The topic of depression during the career of elite male athletes has been the subject of much public interest and attention in recent years. Despite numerous debates and personal disclosures within the media, there is a dearth of published research directly exploring the phenomenon. This study sought to explore how elite male athletes experience depression during their sporting careers. Eight former/current elite male athletes who had previously publically self-identified as having experienced depression while participating in sport were recruited for this study. A qualitative methodology was employed and each participant was interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data analysis which was conducted using descriptive and interpretive thematic analysis uncovered three domains: (1) The emergence of depression, (2) The manifestation of symptoms of depression, and (3) Adaptive and Maladaptive proceesses of recovery. Findings from the current study reveal the nature of how male athletes experience, express, and respond to depression during their careers. Additionally, this is influenced by a myriad of factors embedded in the masculine elite sport environment. Implications are discussed particularly in relation to atypical expressions of depression not necessarily reflected on or in standard diagnostic criteria. Future research is encouraged to examine in depth moderating factors (e.g., athletic sense of identity and masculine elite sport environments) for the relationship between depression and participation in elite sport.

We report a near fatal case of paediatric amitriptyline overdose including a series of ECGs demonstrating the effects of sodium bicarbonate therapy on cardio-toxicity. We briefly discuss the role of sodium to counteract the sodium channel blockade of tricyclic antidepressants and discuss the possible utility of lipid emulsion therapy in such cases.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) testing complex includes more than 50 wind tunnels, test cells, arc heaters, and other specialized test facilities. Of these, 27 units have capabilities that are unmatched in the United States, and 14 are unmatched in the world. These unique facilities create equally unique operating environments for instrumentation used for monitoring and control of test conditions. Several high flow-rate, supersonic wind tunnels utilize off-the-shelf angular displacement transducers (ADTs) for monitoring the position of 90° valves (i.e. butterfly valves) used to control the air flow-rate and bulk pressure during testing. Due to the high air flow rates in supply and exhaust ducts, there are significant structural vibrations to which the ADTs are subjected. These ADTs have experienced an unacceptably high rate of failure during testing. In the event of an ADT failure, alternative flow paths may, in some cases, be utilized. If an alternative path cannot be found, however, test operations must be suspended while the faulty sensor is replaced; leading to significant cost and schedule impacts associated with the down-time. This paper discusses an effort to understand the root cause of the ADT failures based on design information, and experience in the field. Several alternative mounting conditions were considered in order to reduce the vibrational loads acting on the ADT. A number of the alternatives consisted of utilizing different shaft couplings to couple the motion of the valve stems and the ADT sensor shaft. Experiments were performed at the University of Alabama’s Applied Controls Laboratory to test the effect of the different enclosures and shaft couplings. Preliminary results indicate that the shaft coupling, in particular, have a direct impact on shaft loads transmitted to the ADT. Test results and conclusions are presented.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) testing complex includes more than 50 wind tunnels, test cells, arc heaters, and other specialized test facilities. Of these, 27 units have capabilities that are unmatched in the United States, and 14 are unmatched in the world. These unique facilities create equally unique operating environments for instrumentation used for monitoring and control of test conditions. Several high flow-rate, supersonic wind tunnels utilize off-the-shelf angular displacement transducers (ADTs) for monitoring the position of 90° valves (i.e. butterfly valves) used to control the air flow-rate, operating pressure, and temperature during testing. There are significant structural vibrations in the wind tunnels to which the ADTs are subject. These ADTs have experienced an unacceptably high rate of failure during testing. These failures increase maintenance costs, and in some cases can require test operations be suspended while the faulty ADT is replaced; leading to significant cost and schedule impacts associated with the down-time. This paper will discuss an effort to design a bushing assembly to reduce the loads experienced by the ADTs. The bushing assembly redirects vibrational energy from the valves into supporting structure, rather than into the ADT where it could cause bearing wear and ultimately failure. The paper will focus on the efforts to develop a meaningful field test arrangement for the bushing assemblies on one of the wind tunnels at AEDC, and an instrumentation package that monitored and recorded data relative to the performance of the bushing assembly during normal wind tunnel operations. Key results of this test program will be highlighted.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) testing complex includes more than 50 wind tunnels, test cells, arc heaters, and other specialized test facilities. Of these, 27 units have capabilities that are unmatched in the United States, and 14 are unmatched in the world. These unique facilities pose equally unique testing challenges, including several related to test preparation. A dynamic strain measurement system feasibility demonstrator for turbine engine ground testing applications was developed as the product of a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) phase 1 contract. System specifications include 40 kHz minimum bandwidth, 0–65°C operating temperature, IEEE-1451 (“smart sensor plug and play”) compliance, and synchronized sampling per IEEE-1588. The transducer interface for each channel features hardware-configurable bridge completion, an instrumentation amplifier, a remotely configurable antialiasing filter, and a combined A-D/microcontroller on a 5 square inch circuit board. The A-D/microcontroller stores essential transducer information locally and converts the amplified analog signal into digital data. The network interface from 12 transducer channels to the host computer comprises an FPGA and a microprocessor with integral IEEE-1588. Data systems of this type will reduce engine test cell wiring to control room, improve noise immunity, reduce engine installation time, enable faster calibration, and reduce per channel instrumentation cost.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) testing complex includes more than 50 wind tunnels, test cells, arc heaters, and other specialized test facilities. Of these, 27 units have capabilities that are unmatched in the United States, and 14 are unmatched in the world. These unique facilities create equally unique operating environments for instrumentation used for monitoring and control of test conditions. Several high flow-rate, supersonic wind tunnels utilize off-the-shelf angular displacement transducers (ADTs) for monitoring the position of 90° valves (i.e. butterfly valves) used to control the air flow-rate, operating pressure, and temperature during testing. There are significant structural vibrations in the wind tunnels to which the ADTs are subjected. These ADTs have experienced an unacceptably high rate of failure during testing. These failures increase maintenance costs, and in some cases can require test operations be suspended while the faulty ADT is replaced; leading to significant cost and schedule impacts associated with the down-time. This paper discusses the final phase of a multi-year effort to develop and field a vibration reducing bushing assembly for use on quarter turn valves used for flow control on wind tunnels at Arnold Enginnering Development Center. The focus of the final phase was on adapting the solution that was tested in the laboratory and field to fit the various valve geometries and conditions found in the installations. Design challenges and solutions are discussed.