US Regulations Research Articles

Videoconferencing Software Options for Telemedicine: A Review for Movement Disorder Neurologists.

Background: The use of telemedicine has increased to address the ongoing healthcare needs of patients with movement disorders.Objective: We aimed to describe the technical and basic security features of the most popular telemedicine videoconferencing software.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of articles/websites about “Telemedicine,” “Cybersecurity,” and “Videoconferencing software.” Technical capabilities and basic security features were determined for each videoconferencing software.Results: Twenty-six videoconferencing software programs were reviewed, 13 (50.0%) were specifically designed for general healthcare, and 6/26 (23.0%) were compliant with European and US regulations. Overall technical and security information were found in 5/26 software (19.2%), including Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout, Coviu, Doxy.me, and Thera platforms.Conclusions: Detailed information about technical capabilities and data security of videoconferencing tools is not easily and openly retrievable. Our data serves as a guide for practitioners seeking to understand what features should be examined when choosing software and what options are available.

Second‐Guessing the Regulatory and Judicial Rules for US Energy Markets (Gas and Electricity)

In the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning biography of my late colleague Alfred E. Kahn (and three other notable US regulators—Charles Francis Adams, Louis Brandeis and James Landis), Thomas McCraw said that Kahn wrote his great 1970–1971 book, The Principles of Regulation, just at the right time. That time was when US utilities—electricity, telecom, natural gas—had generally come to the end of a long period dominated by economies of scale and declining costs. Needing for the first time ever to ask for substantial rate increases in the 1970s/1980s, utilities faced skeptical regulators and an increasingly cost‐conscious public. For this reason, Kahn's book was bound to be popular, with its scholarly emphasis on marginal‐cost pricing and economic efficiency. Other important US energy economists had written great treatises on marginal cost pricing in the late 1940s and early 1960s—but their timing was off. Not Kahn's.

Improving the counter-terrorism system: the US experience

The article is devoted to the analysis of the counter-terrorism system in the United States. The system of subjects of fight against terrorism, and also innovations in anti-terrorist activity of law enforcement agencies and special services of the USA is defined. Some US regulations in the field of counter-terrorism are considered. The role of the public in the fight against terrorism is noted, the mechanisms of public involvement in this activity are highlighted.

COVID 19 Vaccine for Adolescents. Concern about Myocarditis and Pericarditis.

The alarming onset of some cases of myocarditis and pericarditis following the administration of Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines in adolescent males has recently been highlighted. All occurred after the second dose of the vaccine. Fortunately, none of patients were critically ill and each was discharged home. Owing to the possible link between these cases and vaccine administration, the US and European health regulators decided to continue to investigate the potential causal relationship between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and myocarditis. In any case, none of the patients fulfilled the criteria for multi-system inflammatory syndrome or Kawasaki-like disease and there was no evidence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Remote and Indigenous Broadband: A Comparison of Canadian and US Initiatives and Indigenous Engagement

This paper compares funding and other policies for broadband for rural and Indigenous regions initiated by the Canadian and US regulators and policy agencies. In 2016, the CRTC determined that broadband was to be considered a basic service available to all Canadians and set targets for universal broadband at 50 mbps download and 10 mbps upload speed. The Commission also recognized that public sector funding could be required to accomplish the goal of extending broadband to rural and remote regions, but deferred addressing specifics of a broadband fund. In 2019, the CRTC initiated a consultation on draft criteria for a broadband fund. It then published a call for proposals and has provided funding for several projects. Based on comments from small and Indigenous providers who participated in the consultation, the CRTC opened a further proceeding on barriers to deployment of broadband and then on regulatory measures to make access to poles and other existing terrestrial infrastructure more efficient. In the U.S., among FCC broadband funding programs that include rural and Tribal regions are the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which will commit at least $20.4 billion over the next decade to support high-speed broadband networks in rural America (approved in 2020 by the previous administration) and the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund, a broadband subsidy for consumers, announced in January 2021. The FCC also opened a Rural Tribal Priority Window for licenses to use 2.5 GHz spectrum for networks on Tribal lands in 2020. This paper compares the issues raised and policies adopted or proposed by the CRTC and the FCC concerning remote and Indigenous broadband access and affordability, and activities related to Indigenous engagement in policy and regulatory issues in each country. It concludes with lessons from the Canadian and US regulatory experience that can be relevant for rural and Indigenous regions in other countries.

Status of LLC Shareholder and Forms of Obtaining It (Comparative-legal Analysis)

The status of the LLC shareholder characterizes the legal status of the shareholder, its legal relationship with other shareholders, the LLC itself, management of the LLC, and third parties. Although the legal status of LLC shareholder (its rights and obligations) is prescribed under Georgian law, issues related to its definition are still relevant, as Georgian legislation is limited to general regulation only, and Georgian case law and legal literature are also characterized by the scarcity of consideration of shareholder status. The purpose of this article is to use comparative legal analysis to determine the essence of the status of the LLC shareholder, the grounds for its origin, and legal consequences. The article analyzes the concept of the status of the LLC shareholder, subjects of the status of the LLC shareholder, LLC share concept, the rights, and obligations connected to the status of the LLC shareholder, forms of receiving the status of the LLC shareholder and its period. Since the regulatory norms of Georgian LLC are the institute of logical synthesis created as a result of the reception of the norms of German law and the norms of US law, the article mainly provides a comparative analysis of the Georgian and German legal norms on the status of the LLC shareholder, as well as, to some extent, the US regulations.

Creating Regulatory Harmony: The Participatory Politics of OECD Chemical Testing Standards in the Making

In recent decades, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has become a powerful forum for trade liberalization and regulatory harmonization. OECD members have worked to reconcile divergent national regulatory approaches, applying a single framework across sovereign states, in effect determining whose knowledge-making practices would guide regulatory action throughout the industrialized world. Focusing on US regulators, industry associations, and environmental groups, this article explores the participatory politics of OECD chemical regulation harmonization in the late 1970s to early 1980s. These efforts were conditioned by differential institutional access and resources among stakeholders who sought to shape regulatory knowledge rules. Facing competing European and US approaches to chemical data—a minimum “base set” of test data versus case-by-case determinations—OECD members chose the European approach in 1980. However, US regulatory politics shifted with the election of President Reagan, prompting industry associations to lobby the US government to block the agreement. Examining the micropolitics of these standards in the making, I demonstrate that while long-term structures advantaged industrial actors, ideological alignment with the US government precipitated their decisive influence. The case illustrates the importance of attending to the distinctive politics of international harmonization and the effects on transnational knowledge-making and regulatory intervention.

El Paso – Juárez: Radio and the Invisible Border

ABSTRACT The neighboring cities of El Paso, USA and Juárez, Mexico share a 440-year history. In the almost 100 years since radio came to both cities, listeners have found their favorite stations with little regard for which side of the Rio Grande in which it is licensed. This article starts with how radio developed in the region, a court case that set a US precedent, and the use of early Mexican stations to reach immigrants in the US. It then looks at the contemporary situation where cross-border targeted stations balance US and Mexican regulations. It will be shown that border agnostic listening continues. It also considers how recent changes would allow a Mexican firm to own U.S. stations and a U.S. firm to own Mexican stations.

Dynamic term structure models for SOFR futures

AbstractThe London InterBank Offered Rate is scheduled for discontinuation, and the replacement advocated by US regulators is the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). The only SOFR‐linked derivative with significant liquidity and trading history is the SOFR futures contract, traded at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. We use the historical record of futures prices to construct dynamic arbitrage‐free models for the SOFR term structure. We find that a Gaussian arbitrage‐free Nelson–Siegel model describes term structure well without accounting for jumps and seasonal effects observed in SOFR. However, a shadow‐rate extension is needed to describe volatility near the zero‐boundary impacting the futures convexity adjustment and option pricing.

Features of criminal and legal protection оf state secrets under US law

The article is devoted to determining the features of criminal law protection of state secrets under US law. The system of US regulations in the field of protection of state secrets is considered. The classification of types of state secrets is given. The grounds for criminal liability for crimes in the field of protection of state secrets have been determined. The measures of criminal and legal influence applied to the persons who have committed such crimes are revealed.

Post Brexit trade with the US

Post Brexit trade with the US

Women’s and LGBTQ Social Movements and Constitutional Change—On Geoffrey Stone’s Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century

This essay reviews Geoffrey Stone’s “Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century.” Part I offers a synopsis of the treatise to make it accessible to the general public. Stone’s over 600-page book reviews the regulation of sex in the ancient cultures of the Greeks, Romans, and ancient Hebrews. It later discusses the evolution of the regulation of sex in Christianity and the English common law. Stone then focuses specifically on US regulation of obscenity, contraception, abortion, and same-sex marriage to portray a story of progress with a warning that much of this progress depends on the composition of the Supreme Court. Part II reveals the unintended contribution of Sex and the Constitution to the literature with respect to the ways social movements may bring about constitutional change outside the formal process defined in the Constitution for amendment. Though Stone did not make it an explicit theme of the book, I derive from the book the conditions necessary to bring about constitutional change. Part III offers some critical reflections on the book.

Effects of advertising features on smokers’ and non-smokers’ perceptions of a reduced nicotine cigarette modified risk tobacco product

IntroductionResearch is needed to determine the impact of marketing on perceptions and use of reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes, particularly as US regulators have permitted the sale of an RNC...

DISPLACEMENTS OF SIDE WALLS WITH WALL-GIRTS IN INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS UNDER VERTICAL SETTLEMENTS


 
 
 The localized settlement of columns in large metal industrial buildings induces out-of-plane displacements of side walls of the same order as the settlement, which may affect service conditions in the building. For a structural configuration formed by frames, side-walls and wall-girts, this work reports results from testing a small-scale model together with computational modelling of the full-scale structure. Dimensional analysis was used to scale the geometry and properties from full-scale to small-scale, leading to an overall scale factor of 1:15. Differential settlements having a controlled amplitude were imposed at the central column, and displacements were monitored using mechanical devices. The computational model employed shell elements for side-walls and wall- girts. Good agreement was found between tests and computer modelling. The results at the full- scale level, indicate that, for settlements likely to occur in granular soils, the associated lateral displacements exceed those allowed by current US regulations. Stiffening the structure was investigated by use of stiffer girts, as well as by reducing their spacing. The influence of frame height was also investigated. The overall conclusion is that out-of-plane displacements of side- walls may easily exceed allowable values unless they are specifically considered at a design stage.
 
 

Preparation of the Applicable Regulatory Guideline on Mixed Waste in Korea Based on the Analysis of US Laws and Regulations

Unit 1 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and Unit 1 of the Wolsong NPP are being prepared for decommissioning; their decommissioning is expected to generate large amounts of intermediate-level, low-level, and very low level Waste. Mixed waste containing both radioactive and hazardous substances is expected to be produced. Nevertheless, laws and regulations, such as the Korean Nuclear Safety Act and Waste Management Act, do not define clear regulatory guidelines for mixed waste. However, the United States has strictly enforced regulations on mixed waste, focusing on the human health and environmental effects of its hazardous components. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy regulate the radioactive components of mixed waste under the Atomic Energy Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the hazardous waste component of mixed waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In this study, the laws, regulations, and authorities pertaining to mixed waste in the United States are reviewed. Through comparison and analysis with waste management laws and regulations in Korea, a treatment direction for mixed waste is suggested. Such a treatment for mixed waste will increase the efficiency of managing mixed waste when decommissioning NPPs in the near future.

A REVIEW OF PROTOCOLS AND GUIDELINES ADDRESSING THE EXPOSURE OF OCCUPANTS TO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD RADIATION (EMFR) IN BUILDINGS

HIGHLIGHTSABSTRACTA significant share of the technology that has emerged over the past several decades produces electromagnetic field (EMFR) radiation. Communications devices, household appliances, industrial equipment, and medical equipment and devices all produce EMFR with a variety of frequencies, strengths, and ranges. Some EMFR, such as Extremely Low Frequency (ELF), Radio Frequency (RF), and Ionizing Range (IR) radiation have been shown to have harmful effects on human health. Depending on the frequency and strength of the radiation, EMFR can have health effects at the cellular level as well as at brain, nervous, and cardiovascular levels. Health authorities have enacted regulations locally and globally to set critical values to limit the adverse effects of EMFR. By introducing a more comprehensive field of EMFR study and practice, architects and designers can design for a safer electromagnetic (EM) indoor environment, and, as building and construction specialists, will be able to monitor and reduce EM radiation. This paper identifies the nature of EMFR in the built environment, the various EMFR sources, and its human health effects. It addresses European and US regulations for EMFR in buildings and provides a preliminary action plan. The challenges of developing measurement protocols for the various EMFR frequency ranges and determining the effects of EMFR on building occupants are discussed. This paper argues that a mature method for measuring EMFR in building environments and linking these measurements to human health impacts will foster occupant health and lead to the adequate development of safeguards for occupants of buildings in future research.

US regulators force DIC to sell US plant to buy BASF pigment business

US regulators force DIC to sell US plant to buy BASF pigment business

Preventing runs with fees and gates

I study whether redemption fees and gates as recently introduced into US and EU money market fund (MMF) regulations achieve their goal of eliminating the first-mover advantage, thereby making MMFs less susceptible to runs. I study both MMFs offering stable net asset value (NAV) shares and MMFs offering floating NAV shares. Conceptually, redemption fees have two roles in eliminating run equilibria: (i) they ensure that redeeming investors internalize the cost of liquidating assets and (ii) they can be used to implement a redistribution among investors that incentivizes investors to remain invested in the MMF when others run. For stable NAVs, both functions of redemption fees are relevant. For floating NAVs, only the redistributive function of fees is relevant since the floating NAV already ensures that redemptions do not impose losses on investors who remain in the MMF. Gates are less versatile than fees and, given that MMFs can charge fees, gates only have a role in preventing runs if there are (regulatory) restrictions on the level of the fee.

Perbandingan Regulasi Fly Ash sebagai Limbah B3 di Indonesia dan Beberapa Negara

This paper aims to encourage the Indonesian government to review the 2014 Government Regulation (PP) number 101 related to coal-ash. Fly ashes at power plants overload the landfills and requires complete handling solution. The utilization of fly ash in Indonesia are facing the issues, one of these is the categorization of fly ash as a hazardous waste. As a result, its utilization requires permissions from the ministry of environment and forestry. In this paper, a comparative study of fly ash classification as hazardous waste in India, United States of America, China and Vietnam was conducted. India and China are the coal importer from Indonesia. US regulation was once referred when drafting PP number 101. Vietnam is chosen as comparison in Southeast Asia. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results of fly ashes from 16 Indonesian power plants proved that their toxic content was lower than the TCLP parameters in the regulation. Acute Oral Toxicity Test (LD50) results showed that fly ash and bottom ash with dosage up to 7000 mg/kg did not cause fatalities. This study is a reference for the Indonesian government to verify the status of fly ash to be utilized as much as possible in various fields.

When did the stock market start to react less to downgrades by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch?

This paper studies the stock market response to corporate downgrades by S&P, Moody’s and Fitch between 1999 and 2011. The empirical evidence shows that cumulative abnormal returns around downgrades become significantly smaller (in absolute value) after the release in 2003 of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Report on credit rating agencies. The Report addresses concerns related to the agencies and marks a turning point in the attitude of US regulators towards a more critical approach. This has a strong impact on investors that respond by reacting less to downgrades.