Digital Commons Network^™

Thrombocytopenia In Sepsis, Alireza Setarehaseman, Robert W. Maitta

Faculty Scholarship

Platelets, traditionally known for their role in hemostasis, have emerged as key players in immune response and inflammation. Sepsis, a life-threatening condition characterized by systemic inflammation, often presents with thrombocytopenia, which at times, can be significant. Platelets contribute to the inflammatory response by interacting with leukocytes, endothelial cells, and the innate immune system. However, excessive platelet activation and consumption can lead to thrombocytopenia and exacerbate the severity of sepsis. Understanding the multifaceted roles of platelets in sepsis is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategies. Targeting platelet-mediated inflammatory responses and promoting platelet production may offer potential avenues for improving outcomes in …

A Review Of Optical Flow Velocimetry In Fluid Mechanics, Gauresh Raj Jassal, Bryan E. Schmidt

Faculty Scholarship

Optical flow methods have been developed over the past two decades for application to particle image velocimetry (PIV) images with the goal of acquiring higher resolution measurements of the velocity field than conventional cross-correlation (CC)-based techniques. Numerous optical flow velocimetry (OFV) algorithms have been devised to solve the ill-posed optical flow problem, with various physics-inspired strategies to tailor them to fluid flows. While OFV can be applied to continuous scalar fields, it has demonstrated the most success on images of tracer particles, i.e. traditional planar PIV images. Compared to state-of-the-art CC algorithms, OFV methods have demonstrated an order of magnitude …

Exploring The Connection Between Rna Splicing And Intellectual Disability, Anthony Caputo, Ashleigh E. Schaffer

Faculty Scholarship

Intellectual disability (ID) is a broad diagnostic category that encompasses individuals with impaired cognitive ability. While these disorders have heterogeneous causes, recent developments in next-generation sequencing (NGS) are revealing the prevalence of genetic etiologies. In particular, germline mutations in genes that affect RNA splicing are increasingly common causes of ID disorders. Research to elucidate the functional relationship between splicing and neurodevelopment is critical since molecular therapeutics require a nuanced understanding of the pathological mechanism. In this review, we first summarize the trends that have led to the discovery of the RNA splicing–ID relationship, then discuss recent progress and future directions …

Association Between Combined Oral Contraceptive Prescription And Cervical Artery Dissection: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Robert J. Trager, Catherine P. Haering

Faculty Scholarship

Background: To date, research has identified positive associations between combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and adverse vascular events, however, evidence regarding the possible association with cervical artery dissection (CeAD) remains limited. We tested the hypothesis of a positive association between COCs and CeAD within one year following COC initiation compared to matched controls initiating intrauterine devices (IUDs), as measured by risk ratio (RR). Methods: We queried de-identified United States health records data (TriNetX, Inc.) from 2014 to 2024 for females aged 15–50 years without previous cerebrovascular disease or CeAD, creating mutually exclusive cohorts initiating either COCs or IUDs. We used propensity …

Applicable And Generalizable Machine Learning For Intelligent Welding In Automotive Manufacturing, Peng Edward Wang, Xijia Zhao

Faculty Scholarship

This review paper examines the application and challenges of machine learning (ML) in intelligent welding processes within the automotive industry, focusing on resistance spot welding (RSW) and laser welding. RSW is predominant in body-in-white assembly, while laser welding is critical for electric vehicle battery packs due to its precision and compatibility with dissimilar materials. The paper categorizes ML applications into three key areas: sensing, in-process decision-making, and post-process optimization. It reviews supervised learning models for defect detection and weld quality prediction, unsupervised learning for feature extraction and data clustering, and emerging generalizable ML approaches like transfer learning and federated learning …

Can Chatgpt Implement Finite Element Models For Geotechnical Engineering Applications?, Hyoung Suk Suh

Faculty Scholarship

This study assesses the capability of ChatGPT to generate finite element code for geotechnical engineering applications from a set of prompts. We tested three different initial boundary value problems using a hydro-mechanically coupled formulation for unsaturated soils, including the dissipation of excess pore water pressure through fluid mass diffusion in one-dimensional space, time-dependent differential settlement of a strip footing, and gravity-driven seepage. For each case, initial prompting involved providing ChatGPT with necessary information for finite element implementation, such as balance and constitutive equations, problem geometry, initial and boundary conditions, material properties, and spatiotemporal discretization and solution strategies. Any errors and …

International Society Of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrition And Weight Cut Strategies For Mixed Martial Arts And Other Combat Sports, Anthony A. Ricci, Cassandra Evans, Charles Stull, Corey A. Peacock, Duncan N. French, Jeffrey R. Stout, David H. Fukuda, Paul La Bounty, Douglas Kalman, Andrew J. Galpin, Jaime Tartar, Sarah Johnson, Richard B. Kreider, Chad Kerksick, Bill I. Campbell, Aaron Jeffery, Chris Algieri, Jose Antonio

Faculty Scholarship

Following an extensive literature review, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has developed an official position on nutritional and weight cut strategies for combat sports. The type of combat sport, length of the fight camp, and time between weigh-in and competition are factors influencing nutritional and weight cut strategies. The following 16points constitute the Position Statement of the Society; the Research Committee has approved them. 1. Combat sports have differing weight categories, official weigh-in times, and competition frequencies, influencing the nutritional and weight cut strategies for training and competition. 2. As the duration of a combat match increases, >4 …

Should Positive Airway Pressure Be Continued Uninterrupted After Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery? A Review Of Current Literature, Jayanth Rajan, John Richter, Daniel Karasik, Claudia I. Cabrera, John Gerka Stuyt, Kenneth Rodriguez, Brian D'Anza, Thomaz Fleury Curado, Sanjeet V. Rangarajan

Faculty Scholarship

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) poses unique challenges to the perioperative management of endoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS). Currently, no consensus or guidelines exist on the reintroduction of positive airway pressure (PAP) in these patients. To better clarify the safety of PAP reintroduction after ESBS, the databases Pubmed and Embase were searched in May 2024 for studies on PAP reintroduction after ESBS. Two articles, comprising 15 patients, met the inclusion criteria. All patients resumed PAP the first night after surgery. All patients underwent ESBS for transsphenoidal pituitary resection. Only one patient experienced cerebrospinal fluid leak, and no other complications were reported. …

Prediction Of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Using Coronary Calcification And Epicardial Adipose Tissue Assessments From Ct Calcium Scoring Scans, Juhwan Lee, Tao Hu, Ammar Hoori, Hao Wu, Justin N. Kim, Robert Gilkeson, Sanjay Rajagopalan, David L. Wilson

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Low-cost/no-cost non-contrast CT calcium scoring (CTCS) exams can provide direct evidence of coronary atherosclerosis. In this study, using features from CTCS images, we developed a novel machine learning model to predict obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), as defined by the coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS). Methods: This study analyzed 1324 patients from the SCOT-HEART trial who underwent both CTCS and CT angiography. Obstructive CAD was defined as CAD-RADS 4A-5, while CAD-RADS 0–3 were considered non-obstructive CAD. We analyzed clinical, Agatston-score-derived, and epicardial fat-omics features to predict obstructive CAD. The most predictive features were selected using elastic net …

Is Cardiomyopathy Intrinsic To Marfan Syndrome?, Carolyn M. Wilhelm, James Strainic, Timothy J. Mead

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Screening And Treatment Of Iron Deficiency Among Heart Failure Patients With Impaired Ejection Fraction: The Impact Of A Pharmacist-Led Protocol, Firas Al Badarin, Feras Bader, Bassam Atallah

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Despite guideline-recommended routine screening and iron deficiency (ID) treatment among heart failure (HF) patients, these practices are often underutilized. Currently, limited data are available on the outcomes of pharmacists' programs to enhance ID screening and management. Accordingly, we sought to describe the frequency and yield of screening for ID and intravenous (IV) iron replacement rates among our cohort of HF patients and examined the impact of implementing a pharmacist-led protocol (PLP) aimed at enhancing these rates. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <45% at a quaternary care hospital in the Middle East/Gulf region. The PLP was introduced in August 2022. Data on demographics, comorbidities, echocardiographic parameters, laboratory findings (including ID screening and its findings), and rates of treatment with IV iron replacement were analyzed and compared between the pre-implementation group (n = 432, October 2015–February 2020) and the post-implementation group (n = 154, August 2022–January 2023). Results: Before the PLP, 63.2% (n = 273) of eligible patients underwent ID screening, with 80.6% (n = 220) found to have ID. Following the implementation of the PLP, screening rates significantly increased to 86.4% (n = 133) (p = 0.03), with 53.4% (n = 71) diagnosed with ID. The rate of IV iron replacement in ID patients improved from 30.4% (n = 67) in the pre-PLP group to 73% (n = 52) in the post-PLP group (p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression identified baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and hemoglobin levels as significant predictors of IV iron replacement in the pre-PLP cohort. Conclusions: Implementing a pharmacist-led protocol was significantly associated with enhancing the screening and treatment of ID in patients with HF and LVEF <45%. This study demonstrates the crucial role of pharmacists in optimizing guideline-directed therapies, which can be replicated in various healthcare settings.

What The Hell Is The Major Questions Doctrine?, Jack M. Beermann

Faculty Scholarship

Anita S. Krishnakumar, What the New Major Questions Doctrine Is Not, 92 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 1117 (2024).

When the sun sets in New York City, it rises in Tokyo. Okay, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea: setting somewhere, rising somewhere else. Now substitute Chevron for N.Y.C. and the Major Questions Doctrine for Tokyo. For the past forty years, administrative law scholars have been arguing over Chevron, and now that the sun has set on that doctrine, it’s time to turn our attention to the new rising sun, the Major Questions Doctrine (“MQD”). The sudden emergence …

The Other Secret Deals: Uncovering The Power Of Non-Binding International Agreements, Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez

Faculty Scholarship

In recent decades, the use of traditional international treaties has declined as states increasingly rely on deformalized agreements - non binding arrangements - such as interinstitutional agreements and memoranda of understanding. These agreements allow governments to bypass the complexities of formal treaty-making while addressing shared challenges. This Article, based on four years of research and previously undisclosed agreements, examines a twenty-year database of non-binding agreements between the United States and Mexico. Through this case study, the Article demonstrates how deformalized agreements drive much of the cross-border collaboration, offering a flexible mechanism for government agencies to shape state behavior, coordinate policies, …

The Common Law Of Constitutional Conventions, David E. Pozen

Faculty Scholarship

Professor Jill Lepore’s Jorde Symposium lecture paints a rich portrait of state constitutional conventions as engines of democratization during the 1800s and issues a dire warning about the United States’ ongoing amendment drought. Citing their unfamiliarity, however, Lepore declines to consider federal constitutional conventions as a possible corrective. In this response Essay, I argue: first, that Lepore’s marginalization of Article V’s convention mechanism is in tension with her own historical and normative account; second, that while Lepore’s wariness of conventions is entirely understandable given the state of our politics — and entirely commonplace among progressives — it carries significant risks …

Managing The Trade-Climate Policy Interface Through Open Plurilateral Agreements: Learning From The Eu Deforestation Regulation Experience, Bernard M. Hoekman, Charles F. Sabel

Faculty Scholarship

Trade policies motivated by security or commercial interests are increasingly complemented by trade measures that seek to induce foreign producers to green their production processes. A prominent example is the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Such unilateral measures are unlikely to be efficient, and at the limit may simply be ineffective. In this paper we use the EUDR experience to make the case for countries seeking to use trade policies to negotiate jointly defined approaches to achieve nontrade goals. We consider the scope for doing so in the framework of trade agreements and through stand-alone, issue-specific open plurilateral agreements (OPAs). We …

Sovereignty, Sins, And The Reassertion Of Primary Taxing Rights By The United States, Michael J. Graetz

Faculty Scholarship

In this report, Graetz argues that the United States must reassert its primary taxing rights over income long conceded to other countries, especially income from intellectual property created in the United States, and he explains some changes necessary to make that happen.

Deepfakes Can Ruin Lives And Livelihoods – Would Owning The ‘Rights’ To Our Own Faces And Voices Help?, Graeme W. Austin, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

Not that long ago, the term “deepfake” wasn’t in most people’s vocabularies. Now, it is not only commonplace, but is also the focus of intense legal scrutiny around the world.

Known in legal documents as “digital replicas”, deepfakes are created by artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate the visual and vocal appearance of real people, living or dead.

Unregulated, they can do a lot of damage, including financial fraud (already a problem in New Zealand), political disinformation, fake news, and the creation and dissemination of AI-generated pornography and child sexual abuse material.

For professional performers and entertainers, the proliferation and increasing …

When Anti-Fraud Laws Become A Barrier To Computer Science Research, Madelyne Xiao, Andrew Sellars, Sarah Scheffler

Faculty Scholarship

Computer science research sometimes brushes with the law, from red-team exercises that probe the boundaries of authentication mechanisms, to AI research processing copyrighted material, to platform research measuring the behavior of algorithms and users. U.S.-based computer security research is no stranger to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in a relationship that is still evolving through case law, research practices, changing policies, and legislation

Amid the landscape computer scientists, lawyers, and policymakers have learned to navigate, anti-fraud laws are a surprisingly under-examined challenge for computer science research. Fraud brings separate issues that …

Decriminalization Matters: Lgbtq Transnational Litigation Networks And Movement Lawyering In The Global South, Ayodeji Kamau Perrin

Faculty Scholarship

In the last decade, a distinct sociolegal phenomenon has been sweeping across the Global South—the judicial decriminalization of same-sex sexual conduct. On the other hand, progress on LGBTQ rights has occurred in parallel to transnational countermobilization and backlash against LGBTQ rights. Yet, neither the phenomenon of judicial decriminalization nor the countermobilization and backlash to decriminalization has attracted the attention that these phenomena deserve from doctrinal legal scholars, comparative and international law scholars, or legal mobilization scholars.

In this paper, I help to remedy this oversight by making three contributions to legal mobilization scholarship and to international law and relations scholarship. …

Thc Meets Gnh: Considering Cannabis Policy In Bhutan Through A Gross National Happiness Lens, Jay D. Wexler, Sonam Tshering

Faculty Scholarship

The legal status of cannabis remains a contentious issue globally, with countries adopting divergent approaches to the drug, ranging from strict prohibition to full legalization. In Bhutan, a nation deeply rooted in the holistic philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), cannabis is currently classified as a controlled substance under domestic drug laws. This paper explores the question of whether Bhutan should change its laws regarding cannabis by analyzing decriminalization’s potential impact on Bhutan’s unique justice system, considering GNH principles and the prevalence of wild cannabis growth in the nation. The research will focus on whether Bhutan’s current approach to cannabis …

'Reciprocal' Tariffs: What's In A Word, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

On 13 February 2025, President Trump released a memorandum announcing his intention to impose “reciprocal tariffs” under the Fair and Reciprocal Plan (FRP). The plan does not operate under a reasonable definition of reciprocity, is illegal under World Trade Organisation (WTO) law, would damage both the United States and its trading partners and could trigger reactions that would bring an end to the international trading system as we know it.

Black English For Lawyers: A Primer, L. Alexander Walker Iii

Faculty Scholarship

Lawyers do not know as much about Black English as they should, and people’s freedom hangs in the balance. Differences between language varieties in sounds and grammar can change and have changed the outcome of cases: “He at work” and “He be at work” mean two completely different things. To reduce misinterpretation and therefore wrongful outcomes, this Article provides a primer on the sounds, words, grammar, and social context of Black English targeted directly at legal practitioners. It begins by explaining key concepts in linguistics and making the case for why lawyers must foreground accurate description over normative prescription when …

Law For The Rich, Alex Raskolnikov

Faculty Scholarship

With top incomes and wealth reaching historic highs, scholars and politicians have proposed new taxes and novel legal rules aimed at reversing the emergence of the new Gilded Age. Yet while new taxes target the rich directly by imposing greater burdens only on those with incomes or wealth above multi-million-dollar thresholds, none of the proposed legal reforms do anything of the sort. There appears to be no interest in changing property law, corporate law, antitrust law, or labor law, among others, to have special, more burdensome rules applicable only to the rich. This Article asks: Why not? Why shy away …

Completing Icwa’S History, Joshua Gupta-Kagan

Faculty Scholarship

When the Supreme Court, in Brackeen v. Haaland, upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) — federal legislation making it harder for child family regulation (a.k.a. child protection) agencies to separate Indigenous children from their parents — it centered Congress’s effort to remedy a long history of unwarranted separations of Indigenous families.

Custom’S Pervasive Role In Law And The Boundaries Of Positivism, James Paul George

Faculty Scholarship

Custom is law’s foundation, modulator, and occasional antithesis. This Article explores that relationship, starting with varying insights from some of the few legal philosophers who have examined the custom/law dynamic. The heart of this Article provides examples showing custom’s many influences on the law, set in five functional areas: origin, application, interstitial, rule-source, and oppositional. Although the custom/law interplay spans human behavior, these examples come from law practice where custom is exposed. Many are routine, some are significant, and all show our reliance on behaviors and norms that are not positive law. The conclusion addresses but does not resolve some …

We Need To Talk: Modernizing Attorney-Client Jail Communications, Cynthia Alkon

Faculty Scholarship

Attorney-client jail phone calls, video calls, and emails are all routinely recorded and monitored by jails, with numerous examples of jails and private telecommunications providers giving those recordings and emails to law enforcement and prosecutors. This widespread failure to protect the confidentiality of attorney-client communications prevents lawyers from being able to enjoy easy, quick, and regular communications with their clients. In practice, and despite the ever-expanding communication methods in the outside world, those held in jails in this country while their criminal cases are pending are effectively stuck in the nineteenth century when the only way to communicate was in …

Water Reallocation In The West: Government And Markets, Vanessa Casado Pérez

Faculty Scholarship

Water is multifaceted: it is a human right, a production input, a sacred element, an investment asset, public property, and a fugitive resource. Its reallocation is inherently difficult because of its natural characteristics and its hybrid nature that combines public ownership with private rights. The future of the U.S. West necessitates the reallocation of water resources, even with potential new water supplies. As climate change intensifies, reallocation will take various forms—all involving government intervention to some degree, from eminent domain to competitive markets. For water markets to function effectively, they require robust institutional infrastructure to prevent issues like imperfect information …

Tradeoffs In The Energetic Value Of Neuromodulation In A Closed-Loop Neuromechanical System, Zhuojun Yu, Peter J. Thomas, Hillel J. Chiel

Faculty Scholarship

Rhythmic motor behaviors controlled by neuromechanical systems, consisting of central neural circuitry, biomechanics, and sensory feedback, show efficiency in energy expenditure. The biomechanical elements (e.g., muscles) are modulated by peripheral neuromodulation which may improve their strength and speed properties. However, there are relatively few studies on neuromodulatory control of muscle function and metabolic mechanical efficiency in neuromechanical systems. To investigate the role of neuromodulation on the system's mechanical efficiency, we consider a neuromuscular model of motor patterns for feeding in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica. By incorporating muscle energetics and neuromodulatory effects into the model, we demonstrate tradeoffs in the …

Antitrust & The Immoral Energy Economy, Kristen Van De Biezendos

Faculty Scholarship

The age of climate change is upon us, but regulations and programs intended to decarbonize the electricity sector have been effectively stymied by utilities defending their monopoly power. The lack of robust antitrust enforcement against the utilities to date is a result of the belief that regulation is sufficient to police monopoly anticompetitive activity, that the natural monopoly structure of utilities makes them a poor fit for antitrust principles, and that the utilities are immune from Sherman Act claims under the state action exemption. But both rationales reflect a misunderstanding of the purpose of public utility law and its preference …

Hierarchical Analysis Of Us Electric Vehicle Subsidies For Carbon Emission Mitigation, Boman Su, Kang Shen, Chris Yuan

Faculty Scholarship

Electric vehicle (EV) adoptions are promoted with subsidies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ground transportation. In this paper, a hierarchical analysis is presented on the potential of greenhouse gas emission mitigation via the electric vehicle subsidy policy at state level in the US, through research of environmental and economic fundamentals of electric vehicle operations, energy consumptions, battery degradation and service life. It has been found that restructuring the federal subsidies to promote EV adoption can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the US. The reduction costs of greenhouse gas emissions vary between $1167.44/ton in Vermont to $6880.13/ton in Wyoming. …