Decision Making by a Neuromorphic Network of Volatile Resistive Switching Memories

The necessity of having an electronic device working in relevant biological time scales with a small footprint boosted the research of a new class of emerging memories. Ag-based volatile resistive switching memories (RRAMs) feature a spontaneous change of device conductance with a similarity to biological mechanisms. They rely on the formation and self-disruption of a metallic conductive filament through an oxide layer, with a retention time ranging from a few milliseconds to several seconds, greatly tunable according to the maximum current which is flowing through the device. Here we prove a neuromorphic system based on volatile-RRAMs able to mimic the principles of biological decision-making behavior and tackle the Two-Alternative Forced Choice problem, where a subject is asked to make a choice between two possible alternatives not relying on a precise knowledge of the problem, rather on noisy perceptions

High-resolution in situ stable isotope measurements reveal contrasting atmospheric vapour dynamics above different urban vegetation

Funding Information: This study was funded through the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Research Training Group ‘Urban Water Interfaces’ (UWI; GRK2032/2) and the Einstein Foundation as part of the ‘Modelling surface and groundwater with isotopes in urban catchments’ (MOSAIC) project. Funding for Dörthe Tetzlaff was also received through the Einstein Research Unit ‘Climate and Water under Change’ from the Einstein Foundation Berlin and Berlin University Alliance (grant no. ERU‐2020‐609) and the project BiNatur (BMBF No. 16LW0156). We also acknowledge the BMBF (funding code 033W034A), which supported the stable isotope laboratory and in situ laser analyser. Contributions from Chris Soulsby have also been supported by the Leverhulme Trust through the ISO‐LAND project (grant no. RPG 2018 375). We thank all colleagues involved in the ecohydrological monitoring and daily precipitation and groundwater sampling, but in particular are grateful to Jan Christopher, Jonas Freymüller and Jessica Landgraf. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Guidelines for randomized clinical trial protocol content: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) require a protocol; however, numerous studies have highlighted protocol deficiencies. Reporting guidelines may improve the content of research reports and, if developed using robust methods, may increase the utility of reports to stakeholders. The objective of this study was to systematically identify and review RCT protocol guidelines, to assess their characteristics and methods of development, and to compare recommendations. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of indexed literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Methodology Register from inception to September 2010; reference lists; related article features; forward citation searching) and a targeted search of supplementary sources, including a survey of major trial funding agencies in six countries. Records were eligible if they described a content guideline in English or French relevant to RCT protocols. Guidelines were excluded if they specified content for protocols for trials of specific procedures or conditions or were intended to assess trial quality. We extracted guideline characteristics and methods. Content was mapped for a subset of guidelines that described development methods or had institutional endorsement. RESULTS: Forty guidelines published in journals, books and institutional reports were included in the review; seven were specific to RCT protocols. Only eight (20%) described development methods which included informal consensus methods, pilot testing and formal validation; no guideline described all of these methods. No guideline described formal consensus methods or a systematic retrieval of empirical evidence to inform its development. The guidelines included a median of 23 concepts per guideline (interquartile range (IQR) = 14 to 34; range = 7 to 109). Among the subset of guidelines (n = 23) for which content was mapped, approximately 380 concepts were explicitly addressed (median concepts per guideline IQR = 31 (24,80); range = 16 to 150); most concepts were addressed in a minority of guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Existing guidelines for RCT protocol content varied substantially in their recommendations. Few reports described the methods of guideline development, limiting comparisons of guideline validity. Given the importance of protocols to diverse stakeholders, we believe a systematically developed, evidence-informed guideline for clinical trial protocols is needed

Magnetic NiFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles Prepared via Non-Aqueous Microwave-Assisted Synthesis for Application in Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

Phase‐pure spinel‐type magnetic nickel ferrite (NiFe(2)O(4)) nanocrystals in the size range of 4 to 11 nm were successfully synthesized by a fast and energy‐saving microwave‐assisted approach. Size and accessible surface areas can be tuned precisely by the reaction parameters. Our results highlight the correlation between size, degree of inversion, and magnetic characteristics of NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles, which enables fine‐tuning of these parameters for a particular application without changing the elemental composition. Moreover, the application potential of the synthesized powders for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media was demonstrated, showing that a low degree of inversion is beneficial for the overall performance. The most active sample reaches an overpotential of 380 mV for water oxidation at 10 mA cm(−2) and 38.8 mA cm(−2) at 1.7 V vs. RHE, combined with a low Tafel slope of 63 mV dec(−1)

Ítems de referencia para publicar Revisiones Sistemáticas y Metaanálisis: La Declaración PRISMA

Original citation: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med. 2009;6:e1000097. The original authors have not revised and verified the Spanish translation, and not necessary endorse it. Los autores originales no han revisado ni verificado la traducción del manuscrito al español, y no necesariamente están de acuerdo con su contenido. Original article published: July 21, 2009 Copyright: © 2009 Moher et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Provenance: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. In order to encourage dissemination of the PRISMA Statement, this article is freely accessible on the PLoS Medicine Web site (http://medicine.plosjournals.org/) and will be also published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, and Open Medicine. The authors jointly hold the copyright of this article. For details on further use, see the PRISMA Web site (http://www.prisma-statement.org/). Spanish translation: Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, Johana Prieto, Maria Manera, Eduard Baladia, Rodrigo Martínez-Rodríguez y Julio Basulto. Corresponding author of the spanish translation: Mercedes Sotos-Prieto ([email protected])Artículo original: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med. 2009;6:e1000097.The original authors have not revised and verified the Spanish translation, and not necessary endorse it. Los autores originales no han revisado ni verificado la traducción del manuscrito al español, y no necesariamente están de acuerdo con su contenido.Publicación del artículo original: 21 Julio 2009 Derechos: © 2009 Moher et al. Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo las condiciones de The Creative Commons Attribution License, que permite el uso ilimitado, su distribución y reproducción en cualquier medio, siempre y cuando se acredite el autor y su fuente original.Procedencia: No comisionado; revisión científica externa. Para promover la publicación de la Declaración PRISMA, el artículo se ha publicado como acceso abierto y se puede encontrar en la página web de PLoS Medicine (http://medicine.plosjournals.org/) y también se ha publicado en Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, y Open Medicine. Los autores tienen unánimemente los derechos de este artículo. Para más detalles de su uso ver la página web de PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).Traducción y adaptación al español: Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, Johana Prieto, Maria Manera, Eduard Baladia, Rodrigo Martínez-Rodríguez y Julio Basulto.Autor de correspondencia de la traducción: Mercedes Sotos-Prieto ([email protected]

Differential Hebbian learning with time-continuous signals for active noise reduction

Spike timing-dependent plasticity, related to differential Hebb-rules, has become a leading paradigm in neuronal learning, because weights can grow or shrink depending on the timing of pre- and post-synaptic signals. Here we use this paradigm to reduce unwanted (acoustic) noise. Our system relies on heterosynaptic differential Hebbian learning and we show that it can efficiently eliminate noise by up to -140 dB in multi-microphone setups under various conditions. The system quickly learns, most often within a few seconds, and it is robust with respect to different geometrical microphone configurations, too. Hence, this theoretical study demonstrates that it is possible to successfully transfer differential Hebbian learning, derived from the neurosciences, into a technical domain

Comparative effectiveness of monotherapies and combination therapies for patients with hypertension: protocol for a systematic review with network meta-analyses

BACKGROUND: Hypertension has been cited as the most common attributable risk factor for death worldwide, and in Canada more than one of every five adults had this diagnosis in 2007. In addition to different lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise, there exist many pharmaco-therapies from different drug classes which can be used to lower blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of serious clinical outcomes. In moderate and severe cases, more than one agent may be used. The optimal mono- and combination therapies for mild hypertension and moderate/severe hypertension are unclear, and clinical guidelines provide different recommendations for first line therapy. The objective of this review is to explore the relative benefits and safety of different pharmacotherapies for management of non-diabetic patients with hypertension, whether of a mild or moderate to severe nature. METHODS/DESIGN: Searches involving MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews will be used to identify related systematic reviews and relevant randomized trials. The outcomes of interest include myocardial infarction, stroke, incident diabetes, heart failure, overall and cardiovascular related death, and important side effects (cancers, depression, syncopal episodes/falls and sexual dysfunction). Randomized controlled trials will be sought. Two reviewers will independently screen relevant reviews, titles and abstracts resulting from the literature search, and also potentially relevant full-text articles in duplicate. Data will be abstracted and quality will be appraised by two team members independently. Conflicts at all levels of screening and abstraction will be resolved through team discussion. Random effect pairwise meta-analyses and network meta-analyses will be conducted where deemed appropriate. Analyses will be geared toward studying treatment of mild hypertension and moderate/severe hypertension separately. DISCUSSION: Our systematic review results will assess the extent of currently available evidence for single agent and multi-agent pharmacotherapies in patients with mild, moderate and severe hypertension, and will provide a rigorous and updated synthesis of a range of important clinical outcomes for clinicians, decision makers and patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD4201300445

Checking whether there is an increased risk of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder and other cancers with specific modern immunosuppression regimens in renal transplantation: Protocol for a network meta-analysis of randomized and observational studies

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing renal transplant procedures require multi-agent immunosuppressive regimens both short term (induction phase) and long term (maintenance phase) to minimize the risk of organ rejection. There are several drug classes and agents for immunosuppression. Use of these agents may increase the risk of different harms including not only infections, but also malignancies including post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. There is a need to identify which regimens minimize the risk of such outcomes. The objective of this systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized and observational studies is to explore whether certain modern regimens of immunosuppression used to prevent organ rejection in renal transplant patients are associated with an increased risk of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder and other malignancies. METHODS/DESIGN: ‘Modern’ regimens were defined to be those evaluated in controlled studies beginning in 1990 or later. An electronic literature search of Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials has been designed by an experienced information specialist and peer reviewed by a second information specialist. Study selection and data collection will be performed by two reviewers. The outcomes of interest will include post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder and other incident forms of malignancy occurring in adult renal transplant patients. Network meta-analyses of data from randomized and observational studies will be performed where judged appropriate based on a review of the clinical and methodological features of included studies. A sequential approach to meta-analysis will be used to combine data from different designs. DISCUSSION: Our systematic review will include both single-agent and multi-agent modern pharmacotherapy regimens in patients undergoing renal transplantation. It will synthesize malignancy outcomes. Our work will also add to the development of methods for network meta-analysis across study designs to assess treatment safety. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD4201300695