Creation of helicopter dynamic systems digital twin using multibody simulations

International audienceThis paper presents a new approach to develop digital twins of helicopter dynamic systems. Helicopter industries attach growing attention to the development of digital twins to be more predictive of mechanical parts lifetime. The number of sensors available to measure loads during flights is limited. Complementary simulations are necessary to compute all the loads that the mechanical parts undergo. A new process is described to build these simulations fed with flights data records. Complexity of helicopters dynamics systems leads to create several local models of subsystems using a multibody dynamic formalism. A study focused on a swashplate rotor assembly is presented to illustrate this approach, including a new model of bearing and its validation based on bench tests

Can the intake of antiparasitic secondary metabolites explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites among wild Psittaciformes?

Background: Parasites can exert selection pressure on their hosts through effects on survival, on reproductive success, on sexually selected ornament, with important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as changes in population viability. Consequently, hemoparasites have become the focus of recent avian studies. Infection varies significantly among taxa. Various factors might explain the differences in infection among taxa, including habitat, climate, host density, the presence of vectors, life history and immune defence. Feeding behaviour can also be relevant both through increased exposure to vectors and consumption of secondary metabolites with preventative or therapeutic effects that can reduce parasite load. However, the latter has been little investigated. Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are a good model to investigate these topics, as they are known to use biological control against ectoparasites and to feed on toxic food. We investigated the presence of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium), intracellular haemosporidians (Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon), unicellular flagellate protozoans (Trypanosoma) and microfilariae in 19 Psittaciformes species from a range of habitats in the Indo-Malayan, Australasian and Neotropical regions. We gathered additional data on hemoparasites in wild Psittaciformes from the literature. We considered factors that may control the presence of hemoparasites in the Psittaciformes, compiling information on diet, habitat, and climate. Furthermore, we investigated the role of diet in providing antiparasitic secondary metabolites that could be used as self-medication to reduce parasite load. Results: We found hemoparasites in only two of 19 species sampled. Among them, all species that consume at least one food item known for its secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, were free from hemoparasites. In contrast, the infected parrots do not consume food items with antimalarial or even general antiparasitic properties. We found that the two infected species in this study consumed omnivorous diets. When we combined our data with data from studies previously investigating blood parasites in wild parrots, the positive relationship between omnivorous diets and hemoparasite infestation was confirmed. Individuals from open habitats were less infected than those from forests. Conclusions: The consumption of food items known for their secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, as well as the higher proportion of infected species among omnivorous parrots, could explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites reported in many vertebrates

A Range of Earth Observation Techniques for Assessing Plant Diversity

AbstractVegetation diversity and health is multidimensional and only partially understood due to its complexity. So far there is no single monitoring approach that can sufficiently assess and predict vegetation health and resilience. To gain a better understanding of the different remote sensing (RS) approaches that are available, this chapter reviews the range of Earth observation (EO) platforms, sensors, and techniques for assessing vegetation diversity. Platforms include close-range EO platforms, spectral laboratories, plant phenomics facilities, ecotrons, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), towers, air- and spaceborne EO platforms, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Sensors include spectrometers, optical imaging systems, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and radar. Applications and approaches to vegetation diversity modeling and mapping with air- and spaceborne EO data are also presented. The chapter concludes with recommendations for the future direction of monitoring vegetation diversity using RS

Do life-history traits in the ancestor of Cowbirds (Molothrus spp.) predispose them to become brood parasites?

Hamilton & Orians (1965) stated that the non-parasitic ancestor of cowbirds accelerated its incubation period and nestling growth. Later, by comparing cowbirds with nesting birds, it was suggested that those characteristics, together with small eggs with thicker eggshell, were adaptations. When these hypotheses were tested considering the characteristics of the group in which cowbirds evolved, i.e. the "grackles and allies", it was found that only the thicker eggshell was a plausible adaptation. Moreover, nesting grackles and allies showed the same reproductive patterns as cowbirds (shorter incubation periods, faster nestling growth, and smaller eggs than those predicted by general allometric equations). In the present study, we tested whether small eggs with short incubation periods and nestlings with accelerated growth evolved in the ancestor of grackles and allies. For all the traits tested, we reconstructed ancestral states and built prediction intervals generated with independent variables that were allometrically related to them. Except for accelerated growth, we applied two evolutionary models incorporating outgroups in three steps. We found that the short incubation period and the faster nestling growth never evolved in the ancestor of grackles and allies. In most ancestor reconstructions, neither egg mass nor female body mass changed. However, when it changed, it increased both egg and female masses. The prediction intervals indicated that those increases did not imply an allometric change in size. Consequently, neither a decrease in egg mass nor an acceleration in nestling development and incubation period are considered characteristics that predisposed cowbirds to become brood parasites. © The Neotropical Ornithological Society.Fil:Mermoz, M.E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina