Hydrodynamic squeeze-film bearings for gyroscopes

Experimental tests are conducted on squeeze-film bearings by applying electricity to piezoelectric ceramics, causing vibrations at thousands or millions of Hz that are amplified and transmitted to the bearing. Rotor operation through 24,000 rpm without whirl instability proved bearing ability to support rotor weight without hydrodynamic action

Phase analysis of the cosmic microwave background from an incomplete sky coverage

Phases of the spherical harmonic analysis of full-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature data contain useful information complementary to the ubiquitous angular power spectrum. In this letter we present a new method of phase analysis on incomplete sky maps. It is based on Fourier phases of equal-latitude pixel rings of the map, which are related to the mean angle of the trigonometric moments from the full-sky phases. They have an advantage for probing regions of interest without tapping polluted Galactic plane area, and can localize non-Gaussian features and departure from statistical isotropy in the CMB.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures submitted to MNRAS Letters, replaced with minor change

Unitary chiral dynamics in J/ΨJ/\Psi decays into VPPVPP and the role of the scalar mesons

We make a theoretical study of the \J decays into $\omega\pi\pi$, $\phi\pi\pi$, $\omega K \bar{K}$ and $\phi K\bar{K}$ using the techniques of the chiral unitary approach stressing the important role of the scalar resonances dynamically generated through the final state interaction of the two pseudoscalar mesons. We also discuss the importance of new mechanisms with intermediate exchange of vector and axial-vector mesons and the role played by the OZI rule in the \J\phi\pi\pi vertex, quantifying its effects. The results nicely reproduce the experimental data for the invariant mass distributions in all the channels considered.Comment: Prepared for the 10th International Symposium on Meson-Nucleon Physics and the Structure of the Nucleo

The Influence of Federal Laboratory R&D on Industrial Research

Over the past 60 years the United States has created the world's largest system of government laboratories. The impact of the laboratories on the private economy has been little studied though their research accounts for 14% of total U.S. R&D, more than the R&D of all colleges and universities combined. In this paper we study the influence of federal laboratory R&D on industrial research using a sample of industrial laboratories. In head-to-head comparisons with alternative measures, we find that Cooperative Research and Development Agreements or CRADAs, are the primary channel by which federal laboratories increase the patenting and R&D of industrial laboratories. With a CRADA industrial laboratories patent more, spend more on company-financed R&D and spend more of their own money on federal laboratories. Without a CRADA patenting stays about the same and only federally funded R&D increases, mostly because of direct subsidies by government. These results are consistent with the literature on endogenous R&D spillovers, which emphasizes that knowledge spills over when recipients work at making it spill over. CRADAs are legal agreements between federal laboratories and firms to work together on joint research. They are backed by real budgets and accompanied by cost sharing that could bind the parties together in joint research. Moreover, the CRADA instrument is the main form of such agreements. Thus, both in theory and in fact CRADAs may be more beneficial to firms than other public- private interactions, precisely because of the mutual effort that they require of firms and government laboratories.

The Influence of Federal Laboratory R&D on Industrial Research

This paper studies the influence of R&D in the federal laboratory system, the world's largest, on firm research. Our results are based on a sample of 220 industrial research laboratories that work with a variety of federal laboratories and agencies and are owned by 115 firms in the chemicals, machinery, electrical equipment, and motor vehicles industries. Using an indicator of their importance to R&D managers, we find that Cooperative Research and Development Agreements or CRADAs dominate other channels of technology transfer from federal laboratories to firms. With a CRADA industry laboratories patent more, spend more on company-financed R&D, and devote more resources to their federal counterparts. Without this influence patenting stays about the same, and only federally funded R&D increases, mostly because of government support. The Stevenson-Wydler Act and amendments during the 1980s introduced CRADAs, which legally bind federal laboratories and firms together in joint research. In theory the agreements could capitalize on complementarities between public and private research. Our results support this perspective and suggest that CRADAs may be more beneficial to firms than other interactions with federal laboratories, precisely because of the mutual effort that they demand from both parties.