Finite element modeling of electromagnetic fields and waves using NASTRAN

The various formulations of Maxwell's equations are reviewed with emphasis on those formulations which most readily form analogies with Navier's equations. Analogies involving scalar and vector potentials and electric and magnetic field components are presented. Formulations allowing for media with dielectric and conducting properties are emphasized. It is demonstrated that many problems in electromagnetism can be solved using the NASTRAN finite element code. Several fundamental problems involving time harmonic solutions of Maxwell's equations with known analytic solutions are solved using NASTRAN to demonstrate convergence and mesh requirements. Mesh requirements are studied as a function of frequency, conductivity, and dielectric properties. Applications in both low frequency and high frequency are highlighted. The low frequency problems demonstrate the ability to solve problems involving media inhomogeneity and unbounded domains. The high frequency applications demonstrate the ability to handle problems with large boundary to wavelength ratios

The Ohio State University Commencement

Commencement address given by Thomas J. Moyer, Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, to the Summer 2009 graduating class of The Ohio State University, Jerome Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio, August 30, 2009

Regional comparisons of nano-mechanical properties of the human meniscus; structure and function

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease that is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. OA affects approximately 28 million adults in the United States alone and when present in the knee joint, usually leads to a total knee replacement. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine possible methods to halt the initiation of OA, but the structural integrity of the menisci has been shown have a direct effect on the progression of OA. Menisci are two C-shaped structures that are attached to the tibial plateau and aid in facilitating proper load transmission within the knee. The meniscal cross-section is wedge-like to fit the contour of the femoral condyles and help attenuate stresses on the tibial plateau. While meniscal tears are common, only the outer 1/3 of the meniscus is vascularized and has the capacity to heal, hence tears of the inner 2/3rds are generally treated via meniscectomy, leading to OA. To help combat this OA epidemic, an effective biomimetric meniscal replacement is needed. Numerous mechanical and biochemical studies have been conducted on the human meniscus, but very little is known about the mechanical properties on the nano-scale and how meniscal constituents are distributed in the meniscal cross-section. The regional (anterior, central and posterior) nano-mechanical properties of the meniscal superficial layers (both tibial and femoral contacting) and meniscal deep zone were investigated via nanoindentation to examine the regional inhomogeneity of both the lateral and medial menisci. Additionally, these results were compared to quantitative histological values to better formulate a structure-function relationship on the nano-scale. These data will prove imperative for further advancements of a tissue engineered meniscal replacement

Commission on the 21st Century Judiciary

We approach the centennial of one of the most famous critiques of the legal profession with a new set of challenges facing the judiciary. When Roscoe Pound delineated “The Causes of Popular Dissatisfaction with the Administration of Justice” in a 1906 speech to the American Bar Association, he attributed the dissatisfaction to what citizens decried as “the necessarily mechanical operation of legal rules.” The “arbitrary technicalities,” as Pound described them, are still a frustration for those who represent themselves in legal disputes or those untrained in the liberties protected by those technicalities. Pound also noted that the public is frustrated by the slow pace of change in the law and by the “restraint and regulation” embodied in the law. Pound’s observations are still valid, but modern circumstances have resulted in a broader dissatisfaction with the judiciary brought about by an increasingly partisan judicial selection process and a growing misperception that the judicial system is biased in favor of the wealthy and well-connected. Public opinion polls have also found widespread public concern with the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities

Oral Argument - Let It Be

In any discussion concerning the need to change the existing rules of appellate practice, oral argument is perhaps the most vulnerable element. While the elimination of a right to oral argument could reduce the time some cases pend in the court, the right to oral argument provided by Appellate Rule 21 should not be eliminated

Response of composite plates subjected to acoustic loading

The objectives of the project were to investigate numerical methodology for the determination of narrowband response in the geometrically nonlinear regime, to determine response characteristics for geometrically nonlinear plates subjected to random loading and to compare the predictions with experiments to be performed at NASA-Langley. The first two objectives were met. The response of composite plates subjected to both narrowband and broadband excitation were studied and the results are presented and discussed