CONSTITUTIONAL LAW—THE CAGE A FETISH CAN BUILD: PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE REFORM FOR CIVIL COMMITMENT PROCEDURES IN SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR LAWS

Currently over five thousand individuals are indefinitely confined in the United States with little hope of release. The 1990s brought a wave of sex offender policy reform, creating Sexually Violent Predator Acts that allowed certain sex offenders to be detained after the completion of a sentence. Legislatures reason that some offenders have mental defects that cause them to lose the ability to control their violent behaviors, and until that mental defect is resolved they pose too great of a risk to live in the community. However, without precise definitions of mental defects or effective treatment options, these offenders are facing the probability of life-long commitment. Until researchers discover sex offender treatment methods that can provide them with a realistic chance of release, the government should limit sex offender civil commitments to those persons who have serious mental illnesses and not merely “mental abnormalities,” in addition to specified offenses that further the goal of the statutes. Given that there are extensive and effective safeguards in place for sex offenders living in the community, confining these offenders is not always necessary to protect the public. If the states narrowed the scope of who could be adjudicated a sexually violent predator there would be fewer civil commitments, and therefore a better balance between the state’s interest in protecting the public and the offender’s interest in retaining liberty

Validation by Measurements of a IC Modeling Approach for SiP Applications

The growing importance of signal integrity (SI) analysis in integrated circuits (ICs), revealed by modern systemin-package methods, is demanding for new models for the IC sub-systems which are both accurate, efficient and extractable by simple measurement procedures. This paper presents the contribution for the establishment of an integrated IC modeling approach whose performance is assessed by direct comparison with the signals measured in laboratory of two distinct memory IC devices. Based on the identification of the main blocks of a typical IC device, the modeling approach consists of a network of system-level sub-models, some of which with already demonstrated accuracy, which simulated the IC interfacing behavior. Emphasis is given to the procedures that were developed to validate by means of laboratory measurements (and not by comparison with circuit-level simulations) the model performance, which is a novel and important aspect that should be considered in the design of IC models that are useful for SI analysi

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in women – current knowledge and emerging concepts

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide, affecting up to 30% of adults. Progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a key risk factor for cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and cardiovascular events. Alterations in reproductive hormones are linked to the development and/or progression of NAFLD/NASH in women. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and those with estrogen deficiency are at increased risk of NAFLD/NASH, with higher mortality rates in older women compared to men of similar ages. NAFLD/NASH is currently the leading indication for liver transplantation in women without hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, a better understanding of NAFLD in women is needed to improve outcomes. In this review, we discuss the hormonal and non-hormonal factors contributing to NAFLD development and progression in women. Furthermore, we highlight areas of focus for clinical practice and for future research

Brown adipose tissue and regulation of human body weight

Background: Approximately 30% of the global population is affected by obesity. Traditional non-surgical measures for weight loss have limited efficacy and tolerability. Therefore, there is a need for novel, effective therapies. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been implicated in physiological energy expenditure, indicating that it could be targeted to achieve weight loss in humans. The use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography—computed tomography—(PET-CT) imaging has enabled the discovery of functionally active BAT in the supraclavicular, subclavian, and thoracic spine regions of human adults. This review aims to discuss the reasons behind the renewed interest in BAT, assess whether it is metabolically important in humans, and evaluate its feasibility as a therapeutic target for treating obesity. Sources of material: PubMed Central, Europe PMC, Medline. Findings: In vivo studies have shown that BAT activity is regulated by thyroid hormones and the sympathetic nervous system. Furthermore, BAT uniquely contains uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) that is largely responsible for non-shivering thermogenesis. Cold exposure can increase BAT recruitment through the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT); however, this technique has practical limitations that may preclude its use. Currently available medicines for humans, such as the β3-adrenergic receptor agonist mirabegron or the farnesoid X receptor agonist obeticholic acid, have generated excitement, although adverse effects are a concern. Capsinoids represent a tolerable alternative, which require further investigation. Conclusions: The use of currently available BAT-activating agents alone is unlikely to achieve significant weight loss in humans. A combination of BAT activation with physical exercise and modern, successful dietary strategies represents a more realistic option

Hydrogen plasma and thermal annealing treatments on a-Si:H thin film for c-Si surface passivation

High efficiency solar cells can be fruitfully built using the amorphous/crystalline silicon technology, taking advantage of the high Voc that occurs as a consequence of excellent c-Si surface passivation provided by a-Si:H films. Improvements of the interface quality can be obtained using post deposition treatments such as hydrogen plasma and thermal annealing. We propose the use of surface photovoltage technique, as a contact-less tool to evaluate the energetic distribution of the state density at amorphous/crystalline silicon interface, and FTIR spectroscopy of the same samples to appreciate the evolution of Si-H and Si-H2 bonds. This approach leads to interesting applications for monitoring and improving the interface electronic quality, which is extremely susceptible to the different treatments adopted. We found that thermal annealing produces a metastable state which goes back to the initial state after just 48 hours, while the effect of hydrogen plasma post-treatment results more stable. Moreover H2 plasma reduces the defect density of one order of magnitude with respect to thermal annealing and keeps it constant also after one month. The hydrogen plasma is able to reduce the defect density but at the same time increases the surface charge within the a-Si:H film due to the H+ ions accumulated during the plasma exposure, leading to a more stable configuration

New Selective Processing Technique for Solar Cells

Abstract A new selective processing technique based on a confined dynamic liquid drop\meniscus is presented. This approach is based on localized wet treatment of silicon wafers using confined and dynamic liquid drop that while in contact with the wafer forms a dynamic liquid meniscus. Such new technique allows to touch in specific defined positions the silicon wafer (front and/or back) in order to perform any kind of wet processing without the need of protective photo-resist. The new selective processing technique allows the metallizations (front and back) of mono and multi crystalline silicon solar cells. The front grid contacts are obtained by locally etching the silicon nitride, forming in a thin layer of meso-porous silicon and totally filling the meso-porous layer by pulse reverse plating a Nickel film. Copper and Tin are then electroplated using the same selective processing. This technology provides an effective solution to avoid silver pastes for front contact grid, as it guarantees low specific contact resistivity (550 μΩcm 2 on a 75 Ω/□ n-type doped emitter) and good adhesion to the silicon substrate (i.e. greater than 550 g/mm). The Al back side of the solar cell are also treated by the new selective process. Tin is directly deposited on Aluminum back contact showing adhesion higher than silver on silicon (i.e. > 1N/mm)