99 research outputs found
The Roberts Court and Penumbral Federalism
For several decades the Court has invoked âstate dignityâ to animate federalism reasoning in isolated doctrinal contexts. Recent Roberts Court decisions suggest that a focus on state dignity, prestige, status, and similar ethereal conceptsâwhich derive from a âpenumbralâ reading of the Tenth Amendmentârepresent the budding of a different doctrinal approach to federalism generally. This article terms this new approach âpenumbral federalism,â an approach less concerned with delineating state from federal regulatory turf, and more concerned with maintaining the states as viable competitors for the respect and loyalty of the citizenry.
After fleshing out what âpenumbral federalismâ is and its theoretical basis, the article explores the approachâs prudential appeal: penumbral federalism is a pragmatic negotiation that works to maintain some semblance of federalism in an age when pragmatism has pressured even formalist and conservative judges to accept federal regulatory primacy. By framing the most important Roberts Court decisions in penumbral federalism terms, the article reveals the method to the seeming madness: they are the logical fruits of intellectual seeds planted in Rehnquist Court decisions
No Good Deed Goes Unpublished: Precedent-Stripping and the Need for a New Prophylactic Rule
This paper addresses the âopen secretâ that federal appellate courts often strip their opinions of precedential value as a means to forgo fair, principled and/or thorough adjudication of issues raised in appeals. Is there a basis in contemporary constitutional doctrine for a presumption that appellants suffer constitutional injury when courts dispose of their appeals using non-precedential opinions? The author answers âyes.â The argument centers on case law establishing so-called âconstitutional prophylactic rules,â which work to âoverprotectâ a given core right - that is, to create a presumption of constitutional injury without proof of it - when such is the only effective way of protecting the core right to any meaningful extent. The author couples this case law with sobering empirical data and entrenched theories of judicial power to argue that a new prophylactic rule forbidding âprecedent-strippingâ is necessary to ensure that appellate courts do not deny appellants full and fair adjudication of their appeals
Resonant tunneling diode oscillators for optical communications
The ability to use resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) as both transmitters and receivers is an emerging topic, especially with regards to wireless communications. Successful data transmission has been achieved using electronic RTDs with carrier frequencies exceeding 0.3 THz. Specific optical-based RTDs, which act as photodetectors, have been developed by adjusting the device structure to include a light absorption layer and small optical windows on top of the device to allow direct optical access. This also allows the optical signal to directly modulate the RTD oscillation. Both types of RTD oscillators will allow for seamless integration of high frequency radio and optical fiber networks.European Union's Horizon research and innovation programme [645369
iBROW â innovative ultra-BROadband ubiquitous wireless communications through terahertz transceivers
No abstract available
Resonant tunneling diode photodetectors for optical communications
Optical modulation characteristics of resonant tunneling diode photodetectors (RTDâPD) are investigated. Intensity modulated light excites the RTDâPDs to conduct data experiments. Simple and complex data patterns are used with results showing data rates up to 80 and 200 Mbit/s, respectively. This is the first demonstration of complex modulation using resonant tunneling diodes
Texas Review of Law & Politics
Triannual journal containing articles, notes, book reviews, and other analyses of law and legal cases
Recommended from our members
Genetic analysis of a major international collection of cultivated apple varieties reveals previously unknown historic heteroploid and inbred relationships
Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a major global crop and the genetic diversity held within the pool of cultivated varieties is important for the development of future cultivars. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity held within the domesticated form, through the analysis of a major international germplasm collection of cultivated varieties, the UK National Fruit Collection, consisting of over 2,000 selections of named cultivars and seedling varieties. We utilised Diversity Array Technology (DArT) markers to assess the genetic diversity within the collection. Clustering attempts, using the software STRUCTURE revealed that the accessions formed a complex and historically admixed group for which clear clustering was challenging. Comparison of accessions using the Jaccard similarity coefficient allowed us to identify clonal and duplicate material as well as revealing pairs and groups that appeared more closely related than a standard parent-offspring or full-sibling relations. From further investigation, we were able to propose a number of new pedigrees, which revealed that some historically important cultivars were more closely related than previously documented and that some of them were partially inbred. We were also able to elucidate a number of parent-offspring relationships that had resulted in a number of important polyploid cultivars. This included reuniting polyploid cultivars that in some cases dated as far back as the 18th century, with diploid parents that potentially date back as far as the 13th century
Quantitative Evidence for Revising the Definition of Primary Graft Dysfunction after Lung Transplant
RATIONALE:
Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a form of acute lung injury that occurs after lung transplantation. The definition of PGD was standardized in 2005. Since that time, clinical practice has evolved, and this definition is increasingly used as a primary endpoint for clinical trials; therefore, validation is warranted.
OBJECTIVES:
We sought to determine whether refinements to the 2005 consensus definition could further improve construct validity.
METHODS:
Data from the Lung Transplant Outcomes Group multicenter cohort were used to compare variations on the PGD definition, including alternate oxygenation thresholds, inclusion of additional severity groups, and effects of procedure type and mechanical ventilation. Convergent and divergent validity were compared for mortality prediction and concurrent lung injury biomarker discrimination.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
A total of 1,179 subjects from 10 centers were enrolled from 2007 to 2012. Median length of follow-up was 4 years (interquartile rangeâ=â2.4-5.9). No mortality differences were noted between no PGD (grade 0) and mild PGD (grade 1). Significantly better mortality discrimination was evident for all definitions using later time points (48, 72, or 48-72 hours; Pâ<â0.001). Biomarker divergent discrimination was superior when collapsing grades 0 and 1. Additional severity grades, use of mechanical ventilation, and transplant procedure type had minimal or no effect on mortality or biomarker discrimination.
CONCLUSIONS:
The PGD consensus definition can be simplified by combining lower PGD grades. Construct validity of grading was present regardless of transplant procedure type or use of mechanical ventilation. Additional severity categories had minimal impact on mortality or biomarker discrimination
The relationship between plasma lipid peroxidation products and primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation is modified by donor smoking and reperfusion hyperoxia
BACKGROUND:
Donor smoking history and higher fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) at reperfusion are associated with primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. We hypothesized that oxidative injury biomarkers would be elevated in PGD, with higher levels associated with donor exposure to cigarette smoke and recipient hyperoxia at reperfusion.
METHODS:
We performed a nested case-control study of 72 lung transplant recipients from the Lung Transplant Outcomes Group cohort. Using mass spectroscopy, F2-isoprostanes and isofurans were measured in plasma collected after transplantation. Cases were defined in 2 ways: grade 3 PGD present at day 2 or day 3 after reperfusion (severe PGD) or any grade 3 PGD (any PGD).
RESULTS:
There were 31 severe PGD cases with 41 controls and 35 any PGD cases with 37 controls. Plasma F2-isoprostane levels were higher in severe PGD cases compared with controls (28.6 pg/ml vs 19.8 pg/ml, p = 0.03). Plasma F2-isoprostane levels were higher in severe PGD cases compared with controls (29.6 pg/ml vs 19.0 pg/ml, p = 0.03) among patients reperfused with FIO2 >40%. Among recipients of lungs from donors with smoke exposure, plasma F2-isoprostane (38.2 pg/ml vs 22.5 pg/ml, p = 0.046) and isofuran (66.9 pg/ml vs 34.6 pg/ml, p = 0.046) levels were higher in severe PGD compared with control subjects.
CONCLUSIONS:
Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation products are higher in patients with severe PGD, in recipients of lungs from donors with smoke exposure, and in recipients exposed to higher Fio2 at reperfusion. Oxidative injury is an important mechanism of PGD and may be magnified by donor exposure to cigarette smoke and hyperoxia at reperfusion
Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects
Enzymatically synthesised poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) has shown a palette of key desirable properties required for a biomaterial to be considered a âversatile polymeric toolâ in the field of drug delivery. PGA and its variations can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) and interact at different levels with small active molecules. PGA derivatives are usually obtained by functionalising the glyceryl side hydroxyl group present along the main polymer scaffold. However, if the synthetic pathways are not finely tuned, the self-assembling ability of these new polymeric modifications might be hampered by the poor amphiphilic balance. For this reason, we have designed a straightforward one-pot synthetic modification, using a small library of diols in combination with glycerol, aimed at altering the backbone of the polymer without affecting the hydrophilic glyceryl portion. The diols introduce additional functionality into the backbone of PGA alongside the secondary hydroxyl group already present. We have investigated how extra functionalities along the polymer backbone alter the final polymer reactivity as well the chemical and biological properties of the nanoparticles. In addition, with the intent to further improve the green credentials of the enzymatic synthesis, a solvent derived from renewable resources, (2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, 2-MeTHF) was employed for the synthesis of all the PGA-variants as a replacement for the more traditionally used and fossil-based tetrahydrofuran (THF). In vitro assays carried out to evaluate the potential of these novel materials for drug delivery applications demonstrated very low cytotoxicity characteristic against NIH 3T3 model cell line
- âŠ