Digital Commons Network^™

Regulatory Responses To Medical Machine Learning, Timo Minssen, Sara Gerke, Mateo Aboy, W. Nicholson Price Ii, Glenn Cohen

Articles

Companies and healthcare providers are developing and implementing new applications of medical artificial intelligence, including the artificial intelligence sub-type of medical machine learning (MML).MML is based on the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms to automatically identify patterns and act on medical data to guide clinical decisions. MML poses challenges and raises important questions, including (1) How will regulators evaluate MML-based medical devices to ensure their safety and effectiveness? and (2) What additional MML considerations should be taken into account in the international context? To address these questions, we analyze the current regulatory approaches to MML in the USA and …

Civil Procedure And Economic Inequality, Maureen Carroll

Articles

How well do procedural doctrines attend to present-day economic inequality? This Essay examines that question through the lens of three doctrinal areas: the “irreparable harm” prong of the preliminary injunction standard, the requirement that discovery must be proportional to the needs of the case, and the due process rights of class members in actions for injunctive relief. It concludes that in each of those areas, courts and commentators could do more to take economic inequality into account.

Confinement Of Monolithic Stationary Phases In Targeted Regions Of 3d-Printed Titanium Devices Using Thermal Polymerization, Marta Passamonti, Ischa L. Bremer, Suhas H. Nawada, Sinead A. Currivan, Andrea F.G. Gargano, Peter J. Schoenmakers

Articles

Abstract

In this study, we have prepared thermally initiated polymeric monolithic stationary phases within discrete regions of 3D-printed titanium devices. The devices were created with controllable hot and cold regions. The monolithic stationary phases were first locally created in capillaries inserted into the channels of the titanium devices. The homogeneity of the monolith structure and the interface length were studied by scanning a capacitively coupled conductivity contactless detector (C4D) along the length of the capillary. Homogeneous monolithic structures could be obtained within a titanium device equipped with a hot and cold jacket connected to two water baths. The confinement method …

Acetaldehyde Production By Rothia Mucilaginosa Isolates From Patients With Oral Leukoplakia., Abdrazak Amer, Aine Whelan, Nezar N. Al-Hebshi, Claire M. Healy, Gary P. Moran

Articles

Rothia mucilaginosa has been found at high abundance on oral leukoplakia (OLK). The ability of clinical isolates to produce acetaldehyde (ACH) from ethanol has not been investigated. The objective of the current study was to determine the capacity of R. mucilaginosa isolates recovered from OLK to generate ACH. Analysis of R. mucilaginosa genomes (n = 70) shows that this species does not normally encode acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) required for detoxification of ACH. The predicted OLK metagenome also exhibited reduced ALDH coding capacity. We analysed ACH production in 8 isolates of R. mucilaginosa and showed that this species is capable of …

Determination Of Upconversion Quantum Yields Using Charge-Transfer State Fluorescence Of Heavy-Atom-Free Sensitizer As A Self-Reference, Natalia Kiseleva, Dmitry Busko, Bryce Richards, Mikhail Filatov, Andrey Turshatov

Articles

The efficiency of photon upconversion via triplet–triplet annihilation is characterized by an upconversion quantum yield (Φ_UC); however, uncertainties remain for its determination. Here, we present a new approach for the relative measurement of Φ_UC for green-to-blue upconversion using BODIPY–pyrene donor–acceptor dyad (BD1) as a heavy-atom-free triplet sensitizer. This new approach exploits broad fluorescence from a charge-transfer (CT) state of BD1, which possesses (i) a significant Stokes shift of 181 nm in dichloromethane and (ii) a comparably high CT-fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_ref = 7.0 ± 0.2%), which is independent from oxygen presence and emitter (perylene) concentration while …

Author Correction: Biopharmaceutical Revolution In Saudi Arabia: Progress And Development, Elaine Harris

Articles

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The affiliation of Rihana Alzahrani was incorrectly captured as “Bisha University”. The correct affiliation of Rihana Alzahrani is “Technological University Dublin.” The email address of Elaine Harris is also updated to “[email protected].” The original article has been corrected.

Microfluidic Flow Direction And Rate Vector Sensor Based On A Partially Gold-Coated Tfbg, Changyu Shen, Dejun Liu, Xiaokang Lian, Tingting Lang, Chunliu Zhao, Yuliya Semenova, Jacques Albert

Articles

In microfluidic chips applications, the monitoring of the rate and the direction of a microfluidic flow is very important. Here, we demonstrate a liquid flow rate and a direction sensor using a partially gold-coated tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) as the sensing element. Wavelength shifts and amplitude changes of the TFBG transmission resonances in the near infrared reveal the direction of the liquid flowing along the fiber axis in the vicinity of the TFBG due to a nanoscale gold layer over part of the TFBG. For a device length of 10 mm (and a diameter of 125 µm for easy …

When Mini-Publics And Maxi-Publics Coincide: Ireland’S National Debate On Abortion, David M. Farrell, Jane Suiter, Kevin Cunningham, Clodagh Harris

Articles

Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly (CA) of 2016–18 was tasked with making recommendations on abortion. This paper shows that from the outset its members were in large part in favour of the liberalisation of abortion (though a fair proportion were undecided), that over the course of its deliberations the CA as a whole moved in a more liberal direction on the issue, but that its position was largely reflected in the subsequent referendum vote by the population as a whole.

A Comparison Of Radiobiological Response In Cells Exposed To Low Let Radiation With Different Beam Energies, Lisa White, Laura Shields, Orla Howe, Isabel Vega Carrascal, Adrian Maguire, Aidan Meade, Brendan Mcclean, Fiona M. Lyng

Articles

There is conflicting evidence in the literature on biological effects between different low LET radiations. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of different low LET radiations on radiobiological response. Chromosomal radiosensitivity was measured in human lymphocytes from healthy donors using the G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity assay. Radiation induced mitotic inhibition was also measured. Cells were irradiated to doses of 0.05 and 0.5 Gy using a Cobalt 60 teletherapy unit and a Linac operating at 6 MV (photons) and 12 MeV (electrons). As expected, a dose response was observed with increasing dose resulting in greater response. No statistically …

Performing The Digital Self: Understanding Location-Based Social Networking, Territory, Space, And Identity In The City, Konstantinos Papangelis, Alan Chamberlain, Ioanna Lykourentzou, Vassilis-Javed Khan, Michael Saker, Hai-Ning Liang, Irwyn Sadien, Ting Cao

Articles

Expressions of territoriality have been positioned as one of the main reasons users alter their behaviors and perceptions of spatiality and sociality while engaging with location-based social networks (LBSN). Despite the potential for this interplay to further our understanding of LBSN usage in the context of identity, very little work has actually been done towards this. Addressing this gap in the literature is one the chief aims of the article. Drawing on an original six-week study with 42 participants utilizing a bespoke LBSN entitled ‘GeoMoments’, our research explores: (1) the way that territoriality is linked to self-identity; and (2) how …

Acts Of Meaning, Resource Diagrams, And Essential Learning Behaviors: The Design Evolution Of Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

Lost & Found is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed for teaching medieval religious legal systems. The long-term goals of the project are to change the discourse around religious laws, such as foregrounding the prosocial aspects of religious law such as collaboration, cooperation, and communal sustainability. This design case focuses on the evolution of the design of the mechanics and core systems in the first two tabletop games in the series, informed by over three and a half years’ worth of design notes, playable prototypes, outside design consultations, internal design reviews, playtests, and interviews.

Taming Conflicting Identities: Searching For New Youth Values In The Western Balkans, Vladimir Turjacanin, Iris Zezelj, Edona Maloku, Marija Brankovic

Articles

In the post-conflict societies of the Western Balkans (Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia) ethnic and religious identities continue to constitute a major source of tension. Knowing that the youth tend to be the bearer of the future societal values, we aimed to explore if young people in this region are able to construct their identities in a more inclusive way and overcome these divisive group identifications. We conducted a survey among 767 people aged 20 to 30, from Belgrade, Novi Pazar, Prishtina, North Mitrovica, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Skopje and Tetovo. In each country, we selected one town with …

The Personal Responsibility Pandemic: Centering Solidarity In Public Health And Employment Law, Lindsay F. Wiley, Samuel R. Bagenstos

Articles

Our nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has revealed fundamental flaws in our legal regimes governing both public health and employment. Public health orders have called on individuals to make sacrifices to protect society as a whole. Simple fairness dictates that the burdens should be shared as widely as the benefits. And the case for burden-sharing does not rest on fairness alone. Public health measures are more likely to succeed when those who are subject to them understand them as fair1 and when their cooperation is supported. 2 Predictably, our pandemic response has placed disproportionate burdens on those who are …

Deadly Drones? Why Faa Regulations Miss The Mark On Drone Safety, Steve Calandrillo, Jason Oh, Ari Webb

Articles

A rapidly growing commercial drone industry has prompted the introduction of numerous regulations governing American airspace. Congress has tasked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with “developing plans for the use of the navigable airspace to ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient use” of American skies. While well-intended, the FAA has departed from Congressional will by imposing an excessive regulatory regime that threatens to stifle drone technology and innovation. In fact, many FAA regulations fail to address the very problem they seek to fix, namely the safety of our airspace. The unfortunate result is that myriad scientific and pragmatic …

Lending Innovations, Xuan-Thao Nguyen

Articles

This article is the first to identify the disruption in tech lending by outlier commercial banks and to theorize the ways in which IP Venture Banking is fueling innovation both nationwide and globally. This disruptive model is a new beginning for both banks and startups on the path of borrowing and lending for innovation.

Part I identifies the four outlier banks-from among the six thousand total banks-that dare to venture into the innovation-intensive sectors for lending purposes and dominate the business model of lending for innovation. Based on extensive efforts to extract data from bank lending activities, Part I reveals …

In-Vitro Localisation And Degradation Of Few-Layer Mos2 Submicrometric Plates In Human Macrophage-Like Cells: A Label Free Raman Micro-Spectroscopic Study, Caroline Moore, Andrew Hrvey, Jonathan N. Coleman, Hugh Byrne, Jennifer Mcintyre

Articles

Monitoring the uptake, micro-environment and fate of micro or nano scaled particulate materials in cells is of paramount importance for the emerging fields of toxicology and medicine. Such particulate materials are known to interfere with colorimetric assays and many such assays record only a single end-point. Therefore, there is a need for a label-free, cost effective technique with little or no inference from the particulate materials. Raman micro-spectroscopy was used to simultaneously interrogate the integrity of few-layer MoS2 submicrometric plates in human macrophage-like cells, in-vitro, as well as the biochemical characteristics of the local micro-environment in which they are encompassed. …

Consumer Activism: From The Informed Minority To The Crusading Minority, Yonathan A. Arbel, Roy Shapira

Articles

Legal scholars have long recognized that market norms are respected not only because of consumer protection laws, but also because of internal market dynamics. Consumers, the argument goes, fend for themselves and hold sellers accountable. But how exactly do consumers discipline sellers? The most influential model has been the informed minority theory, according to which a critical mass of informed consumers reads and negotiates contracts in advance, thereby pressuring sellers to offer better contracts to all consumers. Recent empirical studies, however, cast doubt on the existence of such a mass, leading many to view the informed minority theory as unrealistic. …

Accounting For The Local Field When Determining The Dielectric Loss Spectra Of Metals In The Region Of The Frequencies Of Volume, Surface And Localized Plasmon Oscillations, Tatiana Perova, Igor Shaganove, Kevin Berwick

Articles

The optical constant of bulk metal is used to determine the dispersion of the local field under one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) confinement. 3D confinement, expressed as ε mic 2 (ω3D), corresponds to the dielectric loss spectra of spherical particles with a diameter, d, much less than the wavelength of the beam used to measure the spectrum (d << λ). Excellent agreement with the results of Mie theory and experimental data for solid colloids within alkali halide crystals was observed. The function expressed as ε mic 2 (ω1D) allows the measurement of spectral micro-characteristics in the frequency range of the longitudinal collective motion of the free electrons. This corresponds to the spectrum of dielectric losses of bulk plasma oscillations. The function ε mic 2 (ω2D) describes the spectra of the dielectric losses of surface plasma oscillations in thin metal films. It is shown that the peak positions of ε mic 2 (ω3D), ε mic 2 (ω2D) and ε mic 2 (ω1D) spectra for simple metals, viz. alkali metals as well as Al, Be, Mg, Ga, In, Sn and Si, are in agreement with experimental results from electron-energy-loss spectroscopy and various optical techniques.

Resolving Tensions Between Disability Rights Law And Covid-19 Mask Policies, Elizabeth Pendo, Robert Gatter, Seema Mohapatra

Articles

As states reopen, an increasing number of state and local officials are requiring people to wear face masks while out of the home. Grocery stores, retail outlets, restaurants, and other businesses are also announcing their own mask policies, which may differ from public policies. Public health measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus such as wearing masks have the potential to greatly benefit millions of Americans with disabilities, who are particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. But certain disabilities may make it difficult or inadvisable to wear a mask.

Mask-wearing has become a political flashpoint, putting people with …

Law Students And Cell Phone Use: Results Of A Six-School Survey, Hugh D. Spitzer, Robert M. Jarvis, Cindy I.T. Archer, Linda Galler, Jodi L. Wilson, Mark E. Wojcik

Articles

The sight of a law student using his or her cell phone now is so common that law professors do not give it a second thought. But what, exactly, is the student doing? Texting with friends? Shopping? Watching a movie? To try to find out, during the Fall 2019 semester we asked our six diverse law schools to take an online survey consisting of eighteen questions. To our knowledge, this is the first phone survey of law students.

This paper presents the results of the survey, exploring applications used (text, social media, email, etc.) and differences by audience (e.g., whether …

Temperature Stability And Effectiveness Of Plasma-Activated Liquids Over An 18 Months Period, Evanthia Tsoukou, Paula Bourke, Daniela Boehm

Articles

Non-buffered plasma-activated liquids such as water and saline have shown bactericidal effects. In the present study, we investigated the anti-bacterial efficacy and stability of plasma-activated water (PAW) and plasma-activated saline (PAS), generated using a high voltage dielectric barrier discharge system. This study compares the potential of non-buffered plasma-activated liquids (PAL) for the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) after storage of the solutions at five different temperatures for a storage time up to 18 months after their generation. The temperatures used were room temperature, 4 °C, −16 °C, −80 °C, −150 °C. Both PAW and …

Microrna Analysis Of Atm-Deficient Cells Indicate Pten And Ccdn1 As Potential Biomarkers Of Radiation Response, Jane Bryant, Lisa White, Natasha Coen, Laura Shields, Brendan Mcclean, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Orla L. Howe

Articles

Genetic and epigenetic profile changes associated with individual radiation sensitivity are well documented and have led to enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of the radiation-induced DNA damage response. However, the search continues to identify reliable biomarkers of individual radiation sensitivity. Herein, we report on a multi-biomarker approach using traditional cytogenetic biomarkers, DNA damage biomarkers and transcriptional microRNA (miR) biomarkers coupled with their potential gene targets to identify radiosensitivity in ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-deficient lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL); ATM-proficient cell lines were used as controls. Cells were 0.05 and 0.5 Gy irradiated, using a linear accelerator, with sham-irradiated cells as controls. At …

Tracing Sources Of Natural Organic Matter, Trihalomethanes And Metals In Groundwater From A Karst Region, Connie O'Driscoll, Eoin Mcgillicuddy, Peter Croot, Pamela Bartley, John Mcmyler, Jerome Sheahan, Liam Morrison

Articles

Groundwater offers an important source for drinking water around the world; however, groundwater quality is under increasing pressure and is particularly vulnerable in karst areas. Total organic carbon (TOC) is significantly related to groundwater quality and when not removed by water treatment processes can give rise to the formation of disinfection by-products trihalomethanes (THMs) above the level of compliance. This study investigated the source of organic matter giving rise to the THM exceedances in a groundwater supply in a karst area. Results highlighted that source water for this groundwater supply was prone to surface water infiltration linked to rainfall events; …

Self-Similar Pcosecond Pulse Compression For Supercontinuum Generation At Mid-Infrared Wavelength In Silicon Strip Waveguides, Yujun Cheng, Jinhui Yuan, Chao Mei, Feng Li, Zhe Kang, Binbin Yan, Xian Zhou, Qiang Wu, Kuiru Wang, Xinzhu Sang, Keping Long, Chongxiu Yu, Gerald Farrell

Articles

Self-similar pulse compression has important application in highly coherent supercontinuum (SC) generation. In this paper, we numerically present the mid-infrared self-similar picosecond pulse compression in a tapered suspended silicon strip waveguide, which is designed with exponentially decreasing dispersion profile along the direction of propagation. When the variation of the Kerr nonlinear coefficient ��(z), linear and nonlinear losses, higher-order nonlinearity, and higher-order dispersion are taken into consideration, the simulation result shows that a 1 ps input pulse centered at wavelength 2.8 μm could be self-similarly compressed to 47.06 fs in a 3.9-cm waveguide taper, along with a compression factor ��c of …

Adherence To Dietary And Physical Activity Guidelines Among Shift Workers: Associations With Individual And Work-Related Factors, Ciara Kelly, Fiona M. Nea, Kirsty Pourshahidi, John Kearney, Victoria M O'Brien, M Barbara E Livingstone, Clare Corish

Articles

Objectives Shift work is associated with adverse effects on the health and lifestyle behaviours of employees. This study aimed to examine factors associated with adherence among shift workers to selected indicators of dietary and physical activity guidelines. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1300 shift workers. Data were collected using a 15 minute telephone-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression methods were used for data analysis. Results Male shift workers (p

Vibrational Spectroscopy Of Liquid Biopsies For Prostate Cancer Diagnosis, Dinesh Medipally, Daniel Cullen, Valérie Untereiner, G.D. Sockalingum, Adrian Maguire, T.N.Q. Nguyen, Jane Bryant, Emma Noone, Shirley Bradshaw, Marie Finn, Mary Dunne, Aoife M. Shannon, John Armstrong, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Background: Screening for prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination allows early diagnosis of prostate malignancy but has been associated with poor sensitivity and specificity. There is also a considerable risk of over-diagnosis and overtreatment, which highlights the need for better tools for diagnosis of prostate cancer. This study investigates the potential of high throughput Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of liquid biopsies for rapid and accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Methods: Blood samples (plasma and lymphocytes) were obtained from healthy control subjects and prostate cancer patients. FTIR and Raman spectra were recorded from plasma …

The Prevalence Of Overweight And Obesity In Irish Children Between 1990 And 2019, Aisling O'Donnell, Maria Buffini, Laura Kehoe, Ann Nugent, John Kearney, Janette Walton, Albert Flynn, Breige Mcnulty

Articles

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the temporal prevalence of overweight and obesity in Irish children through different methodologies and evaluate the change in rates between 1990 and 2019.

Microfluidics In Haemostasis: A Review, Heta Jigar Panchal, Nigel Kent, Andrew Knox, Leanne Harris

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Haemostatic disorders are both complex and costly in relation to both their treatment and subsequent management. As leading causes of mortality worldwide, there is an ever-increasing drive to improve the diagnosis and prevention of haemostatic disorders. The field of microfluidic and Lab on a Chip (LOC) technologies is rapidly advancing and the important role of miniaturised diagnostics is becoming more evident in the healthcare system, with particular importance in near patient testing (NPT) and point of care (POC) settings. Microfluidic technologies present innovative solutions to diagnostic and clinical challenges which have the knock-on effect of improving health care and quality …

Nutrition, Behavior Change And Physical Activity Outcomes From The Pears Rct—An Mhealth-Supported, Lifestyle Intervention Among Pregnant Women With Overweight And Obesity, Kate M. Ainscough, Eileen C. O'Brien, Karen L. Lindsay, Maria A. Kenneally, Elizabeth J. O'Sullivan, Orna A. O'Brien, Mary Mccarthy, Giuseppe De Vito, Fionnuala M. Mcauliffe

Articles

Background: Diet quality and physical activity positively impact pregnancy outcomes among women with obesity, but successful lifestyle interventions require intense clinician time. We aimed to investigate the impact of a behavioral-lifestyle intervention (PEARS) supported by a smartphone app among pregnant women with overweight and obesity, on nutrient intake, behavioral stage-of-change and physical activity.

Methods: Pregnant women (BMI 25–39.9 kg/m2, measured, n = 565) were randomized at 15.6 weeks' gestation to the intervention (n = 278), or a control group (n = 287) (ISRCTN29316280). The intervention was grounded in behavior-change theory. Participants received nutrition (low glycaemic index and healthy …

Smartphone Use As A Possible Risk Factor For Myopia, Saoirse Mccrann, James Loughman, John Butler, Nabin Paudel, Daniel Ian Flitcroft

Articles

Clinical Relevance

This study demonstrates an association between myopia and smartphone data usage. Youths now spend more time participating in near tasks as a result of smartphone usage. This poses an additional risk factor for myopia development/progression and is an important research question in relation to potential myopia management strategies.

Background

Children are now exposed to another possible environmental risk factor for myopia-smartphones. This study investigates the amount of time students spend on their smartphones and their pattern of smartphone usage from a myopia perspective.

Methods

Primary, secondary and third-level students completed a questionnaire exploring patterns of smartphone usage and …