No. 205 February 2000
HOSPITALS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE In 1996, the most expensive average cost was $56,000 per admission for spinal cord injuries, next with infant respiratory distress syndrome ($56,600) and low birthweight ($50,300) ranks third. The patients’ average stay was 5 days, but low birthweight and infant respiratory distress syndrome averaged 22 days. There were 3.8 million birth admissions, and 774, 000 people were heart attack patients. Hospital Inpatient Statistics, 1996 issued in 1999 by the Agency for Health Care and Policy Research is a 20% sample estimate of community hospitals covered by the AHCPR's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample Databases. This report presents an in-depth profile of inpatient care and answers key questions about how specific conditions are treated and the resulting outcomes." The HUCUP Databases covering national and state information for 100 variables which include principal and secondary diagnoses and procedures, patient demographics, expected payment source, itemized, and total charges, length of stay, hospital characteristics, and other related hospital and county information. The Hospital Inpatient Statistics, 1996 is found at http://www.ahcpr.gov/data/hcup/his96/ . Other national inpatient reports, related HCUP publications, and online links to the description and user information for each of the 22 states which have State Inpatient Databases are found at http://www.ahcpr.gov/data/hcup/hcupnet.htm . Welcome to HCUPnet at http://www.ahcpr.gov/data/hcup/ is an interactive web page "tool for identifying, tracking, analyzing, and comparing statistics at hospitals at the national level."
WAIT A SECOND, IT IS TIME TO LEARN ABOUT TIME! What is a second? One calendar year equals 365 and 1/4 days, there are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and there are also 60 seconds in a minute, but what is a "second"? The United States as the world's timekeeper, has the appropriate timepiece to measure time which is 100,000 time more accurate than a time scale determined by the earth's rotation on its axis. Since 1967, by international agreement, the second is defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the undisturbed cesium atom. An atomic clock, the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Atomic Clock System is a device designed to detect the oscillations while disturbing the atoms as little as possible. The Atomic Clock System consists of three elements. First, are the primary frequency/time standards detecting the frequency of the movement of the cesium atoms. Second, a group of smaller commercial atomic clocks serve as backup for continuous performance and statistical purposes. The third element is a combination of computers and measurement equipment monitoring the frequencies of all the clocks and compares each against the others. The result is a continuous measure of atomic time, displayed on indicators in the laboratory, and made available as radio frequency signals and electronic "ticks." The NIST Atomic Clock, An Extraordinary Timepiece is a six-page flyer issued by the NIST in 1991which contains this basic information. More background, related history, and details about the different kinds of clocks, of time, and its users is found in From Sundials to Atomic Clocks, Understanding Time and Frequency, the 1999 edition issued in March 1999 by the NIST (C13.44:155/999). To make use of the NIST Atomic Clock and find the exact time "within 6 seconds" go to http://www.time.gov/ where you will find The Official U.S. Time and select a time zone or the Time Exhibits (of calendars, clocks, clock mechanisms, history of timekeeping, and current technology). The About This Service link provide access to the NIST and the U.S. Naval Observatory time services whose clocks never vary by more than 0.0000001 from UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) AKA World Time. Time is a fascinating topic. Take some time to learn about time at the NIST timely location http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/ .
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Is the Underground Railroad under the ground? For most people who know about slavery in the pre Civil War period of U. S. history, the Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad. It was a loosely constructed network of routes that originated in the South and ended in Canada, but intertwined throughout the Northern States and the western (U.S.) territories, Mexico, and the Caribbean." Its operations relied on secret codes and railroad jargon; its "passengers" were slaves escorted by Black and White "conductors" to freedom. The Railroad consisted of routes, sites, houses, etc. It was in operation helping slaves escape to freedom as early as the 1500s,with its peak period being 1830 to 1865. After it was abolished, the Railroad was kept alive by the oral tradition and written works, personal accounts, and preservation of physical building sites and structures. To actually see the maps showing and listing the States, cities, and towns, rivers, railroads, canals, water, and land routes that made up the Railroad get a copy of Underground Railroad, Management Concepts/Environment Assessment issued in September 1995 (I 29.58/4:UN2). Even though the National Park Service's Environmental assessment is five years old, it clearly presents the aims, goals, and historical concepts of the Underground Railroad to be preserved by the Underground Railroad Advisory Committee as intended by Congress via Public Law 101-628 passed in 1990. Two related "handy-dandy" information aids are The Underground Railroad, Official Map and Guide, 1996 (I 29.6/6:R13), which is a fold-out 1 sheet map, and Underground Railroad, 1997, A National Park Service National Park Guidebook, 87 pages of readings and information.
PHYSICS CONSTANTS CONSTANTLY AVAILABLE Insofar as the laws of nature and Physics are expressed in mathematical computations which involve fundamental physical constants; every physicist should have a copy of the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics in his/her own library. The physicist "should never leave home without one" but what if he/she is without this Handbook? The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a website that the physicist can access from any computer. The NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty ( http://www.physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.html ) provides instant access to Fundamental Physical Constants. For these Constants, NIST provides the Latest (1998) values of the Constants data for eight different topical categories of values. NIST also provides the Older Values of Constants. If you don't have a calculator, the Conversion factors for energy equivalents ( http://www.physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/energy.html ) which are an online method of finding energy equivalents. This NIST website will also provide an Introduction to the Constants for nonexperts and the Older Values of Constants. Where else can you find certain information about uncertainty? Uncertainty of Measurement Results http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Uncertainty/index.html contains the Essentials of and Guidelines for Expressing Measurement Uncertainty. What most people may recognize is the International System of Units (SI) AKA the Metric System that is also found on this website.
NEW VTOL FLYING CAR Buried at the bottom of page 58 of Public Roads, v.63, no 3, November-December 1999 is the article: "Flying Car Prototype Developed" identifies the new Moller International's flying cars. The M150 and M400 Skycars can be seen at http://www.moller.com/skycar/index.html . The M 150 Skycar, a single-passenger sport model's specifications are found at http://www.moller.com/skycar/m150. The M400 Skycar, the newer model's specifications are found at http://www.moller.com/skycar/m400 . Both models are vertical take-off-and-landing vehicles that travel on the roadways and then take to the air. The M150 can cruise at 335 mph and gets 45 mpg. The M400 four-seat model can carry 750 lbs, cruises at 350 mph, has a range of 900 miles, and gets 15 miles-per-gallon. Though the current cost is estimated at $1 million dollars, increased production of the M400, after successful flight tests could bring the cost down to $60,000. More information about the history, current status, and future plans for the M400 Skycar will be found in the Questions and Answers web page at http://www.moller.com/faq . Those who are interested will find on this last web page order information for a 15-minute video of the M400 Skycar that includes the actual flight of the M200X model. The M150 and M400 give new meaning to terms "sports car".
UNSOLICITED MERCHANDISE: TO KEEP AND PAY OR NOT-PAY? WHAT'S THE LAW?? Officially: I DO NOT KNOW. Officially, per the United State Postal Inspection Service's web page Receipt of Unsolicited Merchandise at http://www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect/merch.htm [ "Don't feel guilty! It's yours, and you are under no obligation to pay anything. ...You, the consumer, may only legally be sent two types of merchandise through the mail without your consent or agreement: (1) Free samples which are clearly and conspicuously marked as such. (2) Merchandise mailed by a charitable organization that is soliciting contributions. And in these two cases, you can consider the merchandise a gift if you wish. In all other situations, it is illegal to send merchandise to someone, unless that person has previously ordered or requested it. These rules are codified in Title 39, United States Code, Section 3009. That section of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 incorporates these protections for American consumers and makes the mailing of unordered merchandise unfair methods of competition and unfair trade practices under the law. If you do not wish to pay for unsolicited merchandise or make a donation to a charity sending such an item, you may do one of three things (in each case, by law, you have no obligation to the sender): (1) If you have not opened the package, you may mark it "Return to Sender," and the Postal Service will return it with no additional postage charged to you. (2) If you open the package and don't like what you find, you may throw it away. (3) If you open the package and like what you find, you may keep it for free. In this instance, "finders-keepers" applies unconditionally.] Officially, the above quote in [ ] is a copy and paste reproduction of the U.S. Postal Service's answer to the above question about the many unsolicited items sent through the U.S. postal system.
ASTEROIDS: TWO DOWN AND ?? TO GO In the 1998 movie Armageddon, the asteroid was destroyed, and in the movie Impact, an asteroid hit earth. Two down, and ? to go. How many asteroids AKA Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA) are in space and may still collide with Earth. Of the thousands of asteroids in our solar system, NEA scientists first thought there were between 1,000 and 2,000 near-Earth asteroids, with diameters over 1 km which pose a danger to all life on Earth. The asteroids whose diameters are less than 1 km pose less danger to Earth. In 1993, the U.S. Congress House Committee on Science ordered NASA to "catalogue within 10 years the orbital characteristics of all (Earth-Orbit-crossing) comets and asteroids that are greater than 1 km in diameter". Threat of Large Earth-Orbit Crossing Asteroids: Hearing... March 24, 1993 (Y4.SCI2:103/8). The Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) Program ( http://neat.jpl.nasa.gov/ ) of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses computer software to detect NEAs in CCD (charge-coupled device) images found with a 1.0-m aperture telescope on Maui Island, Hawaii. Automated searches are more effective than previous photographic film methods that identified asteroids by visual inspection. With this new detection technology, the NEAT Programme scientists have determined there are only between 500 and 1,000 asteroids with diameters more than 1 km, which is half the previous estimate of 1,000 to 2,000. However, "at the current rate of discovery of near-Earth asteroids, 90% will probably have been detected within the next 20 years. "A reduced estimate of the number of kilometer-sized near-Earth asteroids" by David Rabinowitz, Eleanor Helin, Kenneth Lawrence, and Steven Pravdo, Nature v. 403, January 13, 2000 pages 165-166 provided the good news. More about the NASA Near-Earth Object Program pictures and results, are at the NEO web site at http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ . For the very latest news, get on the e-mail list at http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/email.html .
BICYCLE FRIENDLY ROADS While riding your bicycle have you seen any roads, streets, etc. which have, along the curb, a narrow strip of the pavement marked for bicycles? These roads are bicycle-friendly. Interstate highways, not designed for bicycle usage, would cause the cyclist constant concern about his/her safety and the greatest level of bicycle stress. Eventhough your a driveway or a park with bicycle trails is the safest areas to ride and would cause the least bicycle stress (if at all), these bicycle paths will not get you to a friend's house, the mall, or to work. Some roadways are physically compatible with bicycle usage and are considered to be bicycle friendly. The roadways, which fit the Bicycle Compatibility Index and meet appropriate bicycle stress level test, will be marked with the appropriate bicycle lines and symbols. Some roadways need no changes to meet the variables of the Bicycle Compatibility Index, some roadways need of few physical modifications, and some roadways, such as the Interstate system, will never be bicycle friendly. Development of the Bicycle Compatibility Index: A Level of Service Concept, Final Report (TD 2.30:98-072) issued in December 1998 is 94 pages of information as to how the BCI was developed and how it is to be used. The Bicycle Compatibility Index: A Level of Service Concept, Implementation Manual, (TD 2.30:98-095) December 1998 is 53 pages of how the BCI model works. The Federal Highway Administration in it’s the National Bicycling and Walking Study, Transportation Choices for a Changing America, Final Report (TD 2.30/16:94-023) issued in 1994 wants more Americans to start riding bicycles. Their first goal, getting more people on bicycles and walking leads to their second goal, which is reducing by 10% the number of bicyclists and pedestrians killed in traffic accidents.
February 16, 2000
http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news0002.html