Characteristics of wake vortex generated by a Boeing 727 jet transport during two-segment and normal ILS approach flight paths

A series of flight tests was conducted to evaluate the vortex wake characteristics of a Boeing 727 (B727-200) aircraft during conventional and two-segment ILS approaches. Twelve flights of the B727, which was equipped with smoke generators for vortex marking, were flown and its vortex wake was intentionally encountered by a Lear Jet model 23 (LR-23) and a Piper Twin Comanche (PA-30). Location of the B727 vortex during landing approach was measured using a system of photo-theodolites. The tests showed that at a given separation distance there were no readily apparent differences in the upsets resulting from deliberate vortex encounters during the two types of approaches. Timed mappings of the position of the landing configuration vortices showed that they tended to descend approximately 91 m(300 ft) below the flight path of the B727. The flaps of the B727 have a dominant effect on the character of the trailed wake vortex. The clean wing produces a strong, concentrated vortex but as the flaps are lowered, the vortex system becomes more diffuse. Pilot opinion and roll acceleration data indicate that 4.5 n.mi. would be a minimum separation distance at which roll control of light aircraft (less than 5,670 kg (12,500 lb) could be maintained during parallel encounters of the B727's landing configuration wake. This minimum separation distance is generally in scale with results determined from previous tests of other aircraft using the small roll control criteria

Contractile stresses in cohesive cell layers on finite-thickness substrates

Using a minimal model of cells or cohesive cell layers as continuum active elastic media, we examine the effect of substrate thickness and stiffness on traction forces exerted by strongly adhering cells. We obtain a simple expression for the length scale controlling the spatial variation of stresses in terms of cell and substrate parameters that describes the crossover between the thin and thick substrate limits. Our model is an important step towards a unified theoretical description of the dependence of traction forces on cell or colony size, acto-myosin contractility, substrate depth and stiffness, and strength of focal adhesions, and makes experimentally testable predictions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Expectation-driven interaction: a model based on Luhmann's contingency approach

We introduce an agent-based model of interaction, drawing on the contingency approach from Luhmann's theory of social systems. The agent interactions are defined by the exchange of distinct messages. Message selection is based on the history of the interaction and developed within the confines of the problem of double contingency. We examine interaction strategies in the light of the message-exchange description using analytical and computational methods.Comment: 37 pages, 16 Figures, to appear in Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation

Magnetic field-induced spectroscopy of forbidden optical transitions with application to lattice-based optical atomic clocks

We develop a method of spectroscopy that uses a weak static magnetic field to enable direct optical excitation of forbidden electric-dipole transitions that are otherwise prohibitively weak. The power of this scheme is demonstrated using the important application of optical atomic clocks based on neutral atoms confined to an optical lattice. The simple experimental implementation of this method -- a single clock laser combined with a DC magnetic field-- relaxes stringent requirements in current lattice-based clocks (e.g., magnetic field shielding and light polarization), and could therefore expedite the realization of the extraordinary performance level predicted for these clocks. We estimate that a clock using alkaline earth-like atoms such as Yb could achieve a fractional frequency uncertainty of well below 10^-17 for the metrologically preferred even isotopes

Formin-dependent TGF-β signaling for epithelial to mesenchymal transition.

The role of distinct actin filament architectures in epithelial plasticity remains incompletely understood. We therefore determined roles for formins and the Arp2/3 complex, which are actin nucleators generating unbranched and branched actin filaments, respectively, in the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In clonal lung, mammary, and renal epithelial cells, the formin activity inhibitor SMIFH2 but not the Arp2/3 complex activity inhibitor CK666 blocked EMT induced by TGF-β. SMIFH2 prevented the proximal signal of increased Smad2 phosphorylation and hence also blocked downstream EMT markers, including actin filament remodeling, decreased expression of the adherens junction protein E-cadherin, and increased expression of the matrix protein fibronectin and the transcription factor Snail. The short hairpin RNA silencing of formins DIAPH1 and DIAPH3 but not other formins phenocopied SMIFH2 effects and inhibited Smad2 phosphorylation and changes in Snail and cadherin expression. Formin activity was not necessary for the cell surface expression or dimerization of TGF-β receptors, or for nuclear translocation of TAZ, a transcription cofactor in Hippo signaling also regulated by TGF-β. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for formin-dependent actin architectures in proximal TGF-β signaling that is necessary for Smad2 phosphorylation but not for cross-talk to TAZ

Finite size scaling of the correlation length above the upper critical dimension

We show numerically that correlation length at the critical point in the five-dimensional Ising model varies with system size L as L^{5/4}, rather than proportional to L as in standard finite size scaling (FSS) theory. Our results confirm a hypothesis that FSS expressions in dimension d greater than the upper critical dimension of 4 should have L replaced by L^{d/4} for cubic samples with periodic boundary conditions. We also investigate numerically the logarithmic corrections to FSS in d = 4.Comment: 5 pages, 6 postscript figure

Bubble Shape Oscillations and the Onset of Sonoluminescence

An air bubble trapped in water by an oscillating acoustic field undergoes either radial or nonspherical pulsations depending on the strength of the forcing pressure. Two different instability mechanisms (the Rayleigh--Taylor instability and parametric instability) cause deviations from sphericity. Distinguishing these mechanisms allows explanation of many features of recent experiments on sonoluminescence, and suggests methods for finding sonoluminescence in different parameter regimes.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., in pres