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This paper summarizes the results and findings of a program to design, develop, and evaluate actuator rod seals for use in advanced aircraft high-temperature hydraulic systems. The rod seals are intended to function efficiently and reliably for 3000 hr in the temperature range of -40-500 F. Preliminary studies of various material and design combinations showed that a polyimide low-pressure second-stage V-seal in a two-stage configuration had the greatest potential in long-term duty cycle testing in a simulated actuator test system. Modifications of this seal that provided for improved fatigue life and more efficient loading met the test objectives of 20 X 106 short-stroke cycles of operation at 500 F. Severity of this testing was equivalent to 3000 hr of duty cycle operation. The validity of design techniques used to achieve performance goals was shown.

Distracted driving remains a serious risk to motorists in the US and worldwide. Over 3,000 people were killed in 2013 in the US because of distracted driving; and over 420,000 people were injured. A system that can accurately detect distracted driving would potentially be able to alert drivers, bringing their attention back to the primary driving task and potentially saving lives. This paper documents an effort to develop an algorithm that can detect visual distraction using vehicle-based sensor signals such as steering wheel inputs and lane position. Additionally, the vehicle-based algorithm is compared with a version that includes driving-based signals in the form of head tracking data. The algorithms were developed using machine learning techniques and combine a Random Forest model for instantaneous detection with a Hidden Markov model for time series predictions.