Substructure coupling for dynamic analysis and testing

Fixed interface and free interface methods of substructure coupling for dynamic analysis are discussed. Three methods for reducing the number of coordinates required by fixed interface methods are introduced. Matrix ordinary differential equations are employed to improve accuracy in free interface substructure coupling methods

A review of substructure coupling methods for dynamic analysis

The state of the art is assessed in substructure coupling for dynamic analysis. A general formulation, which permits all previously described methods to be characterized by a few constituent matrices, is developed. Limited results comparing the accuracy of various methods are presented

Kentucky Law Survey: Kentucky Taxation

Certainly the most publicized developments in Kentucky tax law during the current survey period were those legislative reforms adopted by the special session of the Kentucky General Assembly in early 1979. Responding to demands for relief from rising tax burdens, the legislature enacted H.B. 44 to limit the impact of inflation on property taxes. These legislative changes were part of a nationwide wave of tax reform proposals engendered by voter approval of California\u27s Proposition Thirteen in June, 1978. In addition to H.B. 44, this article will examine selected judicial decisions involving the taxation of intercorporate dividends, the sales and use tax, the occupational license tax, and statutory provisions for allocation of corporate income

Taxes as Pandemic Controls

Tax policy can play important roles in limiting the spread of communicable disease and in managing the economic fallout of a pandemic. Taxes on business activities that bring workers or customers into close contact with each other offer efficient alternatives to broad regulatory measures, such as shutdowns, that have been effective but enormously costly. Corrective taxation also helps raise the revenue required to cover elevated government expenditure during a pandemic. Moreover, the restricted consumer choice that accompanies a pandemic reduces the welfare cost of raising tax revenue from higher-income taxpayers, making it a good time for deficit closure. Current U.S. tax measures serve some of these functions, but additional measures could further limit the spread of disease while also addressing government budget deficits

Judicial Panel: Tennessee Legal Reform from a Judicial Standpoint

A transcript of the judicial panel discussion held at the Belmont University College of Law Symposium, Tennessee Legal Reform

Rodent-Mediated Interactions Among Seed Species of Differing Quality in a Shrubsteppe Ecosystem

Interactions among seeds, mediated by granivorous rodents, are likely to play a strong role in shrubsteppe ecosystem restoration. Past studies typically consider only pairwise interactions between preferred and less preferred seed species, whereas rangeland seedings are likely to contain more than 2 seed species, potentially leading to complex interactions. We examined how the relative proportion of seeds in a 3-species polyculture changes rodent seed selectivity (i.e., removal) and indirect interactions among seeds. We presented 2 rodent species, Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice) andPerognathus parvus (pocket mice), in arenas with 3-species seed mixtures that varied in the proportion of a highly preferred, moderately preferred, and least preferred seed species, based on preferences determined in this study. We then conducted a field experiment in a pocket mouse–dominated ecosystem with the same 3-species seed mixtures in both “treated” (reduced shrub and increased forb cover) and “untreated” shrubsteppe. In the arena experiment, we found that rodents removed more of the highly preferred seed when the proportions of all 3 seeds were equal. Moderately preferred seeds experienced increased removal when the least preferred seed was in highest proportion. Removal of the least preferred seed increased when the highly preferred seed was in highest proportion. In the field experiment, results were similar to those from the arena experiment and did not differ between treated and untreated shrubsteppe areas. Though our results suggest that 3-species mixtures induce complex interactions among seeds, managers applying these results to restoration efforts should carefully consider the rodent community present and the potential fate of removed seeds

Nondestructive SEM for surface and subsurface wafer imaging

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is considered as a tool for both failure analysis as well as device characterization. A survey is made of various operational SEM modes and their applicability to image processing methods on semiconductor devices

Wnt and CDK-1 regulate cortical release of WRM-1/beta-catenin to control cell division orientation in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

In early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, the Wingless/int (Wnt)- and Src-signaling pathways function in parallel to induce both the division orientation of the endomesoderm (EMS) blastomere and the endoderm fate of the posterior EMS daughter cell, called E. Here, we show that, in addition to its role in endoderm specification, the beta-catenin-related protein Worm armadillo 1 (WRM-1) also plays a role in controlling EMS division orientation. WRM-1 localizes to the cortex of cells in both embryos and larvae and is released from the cortex in a Wnt-responsive manner. We show that WRM-1 cortical release is disrupted in a hypomorphic cyclin-dependent protein kinase 1 (cdk-1) mutant and that WRM-1 lacking potential CDK-1 phosphoacceptor sites is retained at the cortex. In both cases, cortical WRM-1 interferes with EMS spindle rotation without affecting endoderm specification. Finally, we show that removal of WRM-1 from the cortex can restore WT division orientation, even when both Wnt- and Src-signaling pathways are compromised. Our findings are consistent with a model in which Wnt signaling and CDK-1 modify WRM-1 in a temporal and spatial manner to unmask an intrinsic polarity cue required for proper orientation of the EMS cell division axis