An application of Floquet theory to prediction of mechanical instability

The problem of helicopter mechanical instability is considered for the case where one blade damper is inoperative, and it is shown that if the hub is considered to be nonisotropic, the equations of motion have periodic coefficients which cannot be eliminated. The Floquet transition matrix method is shown to be an effective way of dealing with the nonisotropic hub and nonisotropic rotor situation. Time history calculations are examined and shown to be inferior to the Floquet technique for determining system stability. It is shown that instabilities which occur when one blade damper is inoperative may consist of nearly pure blade motion or they may be similar to the classical mechanical instability

The calibration of photographic and spectrographic films

Certain techniques and procedures are developed and evaluated for the ascertainment of the relative spectral-photometric characteristics of standard and special spectroscopic films and plates in the visible and UV regions. These films are used in ground based and rocket launched instruments. Two photographic spectral sensitometers were developed. One instrument is a vacuum sensitometer covering a range of 1,000 to 3,000 Angstroms and the other sensitometer is the device this investigator used to study its spectral responses in the visible region of the spectrum through the utilization of a computer microdensitometric and photometric plot and contour routines

Variable sweep aircraft Patent

Development and characteristics of variable sweep wing control system for supersonic aircraf

Application of interactive computer graphics in wind-tunnel dynamic model testing

The computer-controlled data-acquisition system recently installed for use with a transonic dynamics tunnel was described. This includes a discussion of the hardware/software features of the system. A subcritical response damping technique, called the combined randomdec/moving-block method, for use in windtunnel-model flutter testing, that has been implemented on the data-acquisition system, is described in some detail. Some results using the method are presented and the importance of using interactive graphics in applying the technique in near real time during wind-tunnel test operations is discussed

Determination of subcritical damping by moving-block/randomdec applications

Two techniques are described which allow the determination of subcritical dampings and frequencies during aeroelastic testing of flight vehicles. The moving-block technique is shown to have the advantage of being able to provide damping and frequency information for each mode which might be present in a signal trace, but it has the disadvantage of requiring that the structure be excited transiently. The randomdec technique requires only random turbulence for excitation, but the randomdec signature is difficult to analyze when more than one mode is present. It is shown that by using the moving-block technique to analyze the randomdec signatures, the best features of both methods are gained. Examples are presented illustrating the direct application of the moving-block method to model helicopter rotor testing and application of the combined moving-block/randomdec method to flutter studies of two fixed-wing models

Leech Parasitism of the Gulf Coast Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina major (Testudines:Emydidae) in Mississippi, USA

Ten leeches were collected from a Gulf Coast box turtle, Terrapene carolina major, found crossing a road in Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi, USA. Eight of the leeches were identified as Placobdella multilineata and 2 were identified as Helobdella europaea. This represents the second vouchered report of leeches from a box turtle. Helobdella europaea is reported for the first time associated with a turtle and for the second time from the New World

Dipolar Bose gases: Many-body versus mean-field description

We characterize zero-temperature dipolar Bose gases under external spherical confinement as a function of the dipole strength using the essentially exact many-body diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) technique. We show that the DMC energies are reproduced accurately within a mean-field framework if the variation of the s-wave scattering length with the dipole strength is accounted for properly. Our calculations suggest stability diagrams and collapse mechanisms of dipolar Bose gases that differ significantly from those previously proposed in the literature

An evaluation of helicopter noise and vibration ride qualities criteria

Two methods of quantifying helicopter ride quality; absorbed power for vibration only and the NASA ride comfort model for both noise and vibration are discussed. Noise and vibration measurements were obtained on five operational US Army helicopters. The data were converted to both absorbed power and DISC's (discomfort units used in the NASA model) for specific helicopter flight conditions. Both models indicate considerable variation in ride quality between the five helicopters and between flight conditions within each helicopter

Service-Learning and Undergraduates: Exploring Connections Between Ambiguity Tolerance, Empathy, and Motivation in an Overseas Service Trip

As service-learning becomes more common in undergraduate education, further research is needed around assessing student learning outcomes and character development. One component of high-quality service-learning is written reflection, which has the potential to capture a wealth of data on learner characteristics.  This study evaluated learners’ behavior and motivation to participate in service trips, the development of personality characteristics, and the revelation of those characteristics in reflection using Winne and Hadwin’s 1998 model of the self-regulated learner as it relates to the service-learning context.  Researchers analyzed connections between learner experiences and changes in their ambiguity tolerance, empathy, and motivation via pre- and posttest surveys and reflection data. Relationships were identified between motivation and satisfaction, as well as frequency of reflection and personal change.  The authors offer a profile of an “optimal” overseas service-learner for consideration

Proteinaceous effector discovery and characterisation in filamentous plant pathogens

The complicated interplay of plant-pathogen interactions occurs on multiple levels as pathogens evolve to constantly evade the immune responses of their hosts. Many economically important crops fall victim to filamentous pathogens which produce small proteins called effectors to manipulate the host and aid infection/colonisation. Understanding the effector repertoires of pathogens is facilitating an increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying virulence as well as guiding the development of disease control strategies. The purpose of this review is to give a chronological perspective on the evolution of the methodologies used in effector discovery from physical isolation and in silico predictions, to functional characterisation of the effectors of filamentous plant pathogens and identification of their host targets