American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Report to the House of Delegates

The proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rules 413-15 regarding the admission of character testimony in cases of sexual abuse and child molestation, have been roundly criticized by the legal community on both substantive and procedural grounds. The ABA has resolved to oppose the substance of these rules, and fear that in addition to the direct concerns regarding the result of the rules, they raise troubling policy issues going forward

Investigation of material properties of yttria-stabilised zirconia using experimental techniques and first-principles calculations

Zirconia (ZrO2) exists in a monoclinic phase at ambient temperature and pressure. Increasing the temperature of zirconia brings about a transition from the monoclinic to a tetragonal phase, and then the formation of a cubic phase. Yttria (Y2O3) can be added to zirconia in order to stabilise the high temperature phases, resulting in forms of tetragonal and cubic zirconia that are stable at ambient temperature. These materials are ceramics and are known collectively as yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ). The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate the structural, electronic, vibrational and mechanical properties of zirconia in its three ambient pressure polymorphs, together with YSZ for a range of yttria concentrations. Firstly, short-range order is investigated by medium energy x-ray photoemission spectroscopy for a YSZ sample with 8-9 mol % Y2O3, in combination with first-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations for two YSZ structural models with 10.35 mol % Y2O3 and shows that both structural models have short-range order that agrees with results from XPS experiments. Secondly, long-range order is analysed by comparing results of neutron scattering experiments for crystals of the same yttria concentration, with the same two YSZ models. Comparison with calculated vibrational density of states for the two structural models indicates the occurrence of long-range order for one of the structures in agreement with the experimental result. Thirdly, these calculations are extended to a full study of the electronic partial density of states and vibrational density of states for ZrO2, and for YSZ models with 10.35, 14, 17, 20 and 40 mol % Y2O3. Lastly, mechanical properties are investigated through first-principles calculations of the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio for the three ambient-pressure phases of ZrO2 and compared to existing available experimental results. The ideal strength of cubic ZrO2 is calculated for strains in the [100], [110] and [111] directions and for YSZ with concentrations of 6.67 mol % and 14.29 mol % Y2O3 for strains in the [100] and [110] directions. The ideal strength is also calculated for YSZ with concentration of 6.67 mol % Y2O3 co-doped with titanium, manganese, calcium or nickel

Pelvic floor muscle group therapy for the treatment of urinary incontinence during pregnancy and post-partum:A randomized controlled trial

Objective: Pelvic Floor Muscle Group Therapy (PFMGT) is an effective treatment option in the general population. However, the effect of therapy during pregnancy and shortly thereafter is unclear. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of PFMGT in peri-partum women with UI compared to care-as-usual. Materials and Methods: Two randomized controlled trials: Study 1: Pregnant women and study 2: 6 weeks post-partum women, were performed. The primary outcome was UI severity based on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short form (ICIQ-UI SF). Secondary outcomes were the Global Impression of Severity (GPE) measuring patient’s self-reported improvement and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7), measuring UI impact. Descriptive and univariate analysis were reported and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences between groups. Results: Inclusion numbers could not be met, and therefore all women received individual Pelvic floor muscles training (PFMT). Study 1 showed no significant results regarding the prevalence of UI (ICIQ-UI SF), GPE and IIQ-7 at any measurement moment. As compared to baseline, study 2 showed a significant improvement for prevalence of UI and impact of UI at 4 months post-partum, however there was no significant difference between groups at other measurement moments. Significant subjective improvement was seen at 4th and 9th months post-partum, in favor of the PFMT group (p=0.02). Conclusion: PFMT, started after childbirth, demonstrated improved UI and quality of life with a lower number of complaints at the 4 months post-partum assessment. However, the full potential of effectiveness of PFMT could not be established due to insufficient inclusions

Private financing of infrastructure. An application to public transport infrastructure

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

What Is Strategy In Urban Mobility Systems?

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Effect of pregnancy prolongation in early-onset pre-eclampsia on postpartum maternal cardiovascular, renal and metabolic function in primiparous women: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between deferred delivery in early-onset pre-eclampsia and offspring outcome and maternal cardiovascular, renal and metabolic function in the postpartum period. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital. POPULATION: Nulliparous women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia before 34 weeks' gestation who participated in a routine postpartum cardiovascular risk assessment programme. Women with hypertension, diabetes mellitus or renal disease prior to pregnancy were excluded. METHODS: Regression analyses were performed to assess the association between pregnancy prolongation and outcome measures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Offspring outcome and prevalence of deviant maternal cardiovascular, renal and metabolic function. RESULTS: The study population included 564 women with a median pregnancy prolongation of 10 days (interquartile range [IQR] 4-18) who were assessed at on average 8 months (IQR 6-12) postpartum. Pregnancy prolongation after diagnosis resulted in a decrease in infant mortality (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] 0.907, 95% CI 0.852-0.965 per day prolongation). This improvement in offspring outcome was associated with an elevated risk of moderately increased albuminuria (aOR 1.025, 95% CI 1.006-1.045 per day prolongation), but not with aberrant cardiac geometry, cardiac systolic or diastolic dysfunction, persistent hypertension or metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy prolongation in early-onset pre-eclampsia is associated with improved offspring outcome and survival. These effects do not appear to be deleterious to short-term maternal cardiovascular and metabolic function but are associated with a modest increase in risk of residual albuminuria. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pregnancy prolongation in pre-eclampsia has only a limited effect on postpartum maternal cardiovascular function

Preoperative Classification of Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors on MRI Using Radiomics

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive soft-tissue tumors prevalent in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients, posing a significant risk of metastasis and recurrence. Current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging lacks decisiveness in distinguishing benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors (BPNSTs) and MPNSTs, necessitating invasive biopsies. This study aims to develop a radiomics model using quantitative imaging features and machine learning to distinguish MPNSTs from BPNSTs. Clinical data and MRIs from MPNST and BPNST patients (2000–2019) were collected at a tertiary sarcoma referral center. Lesions were manually and semi-automatically segmented on MRI scans, and radiomics features were extracted using the Workflow for Optimal Radiomics Classification (WORC) algorithm, employing automated machine learning. The evaluation was conducted using a 100× random-split cross-validation. A total of 35 MPNSTs and 74 BPNSTs were included. The T1-weighted (T1w) MRI radiomics model outperformed others with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.71. The incorporation of additional MRI scans did not enhance performance. Combining T1w MRI with clinical features achieved an AUC of 0.74. Experienced radiologists achieved AUCs of 0.75 and 0.66, respectively. Radiomics based on T1w MRI scans and clinical features show some ability to distinguish MPNSTs from BPNSTs, potentially aiding in the management of these tumors.</p

Oxidative stress and endothelial function in normal pregnancy versus pre-eclampsia, a combined longitudinal and case control study

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is related to an impaired endothelial function. Endothelial dysfunction accounts for altered vascular reactivity, activation of the coagulation cascade and loss of vascular integrity. Impaired endothelial function originates from production of inflammatory and cytotoxic factors by the ischemic placenta and results in systemic oxidative stress (OS) and an altered bioavailability of nitric oxide (·NO). The free radical ·NO, is an endogenous endothelium-derived relaxing factor influencing endothelial function. In placental circulation, endothelial release of ·NO dilates the fetal placental vascular bed, ensuring feto-maternal exchange. The Endopreg study was designed to evaluate in vivo endothelial function and to quantify in vitro OS in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Methods/design: The study is divided into two arms, a prospective longitudinal study and a matched case control study. In the longitudinal study, pregnant patients ≥18 years old with a singleton pregnancy will be followed throughout pregnancy and until 6 months post-partum. In the case control study, cases with PE will be compared to matched normotensive pregnant women. Maternal blood concentration of superoxide (O2·) and placental concentration of ·NO will be determined using EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance). Endothelial function and arterial stiffness will be evaluated using respectively Peripheral Arterial Tonometry (PAT), Flow-Mediated Dilatation (FMD) and applanation tonometry. Placental expression of eNOS (endothelial NOS) will be determined using immune-histochemical staining. Target recruitment will be 110 patients for the longitudinal study and 90 patients in the case-control study. Discussion: The results of Endopreg will provide longitudinal information on in vivo endothelial function and in vitro OS during normal pregnancy and PE. Adoption of these vascular tests in clinical practice potentially predicts patients at risk to develop cardiovascular events later in life after PE pregnancies. ·NO, O2·- and eNOS measurements provide further inside in the pathophysiology of PE