No. 184 May 1998
OXYGEN RESTORES ART This art restoration technique is about 4 years old, but if you did not know it, it is new(s) for you. Removing varnish (lacquer) from paintings can be a problem because some methods remove the paint pigment and cause the paint to swell. The NASA Lewis Research Center solved the problem of removing unwanted organic materials from paint and painted canvas with thermal energy atomic oxygen plasma. The first experiment was with Cleveland Museum of Art painted canvas and paint samples that were exposed to atomic oxygen in a commercial radio frequency plasma chamber. There were other experiments at the Great Lakes Industrial Technical Center (GLITeC) which further established the value of this process. Pricilla Diem at the GLITeC diem@battelle.org is the name cited as the contact person for more information. "Atomic Oxygen to Restore Art" in Space Technology Innovation, v. 3, no. 1 January/February 1995 page 7 <http://www.nctn.hq.nasa.gov/innovation/Innovation31/Innovation31.html> is where to learn more about how oxygen is used to restore art.
STOCK MARKET CIRCUIT BREAKERS Circuit breakers are safety devices in electrical electrical wiring systems that control the flow of electricity. The breakers keep your wires and or electric appliances from receiving too much electricity and prevent electrical fires. Analogously, after the 1987 stock market crash, the stock market exchange set up "circuit breakers" rules to control trading and prevent another stock market crash. Circuit breakers are rules that automatically stop trading on a securities exchange when prices move down within a specific timeframe. Basically, this is an attempt to temporarily halt trading for 30 minutes if the DOW Jones average declines more than 350 points from its morning opening price. The market stops and the traders have to "take a deep breath". As introduced in 1988, the current circuit breaker rules are in need of updating and fine-tuning. But "Box 2-3--Circuit Breakers," a one-page discussion found on page 55 of the, Economic Report of the President February 1998 (PR 42.2:998), is a good beginning point for this topic.
BE SHERLOCK HOLMES!! Do you like detectives? Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot are interesting to watch but rely more on their observations and mental deliberations. Columbo, Morse, Dr. Sam (of Silent Witness) and Sherlock Holmes are much more concerned with the corpse, the analysis of evidence, and the scientific investigation of the individual's death. Would you like to become a detective? If so, you should read Managing Death Investigations Revised, 1997 by Arthur E. Westveer, MLA. (J 1.14/2:D 43/2). This FBI text of 700 pages should give you all the background information you will need to understand what a detective should know about. Westveer wrote many of the circa sixty essays which cover all aspects of death investigation. Some of the most fascinating reading is the section beginning on page 279 which discusses the "poisoners throughout history" and includes names, dates, places, and information on victims. You will also learn about some of the motion pictures that involved people being poisoned and which poison was used. This is followed by an extensive bibliography on "poisoners throughout history". This text is most interesting. To guide your new sleuth abilities, there are the National Guidelines for Death Investigation also issued in December 1997 by the Department of Justice. (J 28.24/3:D34) <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij> This will guide you in your detective duties, lest you not follow all the proper procedures and cause some facts, evidence, or procedures to be inadmissible in the courts. If you don't limit your sleuthing to the armchair position, guidelines will be needed until you become as experienced as Sherlock.
THE SECOND LEVEL OF POVERTY YOU NEVER HEAR ABOUT Every (?) February there are many people who anxiously (and some eagerly) look for the Dept. of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines. For 1998, they were found in the Federal Register in issue No. 36 February 24, pages 9235-9238. There is a second Poverty guideline issued by the Legal Services Corporation. Section 100(a)(2) of The Legal Services Corporation Act, Title 42, U.S. Code, Section 2996f(a)(2), requires the Corporation to establish maximum income levels for individuals eligible for legal assistance. The Corporation's regulation 45 CFR 1611 Appendix A is a table. This table presents the maximum income level equivalent to one hundred and twenty-five (125%) of the (DHHS) Poverty Guidelines. If you review this second set of poverty guidelines for 1998 (Federal Register v. 63, no. 45 march 9, 1998 page 11276), you will see how they are derived. Thus, next time you see the Census poverty data which includes "125% of the poverty level", you will know a little bit more about this concept.... unless, of course, you know about this already!!!
YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: THE HIDDEN MEANING The seven-digit social security number (SSN) one needs as an employee has been around since 1935 since it was an identification number needed when becoming employed. As of 1988, all tax dependents age 2 need a SSN (Family Support Act of 1988, PL 100-485, Section 704). As of 1990, (Social Security for Newborns, January 1998, SSA 1.2:N42/998) parents can request a SSN for a newborn baby (20 CFR 422.103(a)). The SSN has seven digits: XXX (is the Area number)- XX (is the Group number) - XXXX (is the Serial number). The Area numbers are assigned to each State, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the Railroad Retirement Board, and "Outside the United States". The Group number series were assigned (in blocks) to each of the States, and the Serial number represents a numerical series from 0001 to 9999. Your SSN is linked to your State of residence when you obtained your number. "Meaning of the Social Security Number" as found in the Social Security Bulletin v. 45, no. 11, November 1982, pages 29-30 (HE 3.3:45/11) provides interesting facts but the text needs updating. This is one of the better number systems designed by Uncle Sam. This 9-digit system has a capacity of nearly one billion numbers, as of November 1982; about 277 million numbers have been issued, leaving bout 75 percent still available.
TWO YEARS FOR MSA, PMSA, CMSA UPDATE MSA (a.k.a.) Metropolitan Statistical Area is a grouping of the counties which surround and are economically depended on a city of 50,000 or more people. When two or more MSAs touch, that area is called a CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area), and a PMSA (Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area) is an MSA with 1 million or more people. The MSA, CMSA, and PMSA are designated, created, and changed by the joint effort of local city officials and the Census Bureau. There were over 300 designated MSAs in the United States in 1990, each of which had its unique county composition. Since 1990, many MSAs have changed in their county composition. Of the 6 Kentucky MSAs, 3 had counties added to them, 1 had a county deleted, and 2 stayed the same. How many MSAs are found in your state? How many of those MSAs remained the same, increased in size, or decreased? What were the counties added or deleted? To find out which MSAs in your State or any State have remained the same or changed and the names of the counties involved you should consult the 72 x 100 cm 1994 edition of the Census Map "Metropolitan Areas (MSAs, CMSAs, and PMSAs) July 1,1994 found under C 3.62/10:90/4 A. The verso of this Map covers the MSAs, CMSAs, and PMSAs of New England as of July 3, 1994. You should also check the Census website <http://www.census.gov/population/www/methodmet.html> for MSA definition and change information.
FATAL CRASH INVOLVEMENT--ODDS??? What are the odds you, as the driver will be involved in a vehicular accident, even if you do not die? Ezio C. Cerelli has used 1993, 1994, and 1995 vehicle crash data for seven variables, completed an analysis, compiled the resulting odds, and presented his findings in a July 1997 three page report: "Fatal Crash Involvements--What are the Odds?" His very enlightening report includes a chart: "Estimated Odds of Driver Fatal Crash Involvement by Key Driver and Crash Characteristics" which presents some actual odds percentages. His chart of results (odds) displays the (ten) odds (numbers) for each of the factors (variables) he has examined in this study. To (interpret and) summarize his chart and numbers, your odds are better if you are female, younger, drive at low speeds, on the weekend, during the daytime, drive a passenger car (rather than a light duty truck or van), and have a rear-end collision which is much safer than a head-on or side collision. The crash variables which Cerrelli considered were: (1) Driver sex, i.e. female or male; (2) Driver age, i.e. Younger (<65), or Older (>or = 65); (3) Speed limit, i.e. Low (<40mph), Moderate (40 thru 50mph), High (55mph); (4) Hour of day, i.e. as Daytime (6 am-9pm); (5) Day of week, i.e. Weekday or Weekend (6pm Friday-6am Monday); (6) Vehicle Type, i.e. Passenger Car or Light Trucks and Vans; (7) Type of Crash, i.e. Single Vehicle, Rear End, Side, or Head-on. This three-page report on these new odds and old variables will be found at <http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/Fatalodd.pdf>. Now we know a little bit about the "odds of being involved in a fatal crash". One major factor not considered in this study was the weather conditions but any analysis of crash data in terms of weather conditions is a "whole new ball game".
BOOKMARK FOR TRACT NUMBERS Ever need a tract number for an address? Make a bookmark on your Internet browser for http://www.ffiec.gov/geocode/. This is the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Site for census tract numbers. A test of this service provided me with the tract number for my home address and had the option of going to a series of pages of 1990 Census Tract Data. This is a "Sizzling Internet Tip" provided by Bev Daly, Assistant Director at the Kentucky State Data Center (University of Louisville).
BUGS, VIRUSES, PEOPLE, & COMPUTERS We all know viruses can "wipe-out" both computers and people. Computers cannot live with any bugs or viruses, but people can. People have four kinds of bugs. There are (1) bacteria, (2) protozoa, (3) viruses, and (4) fungi. They can also have parasites. The four bugs are found on the exterior and in the interior, from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes. These bugs are permanent residents "Normal resident flora" such as those (some good bugs) in our digestive tract and some bugs are "Transient flora" such as those which are washed away in the shower. Ricki Lewis "The Bugs Within Us" FDA Consumer v. 26, no.7, September 1992, pages 37-42 tells us all about the good bugs which help us live, and about problems of the bad bugs. Some bad bugs such as bacteria cause tooth decay and problematic fungi cause athletes foot and yeast infections. However, there are some really bad bugs (bacteria, viruses, toxins, and parasitic protozoa) identified in the FDA's "Bad Bug Book: Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook". This 1997 handbook on bacteria, viruses, parasites, and natural toxins is available on the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition web site at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html. The informative preface (in the website version) tells us printed copies of this text are not available from the FDA, but includes <http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/badbug.zip> for downloading the text as a zip file so you can print your own copy. However, this handbook IS in some depository libraries under HE 20.4502:P26/996. In some circumstances other foreign creatures which may inhabit our body are blood and tissue parasites. Their pictures and life cycle charts are graphically present in "Common Blood and Tissue Parasites of Man, Life Cycle Charts". Revised in 1979 by the FDA, issued in 1980 (HE 20.7002:P 21), this 40 page publication should provide some help until you can find a later edition.
INTERNET: SELF-REGULATION VS GOVERNMENT REGULATION New input into the discussion was due July 6, 1998, so input is too late for those interested. However, if you go to the June 5 1998 issue of the Federal Register v. 63, no. 108 pages 30729-30731, "Elements of effective Self Regulation for the Protection of Privacy and Questions Related to Online Privacy, Notice and request for public comment," you will learn more about federal regulation vs. self-regulation to protect children's or anyone's privacy on the Internet. The nine specific characteristics of effective self-regulation for privacy include awareness, choice, data security, data integrity, consumer access, accountability, consumer recourse, verification, and consequences. This 3 paged Notice will provide the background but the most interesting part is yet to come and should be found on the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) website <http://www.ntia.doc.gov> where the comments everyone sent to the NTIA will be posted. The ultimate goal(s) of this "call for comments" is to find out what the American public thinks and what it wants the NTIA to do or not do about "regulating the Internet to protect the American right to privacy. It will be interesting to watch what follows from these initial comments and NTIA review.
KIDS & CLINICAL DRUG TESTS Drugs for kids have to be tested on kids. It would not be a valid test to use adults for clinical tests for news drugs intended for children (AKA pediatric drugs). "Why the FDA is Encouraging Drug Testing in Children" pages 63-66 in "From Test Tube to Patient: New Drug Development in the United States" Second edition, January 1995 (HE 20.4010/4:D49/995). As of 1995, the FDA wanted to move away from clinical testing of prescription drugs primarily on adults, but there are many problems and issues using with children in clinical drug tests. In many cases the information on the safe or correct use of a drug comes from actual medical practice and pediatric drug studies. Part of the current solution to the problem of drug tests and children is Section 111--PEDIATRIC STUDIES OF DRUGS, in PL 105-115 the "Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997" (111 STAT 2305) (AE 2.110:105-115) which authorizes the exchange of study results and experiential health information related to specific pediatric drugs. The exchange of health information for safe and effective pediatric drug use was discussed in the FDA article and is now mandated by law. The FDA is required to publish annually a list of the pediatric drugs that are object(s) of the information exchange. "List of Drugs for Which Additional Pediatric Information May Produce Health Benefits in the Pediatric Population; Availability; Notice," Federal Register v. 63, no. 97 May 20, 1998 pages 27733-27734 announces the list is found at http://www.fda.gov/cder/pediatric and http://www.fda.gov/CBER/publications.htm.
June 24, 1998
http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news9805.html