Digital Commons Network^™

Certainly Uncertain: An Analysis Of The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act Of 2023, Charles Duan

American University Business Law Review

Patentable subject matter eligibility has been a topic of major policy debate over many years, culminating in the recent introduction of a bill that would entirely overhaul current law. This article reviews the proposed legislation in view of its historical context, the purported need to reduce uncertainty, and the likely effects of the bill. Based on this analysis, the article concludes that the legislation is unnecessary, ill conceived, and likely to be harmful to scientific research, a variety of industries, and the public good.

Has Russian Electronic Warfare Underperformed In The Ukrainian Conflict?, Guillem Colom Piella, Cristina Marzal Ruano

Journal of Strategic Security

In what has been referred to as a “War of Drones”, the ongoing Ukrainian conflict has contributed to shed light on electronic warfare as a key capability in modern military operations. The capacity to trace, deny, detect and collect intelligence from enemy communications has become a crucial asset as combat systems become highly interconnected and small, commercial drones storm in as strong alternatives to traditional, more expensive and less versatile unmanned systems. In this regard, much has been discussed about whether Russia, a perceivably dominant EW power, lived up to expectations regarding its performance in the electromagnetic domain. Through the …

Brutal Catalyst: What Ukraine’S Cities Tell Us About Recovery From War. By Russell W. Glenn. Boulder, Colorado: Keypoint Press, 2024., Daniel Weisz Argomedo Phd

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Bringing The Antiquities Act Into The Modern Age, Chad Squitieri

Scholarly Articles

The Antiquities Act empowers the President both to declare national monuments and to reserve the “smallest area” of land compatible with the preservation of such monuments. Modern Presidents have adopted expansive interpretations of those authorities—purporting, for example, to reserve entire “ecosystems” as national monuments, and to claim that the Act’s reference to “land” includes state-sized swaths of the ocean floor. Until recently, Presidents’ expansive readings of the Act have gone largely unchecked by courts. But in Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Ass’n v. Raimondo, Chief Justice Roberts expressed interest in reconsidering “[t]he scope of the objects that can be designated under the [Antiquities] …

Beyond Judicial Dialogue: Reference To Domestic Law By The Inter–American Court Of Human Rights, Soledad Bertelsen

Scholarly Articles

The recent freeze of U.S. funding to the Inter–American Commission on Human Rights serves as a reminder of how fragile the Inter–American System of Human Rights truly is. The effectiveness of the Inter–American institutions largely depends on their legitimacy in the eyes of the member states. This article argues how the legitimacy of the Inter–American Court can be enhanced by the language used in its judgments. The paper focuses on how references to domestic law in the case–law of the Inter–American Court can persuade states to comply with its decisions. Citations transcend the much–discussed judicial dialogue since they also reference …

Bruen Was Right, J. Joel Alicea

Scholarly Articles

New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen is one of the most methodologically significant—and widely maligned—constitutional law decisions of the last several decades. By rejecting the tiers of scrutiny that have loomed large in rights jurisprudence since the 1960s and substituting a text-and-history test for Second Amendment cases, Bruen signals a potential transformation of American constitutional law far beyond the Second Amendment context. Given Bruen’s methodological significance and the text-and-history approach it represents, one might have expected that the debate over Bruen would break down along familiar lines, with originalists defending Bruen and non-originalists critiquing it. Yet, the …

Finding The Major Questions Doctrine, Chad Squitieri

Scholarly Articles

The major questions doctrine has been invoked primarily in the rulemaking context, where it requires agencies to identify particularly clear statutory authority before promulgating rules of “major” importance. Some scholars have suggested that the doctrine is a tool that should be limited to agency actions that are purportedly “legislative” in nature (e.g., rule makings)—meaning the doctrine would not apply in other contexts, such as agency adjudications and enforcement actions that may not be similarly “legislative.” This Essay responds by arguing that the major questions doctrine is best understood as a limit on executive authority—meaning the doctrine could apply across a …

Constitutional Theory At A Catholic University, J. Joel Alicea

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

A Workable Common Law Baseline For Regulatory Takings, Adam J. Macleod

Scholarly Articles

Rights to use property are property rights. The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires governments to provide just compensation when they take property. In our constitutional republic, legislatures are competent to change the law, and legal changes sometimes alter private rights, including use rights. The Takings Clause does not forbid such legal changes. It only requires compensation for property rights taken as a result. To give use rights the constitutional protection that the Takings Clause requires, courts need a baseline of rightful property use to show when a change in the law that adversely affects use rights amounts to …

Modification Of Nanoparticles For Designed Interfaces, Tony Lee Neely, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The work contained herein, is focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of polymer nanocomposite interfaces and the property enhancement afforded from said interface design. Through the use of reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization for the grafting of polymer chains to silica nanoparticles, the surface of silica nanoparticles can be manipulated to tune the properties of the nanocomposite as a whole.

In the first part of this work, heterogeneity is introduced onto the surface of silica nanoparticles via a sequential RAFT polymerization to afford a bimodal brush system. A densely grafted, short brush population is polymerized from the …

Volvulus Of A Wandering Spleen: A Case Report, Curtis Bethel, Allison Thompson

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Provides Long-Term Chondroprotection After Meniscectomy, Melanie Valencia

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Use Of Indocyanine Green Angiography To Reduce Postoperative Complications In Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction: An Umbrella Review, William R. Clifton, Phil Moon, Emily V. Clifton, Julia C. Stager, Spencer R. Anderson

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Seizure In The Setting Of Metoprolol Overdose, Shilpa Amin, Justin H. Le, Hannah Sodergren

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

A Strange Case Of Sudden-Onset Dysphagia: Esophageal Dysmotility And Dilation In A Lupus Patient, Arjavon Talebzadeh, Trevor Williams

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Management Of Upper Extremity Hemihyperplasia In Beckwidth-Wiedman Syndrome: A Pediatric Case Over The Course Of 9 Years, Savannah Yeh, Nancy Jimenez, Vidhur Sohini, Jonathan R. Sorelle

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

High Rates Of Avoidable Computed Tomography Angiography For Pulmonary Embolism Exclusion, Kalyan Mantha, Angelo Kantrales, Kerolos Abadeer, Pranav Bommineni, Nicholas Prewitt, Martin Wegman

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Pramipexole Overdose In Esrd: A Medication Misadventure, Brenden Pearce, Sarah Barnhardt, Cynthia Weinheimer, Jamie Campbell

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Patient Safety: The Role Of Interdisciplinary Teams In Reducing Blood Culture Contamination, Fady M. Awad, Austin Patrick-Eisenberg, Brian Watson, Mohamed Faris

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Market Reactions To Disruptions In The Aerospace Industry: An Event Study Analysis Of Abnormal Returns And Corporate Resilience, Rose L. Lauture

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

This study examines the effects of component failures, regulatory actions, and safety violations on stock returns and market volatility in the U.S. aerospace sector. Using FAA incident reports, WRDS market data, and corporate disclosures, the analysis combines event study methodology with ARCH/GARCH volatility models and a multiple regression approach. The results reveal that while incident frequency does not significantly affect stock prices measured by abnormal returns, firm-specific financial indicators—such as cash holdings and book-to-market ratio—play a substantial role. The study highlights the limited explanatory power of traditional regression models and calls for the inclusion of market risk and investor sentiment …

Analyzing The Population Structure Of The Rhizobia Associated With Astragalus Lentiginosus, Joshua Adam Melnick

Dissertations

Legumes are an incredibly diverse and agriculturally important family of plants. They have a special relationship with symbiotic bacteria known as rhizobia which fix nitrogen into ammonia within nodules on their roots. Astragalus is the largest plant genus on Earth, and the species Astragalus lentiginosus is extraordinarily diverse, consisting of approximately 40 varieties. However, the rhizobia of A. lentiginosus have never been studied. In this study, root nodules were extracted from 17 varieties of A. lentiginosus to obtain rhizobial strains and metagenomes. A. lentiginosus primarily associates with rhizobia from the genera Mesorhizobium and Allomesorhizobium. There was little evidence of horizontal …

Exploring The Ecological Relevance Of Biotic And Abiotic Stressors In Structuring Legume Microbial Communities, Cian Dotson

Dissertations

Heavy metal hyperaccumulation is prevalent throughout plant evolution, particularly in the legume family (Fabaceae), and acts as a presumed chemical defense against herbivory. However, heavy metal hyperaccumulation can have non-target impacts on other biological interactors including plant-microbe interactions. This information is important given the interest in utilizing hyperaccumulating plants for phytoremediation of anthropogenically contaminated soils. Here we employ a greenhouse experiment manipulating selenium level along with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing methods to explore the effect of selenium on the prokaryotic microbiome of the selenium hyperaccumulator Astragalus crotalariae and non-accumulator Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus. Regardless of hyperaccumulator status, both plant …

Deciphering The Source Of Escherichia Coli In Urinary Tract Infections: A Comparative Metagenomic Analysis Of The Female Urogenital Microbiome, Alexis Annabel Avalos

Dissertations

In 2019, there was a 140.19% increase in deaths due to urinary tract infections (UTIs) compared to 1990, worldwide. One of the common uropathogens known to associate with UTIs in females is Escherichia coli. The prevailing belief is that E. coli in the bladder originates in the rectum, passing its way from the perineal, to the vagina, and finally into the bladder. Known as the Fecal-Perineal-Urethral (FPU) hypothesis, this “origin story” has been supported by several studies that have relied on genotyping or serotyping isolates collected from the bladder and rectum. Most notably, culturing isolates from samples has been central …

Reconceptualizing Christian Nationalism, Robert Stevenson

Dissertations

This thesis sets out to critically engage with existing research on Christian nationalism. It argues that current research suffers from a methodological focus that is too broad, and theoretical grounding that is too imprecise, both of which prevent researchers from grasping the full scope and intent of Christian nationalism, as imagined by Christian nationalists themselves. Drawing on data collected from X accounts (formerly Twitter) of Christian nationalist users, Christian nationalist podcasts, and Christian nationalist books, it employs qualitative content analysis, mapped to Bourdieusian field theory to provide a structured approach for the understanding complex data involving multiple spheres of power, …

Decoding The Origins Of Infection: A Machine Learning Framework, Nirupama G. Shanbhag

Dissertations

Many infections can be attributed to a specific microorganism. For example, while there can be many causes of urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as the bacterial species Klebsiella pneumoniae or Enterococcus sp., the most widespread cause for UTIs is uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Generally, diseases or infections that are the result of a single pathogenic organism are more easily understood. Other diseases, such as irritable bowel disease (IBD), cannot be attributed to one member in the community; rather, it is a result of dysbiosis of the microbial community (microbiota) of the gastrointestinal tract, a combination of an overgrowth of problematic members …

Role Of Coronavirus Envelope Protein On Infectivity, Garrett E. Zaagman

Dissertations

Coronaviruses infect a wide range of hosts and have caused recent human pandemics. While much has been learned, gaps remain in understanding viral assembly and egress, particularly the role of the envelope (E) protein in specific infectivity. To study this, recombinant MHV viruses were created with E gene deletions and HiBiT-tagged spike (S) proteins to monitor virion release. In mouse cells, MHV∆E S-HiBiT secreted less spike and fewer infectious particles, indicating reduced specific infectivity. Comparisons between human HeLa-CEACAM and mouse DBT cells showed species-specific support for virus production. TMED10, a host membrane protein, was tested as a potential E-interacting partner …

Anti-Inflamatory Mechansim Of Bacillus Subtilis Derirved Exopolysaccharide, Adrian Taylor Ibarra

Dissertations

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) secreted by the commensal bacterium Bacillus subtilis exhibit potent anti-inflammatory properties, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We hypothesized that EPS reprograms antigen-presenting cells toward a tolerogenic state by modulating TLR4–MyD88 signaling. To test this, we began using a chemically defined, high-yield EPS production and purification protocol that largely eliminates protein and DNA contaminants, thus improving functional reproducibility across experiments using this new method. In vitro, EPS engaged TLR4 on murine dendritic cells (DC2.4) without inducing classical NF-κB activation, seen by LPS stimulation. Rather, EPS treatment upregulated inhibitory molecules, PD-L1 and PD-L2 while leaving activation markers, …

Investigating The Mechanism Of Resistance To Ido1 Enzyme Inhibitor Treatment In Human Glioblastoma, Kyla Shivakumar Hatton

Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive form of adult cancer in the central nervous system, with GBM accounting for the majority of all malignant brain tumors. GBM is currently considered to be an incurable form of cancer, with over 14,000 patients diagnosed in the United States last year. Given the success of immunotherapy for treating other types of cancer, our group has investigated the possibility of therapeutically neutralizing immunosuppressive indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) in patients with GBM. Canonically, IDO1 is an immunosuppressive cytoplasmic enzyme that catalyzes the first step in metabolizing L-tryptophan into L-kynurenine (ie. ↓L-Trp→↑L-Kyn). …

Examining Secretory Pathways In Inflammasome Activated Innate Immune Cells, Alejandra Castellanos Urquidez

Dissertations

Innate immune cells serve as the first line of defense by detecting pathogens through pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs and DAMPs). Recognition of PAMPs triggers the synthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatory proteins, with the inflammasome playing a key role in the secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a crucial part of the innate immune response. Upon inflammasome activation, the release of signal-peptide lacking cytoplasmic proteins such as IL-1β occurs through non-classical pathways known as unconventional protein secretion (UCPS), which vary depending on the cell type and stimulus which helps tailor the extent of pro-inflammatory protein secretion. Broadly, UCPS cargoes are released …

Capturing Diverse Adolescents’ Social Contexts: The Development Of An Ethnic-Racial Microaffirmations Scale For Peer Interactions, Maria Radulescu

Dissertations

The development of a strong and positive sense of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) has been identified as an asset for ethnically and racially marginalized adolescents. Peer interactions during the adolescent years can support ERI development. In particular, a subtle micro-level form of peer support—microaffirmations—may be protective for ERI processes. However, the field of microaffirmations is very small, and there is no scale that captures adolescents’ experiences of ethnic-racial microaffirmations from their peers. The current study developed an ethnic-racial peer microaffirmations scale based on extant literature and feedback from 4 focus groups with 22 sophomore high school students. Findings indicated that 5 …