Taxes, Efficiency and Economic Growth

In the third paper on taxation, Jack M. Mintz and Thomas A. Wilson consider the best way to allocate the “fiscal dividend”. This is the amount available to the government that can be used for tax cuts or expenditure increases within the framework of a balanced budget. In their view, although the current growth recession will reduce the potential surplus somewhat, the medium-term outlook is still for increasing surpluses. Concerned about lagging economic growth and emphasizing the importance of efficiency and productivity growth, they argue that priority should be given to debt reduction and tax cuts designed to stimulate investment and potential growth. Mintz and Wilson make the case that a large part of the remaining fiscal dividend should be allocated towards reducing the relatively large personal income tax burden faced by many Canadian families and individuals. But they also stress that it is important to steadily reduce payroll and business taxes as well. This case is supported by extensive international comparisons of taxes in Canada with other countries that show that the burden of taxation is higher in Canada than in many other industrialized countries. It is also bolstered by the results of simulations, using the FOCUS macroeconometric model, of a fiscal package containing significant debt reduction, modest spending increases and cuts in personal, business and payroll taxes. These simulations show such a fiscal package should have favourable supply-side effects on output, employment and productivity over the medium term. In addition, since their analysis reveals that there are still important issues of tax structure that need to be addressed, they recommend that the government establish a task force to review personal income taxes and to consider the need for additional tax cuts. Finally, Mintz and Wilson also remind us that while planned debt reduction is an important component of a growth-oriented fiscal policy, in the short run the size of the surplus should be allowed to vary with the level of economic activity. Otherwise fiscal policy will exacerbate the slowdown that is currently underway.FOCUS, Taxation, Simulation, Forecast, Efficiency, Growth, Debt Reduction

Gauge Invariance and Confinement in Noncompact Simulations of SU(2)

Wilson loops have been measured at strong coupling, $\beta=0.5$, on a $12^4$ lattice in a noncompact simulation of pure SU(2) in which random compact gauge transformations impose a kind of lattice gauge invariance. The Wilson loops suggest a confining potential.Comment: 3 pages, requires PiCTeX, talk presented at Lattice '93, UNM-gicns

Noncompact Lattice Simulations of SU(2) Gauge Theory

Wilson loops have been measured at strong coupling, $\beta=0.5$, on a $12^4$ lattice in noncompact simulations of pure SU(2) without gauge fixing. There is no sign of quark confinement.Comment: 4 pages, UNM-93-nl

Adapting Quantitative Protein and Phosphorylation Analyses to a Proteome-Wide Scale

Liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become the preferred method for large-scale peptide and phosphopeptide identification and quantification. The dominance of LC-MS/MS is the result of improved chromatographic, mass spectrometry and bioinformatic technologies. The applications of these technological improvements drive biological innovation by expanding the realm of possible experimentation, facilitating the creation and evaluation of novel hypotheses. Such improvements are the focus of this dissertation. New technologies are presented and their proteome wide applications in biological systems are demonstrated. A comparison of common phosphopeptide enrichment methods is presented in chapter two, which demonstrates that a combination of methods provides non-overlapping data sets. This comparison was performed in mitotically arrested fission yeast, a previously unstudied system by phosphoproteomic methods. This chapter remarks upon phosphorylation site conservation between lower and higher eukaryotes, as a means of predicting potentially relevant phosphorylation events in mammals. A new protocol for tissue based peptide quantification is presented in chapter three. The large-scale application of this method is detailed in a system of mouse liver phosphorylation, between fasted and re-fed states. The effect of peptide and protein level false discovery rates on the accuracy of phosphorylation site quantification is highlighted. This method is a cost-effective alternative to available techniques, such as metabolic labeling, and expands the application of proteomics to include larger animals. Finally, an in depth analysis of quantitative LC-MS/MS based multiplexing is the subject of the last chapter. New techniques for peptide pre-fractionation and ion quantification are discussed, which improve proteome coverage and quantitative accuracy. This proteome-wide multiplexing is applied to an analysis of the budding yeast environmental stress response. Applicable methods of data processing and a means of obtaining biologically relevant information out of multidimensional proteomic data sets are discussed. In all chapters, the data presented represent the largest analyses of their kind. This dissertation provides a solid guide for future proteome-wide studies, focused on the identification and quantification of peptides and their posttranslational modifications

Senior Recital: Josh Inglis, saxophone

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degrees Bachelor of Music in Performance and Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mr. Inglis studies saxophone with Sam Skelton.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2221/thumbnail.jp

Senior Recital: Zach Wilson, jazz piano

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Mr. Wilson studies jazz piano with Tyrone Jackson.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2214/thumbnail.jp

Persons With Severe Mental Illnesses and Sex Offenses: Recidivism After Prison Release

Individuals who have committed sex offenses (ISOs) with severe mental illnesses are a complex population to serve and more research is needed to guide practice and policy, especially around community supervision, enrollment in Medicaid, housing, employment, criminal justice contacts, and reincarceration after prison reentry. To further the literature in this area, we used logistic regression to model recidivism and admissions to violator or prison facilities among 127 ISOs with severe mental illnesses and 2,935 people with severe mental illnesses who were incarcerated in prison for other crimes. Compared to prison releasees with severe mental illnesses who committed crimes other than sex offenses, prison releasees with severe mental illnesses who committed sex offenses were admitted to violator facilities at higher rates, when controlling for substance use, Medicaid enrollment, homelessness, and unemployment. Implications for practice, policy and research are discussed

SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory with Logarithmic Action: Scaling and Universality

We investigate a version of SU(2) lattice gauge theory with a logarithmic action. The model is found to exhibit confinement, contrary to previous claims in the literature. Comparing ratios of physical quantities, like $\sqrt{\sigma}/T_c$, we find that the model belongs to the same universality class as the standard SU(2) lattice gauge theory with Wilson action. Like the positive plaquette model, the model with logarithmic action has a monotonic $\beta$-function, without the famous dip exhibited by the Wilson action. Short distance dislocations affecting the definition of topology are slightly more suppressed than for the positive plaquette model.Comment: 19 pages. Self-unwrapping compressed postscript fil

Project-Based Learning: Enhanced Drug Deliver through Micelle-Turmeric Complexation

An integral component of many traditional approaches to medicine is the regular ingestion of various plants. One such medicinal plant is the rhizome of the Curcuma longa (turmeric). Research has shown that the phytochemical, polyphenol curcumin acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory, when in combination with a plant-based alkaloid, piperine. The anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin make it a versatile supplement for an array of potential clinical applications. We will report some of our results obtained in the Project-Based Learning (PBL) biomaterials course where we identify a problem (disease or condition) and design a bioactive device that has the potential to solve that problem. Our project involves the use of micelles as a drug delivery device for curcumin. One of the main hindrances for the controlled delivery of curcumin is the hydrophobicity, thus we propose increasing the solubility by suspension in micelles. Our poster will showcase some of our proposed chemical complexation reactions and the delivery mechanism of the micelles