A STOL airworthiness investigation using a simulation of an augmentor wing transport. Volume 2: Simulation data and analysis

A simulator study of STOL airworthiness was conducted using a model of an augmentor wing transport. The approach, flare and landing, go-around, and takeoff phases of flight were investigated. The simulation and the data obtained are described. These data include performance measures, pilot commentary, and pilot ratings. A pilot/vehicle analysis of glide slope tracking and of the flare maneuver is included

A STOL airworthiness investigation using a simulation of a deflected slipstream transport. Volume 1: Summary of results and airworthiness implications

A simulator study of short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft was conducted using a model of a deflected slipstream transport aircraft. The subjects considered are: (1) the approach, (2) flare and landing, (3) go-around, and (4) takeoff phases of flight. The results are summarized and possible implications with regard to airworthiness criteria are discussed. A data base is provided for future STOL airworthiness requirements and a preliminary indication of potential problem areas is developed. Comparison of the simulation results with various proposed STOL criteria indicates significant deficiencies in many of these criteria

The Dadaist Text: Politics, Aesthetics, and Alternative Cultures?

The question addressed in the following essay both affirms the mission of the avant-garde text and acknowledges its historical fate; the consignment of this vital movement to the archives and museums, staunch symbols of the very social structure that it sought to criticize and replace. The answer is to be sought in the nature of art and its inevitable structured integration into society. Contrary to this anti-art myth, dada did not destroy art’s aura but rather sought art’s resurrection. Although it flourished as a counterculture, it did so within the confines of art’s traditional social place. Operating within, rather than against, the institution of art, dada sought to expose art’s ideological mechanisms and open the text to social context. In maintaining art’s autonomy, dada preserved the distance required of significant criticism but limited itself to change through reflection rather than through revolution. Zurich dada sought, by destroying ruling text, to compete for social influence, the movement’s radical alternatives and its successes as a counterculture were felt most keenly in the community of art. Ultimately creating an alternative elitist audience, Zurich dada remained squarely situated within the structure of establishment culture. Aware of the text’s role in the mediation of reality, dada was committed to unmasking culture’s "big slogans," to rupturing the closure and isolation of the text in favor or its integration with life, and to defamiliarzing the audience from culture in ways that would generate primary meanings. Although enriching existing modes of cultural communication, the text remained aesthetic and reached only the aristocratic reader. Aware of this, the dadaists turned to the liberation of themselves from their own enslavement. Forced to adopt new strategies a self-critical Berlin dada attempted to change the cultural context into which the text was placed; to revolutionize the institution of art through political events. Reducing art in the interest of effectiveness, the text was employed as a weapon. Engaged in what this author identifies as "revolutionary pragmatics," Berlin dada achieved, at least momentarily, the convergence of political art and political life. Brought sharply into tension with establishment culture, it nevertheless remained with the institution of art

Airworthiness criteria development for powered-lift aircraft: A program summary

A four-year simulation program to develop airworthiness criteria for powered-lift aircraft is summarized. All flight phases affected by use of powered lift (approach, landing, takeoff) are treated with regard to airworthiness problem areas (limiting flight conditions and safety margins: stability, control, and performance; and systems failure). The general features of powered-lift aircraft are compared to conventional aircraft

Cigarette smoke exposure facilitates allergic sensitization in mice

BACKGROUND: Active and passive smoking are considered as risk factors for asthma development. The mechanisms involved are currently unexplained. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if cigarette smoke exposure could facilitate primary allergic sensitization. METHODS: BALB/c mice were exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin (OVA) combined with air or tobacco smoke (4 exposures/day) daily for three weeks. Serology, lung cytopathology, cytokine profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and on mediastinal lymph node cultures as well as lung function tests were performed after the last exposure. The natural history and the immune memory of allergic sensitization were studied with in vivo recall experiments. RESULTS: Exposure to OVA induced a small increase in OVA-specific serum IgE as compared with exposure to PBS (P < 0.05), while no inflammatory reaction was observed in the airways. Exposure to cigarette smoke did not induce IgE, but was characterized by a small but significant neutrophilic inflammatory reaction. Combining OVA with cigarette smoke not only induced a significant increase in OVA-specific IgE but also a distinct eosinophil and goblet cell enriched airway inflammation albeit that airway hyperresponsiveness was not evidenced. FACS analysis showed in these mice increases in dendritic cells (DC) and CD4(+ )T-lymphocytes along with a marked increase in IL-5 measured in the supernatant of lymph node cell cultures. Immune memory experiments evidenced the transient nature of these phenomena. CONCLUSION: In this study we show that mainstream cigarette smoke temporary disrupts the normal lung homeostatic tolerance to innocuous inhaled allergens, thereby inducing primary allergic sensitization. This is characterized not only by the development of persistent IgE, but also by the emergence of an eosinophil rich pulmonary inflammatory reaction

Preventing carbon nanoparticle-induced lung inflammation reduces antigen-specific sensitization and subsequent allergic reactions in a mouse model

BACKGROUND: Exposure of the airways to carbonaceous nanoparticles can contribute to the development of immune diseases both via the aggravation of the allergic immune response in sensitized individuals and by adjuvant mechanisms during the sensitization against allergens. The cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in these adverse pathways are not completely understood. We recently described that the reduction of carbon nanoparticle-induced lung inflammation by the application of the compatible solute ectoine reduced the aggravation of the allergic response in an animal system. In the current study we investigated the influence of carbon nanoparticles on the sensitization of animals to ovalbumin via the airways. Ectoine was used as a preventive strategy against nanoparticle-induced neutrophilic lung inflammation. METHODS: Balb/c mice were repetitively exposed to the antigen ovalbumin after induction of airway inflammation by carbon nanoparticles, either in the presence or in the absence of ectoine. Allergic sensitization was monitored by measurement of immunoglobulin levels and immune responses in lung and lung draining lymph nodes after challenge. Furthermore the role of dendritic cells in the effect of carbon nanoparticles was studied in vivo in the lymph nodes but also in vitro using bone marrow derived dendritic cells. RESULTS: Animals exposed to antigen in the presence of carbon nanoparticles showed increased effects with respect to ovalbumin sensitization, to the allergic airway inflammation after challenge, and to the specific T(H)2 response in the lymph nodes. The presence of ectoine during the sensitization significantly reduced these parameters. The number of antigen-loaded dendritic cells in the draining lymph nodes was identified as a possible cause for the adjuvant effect of the nanoparticles. In vitro assays indicate that the direct interaction of the particles with dendritic cells is not able to trigger CCR7 expression, while this endpoint is achieved by lung lavage fluid from nanoparticle-exposed animals. CONCLUSIONS: Using the intervention strategy of applying ectoine into the airways of animals we were able to demonstrate the relevance of neutrophilic lung inflammation for the adjuvant effect of carbon nanoparticles on allergic sensitization. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12989-015-0093-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

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