TODAY'S PROBLEMS, TOMORROW'S PUZZLES

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Use of optimization to predict the effect of selected parameters on commuter aircraft performance

The relationships between field length and cruise speed and aircraft direct operating cost were determined. A gradient optimizing computer program was developed to minimize direct operating cost (DOC) as a function of airplane geometry. In this way, the best airplane operating under one set of constraints can be compared with the best operating under another. A constant 30-passenger fuselage and rubberized engines based on the General Electric CT-7 were used as a baseline. All aircraft had to have a 600 nautical mile maximum range and were designed to FAR part 25 structural integrity and climb gradient regulations. Direct operating cost was minimized for a typical design mission of 150 nautical miles. For purposes of C sub L sub max calculation, all aircraft had double-slotted flaps but with no Fowler action

Use of optimization to predict the effect of selected parameters on commuter aircraft performance

An optimizing computer program determined the turboprop aircraft with lowest direct operating cost for various sets of cruise speed and field length constraints. External variables included wing area, wing aspect ratio and engine sea level static horsepower; tail sizes, climb speed and cruise altitude were varied within the function evaluation program. Direct operating cost was minimized for a 150 n.mi typical mission. Generally, DOC increased with increasing speed and decreasing field length but not by a large amount. Ride roughness, however, increased considerably as speed became higher and field length became shorter

Nonlocal Optics of Plasmonic Nanowire Metamaterials

We present an analytical description of the nonlocal optical response of plasmonic nanowire metamaterials that enable negative refraction, subwavelength light manipulation, and emission lifetime engineering. We show that dispersion of optical waves propagating in nanowire media results from coupling of transverse and longitudinal electromagnetic modes supported by the composite and derive the nonlocal effective medium approximation for this dispersion. We derive the profiles of electric field across the unit cell, and use these expressions to solve the long-standing problem of additional boundary conditions in calculations of transmission and reflection of waves by nonlocal nanowire media. We verify our analytical results with numerical solutions of Maxwell's equations and discuss generalization of the developed formalism to other uniaxial metamaterials

Law of Zoning in Missouri, The

The term Zoning is used in this article only in its broad sense to mean a comprehensive scheme for the districting of a city by law to accomplish certain ends. Zoning for cities has been defined as: The creation by law of districts, in which regulations, differing in different districts, prohibit injurious and unsuitable structures and uses of structures and land. The zone plan helps to coordinate the various parts of the city plan in accordance with a predetermined city-wide scheme for development.3 It is in the essence the exercise of the community right to regulate to a limited degree the private uses of buildings and land in the interests of the public health, safety and general welfare. This article will include a brief resume of the nature and history of zoning and an analysis of its legal basis with special reference to Missouri

Anomalous Phase Transition in Strained SrTiO3_3 Thin Films

We have studied the cubic to tetragonal phase transition in epitaxial SrTiO$_3$ films under various biaxial strain conditions using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Measuring the superlattice peak associated with TiO$_6$ octahedra rotation in the low temperature tetragonal phase indicates the presence of a phase transition whose critical temperature is a strong function of strain, with T$_C$ as much as 50K above the corresponding bulk temperature. Surprisingly, the lattice constants evolve smoothly through the transition with no indication of a phase change. This signals an important change in the nature of the phase transition due to the epitaxy strain and substrate clamping effect. The internal degrees of freedom (TiO$_6$ rotations) have become uncoupled from the overall lattice shape.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, REVTeX