Digital Commons Network^™

Ai, Medicine, And Social Determinants Of Health Data, Ryan Doyloo, Nicholson Price

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This article examines how medical AI systems are incorporating SDoH data and the governance challenges that follow. The authors show that while SDoH integration can enhance clinical workflows and predictive accuracy — potentially improving outcomes for underserved populations — it also introduces acute risks of proxy discrimination, where facially neutral variables replicate protected characteristics. Surveying U.S., EU, and international frameworks, the authors argue that existing regimes lack clear ex ante guidance to distinguish beneficial from harmful uses of SDoH data. In response, they advance post-market monitoring as a pragmatic and scalable pathway: generating real-world, SDoH-stratified evidence that can support enforcement, …

Slurry-As-A-Service: A Modest Proposal On Scalable Pluralistic Alignment For Nutrient Optimization, Rachel Hong, Yael Eiger, Jevan Hutson, Os Keyes, William Agnew

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Pluralistic alignment has emerged as a promising approach for ensuring that large language models (LLMs) faithfully represent the diversity, nuance, and conflict inherent in human values. In this work, we study a high-stakes deployment context—mulching—where automated systems transform selected individuals into nutrientrich slurry for the dual purposes of food security and aesthetic population management. Building on recent pluralistic alignment frameworks, we introduce ValueMulch™, a reproducible training, deployment, and certification pipeline for aligning mulching models (MMs) to a wide range of community norms. Through a real-world testbed spanning 32 communities, we show that ValueMulch™ improves distributional agreement with community mulching preferences …

Surgical Removal Of Visceral Adipose Tissue Has Therapeutic Benefit In Male Appnl-F Mice, Samuel A. Mcfadden, Yimin Fang, Kathleen Quinn, Mackenzie R. Peck, Jenelle E. Chapman, Tiarra Hill, Andrzej Bartke, Erin R. Hascup, Kevin Hascup

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Purpose:  Visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT) accumulation causes systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and senescent cell accumulation that are risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Visceral fat removal (VFR) improves metabolism and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines.  We hypothesized that VFR removal in AD mice would improve metabolism and cognition.

Methods:  Male and female APP^NL-F mice underwent sham or vWAT surgical resection (periovarian or epididymal and perirenal) at 4 (pre-symptomatic) and 16 (symptomatic) months of age to understand interventional and therapeutic effects, respectively.  At 18 months of age, glucose metabolism and novel object recognition (NOR) memory were assayed followed by …

Law And The Self-Coordinating Market Idea, Sanjukta Paul

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Much of the focus of the live Symposium was on comparing existing scholarship associated with two intellectual communities. I have no objection to that enterprise in the abstract, though I think it is a bit premature where law and political economy (LPE) is concerned and sets up an apples-to-oranges comparison to the decades-old streams of work and thinking in law and economics (L&E). But I would rather use the privilege of the space in this written Symposium to sketch what I believe is the ultimate substantive nub of contestation in this conversation about the core subject matter of “the economy” …

Need For Harmonized Terminology In Cryopreservation To Support Reproducibility, Regulation, And Translation, Susan Wolf, Lakshya Gangwar, Lowell Wolfe, Nikolas Zuchowicz, Irina Filz Von Reiterdank, Srivasupradha Ramesh, Bat-Erdene Namsrai, Joseph Kangas, Joseph Sushil Rao, Matthew Powell-Palm, Timothy L. Pruett, John C. Bischof, Korkut Uygun

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As cryopreservation technologies continue to develop, the need for harmonized terminology across the multitude of disciplines where cryopreservation is applied is becoming increasingly acute. Terminology in cryopreservation remains inconsistent, leading to confusion and barriers to progress. Applications of cryopreservation in medicine, food, agriculture, and conservation remain limited by this lack of consensus. Inconsistent terminology contributes to ethical, legal, and societal issues in translating and integrating new cryopreservation technologies. Here we identify the problem with examples of cryopreservation terminology that demand harmonization. We describe the need for terminological consistency by providing examples of effective terminology harmonization projects in related fields. We …

The Crisis Of Appropriations Law, Samuel R. Bagenstos

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Appropriations law is a unique body of federal law.  Appropriations law imposes its own somewhat baroque set of statutory interpretation principles, approves of very broad delegations to the Executive Branch without meaningful limiting principles, and is often exempt from judicial review.  But perhaps that is all about to change.  Donald Trump’s historically aggressive challenge to Congress’s power of the purse has spurred an unusually large volume of exceptionally high-stakes appropriations law litigation. 

The potential implications go beyond the high-profile issues such as enforcement of the Impoundment Control Act.  In general, the unusual features of appropriations law are built on a …

The Basis Of The Labor Exemption Reconsidered, Sanjukta Paul

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Broadly speaking, this symposium queries the question of expanding some actors’ coordination rights under antitrust law as a way of effectuating legal goals relating to “power relations.” I commend the organizers of the symposium for opening this conversation, for asking about the use of “collective bargaining” beyond the traditional labor domain, and for taking on the question in a creative way. These broader questions are essential, and yet my own article will (paradoxically, perhaps) try to contribute to this effort by going back to the core domain of the labor exemption itself—where, it turns

Refractive Error And Axial Length (Real) Study: Feasibility Of A Population Study In The United States, Sarah E. Singh Dr, Lisa A. Ostrin, Kristen Kerber Dr, Concepcion Cayle, Celia Gong Dr, Lal Barsha Dr, Ian Flitcroft, Síofra Harrington, James Loughman, Kathryn Saunders Prof, Fuensanta Vera-Diaz Dr

Articles

Myopia is the most common eye disease and a leading cause of blindness. A contemporary, large, and ethnically and geographically diverse study of ocular biometry and refractive error in children in the United States is needed to help better describe differences between myopic and nonmyopic eyes.

This is an initial cross-sectional report from the Refractive Error and Axial Length Growth Curve Study that includes ocular component data as a function of age, gender, and geographic location. This feasibility report will inform a planned larger longitudinal ocular growth study in children in the United States.

Cross-sectional data on children, ages 3 …

Effect Of Multispecies Swards On The Fat Composition And Oxidative Stability Of Milk From Dairy Cows In Mid-Late Lactation, Samuel Rapisarda, Kate M. Mccarthy, Tommy M. Boland, Helen Sheridan, Frank J. Monahan, Finbar J. Mulligan, Graham O'Neill, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

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Multispecies swards have been recognized as more sustainable than traditional ryegrass systems, in addition to providing a range of phytochemicals to the ruminant diet. In this regard, polyphenols may be linked to higher levels of bioactive fatty acids in milk and enhanced nutraceutical properties in dairy products. This study compares the fat composition and oxidative stability of milk produced by cows fed on multispecies swards (MULTI) with milk from two conventional swards [a perennial ryegrass monoculture (PRG) and a mixture of perennial ryegrass and white clover (PRG + WC)] during the Irish summer. Milk from cows fed on MULTI had …

Reflections And Gratitude: The Journal Of Food Law & Policy From A Twenty-Year Perspective, Margie Alsbrook

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Twenty years after the Journal of Food Law & Policy published its first issue, I find myself looking back with deep gratitude for the people who helped create it, for the students who sustained it, and for the community that continues to make it thrive. What began as an untested idea has grown into a respected publication and a cornerstone of a still-growing field. This essay is both a reflection on that journey and a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made it possible.

Standardization And Accuracy Of Race And Ethnicity Data: Equity Implications For Medical Ai, Alexandra Tsalidis, Lakshmi Bharadwaj, Francis X. Shen

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The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare has raised many concerns about race bias in AI models. Yet, overlooked in this dialogue is the lack of quality control for the accuracy of patient race and ethnicity (r/e) data in electronic health records (EHR). This article critically examines the factors driving inaccurate and unrepresentative r/e datasets. These include conceptual uncertainties about how to categorize races and ethnicity, shortcomings in data collection practices, EHR standards, and the misclassification of patients’ race or ethnicity. To address these challenges, we propose a two-pronged action plan. First, we present a set of best …

Standardization And Accuracy Of Race And Ethnicity Data: Equity Implications For Medical Ai, Alexandra Tsalidis, Lakshmi Bharadwaj, Francis X. Shen

Articles

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare has raised many concerns about race bias in AI models. Yet, overlooked in this dialogue is the lack of quality control for the accuracy of patient race and ethnicity (r/e) data in electronic health records (EHR). This article critically examines the factors driving inaccurate and unrepresentative r/e datasets. These include conceptual uncertainties about how to categorize races and ethnicity, shortcomings in data collection practices, EHR standards, and the misclassification of patients’ race or ethnicity. To address these challenges, we propose a two-pronged action plan. First, we present a set of …

Presidential Control And Administrative Capacity, Nicholas Bednar

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Presidential control is the power to direct administrative capacity toward the President’s own policy objectives. Accordingly, presidential power vis-à-vis administrative policymaking has two necessary components: control and capacity. First, the President must have the ability to set the agency’s policymaking agenda and direct the day-to-day activities of its leadership and career employees. Second, the agency needs a well-managed team of policymakers with expertise and experience in both the substantive policy area and the policymaking process. Yet scholars have long assumed—without much empirical testing—that the administrative state has sufficient capacity to implement the President’s agenda. Not so.

This Article argues that …

Applying The Regulatory Report Card To Tax Regulations, Kristin E. Hickman, Bridget C.E. Dooling

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An invited contribution to an issue of the Journal of Benefit–Cost Analysis honoring the work of the late Dr. Jerry Ellig, this essay recognizes and draws upon the Regulatory Report Card methodology developed by Ellig and Dr. Patrick McLaughlin to evaluate the quality of regulatory impact analysis published by federal government agencies in conjunction with notice-and-comment rulemaking. The essay anticipates a forthcoming study of changes to tax regulatory practices as a result of a 2018 Memorandum of Agreement between the Treasury Department and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs – a study the authors discussed and hoped to conduct …

Dough Rheology Properties As Affected By The Inclusion Of Oat Drink Residue Flour: A Multivariate Analysis Approach, Mahmoud Said Rashed, Eimear Gallagher, Jesus M. Frias, Milica Pojić, Shivani Pathania

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The global shift towards plant-based food consumption presents significant environmental benefits, yet the consequential rise in related by-products still imposes a challenge to be addressed. The present work was carried out to evaluate the rheological properties of bread dough as affected by the incorporation of dry fractionated oat drink residue flours as a functional ingredient to identify the optimum condition for incorporating fibre-rich ingredients in bakery products. Mechanically dry fractionated, dried oat drink residue flour of particle size F1: > 150, F2: 150-224, and F3: 224-300 μm was blended with strong wheat flour at 10% and 20% substitution levels of the …

A Comprehensive Review On Nutritional Composition, Health Benefits, And Industrial Applications Of Jackfruit Seeds, Simran Dhani, Hamid, Nomali Ziphorah Ngobese, Sunny Sharma, Amit K. Jaiswal

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Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is one of the undervalued fruits that is rich in many nutrients not only in the edible parts but also in generated waste such as the seed and peel. Seeds of jackfruit are usually considered as waste (15 %) but are rich in protein, starch as well as various bioactive compounds. Among the bioactive components, phenolics like catechin, ferulic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and gallic acid, are a few which possess many health-promoting properties. These bioactive compounds hold high antioxidant capacity and various pharmacological properties which lower the risk of various diseases by reducing free radical generation. …

Identification And Profiling Of Socioeconomic And Health Characteristics Associated With Consumer Food Purchasing Behaviours Using Machine Learning, Daniel Burke, Martin Boudou, Jennifer Mccarthy, Majid Bahramian, Courage Krah, Christina Kenny, Paul Hynds, Anushree Priyadarshini

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Food systems and food-related policies influence food consumption, dietary patterns, and human and environmental health. Consumers play a vital role in enhancing health and sustainability through their purchasing choices. To identify and cluster food purchasing behaviours and map relationships, a cross-sectional survey was conducted across Ireland with a sample size of 957 adults. Two-step cluster analysis, generalised linear models, and recursive partitioning and regression trees were used to elucidate adherence to identified food purchasing behavioural clusters. Three clusters (‘food quality’, ‘taste’, and ‘price’) were identified based on food purchasing priorities and statistically categorised. ‘Food quality’ members were significantly less likely …

Next Steps In Online Courts: Accelerating Access To Justice Through Court Technology, J.J. Prescott

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For more than a decade, state courts have been expanding access to justice by adopting online dispute resolution (ODR) platforms and other outward-facing communication technologies. At a deep level, these reforms aim at improving society by bolstering the rule of law. At a surface level, these innovations recognize that the justice system works better when courts and law are easier and less costly to understand and use. In important respects, these efforts have been a success. The accessibility of many state courts is considerably more robust today than it was ten years ago, at least for small-stakes cases, like traffic …

Does The Age And Associated Ph Of Buttermilk Influence The Sensory Properties Of Soda Bread?, Liam Byrd, Pauline Danaher, Roisin Burke

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Culinary proverbs, tips and tricks, or old wives’ tales lead to many variations in a recipe. In Molecular and Physical Gastronomy, the term “culinary precisions” is used to describe any piece of information that has something to do with the technical description of the dish, but does not belong to the definition (that is the minimum required to make the dish). The aim of this study was to test the culinary precision that “using aged cultured buttermilk” (which should be more acidic than fresh buttermilk) improves the sensory properties of soda bread by promoting the chemical reactions between the acidic …

New Dimensions In Dining: A Review Of The Gastronomic Evolution Of 3d Printed Foods From 2013-2024 And Beyond., Roisin Burke

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The development of 3D food printing is evolving, particularly in high-end restaurants, since 2013 when the first complex 3D printed chocolate concept for gastronomy was developed. In 2014, several 3D food printers were launched specifically to suit requirements from the culinary sector. These technology companies often partnered with renowned chefs who developed recipes, showcased the printers and served their food products in their restaurants. Chefs often worked in teams with e.g. food designers, technologists, engineers, and nutritionists to create dishes for events and for their own restaurant customers. From Michelin starred restaurants, pop-up events to pizzerias, 3D food printers were …

Living The Good Life In The Anthropocene, Karrigan Bork, Karen Bradshaw, Rebecca Bratspies, Cinnamon Carlarne, Bruce Carpenter, Robin Kundis Craig, Sarah Fox, Josh Galperin, Francis Hicks, Keith Hirokawa, Kevin Lynch, Ruhan S. Nagra, Michele Okoh, Jessica Owley, Amber Polk, Melissa Powers, Shannon Roesler, J.B. Ruhl, Danielle Stokes, Anastasia Telesetsky

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The Stockholm Resilience Centre has concluded that the number of "planetary boundaries" we are crossing has increased from three in 2009, when the Centre's researchers first introduced the concept, to six in 2023. Crossing these boundaries means humans are changing basic attributes of planetary systems to the point of risking the future of civilization. And the distinction between "safe" and "just" planetary boundaries raises questions regarding how to conceptualize the "good life." In this latest in a biannual series of essays, members of the Environmental Law Collaborative explore conceptions of the "good" as well as the various elements necessary to …

Water Management And Conservation In India Fostering Water Justice: Arguing For Adopting Just Sustainability In Water Governance, Gayathri D Naik Dr, Sanjay Shenoi P

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The water sector is characterised by everyday water injustices where factors like social discrimination, economic disparities, and political preferences influence the determination of water resource access, allocation, and management. The increasing anthropogenic impacts on water resources and consequent threats to sustainability add to the water injustices, often impacting the poorer, socially downtrodden communities that bear the brunt of water scarcity and cannot afford alternatives. The current water governance patterns, prioritising equality over equity, fail to address the issues of water injustices created by social, political, and economic factors in water management and sideline the ecological impacts on water resources. Moving …

Beyond The Human: Crossovers For An Onto-Epistemological Bifurcation, Ester Toribio-Roura

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Building upon recent studies in new materialisms and feminist critical posthumanism with a focus on human and more-than-human relationships, this paper examines how the posthuman paradigm, by postulating the queering of identit(ies) via entanglement with the more-than-human (including technology), and by offering a critical examination of diverse modes of existence within a broader ecological context, can foster more inclusive and ethically sound ways of being in the world. Although posthumanism encompasses a wide range of perspectives and theories, including transhumanism, at its core, it challenges traditional notions of humanism, blurring the boundaries between what is human and what is more-than-human, …

Reproductive Objectification, Meghan M. Boone, Benjamin J. Mcmichael

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The American system of rights is individualized - premised on the concept of singular, physically separate, and autonomous people. The rise of the fetal personhood movement complicates this basic understanding. If rights attach to singular, autonomous people, and fetuses are legally people, then the body of a pregnant person becomes conceptually unintelligible as it contains potentially two, interrelated people. Such a circumstance is fundamentally a contradiction within a framework that insists that rights attach to people who are, by definition, singular, separate, and autonomous.

This Article argues that, as a result of this apparent contradiction, fetal personhood laws make the …

Planning Report For The University Of Washington Center On Intimate Partner Violence Research, Policy And Practice, Mary A. Kernic, Avanti Adhia, Anna E. Bender, Natalie Dolci, Alice M. Ellyson, Mary Fan, V. Kalei Kanuha, Jennifer Piel, Dana Raigrodski, Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, Kiana Swearingen, Denise Walker, Carolyn West

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This report is respectfully submitted to fulfill the legislative mandate pursuant to Section 602 of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1715 (2023) to generate a plan for the establishment of a University of Washington (UW) center on intimate partner violence (IPV) research, policy and practice. The goals of the center are to conduct IPV research, widely disseminate evidence-based and other high quality research to best inform policy and practice-based efforts in IPV prevention and harm reduction, and to ensure these efforts are informed and responsive to the needs of survivors and others impacted by IPV in Washington State.

Biobased Construction From Agricultural Crops: Paper 1 - A State Of Play Of Commercial Solutions In Europe, Patrick Daly, Paula G. Barril

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In response to environmental concerns and the global warming issue in particular there is a growing drive to decarbonise the building sector and transition it to more circular practices.

Biobased construction materials, products and systems are an important low carbon and circular strategy as they can enable low to negative carbon construction and have strong circularity advantages notably being able to enter the bio cycle, using renewable, low to zero toxic resources and provide a range of other performance benefits, including moisture and vapour regulation.

This novel research presents a unique state of play on the commercial application of biobased …

Generation, Characterisation And Identification Of Bioactive Peptides From Mesopelagic Fish Protein Hydrolysates Using In Silico And In Vitro Approaches, Maria Hayes, Azza Naik, Leticia Mora, Bruno Iñarra, Jone Ibarruri, Carlos Bald, Thibault Cariou, David Reid, Michael Gallagher, Ragnhild Dragøy, Jorge Galino, Alba Deyà, Sissel Albrektsen, Lars Thoresen, Runar G. Solstad

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This study generated bioactive hydrolysates using the enzyme Alcalase and autolysis from mesopelagic fish, including Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale. Generated hydrolysates were investigated for their bioactivities using in vitro bioassays, and bioactive peptides were identified using mass spectrometry in active hydrolysates with cyclooxygenase, dipeptidyl peptidase IV and antioxidant activities. In silico analysis was employed to rank identified peptide sequences in terms of overall bioactivity using programmes including Peptide Ranker, PrepAIP, Umami-MRNN and AntiDMPpred. Seven peptides predicted to have anti-inflammatory, anti-type 2 diabetes or Umami potential using in silico strategies were chemically synthesised, and their anti-inflammatory activities were confirmed using …

“There’S A Lifestyle, An Appreciation, A Beauty”: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Masters Rowers, Jason Rich, Pamela Beach, Heidi K. Byrne

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Masters rowing has seen a measurable increase in participation, with masters rowers engaged in the sport for competition, health, and recreation reasons. Unlike other masters sports, masters rowing has a unique high level of synchronous, cooperative, and interdependent elements. To better understand the benefits and challenges of participation in competitive masters rowing, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of competitive masters rowers. Twelve competitive masters rowers were recruited and interviewed. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach to guide data collection, analysis, and interpretation, the analysis revealed four major themes: navigating community relationships, finding a reason …

Mechanisms Of Action And Preservation Effects Of Packaging Systems For Mushrooms: Novel Approaches To Preserve Irish Edible Mushrooms, Tigist Tadesse Shonte, Mehraj Fatema Mulla, Lorraine Foley, Shivani Pathania

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Mushrooms support the Irish economy, with a farm gate value of roughly EUR 130 million in 2022 and with 80%–85% of Irish production exported to the United Kingdom. In order to apply cutting edge technologies and offer creative solutions to increase the shelf life of mushrooms, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of action and preservation effects of the current trends in edible mushroom packaging systems. This review summarises the mechanisms of action for nanopackaging, biodegradable packaging, edible coatings, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and active packaging in terms of their enzyme activity, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, and rate of …

Expert Stakeholder Perspectives On Emerging Technology For Neuroimaging Research With Highly Portable Mri: The Need For Guidance On Ethical, Legal, And Societal Issues, Molly K. Madzelan, Frances Lawrenz, Susan Wolf, Francis X. Shen

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Portable MRI (pMRI) technology, which promises to transform brain imaging research by facilitating scanning in new geographic areas and the participation of new, diverse populations, raises many ethical, legal, and societal issues (ELSI). To understand this emerging pMRI ELSI landscape, we surveyed expert stakeholder views on ELSI challenges and solutions associated with pMRI research.