Structural plasticity and associative memory in balanced neural networks with spike-time dependent inhibitory plasticity

Peer reviewe

Direct Spectrophotometric Determination of Serum and Urinary Oxalate with Oxalate Oxidase

Peer Reviewe

Internalisation by electronic FX spot dealers

Dealers in over-the-counter financial markets provide liquidity to customers on a principal basis and manage the risk position that arises out of this activity in one of two ways. They may internalise a customer's trade by warehousing the risk in anticipation of future offsetting flow, or they can externalise the trade by hedging it out in the open market. It is often argued that internalisation underlies much of the liquidity provision in the currency markets, particularly in the electronic spot segment, and that it can deliver significant benefits in terms of depth and consistency of liquidity, reduced spreads, and a diminished market footprint. However, for many market participants, the internalisation process can be somewhat opaque, data on it are scarcely available, and even the largest and most sophisticated customers in the market often do not appreciate or measure the impact that internalisation has on their execution costs and liquidity access. This paper formulates a simple model of internalisation and uses queuing theory to provide important insights into its mechanics and properties. We derive closed form expressions for the internalisation horizon and demonstrate—using data from the Bank of International Settlement's triennial FX survey—that a representative tier 1 dealer takes on average several minutes to complete the internalisation of a customer's trade in the most liquid currencies, increasing to tens of minutes for emerging markets. Next, we analyse the costs of internalisation and show that they are lower for dealers that are willing to hold more risk and for those that face more price-sensitive traders. The key message of the paper is that a customer's transaction costs and liquidity access are determined both by their own trading decisions as well as the dealer's risk management approach. A customer should not only identify the externalisers but also distinguish between passive and aggressive internalisers, and select those that provide liquidity compatible with their execution objectives

Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI) in Critical Care: A Quality Improvement Project

In a large mid-western hospital, Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI) rates are elevated in critical care units. Education sessions, a visual reminder, and skin rounds may increase use and documentation of 5-layer silicone dressings to prevent pressure injuries. The Plan-do-study-act (PDSA) method for quality improvement and Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring were utilized as the theoretical framework for the project. The purpose of the project was to reduce the incidence of HAPI in Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) II. Project objectives included education on HAPI prevention and documentation, skin rounds, and the addition of a visual documentation cue on the nursing hand-off tool for 30 days. Pre-implementation chart audits and concurrent chart audits were completed to assess documentation of preventative 5-layer silicone dressings. Pressure injuries were also tracked before, during, and after the project. Audit results indicate an increase in documentation with a visual prompt. Pressure injury rates indicate no change from pre-implementation rates. Complete documentation of preventative measures may result in cost savings by demonstrating injuries are unavoidable despite preventative measures

Systemic Racism and COVID-19: Vulnerabilities with the U.S. Social Safety Net for Immigrants and People of Color

America has a mythologized reputation as an accommodative “melting pot” nation that welcomes individuals from all races and countries seeking improved quality of life and reduced material hardship. However, our U.S. social welfare system is more broadly characterized as underdeveloped, restrictive, and exclusionary, especially toward immigrants and people of color. Public health benefits (e.g., Medicaid), food assistance programs (e.g., SNAP), rental assistance (e.g., HCV/Section 8), and cash assistance (e.g., TANF) are oftentimes restricted for immigrants and racial minorities, making them more vulnerable to material hardship and more exposed to pandemic conditions under COVID-19. Moreover, these welfare restrictions are oftentimes rooted in negative social construction and unflattering stereotypes of Black and Latine people. This paper connects deliberately racialized social welfare barriers, developed under the banner of “welfare reform” in the 1990s, to contemporary difficulties accessing benefits by minority groups, and subsequently heightened vulnerabilities around COVID-19. We suggest areas for improvement in social welfare policy development to better address systemic racism and COVID-19, and deepening inequalities from lack of access to the social safety net for immigrants and racial minorities in the U.

A user-friendly fully digital TDPAC-spectrometer

A user-friendly fully digital TDPAC-spectrometer with six detectors and fast digitizers using Field Programmable Gate Arrays is described and performance data are given