventions. Practitioners working in criminal justice contexts need to have flexibility and autonomy to work creatively to find ways to engage, connect and inspire young people

The risk matrix : drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015-2020

Aims: This article explores the factors contributing to drug-related deaths in English and Welsh prisons between 2015-2020. Methods: Based on content analysis of all Prison and Probation Ombudsman ‘other non-natural’ fatal incident investigation reports, descriptive statistics were generated. Qualitative analysis explored the circumstances surrounding deaths and key risk factors. Results: Most deaths were of men, whose mean age was 39 years. Drug toxicity was a main factor in causing death, exacerbated by underlying physical health conditions and risk-taking behaviours. A variety of substances were involved. New psychoactive substances became more important over time. A high proportion had recorded histories of substance use and mental illness. During this period, the prison system was under considerable stress creating dangerous environments for drug-related harm. Conclusion: This study highlights the process of complex interaction between substances used, individual characteristics, situational features and the wider environment in explaining drug-related deaths in prisons. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

Estimating the economic burden of cardiovascular events in patients receiving lipid-modifying therapy in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: To characterise the costs to the UK National Health Service of cardiovascular (CV) events among individuals receiving lipid-modifying therapy. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink records from 2006 to 2012 to identify individuals with their first and second CV-related hospitalisations (first event and second event cohorts). Within-person differences were used to estimate CV-related outcomes. SETTING: Patients in the UK who had their first CV event between January 2006 and March 2012. PARTICIPANTS: Patients ≥18 years who had a CV event and received at least 2 lipid-modifying therapy prescriptions within 180 days beforehand. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Direct medical costs (2014 £) were estimated in 3 periods: baseline (pre-event), acute (6 months afterwards) and long-term (subsequent 30 months). Primary outcomes included incremental costs, resource usage and total costs per period. RESULTS: There were 24 093 patients in the first event cohort of whom 5274 were included in the second event cohort. The mean incremental acute CV event costs for the first event and second event cohorts were: coronary artery bypass graft/percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (CABG/PTCA) £5635 and £5823, myocardial infarction £4275 and £4301, ischaemic stroke £3512 and £4572, heart failure £2444 and £3461, unstable angina £2179 and £2489 and transient ischaemic attack £1537 and £1814. The mean incremental long-term costs were: heart failure £848 and £2829, myocardial infarction £922 and £1385, ischaemic stroke £973 and £682, transient ischaemic attack £705 and £1692, unstable angina £328 and £677, and CABG/PTCA £-368 and £599. Hospitalisation accounted for 95% of acute and 61% of long-term incremental costs. Higher comorbidity was associated with higher long-term costs. CONCLUSIONS: Revascularisation and myocardial infarction were associated with the highest incremental costs following a CV event. On the basis of real-world data, the economic burden of CV events in the UK is substantial, particularly among those with greater comorbidity burden

Likely additive ergogenic effects of combined pre-exercise dietary nitrate and caffeine ingestion in trained cyclists.

Aims. To evaluate the possible additive effects of beetroot juice plus caffeine on exercise performance. Methods. In a randomized, double-blinded study design, fourteen healthy well-trained men aged 22 ± 3 years performed four trials on different occasions following preexercise ingestion of placebo (PLA), PLA plus 5mg/kg caffeine (PLA+C), beetroot juice providing 8mmol of nitrate (BR), and beetroot juice plus caffeine (BR+C). Participants cycled at 60% maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) for 30min followed by a time to exhaustion (TTE) trial at 80% VO2max. Saliva was collected before supplement ingestion, before exercise, and after the TTE trial for salivary nitrate, nitrite, and cortisol analysis. Results. In beetroot trials, saliva nitrate and nitrite increased >10-fold before exercise compared with preingestion ( ≤ 0.002). TTE in BR+C was 46% higher than in PLA ( = 0.096) and 18% and 27% nonsignificant TTE improvements were observed on BR+C compared with BR and PLA+C alone, respectively. Lower ratings of perceived exertion during TTE were found during 80% VO2max on BR+C compared with PLA and PLA+C ( < 0.05 for both). Conclusions. Acute preexercise beetroot juice coingestion with caffeine likely has additive effects on exercise performance compared with either beetroot or caffeine alone

Nanofabricated media with negative permeability at visible frequencies

We report a nanofabricated medium made of electromagnetically coupled pairs of gold dots with geometry carefully designed at a 10-nm level. The medium exhibits strong magnetic response at visible-light frequencies, including bands with negative \mu. The magnetism arises due to the excitation of quadrupole plasmon resonances. Our approach shows for the first time the feasibility of magnetism at optical frequencies and paves a way towards magnetic and left-handed components for visible optics.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures. submitted to Nature on 1 April 200

Labour efficiency on-farm

End of project reportImprovements in milking efficiency have a greater influence than any other aspect of the dairy farmers work on overall farm labour inputs (Whipp, 1992). In order to facilitate the examination of milking process labour inputs, the milking process may be divided into the following three components: herding pre and post milking (transfer of cows to and from the milking parlour); milking (milking tasks / work routines within the parlour); and washing (washing of milking machine and yard). Meanwhile, within milking specifically, the number of cows milked per operator per hour is the best measure of both the performance of the operator and the milking installation (Clough, 1978). This is affected by the following three factors: the milking times of the cows, the number and arrangement of the milking units, and the operator’s work routine (Whipp, 1992). The addition of extra milking units will only increase milking performance if the operator has idle time during milking (Hansen, 1999)