Cryptocurrency: Regulate or Facilitate? How States\u27 Approaches to Cryptocurrency Can Be Applied on a Federal Level

Within the past two years, the cryptocurrency market exceeded a record $2 trillion. As of November 2021, there are seventy-five million Bitcoin (a type of cryptocurrency) users and counting. Many states have implemented regulations and policies in response to this massive growth of the crypto market. While some states like Wyoming and Texas welcome cryptocurrency other states, such as New York and Washington, are more apprehensive and seek to constrain cryptocurrency due to its volatility and novelty. In contrast, federal agencies are still debating on how to address cryptocurrency, and glimpses of federal regulation can be seen through the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Ultimately, this Comment analyzes the different approaches states have used to regulate or facilitate cryptocurrency and provides a recommendation of whether any of these tactics could be applied on a federal level

Contributor to the November Issue/Notes

Notes by Charles G. Hasson, Robert J. Mahoney, Robert E. Sullivan, John Kelly, John D. O\u27Neill, John M. Anderton, Charles R. Gerard, R. A. Macdonell, William B. Ball, Robert E. Sullivan, and Leonard D. Bodkin

Contributor to the November Issue/Notes

Notes by Charles G. Hasson, Robert J. Mahoney, Robert E. Sullivan, John Kelly, John D. O\u27Neill, John M. Anderton, Charles R. Gerard, R. A. Macdonell, William B. Ball, Robert E. Sullivan, and Leonard D. Bodkin

Health-related behaviours of nurses and other healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional study using the Scottish health survey

Aims: To estimate the prevalence and co-occurrence of health-related behaviours among nurses in Scotland relative to other healthcare workers and those in non-healthcare occupations. Design: Secondary analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data, reported following STROBE guidelines. Methods: Five rounds (2008-2012) of the Scottish Health Survey were aggregated to estimate the prevalence and co-occurrence of health-related behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake). The weighted sample (n=18,820) included 471 nurses (3%), 433 other healthcare professionals (2%), 813 unregistered care workers (4%), and 17,103 in non-healthcare occupations (91%). Logistic regression models compared prevalence of specific health-related behaviours and principal component analysis assessed co-occurrence of health-related behaviours between occupational groups. Results: Nurses reported significantly better health-related behaviours relative to the general working population for smoking, fruit/vegetable intake, and physical activity. No significant difference was found for alcohol consumption between occupational groups. Nurses reported lower levels of harmful co-occurring behaviours (tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption) and higher levels of preventative behaviours (physical activity and fruit/vegetable intake) compared to the general working population. Other healthcare professionals had the lowest level of harmful health behaviours and highest level of preventative health behaviours. Health-related behaviours were poorest among unregistered care workers. Conclusion: Nurses’ health-related behaviours were better than the general population but non-adherence to public health guidelines was concerning. Impact: Nurses play an important role in health promotion through patient advice and role-modelling effects. To maximise their impact healthcare providers should prioritise increasing access to healthy food, alcohol awareness and smoking cessation programmes

Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope results from ODP Leg 187: Evidence for mantle dynamics of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance and origin of the Indian MORB source

New high precision PIMMS Hf and Pb isotope data for 14–28 Ma basalts recovered during ODP Leg 187 are compared with zero-age dredge samples from the Australian-Antarctic Discordance (AAD). These new data show that combined Nd-Hf isotope systematics can be used as an effective discriminant between Indian and Pacific MORB source mantle domains. In particular, Indian mantle is displaced to lower εNd and higher εHf ratios compared to Pacific mantle. As with Pb isotope plots, there is almost no overlap between the two mantle types in Nd-Hf isotope space. On the basis of our new Nd-Hf isotope data, we demonstrate that Pacific MORB-source mantle was present near the eastern margin of the AAD from as early as 28 Ma, its boundary with Indian MORB-source mantle coinciding with the eastern edge of a basin-wide arcuate depth anomaly that is centered on the AAD. This observation rules out models requiring rapid migration of Pacific MORB mantle into the Indian Ocean basin since separation of Australia from Antarctica. Although temporal variations in isotopic composition can be discerned relative to the fracture zone boundary of the modern AAD at 127°E, the distribution of different compositional groups appears to have remained much the same relative to the position of the residual depth anomaly for the past 30 m.y. Thus significant lateral flow of mantle along the ridge axis toward the interface appears unlikely. Instead, the dynamics that maintain both the residual depth anomaly and the isotopic boundary between Indian and Pacific mantle are due to eastward migration of the Australian and Antarctic plates over a stagnated, but slowly upwelling, slab oriented roughly orthogonal to the ridge axis. Temporal and spatial variations in the compositions of Indian MORB basalts within the AAD can be explained by progressive displacement of shallower Indian MORB-source mantle by deeper mantle having a higher εHf composition ascending ahead of the upwelling slab. Models for the origin of the distinctive composition of the Indian MORB-source based on recycling of a heterogeneous enriched component that consist of ancient altered ocean crust plus<10% pelagic sediment are inconsistent with Nd-Hf isotope systematics. Instead, the data can be explained by a model in which Indian mantle includes a significant proportion of material that was processed in the mantle wedge above a subduction zone and was subsequently mixed back into unprocessed upper mantle

Adolescent male hazardous drinking and participation in organised activities: Involvement in team sports is associated with less hazardous drinking in young offenders

Aims: The purpose of this research was to test and compare associations between participation in organised activities and indicators of hazardous drinking between young offenders and young non-offenders. Methods: Two groups of 13–18 year-old males were recruited in Cardiff, UK: 93 young offenders and 53 non-offenders from secondary schools matched on estimated IQ, sex and socioeconomic status. Indicators of hazardous drinking were measured using the Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST). Organised activity participation and externalising behaviour was measured by the Youth Self Report. The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence was also administered. Results: Young offenders participated in fewer organised activities and had higher FAST scores than non-offenders. Young offenders and non-offenders significantly differed on mean FAST scores if they participated in no organised activities but not if they participated in at least one team sport. Externalising behaviour problems were unrelated to participation in organised activities. Conclusions: Although young offenders were less likely to have participated in organised activities, for them, participation in a team sport was associated with less hazardous drinking. Vulnerable youths who might benefit most from sporting activities actually access them the least. Future research should identify the different barriers to participation that they face

Mars vertical axis wind machines: The design of a tornado vortex machine for use on Mars

Ever since Viking 1 and 2 landed on the surface of Mars in the summer of 1976, man has yearned to go back. But before man steps foot upon the surface of Mars, unmanned missions such as the Martian Soft Lander and Martian Subsurface Penetrator will precede him. Alternative renewable power sources must be developed to supply the next generation of surface exploratory spacecraft, since RTG's, solar cells, and long-life batteries all have their significant drawbacks. One such alternative is to take advantage of the unique Martian atmospheric conditions by designing a small scale, Martian wind power generator, capable of surviving impact and fulfilling the long term (2-5 years), low-level power requirements (1-2 Watts) of an unmanned surface probe. After investigation of several wind machines, a tornado vortex generator was chosen based upon its capability of theoretically augmenting and increasing the available power that may be extracted from average Martian wind speeds of approximately 7.5 m/s. The Martian Tornado Vortex Wind Generator stands 1 meter high and has a diameter of 0.5 m. Martian winds enter the base and shroud of the Tornado Vortex Generator at 7.5 m/s and are increased to an exit velocity of 13.657 m/s due to the vortex that is created. This results in a rapid pressure drop of 4.56 kg/s(exp 2) m across the vortex core which aids in producing a net power output of 1.1765 Watts. The report contains the necessary analysis and requirements needed to feasibly operate a low-level powered, unmanned, Martian surface probe

Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the Health Survey for England

Objective: To estimate obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England and compare prevalence to those working outside of the health services.Design: Cross-sectional study based on data from five years (2008-2012) of the nationally representative Health Survey for England.Setting: England.Participants: 20,103 adults aged 17-65 indicating they were economically active at the time of survey classified into four occupational groups: nurses (n=422), other healthcare professionals (n=412), unregistered care workers (n=736) and individuals employed in non-health related occupations (n=18,533). Outcome measure: Prevalence of obesity defined as Body Mass Index 30.0 with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and weighted to reflect the population.Results: Obesity prevalence was high across all occupational groups including: among nurses (25.1% 95% CI 20.9, 29.4); other healthcare professionals (14.4% CI 11.0, 17.8); non-health related occupations (23.5% CI 22.9, 24.1); and unregistered care workers, who had the highest prevalence of obesity (31.9%, CI 28.4, 35.3). A logistic regression model adjusted for socio-demographic composition and survey year indicated that, compared to nurses, the odds of being obese were significantly lower for other health care professionals (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 0.52, CI 0.37, 0.75) and higher for unregistered care workers (aOR 1.46 CI 1.11, 1.93). There was no significant difference in obesity prevalence between nurses and people working in non-health related occupations (aOR 0.94 CI 0.74, 1.18).Conclusions: High obesity prevalence among nurses and unregistered care workers is concerning as it increases the risks of musculoskeletal conditions and mental health conditions which are the main causes of sickness-absence in health services. Further research is required to better understand the reasons for high obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England to inform interventions to support individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Disclosing the Radio Loudness Distribution Dichotomy in Quasars: An Unbiased Monte Carlo Approach Applied to the SDSS-FIRST Quasar Sample

We investigate the dichotomy in the radio loudness distribution of quasars by modelling their radio emission and various selection effects using a Monte Carlo approach. The existence of two physically distinct quasar populations, the radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, is controversial and over the last decade a bimodal distribution of radio loudness of quasars has been both affirmed and disputed. We model the quasar radio luminosity distribution with simple unimodal and bimodal distribution functions. The resulting simulated samples are compared to a fiducial sample of 8,300 quasars drawn from the SDSS DR7 Quasar Catalog and combined with radio observations from the FIRST survey. Our results indicate that the SDSS-FIRST sample is best described by a radio loudness distribution which consists of two components, with 12+/-1 % of sources in the radio-loud component. On the other hand, the evidence for a local minimum in the loudness distribution (bimodality) is not strong and we find that previous claims for its existence were probably affected by the incompleteness of the FIRST survey close to its faint limit. We also investigate the redshift and luminosity dependence of the radio loudness distribution and find tentative evidence that at high redshift radio-loud quasars were rarer, on average "louder", and exhibited a smaller range in radio loudness. In agreement with other recent work, we conclude that the SDSS-FIRST sample strongly suggests that the radio loudness distribution of quasars is not a universal function, and that more complex models than presented here are needed to fully explain available observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 13 pages, 10 figure