Limited evaluation of an F-14A airplane utilizing an aileron-rudder interconnect control system in the landing configuration

A flight test was conducted for preliminary evaluation of an aileron-rudder interconnect (ARI) control system for the F-14A airplane in the landing configuration. Two ARI configurations were tested in addition to the standard F-14 flight control system. Results of the flight test showed marked improvement in handling qualities when the ARI systems were used. Sideslip due to adverse yaw was considerably reduced, and airplane turn rate was more responsive to pilot lateral control inputs. Pilot comments substantiated the flight data and indicated that the ARI systems were superior to the standard control system in terms of pilot capability to make lateral offset corrections and heading changes on final approach

Immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma: the complex interface between inflammation, fibrosis, and the immune response.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and confers a poor prognosis. Beyond standard systemic therapy with multikinase inhibitors, recent studies demonstrate the potential for robust and durable responses from immune checkpoint inhibition in subsets of HCC patients across disease etiologies. The majority of HCC arises in the context of chronic inflammation and from within a fibrotic liver, with many cases associated with hepatitis virus infections, toxins, and fatty liver disease. Many patients also have concomitant cirrhosis which is associated with both local and systemic immune deficiency. Furthermore, the liver is an immunologic organ in itself, which may enhance or suppress the immune response to cancer arising within it. Here, we explore the immunobiology of the liver from its native state to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and then to cancer, and summarize how this unique microenvironment may affect the response to immunotherapy

NASTRAN used in a production environment

A finite element analysis procedure built around the NASTRAN system is assessed. A number of support programs that were either written or modified to interface with NASTRAN and some improvements that were made to NASTRAN itself are noted. Some typical models are analyzed and an actual schedule is followed for constructing and analyzing the models to support a large design program

Avoiding Constitutional Questions as a Three-Branch Problem

This article criticizes the cardinal rule of statutory construction known as the avoidance canon - that statutes must be interpreted to avoid raising serious constitutional questions - as failing to respect the proper constitutional roles of both Congress and the Executive. It argues that the avoidance canon in practice cannot be grounded in legislative supremacy, which is the common justification for it offered by the Supreme Court, because it assumes without foundation that Congress would always prefer not to come close to the constitutional line in enacting statutes. Instead, the avoidance canon creates pressure for courts to adopt statutory meanings that do not fairly reflect the legislative bargains struck in Congress. The article continues by arguing that the avoidance canon also impinges on the role of the Executive by disregarding its best judgment as to statutory meaning, arrived in the course of discharging the constitutional function of executing the law, because that judgment might be unconstitutional. Of course, if a statute passed by Congress, or a statutory interpretation proffered by the Executive, is actually - as opposed to possibly - unconstitutional, a court should not hesitate to say so in the course of deciding a case. On the whole, however, the article concludes that the separation of powers would be better served by the Supreme Court\u27s recognizing that there is as much danger of judicial usurpation from avoiding constitutional questions as deciding them

Issues of universal design and the relational model of disability in Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disability issues are prevalent throughout the animated series Avatar the Last Airbender. This thesis focuses specifically on issues of universal design throughout the show, while also understanding disability through the relational model. In particular, two episodes are rhetorically analyzed for their representation of universal design philosophies and the body-environment relationship

An exploratory flight investigation of helicopter sling-load placements using a closed-circuit television as a pilot aid

Helicopter sling load operations have been limited during pick up and delivery of external cargo by the lack of precision achieved by the combination of pilot, helicopter, and sling load. Use of a closed circuit television as a pilot aid during sling load delivery and placement was documented along with additional cases representing procedures currently employed by military and commercial operators. Although an increase in pilot workload was noted when the television system was used, the results indicated a comparable level of performance for each test case

Local Bureaucrats and Climate Change Adaptation

In local communities across the United States, local government officials – specifically local bureaucrats – are faced with the realities of a changing climate which include severe storms, prolonged droughts, larger and more damaging floods, and more. Simultaneously, the issue of climate change is incredibly polarized in US politics with one side claiming it is not happening (or if it is happening it is not human caused) and the other framing the issue as the direst threat (or close to it) facing the planet. This dissertation examines a empirical puzzle, asking whether and how local bureaucrats respond to the threat of climate change in their communities. I find that many, but not all, local bureaucrats are responding by developing climate adaptation plans and considering policies which might help their communities avoid the consequences of climate change. They are not acting alone, they work with support from the federal or state government, other bureaucrats, or multi-stakeholder organizations which allow them to access resources and gain political support when they would otherwise not have it. Climate change adaptation, like other emergency and disaster management policies, does not garner much attention from local politicians unless there currently is a disaster the community is responding to or recovering from that forces their attention. Throughout this project, I examine how local bureaucrats step out of their conventional role as policy implementors to shape local agendas and formulate policy – policymaking roles often dominated by elected politicians, members of the media, and advocacy organizations. I argue that local bureaucrats occupy the perfect institutional role for shaping the development of climate adaptation in local governments. They have issue-specific knowledge, making them emergency management and climate adaptation experts (or at least the actors with the most expertise of this kind in local government). This often leads to elected officials deferring to bureaucrats when policies and plans need to be written, like emergency management plans, land use plans. When bureaucrats write these plans, they have the opportunity to incorporate climate adaptation provisions. Local bureaucrats also hold institutional knowledge in local governments. They are more likely to know state and federal policies and requirements, which may encourage climate adaptation (e.g. the Obama Administration’s efforts through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to encourage local adaptation policy). Local bureaucrats are also more motivated than elected officials to address climate change. I find that the bureaucrats in this study were aware of the political debates around climate change, but they often adopted a position which separated local adaptation efforts from the polarizing debate around what causes climate change (i.e. who or what is responsible for the problem). This enabled them to address their communities’ needs to adapt without drawing opposition from conservative members of their communities who do not think climate change is happening or caused by human activities. I also address the intergovernmental environment local bureaucrats respond to: specifically, their relationship with their state governments and the federal government. Even though states and the federal government wield significant influence over local governments – mostly through the control of resources – local bureaucrats do not avoid climate adaptation solely because the state government disapproves. A few cases demonstrate that state governments’ and FEMA’s encouragement to address climate adaptation impacted local bureaucrats’ decisions to create adaptation policies. However, it was not the only or the most important influence in local bureaucrats’ decision-making. In sum, this project demonstrates that local bureaucrats are important actors in the development of local climate adaptation policy. Local bureaucrats’ efforts alone are not enough to adapt to climate change, but they are an important first step when politicians cannot or will not act. While only climate adaptation policy was studied in this project, these findings speak to the important role bureaucrats play in creating policy when elected officials do not – either because the issues have low saliences, are highly technical, or are politically polarized