Interconnection Payments in Telecommunications: A Competitive Market Approach

In this paper, we first discuss the concept of "Bill-and-Keep" whereby the party that receives a call pays for receiving the call. We explore if this outcome is efficient and consistent with competitive markets. Following the discussion of Bill-and-Keep we offer an explanation of why the flow of traffic has been imbalanced between incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) and competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs). We explain that this outcome is the natural outcome of the barriers to entry created by the incumbents in their refusal to provide collocation to internet service providers (ISPs)

Retail Prices and Facility-Based Entry into the Telecommunications Market

There is growing sentiment that rate rebalancing to eliminate cross subsidies between local business and local residential telephone markets is necessary to induce efficient entry in the residential market. If the elasticity of supply with respect to the relative prices for business and residential local service is high in both the local business and local residential markets, then the efficiency gains from rebalancing may be large. Alternatively, other factors related to differences in characteristics between business and residential local telephone markets, such as lower costs, lower elasticity of demand, and greater willingness-to-pay for quality or redundancy in the business segment of local telephone may be more important determinants of entry. In this paper we simultaneously measure the elasticity of supply in the business market with regards to the price of business services relative to the price of residential service, using entry, economic and demographic data a the wire center level. We find that business entry is driven by market demand and cost characteristics, and that the effect of cross subsidies in prices on entry is less clear

The Inter-Mammary Sticky Roll: A Novel Technique for Securing a Doppler Ultrasonic Probe to the Precordium for Venous Air Embolism Detection.

Venous air embolism is a devastating and potentially life-threatening complication that can occur during neurosurgical procedures. We report the development and use of the "inter-mammary sticky roll," a technique to reliably secure a precordial Doppler ultrasonic probe to the chest wall during neurosurgical cases that require lateral decubitus positioning. We have found that this noninvasive technique is safe, and effectively facilitates a constant Doppler signal with no additional risk to the patient

Who’s Taking Whom: Some Comments and Evidence on the Constitutionality of TELRIC

The FCC requires that the price of unbundled network elements be equal to the total element long-run incremental cost of production plus a reasonable contribution to common and joint costs. This pricing standard has the potential of making the telecommunications market more competitive. TELRIC prices, however, are set independently of historic costs and therefore may not compensate investors for incurred costs. Hence, incumbent local exchange carriers have been fighting its implementation. In all probability, the U.S. Supreme Court will become involved in the debate over its adoption. The Supreme Court has looked at changes in valuation methods in the past. In the abandonment of the fair value doctrine, the Court established criteria to allow a paradigm shift. This Article argues that the same conditions may now exist for TELRIC pricing. Furthermore, the Article presents data that indicates that, to date, no taking has resulted from the use of TELRIC pricing. Hence, the Court is likely to find TELRIC as a viable alternative to historic rate of return pricing

Reinventing Homeownership: A Compendium of Concepts to Consider

This policy brief presents a compendium of innovative mortgage products that challenge the dominant mortgage product of the 20th Century, the high down payment, thirty year amortization, fixed interest rate mortgage. These innovative products do not, however, go to the other extreme like the subprime and Alt-A mortgages of the early 21st Century with attributes such as low down payments, balloon payments and quick to adjust interest rates. Rather, they take into account demographic trends, changes in the workplace and existing barriers to homeownership to structure new products for contemporary households. These innovative products take on the big questions in residential mortgage finance. What is the future of the FRM? What is the fate of the low-down-payment mortgage? And what does homeownership mean today

Neurite orientation and dispersion density imaging (NODDI) detects cortical and corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

Background: Corticospinal tract (CST) degeneration and cortical atrophy are consistent features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We hypothesised that neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a multicompartment model of diffusion MRI, would reveal microstructural changes associated with ALS within the CST and precentral gyrus (PCG) ‘in vivo’. Methods: 23 participants with sporadic ALS and 23 healthy controls underwent diffusion MRI. Neurite density index (NDI), orientation dispersion index (ODI) and free water fraction (isotropic compartment (ISO)) were derived. Whole brain voxel-wise analysis was performed to assess for group differences. Standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters were computed for comparison. Subgroup analysis was performed to investigate for NODDI parameter differences relating to bulbar involvement. Correlation of NODDI parameters with clinical variables were also explored. The results were accepted as significant where p<0.05 after family-wise error correction at the cluster level, clusters formed with p<0.001. Results: In the ALS group NDI was reduced in the extensive regions of the CST, the corpus callosum and the right PCG. ODI was reduced in the right anterior internal capsule and the right PCG. Significant differences in NDI were detected between subgroups stratified according to the presence or absence of bulbar involvement. ODI and ISO correlated with disease duration. Conclusions: NODDI demonstrates that axonal loss within the CST is a core feature of degeneration in ALS. This is the main factor contributing to the altered diffusivity profile detected using DTI. NODDI also identified dendritic alterations within the PCG, suggesting microstructural cortical dendritic changes occur together with CST axonal damage

Extreme oceanographic forcing and coastal response due to the 2015-2016 El Nino

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is the dominant mode of interannual climate variability across the Pacific Ocean basin, with influence on the global climate. The two end members of the cycle, El Niño and La Niña, force anomalous oceanographic conditions and coastal response along the Pacific margin, exposing many heavily populated regions to increased coastal flooding and erosion hazards. However, a quantitative record of coastal impacts is spatially limited and temporally restricted to only the most recent events. Here we report on the oceanographic forcing and coastal response of the 2015–2016 El Niño, one of the strongest of the last 145 years. We show that winter wave energy equalled or exceeded measured historical maxima across the US West Coast, corresponding to anomalously large beach erosion across the region. Shorelines in many areas retreated beyond previously measured landward extremes, particularly along the sediment-starved California coast

Anticipation of coincidence in baseball players

20 players from Pacific University\u27s baseball team were tested on the Bassin Anticipation Timer to determine if anticipation of coincidence as measured by the Bassin correlates to actual hitting tendencies. Bassin results indicate a non-significant correlation exists between actual batting performance and performance expected from Bassin testing. The Bassin triggering device was also held in three different positions to better mimic bat handling. Analysis indicated that the location and manner in which the trigger device is held and pressed makes no statistically significant difference. However, a significant correlation did exist between Bassin performance and strike percentage. Evidence in this study suggests a new manner in which the Bassin Anticipation Timer may be employed to study, and perhaps improve, baseball players\u27 batting

Dealing with death and the grieving process

There are two things that our society doesn\u27t really openly discuss. Oddly enough, they are things that will affect everyone on this planet regardless of race, religion, gender, class, or nationality. I am speaking of the beginning of life, and the end of life. The subject of how life begins is for some reason taboo in our society. Children are told absurd things like children are brought to their parents by birds, such as a stork. Another popular tale is that children are grown in gardens and are discovered under leaves. The subject of sex seems to be one that we deem unsuitable for discussion under anything but the most special circumstances. As a result, there are a lot of misconceptions and harmful myths surrounding how life begins. I have found that stigmas also surround what this paper will concentrate on, the topic of death, often times having harmful results as well

Looking Back to Move Us Forward: Social Workers Deliver Justice as Human Rights Professionals

Social work was a progressive profession at its founding, and social workers sought to transform people’s lives through wide-ranging reforms and work with individuals and communities. Over time, social work has evolved into a more conservative profession. Social workers have perpetuated oppressive policies, structures, and practices that marginalize vulnerable populations. This paper revisits the history of our profession and presents a human rights approach toward justice in social work practice and education that is more in line with its roots and the intentions of its founders. This renewed approach requires the participation of communities and the full inclusion of client voices, creating an atmosphere supportive of human rights, different curricular methods of delivering human rights and justice content, and new skill development in courses and fieldwork. This paper demonstrates how a rights-based approach bridges the divide between macro and micro practice and permeates all professional education and practice aspects. The paper shows how social work education can orient classroom and field curricula to promote human rights by emphasizing community-based practice frameworks and system-wide changes