Federal Communications Commission, Administrative Law, CBS, Inc. v. F.C.C.

The broadcast media has an obligation to permit a legally qualified candidate for federal office to purchase reasonable amounts of time on behalf of his candidacy. In so holding, the Supreme Court went beyond a mere codification of the public interest standard. Pursuant to section 312(a)(7) of the Communication Act of 1934, as amended, candidates for federal office have an affirmative right of reasonable access to the broadcast media. In addition, the Court found that the statutory right of access provided by section 312(a)(7), as defined and applied by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was not violative of the first amendment rights of the broadcaster

Modeling the elastic deformation of polymer crusts formed by sessile droplet evaporation

Evaporating droplets of polymer or colloid solution may produce a glassy crust at the liquid-vapour interface, which subsequently deforms as an elastic shell. For sessile droplets, the known radial outward flow of solvent is expected to generate crusts that are thicker near the pinned contact line than the apex. Here we investigate, by non-linear quasi-static simulation and scaling analysis, the deformation mode and stability properties of elastic caps with a non-uniform thickness profile. By suitably scaling the mean thickness and the contact angle between crust and substrate, we find data collapse onto a master curve for both buckling pressure and deformation mode, thus allowing us to predict when the deformed shape is a dimple, mexican hat, and so on. This master curve is parameterised by a dimensionless measure of the non-uniformity of the shell. We also speculate on how overlapping timescales for gelation and deformation may alter our findings.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figs. Some extra clarification of a few points, and minor corrections. To appear in Phys. Rev.

The Increase in Hemoglobin Concentration With Altitude Differs Between World Regions and Is Less in Children Than in Adults

To compensate for decreased oxygen partial pressure, high-altitude residents increase hemoglobin concentrations [Hb]. The elevation varies between world regions, posing problems in defining cutoff values for anemia or polycythemia. The currently used altitude adjustments (World Health Organization [WHO]), however, do not account for regional differences. Data from The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program were analyzed from 32 countries harboring >4% of residents at altitudes above 1000 m. [Hb]-increase, (ΔHb/km altitude) was calculated by linear regression analysis. Tables show 95% reference intervals (RIs) for different altitude ranges, world regions, and age groups. The prevalence of anemia and polycythemia was calculated using regressions in comparison to WHO adjustments. The most pronounced Δ[Hb]/km was found in East Africans and South Americans while [Hb] increased least in South/South-East Asia. In African regions and Middle East, [Hb] was decreased in some altitude regions showing inconsistent changes in different age groups. Of note, in all regions, the Δ[Hb]/km was lower in children than in adults, and in the Middle East, it was even negative. Overall, the Δ[Hb]/km from our analysis differed from the region-independent adjustments currently suggested by the WHO resulting in a lower anemia prevalence at very high altitudes. The distinct patterns of Δ[Hb] with altitude in residents from different world regions imply that one single, region-independent correction factor for altitude is not be applicable for diagnosing abnormal [Hb]. Therefore, we provide regression coefficients and reference-tables that are specific for world regions and altitude ranges to improve diagnosing abnormal [Hb]

Risk of COVID-19 infection among prison staff in the United States

Background: Multiple large outbreaks of COVID-19 have been documented in prisons and jails across regions of the world, with hazardous environmental conditions amplify the risks of exposure for both incarcerated people and correctional staff. The objectives of this study are to estimate the cumulative prevalence of COVID-19 cases among U.S. prison staff over time and compare it to the prison inmate population and the general U.S. population, overall, and to examine risk of COVID-19 infection among prison staff across jurisdictions. Methods: We use publicly available data (April 22, 2020 to January 15, 2021) to estimate COVID-19 crude case rates per 1000 with 95% confidence intervals over the study period for prison staff, incarcerated population, and general population. We also compare COVID-19 case rates between prison staff and the general population within jurisdictions. Results: Over the study period, prison staff have reported consistently higher rates of COVID-19 compared to the general population, with prison staff case rates more closely mirroring the incarcerated population case rates. The rolling 7-day average case rates for prison staff, prison population, and general population on January 15, 2021 were 196.04 per 1000 (95%CI 194.81, 197.26), 219.16 (95%CI 218.45, 219.86), and 69.80 (95%CI 69.78, 69.83), respectively. There was substantial heterogeneity across jurisdictions, yet in 87% of study jurisdictions, the risk of COVID-19 was significantly greater among prison staff than the general state population. Conclusions: Targeting staff for COVID-19 mitigation strategies is essential to protect the health of people who intersect with the correctional system and to flatten the curve in the surrounding communities

Volume-controlled buckling of thin elastic shells: Application to crusts formed on evaporating partially-wetted droplets

Motivated by the buckling of glassy crusts formed on evaporating droplets of polymer and colloid solutions, we numerically model the deformation and buckling of spherical elastic caps controlled by varying the volume between the shell and the substrate. This volume constraint mimics the incompressibility of the unevaporated solvent. Discontinuous buckling is found to occur for sufficiently thin and/or large contact angle shells, and robustly takes the form of a single circular region near the boundary that `snaps' to an inverted shape, in contrast to externally pressurised shells. Scaling theory for shallow shells is shown to well approximate the critical buckling volume, the subsequent enlargement of the inverted region and the contact line force.Comment: 7 pages in J. Phys. Cond. Mat. spec; 4 figs (2 low-quality to reach LANL's over-restrictive size limits; ask for high-detailed versions if required

Exploring <em>Musa paradisiaca</em> Peel Extract as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel Using Factorial Design Method

The suitability ofMusa paradisiaca (banana) peel extract as a green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acidic medium (1 M HCl) was investigated using factorial method of the design of experiment. The effects of two independent variables (concentration of banana peel extract and temperature) on the corrosion inhibition efficiency were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the extract such as surface tension, viscosity, flash point, and specific gravity were determined using standardized methods provided by the American System of Testing Materials (D-971). The relationship between the independent variables and the inhibitor efficiency was modeled by gasometric and thermometric methods. The statistical analysis of the inhibition efficiency was carried out using the “Fit Regression Model” of Minitab® 17.0, while the fitness of the models was assessed by the coefficient of determination (R2) and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the results obtained, gasometric method achieved a maximum inhibition efficiency of 66.83%, with an R2 of 90.76%, whereas thermometric method gave a maximum inhibition efficiency of 65.70%, with an R2 of 95.56%. This study shows that banana peel extract has the capacity to prevent the corrosion of mild steel in acidic medium

Lack of the Sodium-Driven Chloride Bicarbonate Exchanger NCBE Impairs Visual Function in the Mouse Retina

Regulation of ion and pH homeostasis is essential for normal neuronal function. The sodium-driven chloride bicarbonate exchanger NCBE (Slc4a10), a member of the SLC4 family of bicarbonate transporters, uses the transmembrane gradient of sodium to drive cellular net uptake of bicarbonate and to extrude chloride, thereby modulating both intracellular pH (pHi) and chloride concentration ([Cl-]i) in neurons. Here we show that NCBE is strongly expressed in the retina. As GABAA receptors conduct both chloride and bicarbonate, we hypothesized that NCBE may be relevant for GABAergic transmission in the retina. Importantly, we found a differential expression of NCBE in bipolar cells: whereas NCBE was expressed on ON and OFF bipolar cell axon terminals, it only localized to dendrites of OFF bipolar cells. On these compartments, NCBE colocalized with the main neuronal chloride extruder KCC2, which renders GABA hyperpolarizing. NCBE was also expressed in starburst amacrine cells, but was absent from neurons known to depolarize in response to GABA, like horizontal cells. Mice lacking NCBE showed decreased visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in behavioral experiments and smaller b-wave amplitudes and longer latencies in electroretinograms. Ganglion cells from NCBE-deficient mice also showed altered temporal response properties. In summary, our data suggest that NCBE may serve to maintain intracellular chloride and bicarbonate concentration in retinal neurons. Consequently, lack of NCBE in the retina may result in changes in pHi regulation and chloride-dependent inhibition, leading to altered signal transmission and impaired visual function

The Amplitude of Non-Equilibrium Quantum Interference in Metallic Mesoscopic Systems

We study the influence of a DC bias voltage V on quantum interference corrections to the measured differential conductance in metallic mesoscopic wires and rings. The amplitude of both universal conductance fluctuations (UCF) and Aharonov-Bohm effect (ABE) is enhanced several times for voltages larger than the Thouless energy. The enhancement persists even in the presence of inelastic electron-electron scattering up to V ~ 1 mV. For larger voltages electron-phonon collisions lead to the amplitude decaying as a power law for the UCF and exponentially for the ABE. We obtain good agreement of the experimental data with a model which takes into account the decrease of the electron phase-coherence length due to electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering.Comment: New title, refined analysis. 7 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Europhysics Letter