Digital Commons Network^™

Tort Law Heterodoxy In China, Benjamin L. Liebman, Rachel E. Stern, Eva Wenwa Gao, Xiaohan Wu

Faculty Scholarship

Chinese courts routinely ask defendants to pay damages without evidence of negligence while relying on concepts such as fairness, substantive justice, or discretion. This chapter examines how Chinese courts arrive at decisions that feel fair or just in cases where they refer to those ideas. Analysis of a dataset of 10,000 judicial decisions in personal injury cases suggests that Chinese courts refer to these concepts when they impose liability on two types of parties: (1) participants in a shared activity and (2) those who control a physical space. By assigning legal responsibility in these cases, Chinese courts acknowledge traumatic harm, …

Harnessing Redox-Active Molecules In Alkylammonium Halide-Based Eutectic Solvents For Redox Flow Batteries, Zeru Syum, Jesse Wainright, Desiree Mae Prado, Burcu Gurkan, Palani Sabhapathy, Clemens Burda, Matthew Vasil, Robert Savinell

Faculty Scholarship

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage, however, advancements in performance and cost-effectiveness are critical factors for adoption. Here we report on alkylammonium halide based eutectic solvents (ESs) and found that a ESs comprising of diethylammonium chloride or bromide, in ethylene glycol demonstrated exceptional stability and a wide electrochemical stability window, making it a promising candidate for RFB applications. The electrochemical stability and redox behavior of the alkylammonium halide-based ESs are significantly influenced by hydrogen-bonding interactions, modulated by the alkyl chain length of the cation and the nature of the anion. A redox-active eutectic electrolyte containing 0.45 …

Replacement Opening Brief For Plaintiff-Appellant Mona Salcida Murillo, Elise Chigier, Bilal Mubarack, Daniel Siemers, Erin Hunter, Madeline H. Meth

Faculty Scholarship

When Mona Murillo tried to assert her rights to be free from sex discrimination and physical threats from prison officials at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP), those officials conspired to punish her and obstruct her efforts to remedy these harms. Murillo is a transgender woman who, while incarcerated at SVSP, repeatedly complained about unsafe working conditions (created and maintained because of her sex) and sex-based harassment perpetrated by Defendants Lopez, Garcia, Lepe, and Castillo. In return, Murillo was subjected to threats, fabricated disciplinary charges, and deliberate efforts to deny her access to necessary work gear by these same Defendants and …

Current Standards And Future Directions Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Respiratory Care: The Ppmd Italy Meeting Report, David J. Birnkrant, Jane Black

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: This report summarizes key discussions from the meeting “Current Standards and Future Directions of Respiratory Assessment and Management of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD),” organized by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Italy and the United States to address current challenges and opportunities in DMD respiratory care. Methods: The meeting brought together researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates who shared experiences, discussed advancements in DMD respiratory management, and identified areas of debate that require further research. Results: The speakers emphasized routine assessment of pulmonary function and of breathing during sleep to achieve timely diagnosis of respiratory complications. Therapeutic discussions focused on airway …

Systematic Review On The Treatment Of Emotional Abuse Victimization In Women By An Intimate Partner, Günnur Karakurt, Rhea D’Silva, Çerağ Oğuztüzün, Ankita Choudhary, Keming Gao, Shari Bolen

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: Emotional partner abuse, often closely intertwined with physical assault, involves persistent emotional mistreatment by an intimate partner. Despite its significance, research specifically focusing on emotional IPV is limited. This study systematically reviews the effectiveness of treatments for women victimized by emotional abuse from an intimate partner. Methods: Following the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, we identified four relevant studies published between 2010 and 2019 with interventions designed for survivors of IPV. Results: The total sample size of 857 was included in the current study (I² = 95%). Our systematic review revealed two …

Functionalizing Polyethersulfone Membranes: Using Nmr To Avoid Pitfalls When Using Uv-Induced Polymerization To 'Graft From' Surfaces, Priyanka Suresh, Megan M. Sibley, Amy C. Che, Christine E. Duval

Faculty Scholarship

For nearly 30 years, UV-induced free radical polymerization has been used to modify the surface chemistry of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes, films, and coatings. The initial mechanism for the grafting process was introduced in the 1990s and supported without direct evidence of covalent bond formation. Since then, claims of ‘grafting from’ membranes in the literature rely on similar evidence using a combination of gravimetry, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, contact angle goniometry, water sorption, and/or water permeance. While these techniques provide evidence of the presence of a polymer coating, they do not provide direct evidence of covalent bond formation between the …

Perianal Infections Update, Boris Garber, Jonathan Glauser

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose of Review We describe the evaluation, treatment, and disposition of patients presenting with perianal and rectal complaints, specifically focusing on identifying and treating various infectious diseases affecting this area. Risk factors and preventative strategies are also discussed where known. Recent Findings Several professional medical associations, namely the World Society of Emergency Surgery and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, recently promulgated new guidelines concerning the diagnosis and management of common infectious rectal disorders [1]. The American College of Radiology also published its criteria for choosing appropriate imaging modalities for anorectal disease [2]. Additionally, new meta-analyses have been …

Movement Disorders In Relapsing And Progressive Ms: A Comprehensive Prospective Evaluation Of A Large Real-Life Cohort, Hannah Kelly, Rongyi Sun, Mohamed Elkasaby, Alexander Wang, Hesham Abboud

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Recent studies suggest that movement disorders are common in early MS. However, the frequency and clinical characteristics of movement disorders at all stages of MS remain unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and anatomical generators of movement disorders in relapsing and progressive MS. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of adult MS patients from 2016 to 2022 at a neuroimmunology clinic. Patients were evaluated for demyelination-related movement disorders via a survey and focused examination. We classified movement disorders based on phenomenology and identified anatomic correlates according to lesion locations and relation to relapses. Findings were compared between …

Predicting Sorption Of Diverse Organic Compounds In Soil-Water Systems: Meta-Analysis, Machine Learning Modeling, And Global Soil Mapping, Jiachun Sun, Kai Zhang, Huichun Zhang

Faculty Scholarship

In recent decades, the environmental detection of various organic compounds (OCs) has highlighted the limitations of conventional soil-water sorption models, which simplify complex experimental conditions and often overlook OCs with polyfunctional and ionizable structures. To address these shortcomings, we compiled a comprehensive soil-water sorption dataset encompassing 20,945 data points for 419 OCs with various functional groups and 1037 different soils. Meta-analysis of the dataset revealed the trends of soil sorption associated with OC substructures, soil properties, and solution conditions. Machine learning models employing the XGBoost algorithm, in conjunction with MACCS fingerprints and experimental conditions, were developed to cover the entire …

Tnf-Α-Driven Changes In Polarized Egf Receptor Trafficking Facilitate Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B Signaling From The Apical Surface Of Mdck Epithelial Cells, Syntyche Ngalula, Cathleen R. Carlin

Faculty Scholarship

This manuscript describes a novel unconventional secretory pathway that facilitates EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling from apical membranes in polarized epithelial cells responding to immune cell mediators. Epithelial tissues provide a physical barrier between our bodies and the external environment and share an intimate relationship with circulating and local immune cells. Our studies describe an unexpected connection between the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and EGFR typically localized to basolateral membranes in polarized epithelial cells. These two molecules sit atop complex biological networks with a long history of shared investigative interest from the vantage point of signaling pathway interactions. We …

The Rising Returns To R&D: Ideas Are Not Getting Harder To Find, Yoshiki Ando, James Bessen, Xiupeng Wang

Faculty Scholarship

R&D investment has grown robustly, yet aggregate productivity growth has stagnated. Is this because “ideas are getting harder to find”? This paper uses micro-data from the US Census Bureau to explore the relationship between R&D and productivity in the manufacturing sector from 1976 to 2018. We find that both the elasticity of output (TFP) with respect to R&D and the marginal returns to R&D have risen sharply. Exploring factors affecting returns, we conclude that R&D obsolescence rates must have risen. Using a novel estimation approach, we find consistent evidence of sharply rising technological rivalry. These findings suggest that R&D has …

Role Of Fluid-Structure Interactions In Mechanosensation During Hovering Flapping Flight, Menglong Lei, Chengyu Li

Faculty Scholarship

Insect wings, known for their intricate structure and function, inherently deform during flapping motion. These deformations can be classified into chordwise cambering, spanwise bending, and root-to-tip twisting, arising from non-uniform venation distribution, aerodynamic loading, and wing inertia. Crucially, such deformations play a vital role in enhancing both aerodynamic performance and mechanosensory function. To investigate the complex interplay between wing structure, unsteady aerodynamics, and mechanosensation, we developed a fully coupled three-dimensional fluid-structure interaction (FSI) solver. This framework integrates an in-house Navier-Stokes equations solver for resolving the flow field with the open-source Vega FEM code to solve the solid structure dynamics. Our …

A Continuous-Heat-Flux Phase Change Model For Simulating Realistic Two-Phase Unsaturated Evaporation Processes, Thanh Hoang Phan, Cho Ning Huang, Chirag R. Kharangate

Faculty Scholarship

Accurately modeling liquid-vapor mass transfer rates is essential for optimizing cryogenic fluid management processes critical to advancing future space missions. This study introduces a continuous-heat-flux phase change model proposed to simulate conditions observed in realistic two-phase unsaturated evaporation phenomena. The mass transfer rate across the two-phase interface is calculated directly based on the local interfacial continuous heat flux on both liquid and vapor phases, effectively accounting for superheated, saturated, and subcooled liquid effects without requiring any empirical tuning parameters. Moreover, phase change occurs exclusively within interfacial cells, ensuring the sharp representation of deformed evaporating interfaces with high accuracy. The proposed …

Eviction Sealing: A Lifeline In The Fight For Housing Justice, Allison Freedman

Faculty Scholarship

In January 2023, the White House released a Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights. The Blueprint called for immediate sealing of eviction case filings to reduce the likelihood that tenants would be locked out of future housing opportunities without the chance to defend themselves. Shortly thereafter, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a request for public comment on how the use of eviction records and screening algorithms may affect tenant housing opportunities and drive discriminatory outcomes. The eviction crisis, its discriminatory effects, and the idea that sealing eviction records may provide a solution to …

The Antitrust–Copyright Interface In The Age Of Generative Artificial Intelligence, Daryl Lim, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

The U.S. government's antitrust actions against Big Tech have recently surged in response to the growing dominance of Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. In fall 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a controversial submission in response to the U.S. Copyright Office's request for comments on artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright. This submission hinted at the agency's eagerness to fully deploy its enforcement powers in the AI sector, including targeting AI developers that have used copyrighted works without authorization to train AI models.

This article examines the changing interface of antitrust and copyright law in the age of generative AI. …

A New Parlor Is Open: Microfeminisms Are Needed In Law School To Combat Gender Bias, Stephanie J. Thompson

Faculty Scholarship

A recent viral trend on TikTok has spotlighted women attorneys who are leveraging microfeminisms to uplift other women and challenge entrenched gender norms within the workplace. The hashtag #microfeminism has garnered over a billion views, underscoring a growing interest in this nuanced form of advocacy. Microfeminism encompasses the subtle, everyday actions individuals—regardless of gender—take to promote gender equity and disrupt traditional expectations, both personally and professionally. In contrast to broader feminist movements that often seek systemic reform, microfeminism focuses on the interpersonal and individual level, recognizing the transformative potential of seemingly small gestures. This Article aims to initiate a critical …

Law And Political Economy: Missing Markets, Missing Law, And Missing Political Economy, Andrew P. Morriss, Roger E. Meiners

Faculty Scholarship

This Article critiques the "Law and Political Economy" (LPE) framework. It aims to challenge the Law and Economics (L&E) approach. We argue that LPE lacks a coherent theoretical foundation and fails to engage with empirical evidence, rendering its critiques of markets, law, and political economy incomplete and unpersuasive. By contrast, L&E provides robust analytical tools and a well-developed understanding of legal and market dynamics, is grounded in empirical research, and has theoretical consistency. We illustrate these points through historical examples in the evolution of L&E and suggest ways LPE can evolve to offer a meaningful alternative. Rigorous intellectual competition will …

1785 Parisian Salon Project: New Methods And Practical Innovations In Digital Heritage Reconstruction, James Hutson, Charles O'Brien, Wesley Wolfe, Kayla Kraff, Trent Olsen

Faculty Scholarship

The 1785 Salon Unreal Engine Reconstruction Project represents a significant advance in digital heritage and immersive art historical research by combining generative AI-based asset creation, modular user experience (UX) design, and historically informed workflows. During the Spring 2025 phase, the project achieved major milestones, including the successful development of a replicable pipeline for transforming 2D reference images into period-accurate 3D sculpture models using generative AI and digital sculpting tools. Simultaneously, a robust and adaptable Inspection System was engineered within Unreal Engine, offering granular interaction controls, bilingual (English/French) content integration, dynamic metadata display, and enhanced accessibility. These innovations collectively enabled historically …

Administrative Law And The Pandemic, Gillian E. Metzger

Faculty Scholarship

American administrative law’s relationship to change is, as they say, compli­cated. On the one hand, continual evolution has been an endemic feature of American administrative law. Doctrines such as Chevron deference to agency statutory interpretations were born, grew, and declined in just the period from the 1980s to today. On the other, the United States (US) Supreme Court regularly rejects such common law development in administrative law as illegitimate and insists that federal judges must adhere to the original terms of the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and other statutes, unless the Constitution requires otherwise. And to this day scholars …

Working To Death: Labor Law In The 100 Year Life, Kate Andrias

Faculty Scholarship

Without significant changes in labor law, the 100-year life will almost certainly be defined by deep inequities. Working-class people, and workers of color in particular, are least likely to enjoy extended life spans. And if they do live longer, they are unlikely to enjoy a leisurely retirement in which they decide how they spend their extra years. Instead, they will face more toil and precarity. This chapter imagines a different future. It asks: What would the 100-year life look like if working people had a greater hand in shaping it? What would a legal regime look like that gave working …

Political Threads In Legal Tapestry: A Computational Analysis Of Executive Branch Legal Interpretation, 1934–2022, Reilly S. Steel

Faculty Scholarship

How does the push and pull between law and politics shape the work of executive branch lawyers charged with providing “neutral” interpretations of the law? To shed light on this longstanding question, this Article undertakes the first large-scale computational analysis of legal interpretation in the executive branch of the United States federal government. Using a new dataset comprised of the texts of 12,879 pages of opinions issued by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in the Department of Justice (DOJ), I use machine learning methods to explore markers of partisanship and ideology in these high-profile executive branch decisions.

Several important …

Current Standards And Future Directions Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Respiratory Care: The Ppmd Italy Meeting Report, Jane Black, David J. Birnkrant

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: This report summarizes key discussions from the meeting “Current Standards and Future Directions of Respiratory Assessment and Management of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD),” organized by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Italy and the United States to address current challenges and opportunities in DMD respiratory care. Methods: The meeting brought together researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates who shared experiences, discussed advancements in DMD respiratory management, and identified areas of debate that require further research. Results: The speakers emphasized routine assessment of pulmonary function and of breathing during sleep to achieve timely diagnosis of respiratory complications. Therapeutic discussions focused on airway …

Letter To The Fda Proposing Major Changes In The Us Clozapine Package Insert Supported By Clozapine Experts Worldwide. Part I A Review Of The Pharmacokinetic Literature And Proposed Changes, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose/Background: Clozapine was approved in the United States (US) using 1989 regulations and knowledge. After 30 years, many sections of the US package insert (PI) are outdated. Methods: We comprehensively reviewed the literature to propose PI updates. We present the information in 2 articles. In Part I, we focus on basic pharmacology based on 407 relevant articles. Part II focuses on clinical aspects and pharmacovigilance. Findings/Results: Based on more recent expectations of Food and Drug Administration regulations, we reviewed clozapine basic pharmacology including the following: 1) clearance, 2) pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and 3) monitoring tools. We identified 9 major problems …

Restating The Law Of Children And Youth: The Evolution Of Reform, Elizabeth S. Scott

Faculty Scholarship

A brief roadmap of this article may be helpful. Part I describes the emergence of the Child Wellbeing framework and its powerful role in shaping twenty-first-century youth justice reforms captured by the Restatement. Part II shows how this framework has begun to have a far broader influence on the law affecting children and how the framework and the developmental approach embodied in the Restatement can guide courts and shape the trajectory of the law in the future. Part III explores potential challenges to the Restatement’s effectiveness in attaining a fully integrated system based on the Child Wellbeing framework.

Letter To The Fda Proposing Major Changes In The Us Clozapine Package Insert Supported By Clozapine Experts Worldwide. Part Ii A Review Of Fatal Outcomes In Us Pharmacovigilance Data And Proposed Changes, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose/Background: This is the second part of a 2-part article that proposes improving the United States (US) clozapine package insert. Part II focuses on fatal outcomes and the 5 boxed warnings, 4 specifically for clozapine: severe neutropenia, seizure, orthostatic hypotension and myocarditis, and 1 for all antipsychotics (elderly with dementia). Methods: US reports to the World Health Organization's global pharmacovigilance database were analyzed from clozapine's introduction to January 15, 2023. Findings/Results: The US was the top reporter worldwide for clozapine with 56,003 reports and 9587 associated fatal outcomes. The 4 clozapine boxed warnings were associated with 534 fatal outcomes (218 …

Do Bans On Conversion Therapy Impose A Governmental "Orthodoxy" About Sex And Gender?, Linda C. Mcclain

Faculty Scholarship

In Part I, this Essay evaluates how orthodoxy arguments featured in Mr. Tingley’s challenge to Washington’s ban on conversion therapy. Part II offers a preliminary analysis of Chiles v. Salazar, ⁴² which the Court will hear during its 2025-2026 Term. I illustrate how the arguments made against Washington’s law by Chiles and her amici draw from the anti-orthodoxy and marketplace of ideas rhetoric found not only in Justice Thomas’s Tingley dissent and his NIFLA opinion but also in Justice Gorsuch’s majority opinion in the 303 Creative decision.⁴³ Woven together with these speech arguments are appeals to the Court’s …

Antiracist Expert Evidence, Jasmine Gonzales Rose, Asees Bhasin, Spencer Piston

Faculty Scholarship

Since 2020, when mass protests against racism swept across the United States, scholars, lawyers, and the general public have become increasingly aware that racism permeates society and the criminal legal system, from overt racial animus to the nuanced effects of structural racism. Demonstrating the influence of racism is therefore vital to the practice of criminal defense, yet many attorneys do not know how to prove racism in court. We surveyed over seven hundred criminal-defense attorneys across the United States, and nearly half had never heard of expert witnesses testifying or submitting written reports on racism—what we call “antiracist expert evidence.” …

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura In Pediatric Patients, Niki Shrestha, Robert W. Maitta

Faculty Scholarship

Thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura is a serious disease that can involve complex symptomatology, prolonged hospitalization, and a high risk of mortality if treatment is delayed. This disease is rare, but it is even rarer among pediatric patients. Even though it was first described 100 years ago, the earliest documented case was a pediatric patient. The last three decades have seen the discovery of the pathological mechanisms responsible for its clinical presentation. Symptoms/signs characteristic of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia with significant thrombocytopenia characterize the vast majority of patients. Its pathology centers on the accumulation of ultra-large von Willebrand factor multimers due to an …

Glycation Metabolites Predict Incident Age-Related Comorbidities And Mortality In Older People With Hiv, Xi Qiao, Liangliang Zhang, Ming Wang

Faculty Scholarship

Glycation is a class of modifications arising from non-enzymatic reactions of reducing sugars with proteins, lipids, and/or DNA, generating advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). AGEs are linked to many age-related comorbidities. In response to HIV-1 infection, activated T-cells and macrophages shift their predominate metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. Increased glycolytic flux enhances AGE formation, which may increase age-related comorbidities. In this prospective, multicenter cohort study of antiretroviral therapy treated people with HIV, we explored predictive associations by baseline plasma AGE concentrations and their corresponding detoxification metabolites, with incident comorbidities and mortality. AGEs included dicarbonyl sugars: 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal, and methylglyoxal. Methylglyoxal-derived …

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Neurodegenerative Disease Associated With Tauopathy And Cognitive Decline In Aged Cf Mice, Danica F. Patton-Parfyonov, Xinming Wang, Sarah Barker, Deborah A. Corey, Edwin Vázquez-Rosa, Nichele Abeyesundere, Whitney M. Ward, Rebecca Darrah, Jung A. Woo, David E. Kang, Andrew A. Pieper, Thomas J. Kelley

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Highly effective modulator therapies (HEMT) are increasing the lifespan for many people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), making it necessary to identify and understand CF specific age-related consequences. In this study, we examine the impact of aging on cognitive function and age-related brain pathology in a CF mouse model focusing on phospho-Tau (pTau) pathology. Methods: Cognitive function was measured by novel object recognition and spontaneous alternation behavior tests. Hippocampal neuronal function was assessed by measuring long-term potentiation (LTP) electrophysiology, the synaptic correlate of learning and memory. Tau pathology was assessed by immunohistochemical analyses and western blot assessment of pTau levels …