Rare isotope studies involving catalytic oxidation of CO over platinum-tin oxide

Results of studies utilizing normal and rare oxygen isotopes in the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over a platinum-tin oxide catalyst substrate are presented. Chemisorption of labeled carbon monoxide on the catalyst followed by thermal desorption yielded a carbon dioxide product with an oxygen-18 composition consistent with the formation of a carbonate-like intermediate in the chemisorption process. The efficacy of a method developed for the oxygen-18 labeling of the platinum-tin oxide catalyst surface for use in closed cycle pulsed care isotope carbon dioxide lasers is demonstrated for the equivalent of 10 to the 6th power pulses at 10 pulses per second

Evolving social dynamics prime thermal tolerance during a poleward range shift

Peer reviewedPostprin

Fast calibrated additive quantile regression

We propose a novel framework for fitting additive quantile regression models, which provides well calibrated inference about the conditional quantiles and fast automatic estimation of the smoothing parameters, for model structures as diverse as those usable with distributional GAMs, while maintaining equivalent numerical efficiency and stability. The proposed methods are at once statistically rigorous and computationally efficient, because they are based on the general belief updating framework of Bissiri et al. (2016) to loss based inference, but compute by adapting the stable fitting methods of Wood et al. (2016). We show how the pinball loss is statistically suboptimal relative to a novel smooth generalisation, which also gives access to fast estimation methods. Further, we provide a novel calibration method for efficiently selecting the 'learning rate' balancing the loss with the smoothing priors during inference, thereby obtaining reliable quantile uncertainty estimates. Our work was motivated by a probabilistic electricity load forecasting application, used here to demonstrate the proposed approach. The methods described here are implemented by the qgam R package, available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN)

The Proportion of Ontario Gambling Revenue Derived From Problem Gamblers

Sherpa Romeo yellow journal. Permission to archive accepted author manuscriptThe proportion of gambling revenue derived from problem gamblers is an important issue when considering the appropriateness of government-sponsored gambling. Figures obtained from prior research are tentative due to methodological problems and the mismatch between reported expenditures and actual gambling revenue. Using improved methods for assessing the prevalence of problem gambling and self-reported gambling expenditures, the present study estimates that the 4.8% of problem gamblers in Ontario in 2003 accounted for approximately 36% of Ontario gambling revenue. This proportion varied as a function of game type, with a lower proportion for lotteries, instant win tickets, bingo, and raffles and a higher proportion for horse racing and slot machines. Key Words: gambling, problem gambling, government, Ontario, OLGOntario Problem Gambling Research CentreYe

Powers of planar graphs, product structure, and blocking partitions

We prove that the $k$-power of any planar graph $G$ is contained in $H\boxtimes P\boxtimes K_{f(\Delta(G),k)}$ for some graph $H$ with treewidth $15\,288\,899$, some path $P$, and some function $f$. This resolves an open problem of Ossona de Mendez. In fact, we prove a more general result in terms of shallow minors that implies similar results for many `beyond planar' graph classes, without dependence on $\Delta(G)$. For example, we prove that every $k$-planar graph is contained in $H\boxtimes P\boxtimes K_{f(k)}$ for some graph $H$ with treewidth $15\,288\,899$ and some path $P$, and some function $f$. This resolves an open problem of Dujmovi\'c, Morin and Wood. We generalise all these results for graphs of bounded Euler genus, still with an absolute bound on the treewidth. At the heart of our proof is the following new concept of independent interest. An $\ell$-blocking partition of a graph $G$ is a partition of $V(G)$ into connected sets such that every path of length greater than $\ell$ in $G$ contains at least two vertices in one part. We prove that every graph of Euler genus $g$ has a $894$-blocking partition with parts of size bounded by a function of $\Delta(G)$ and $g$. Motivated by this result, we study blocking partitions in their own right. We show that every graph has a $2$-blocking partition with parts of size bounded by a function of $\Delta(G)$ and $\textrm{tw}(G)$. On the other hand, we show that 4-regular graphs do not have $\ell$-blocking partitions with bounded size parts

Internet Gambling: A Comprehensive Review and Synthesis of the Literature

This review is an attempt to comprehensively identify and synthesize the literature concerning Internet gambling.Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre

Internet Gambling: Prevalence, Patterns, Problems, and Policy Options

Beginning in the early to mid-1990s, as Internet access expanded into workplaces and private residences, gamblers in Western societies were introduced to a new realm of gambling opportunities, based on the Internet. Each of the traditional forms of gambling, widely available in land-based venues, soon appeared in electronic format over the Internet, and have since been easily accessible to any person with an Internet connection and means of electronically transferring money. Virtually mediated casino games, slot machines, bingos, lotteries, sports wagering, horse race betting, and skill games are all now readily accessible, with new forms of gambling and new ways of remote gambling (e.g., interactive television) continually being added. While Internet gambling is becoming a more socially acceptable and legally available activity, the expansion of Internet gambling is outpacing peoples' understanding of the phenomenon, as well as outpacing many of the laws that are supposed to regulate gambling activity. Consequently, we find ourselves in a situation where we have insufficient knowledge of online gambling, including the characteristics of gamblers, the dynamics of Internet gambling behavior, the potential link between Internet gambling and problem gambling, and the most appropriate regulatory and legislative stance to take with respect to Internet gambling. In light of persisting ambiguities and gaps in the existing academic and policy literature, the present report comprises one of the most thorough academic examinations of Internet gamblers to date. The first part of the report provides a context for the present investigation by providing a comprehensive review of the history of Internet gambling, the current worldwide situation, regulatory frameworks for Internet gambling in different jurisdictions, and concerns with Internet gambling. The second part of the report discusses results from two surveys. The first survey is a random digit dial (RDD) Telephone Survey of 8,498 Canadian adults conducted from January 2006 to June 2007 ('Canadian Telephone Survey'). The second survey is an online self-administered survey of 12,521 adults, from 105 countries, conducted from June to December 2007 ('International Online Survey'). These surveys collected information about people‟s demographic characteristics, land-based gambling behaviour, Internet gambling behaviour, stock market gambling, attitudes toward gambling, motivations for gambling on the Internet, gambling fallacies, and problem gambling as assessed by the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI). The International Online Survey also served as an intervention, as participants were provided with detailed feedback about their gambling behaviour relative to others, a projection of their yearly expenditures, explanations of why certain beliefs they held were gambling fallacies, their risk for becoming a problem gambler, their current score on the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI), Internet links to treatment resources, and a demonstration of how their predictive ability for random events is no better than chance, and how there is no relationship between their prediction confidence and prediction success.Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.N

Internet Gambling: Past, Present and Future

Made available courtesy of Elsevier Publishing Inc. The official version of this paper appears in G. Smith, D. Hodgins, and R. J. Williams (Eds.), Research and Measurement Issues in Gambling Studies, copyright 2007 Elsevier Inc.In light of continued and rapid expansion, and in light of existing ambiguities and gaps in current knowledge, this chapter seeks to highlight the major trends and issues associated with Internet gambling today. This is not meant to offer a definitive answer to all questions and issues that are emerging from the current state of Internet gambling. Instead, recognizing that much more research is needed in most areas, this chapter merely seeks to highlight crucial domains of knowledge and research on Internet gambling, as well as any resulting implications.Ye

Problem Gambling on the Internet: Implications for Internet Gambling Policy in North America

Sherpa Romeo green journal. Permission to archive accepted author manuscript.Internet gambling is legal in many jurisdictions around the world, and observers predict that it is simply a matter of time before various North American governments, in Canada and the USA, take steps towards legalizing and regulating Internet gambling opportunities. Indeed, the proportion of North America gamblers who choose to gamble on the Internet is increasing at a dramatic rate. Unfortunately, however, relatively little is known about the characteristics of these individuals, or their propensity for problem gambling. Past studies predict that Internet gamblers are especially at risk for developing gambling problems, and that a substantial proportion of them already can be properly classified as problem or pathological gamblers. The present study investigates this issue using data collected from an Internet-based survey administered to 1920 American, Canadian, and International Internet gamblers. Confirming predictions of a relationship between Internet gambling and problem gambling, we find that 42.7% of the Internet gamblers in our sample can be classified as problem gamblers. In light of our findings, and bearing in mind recommendations made by other gambling researchers, we conclude with a discussion of issues and cautions for governments to heed when crafting Internet gambling policies.Ye

‘How Much Money Do You Spend on Gambling?’ The Comparative Validity of Question Wordings Used to Assess Gambling Expenditure

Sherpa Romeo green journal. Permission to archive accepted author manuscript.Gambling expenditure is a commonly asked question in jurisdiction-wide surveys of gambling behaviour and in surveys of household spending. However, the validity of self-reported gambling expenditure is questionable due to the fact that these expenditures usually do not match up with actual gambling revenue. The present study asked about past month gambling expenditure, in 12 different ways, to a random sample of 2424 Ontario adult gamblers. The relative validity of each question format was subsequently established by the correspondence of reported gambling expenditures with actual Ontario gambling revenue, as well as with amounts obtained by prospective diaries. Slight variations in question wording resulted in significant variation in reported expenditure amounts. However, certain question wordings elicited amounts closer to actual revenues and are therefore recommended for use in future surveys.Ontario Problem Gambling Research CentreYe