Criminal Law - Retroactivity - Jury Instructions - Consequences of a Verdict of Non Guilty by Reason of Insanity

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that its determination that a jury be informed of the consequences of a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity not be applied retroactively and, more specifically, not to a case on direct appeal at the time of that decision. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Geschwendt, 500 Pa. 120, 454 A.2d 991 (1982)

Prosecutorial Discretion and the Current Status and Applicability of Accelerated Rehabiliative Disposition Under the Pennsylvania Criminal Justice System

Through pre-trial diversion programs, modern criminal justice systems have foregone criminal prosecution or incarceration of certain defendants in favor of correctional reform and social restoration. Under Pennsylvania\u27s diversion program, Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, the defendants considered eligible for this alternative process are generally first offenders charged with nonviolent crimes. Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure 175 and 176 provide that it is the district attorney, exclusively, who determines which defendants are candidates for diversion. The author examines some of the more recent judicial attempts to define the proper scope of this discretionary power, as well as those attempting to determine the extent of prosecutorial power to deny expungement of a defendant\u27s arrest record following successful completion of the program

The association between an established Chief Experience Officer role and hospital patient experience scores

The healthcare industry is currently reacting to multiple stakeholders demanding improvements to the patient experience. Some healthcare organizations are implementing new management structures, i.e., the role of Chief Experience Officer (CXO). This study statistically reviewed descriptors associated with hospitals that have and have not created and filled the role of CXO and, more importantly, measured the association between the CXO role and results of patients’ perceptions of their experience of care as measured by publicly reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) results. This study was conducted utilizing data gather on hospitals in three states, California, Florida, and New York. The results of the study yield insight into the organization characteristics of hospitals and the market factors associated with those hospitals that have filled the CXO role. Hospitals with a formal CXO role are larger, more likely to be for profit, and operate in metro areas of these states with higher per capita income. In addition, hospitals that have a formal CXO role are also more likely to have higher HCAHPS scores as determined by the patient recommendation question as well as the hospital overall rating question included in the HCAHPS survey. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Culture & Leadership lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this len

Controlling Near-Surface Ni Composition in Octahedral PtNi(Mo) Nanoparticles by Mo Doping for a Highly Active Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst

We report and study the translation of exceptionally high catalytic oxygen electroreduction activities of molybdenum-doped octahedrally shaped PtNi(Mo) nanoparticles from conventional thin-film rotating disk electrode screenings (3.43 ± 0.35 A mgPt–1 at 0.9 VRHE) to membrane electrode assembly (MEA)-based single fuel cell tests with sustained Pt mass activities of 0.45 A mgPt–1 at 0.9 Vcell, one of the highest ever reported performances for advanced shaped Pt alloys in real devices. Scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (STEM-EDX) reveals that Mo preferentially occupies the Pt-rich edges and vertices of the element-anisotropic octahedral PtNi particles. Furthermore, by combining in situ wide-angle X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and STEM-EDX elemental mapping with electrochemical measurements, we finally succeeded to realize high Ni retention in activated PtNiMo nanoparticles even after prolonged potential-cycling stability tests. Stability losses at the anodic potential limits were mainly attributed to the loss of the octahedral particle shape. Extending the anodic potential limits of the tests to the Pt oxidation region induced detectable Ni losses and structural changes. Our study shows on an atomic level how Mo adatoms on the surface impact the Ni surface composition, which, in turn, gives rise to the exceptionally high experimental catalytic ORR reactivity and calls for strategies on how to preserve this particular surface composition to arrive at performance stabilities comparable with state-of-the-art spherical dealloyed Pt core–shell catalysts

Argon Laser Photocoagulation For Macular Edema In Branch Vein Occlusion

The Branch Vein Occlusion Study is a multi-center, randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to answer several questions regarding the management of complications of branch vein occlusion. This report discusses the question, “Is argon laser photocoagulation useful in improving visual acuity in eyes with branch vein occlusion and macular edema reducing vision to 20/40 or worse?” One hundred thirty-nine eligible eyes were assigned randomly to either a treated or an untreated control group. Comparing treated patients to control patients (mean follow-up 3.1 years for all study eyes), the gain of at least two lines of visual acuity from baseline maintained for two consecutive visits was significantly greater in treated eyes (P = .00049, logrank test). Because of this improvement in visual acuity with argon laser photocoagulation of macular edema from branch vein occlusion, we recommend laser photocoagulation for patients with macular edema associated with branch vein occlusion who meet the eligibility criteria of this study