Digital Commons Network^™

The Practice Of Executive Constitutionalism, Conor Clarke, Daniel Epps

Scholarship@WashULaw

The Executive Branch must inevitably interpret the Constitution. Although departmentalists and judicial supremacists disagree about the scope of the Executive’s constitutional authority, few believe the Constitution is only for the courts. But what are the practices through which the Executive Branch interprets the Constitution and translates those interpretations into concrete decisions? What is their history? And what, if anything, is distinctive about them? While a rich and growing literature has examined some aspects of these questions, scholars have not broadly canvased the most central tools by which the Executive Branch shapes and implements constitutional law, or considered what makes them …

Dark Patterns In The Opt-Out Process And Compliance With The California Consumer Privacy Act (Ccpa), Jens Frankenreiter, Van Hong Tran, Aarushi Mehrotra, Ranya Sharma, Marshini Chetty, Nick Feamster, Lior Strahilevitz

Scholarship@WashULaw

To protect consumer privacy, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) mandates that businesses provide consumers with a straightforward way to opt out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. However, the control that businesses enjoy over the opt-out process allows them to impose hurdles on consumers aiming to opt out, including by employing dark patterns. Motivated by the enactment of the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which strengthens the CCPA and explicitly forbids certain dark patterns in the opt-out process, we investigate how dark patterns are used in opt-out processes and assess their compliance with CCPA regulations. Our …

Judicial Reform From The Inside Out, Daniel Epps, Marin K. Levy

Scholarship@WashULaw

Prepared for the Notre Dame Law Review’s Spring 2025 Federal Courts Symposium on the 100th Anniversary of the Judiciary Act of 1925.

The Judiciary Act of 1925, the subject of this Symposium, is known as “The Judges Bill” for a reason. The Justices of the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice Taft in particular, produced the Act and persuaded Congress to enact it. To modern eyes, such efforts seem indecorous; perhaps even scandalous. But in fact, Supreme Court Justices and other federal judges have been extensively involved in judicial reform throughout American history. This Essay examines participation by federal judges in …

Auditing Criminal Justice Minimalism, Trevor George Gardner

Scholarship@WashULaw

If criminal justice minimalism is a shared principle among criminal law scholars, it can help to clarify the quality of our disagreements. Every normative proposal in the criminal legal literature can be held to the minimalist standard—audited, so to speak, to account for the policy author’s minimalist claims. To this end, this Essay proposes a four-step framework by which to evaluate adherence to the minimalist principle, where each step serves as a hub for pointed scholarly debate regarding the path to minimalist criminal justice.

When Hard Cases Make Bad Law: A Theory Of How Case Facts Affect Judge-Made Law, Sepehr Shahshahani

Scholarship@WashULaw

“Hard cases make bad law” is one of the most famous aphorisms in Anglo-American law. Its insight is that when strict application of a generally sound law would impose a special hardship on someone, a court may be tempted to distort the law to avoid the hardship. Scholars have long debated the meaning and truth of the aphorism, but the debate has suffered from an imprecise conceptualization of what makes a case “hard.” This lack of precision limits our ability to disentangle and work through the important questions the aphorism raises about how the facts of a particular case affect …

An Anthology Of Interference In Law School Clinics, Peter A. Joy, Robert R. Kuehn

Scholarship@WashULaw

An Anthology of Interference in Law School Clinics explores interference in law school clinics in the United States, addressing its long history and the legal ethics, academic freedom, and First Amendment responses to that interference. Law clinics have faced interference in their representation of clients from elected officials, business groups, alumni and, at times, even their own school administrators. This interference has targeted clinics for providing individuals and nongovernmental organizations with legal representation on important matters, including racial and gender discrimination, environmental issues, prisoner rights litigation, death penalty cases, and immigration and human rights matters. In each instance, the interference …

Urban Isolation In The Digital Age- Examining The Sociological Impact Of The Digital Divide On Civic Life In U.S. Cities, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

The digital divide remains a persistent barrier to civic participation and social inclusion in urban America, particularly in historically underserved communities. This mixed-methods study investigates how digital lack of access affects civic engagement, social capital, and community cohesion in U.S. cities, with a focus on Chicago’s South Side, Harlem New York, St. Louis, and Orlando. Drawing on quantitative data from recent surveys and qualitative insights from peer-reviewed literature, the research applies four sociological frameworks, Urban Sociology, Social Capital Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. These were used to examine the structural and interpretive aspects of digital isolation. Findings reveal …

The Neutral Detergent Fiber And The Acid Detergent Fiber Of The Grass Samples Between Small/Frequent And Large/Infrequent Rainfall Treatments In The C3 And C4 Plant Communities., Zigeng Chen, A. Joshua Leffler

NRM Departmental Data Sets

Data description:
Month: Time of data collection from 2020 to 2022.
Plant community: C3 and C4 plant community.
Treatment: small/frequent (S/F) and large/infrequent (L/I) rainfall treatment.
NDF (g/g DM): The dry matter content of neutral detergent fiber in the grass samples.
ADF(g/g DM): The dry matter content of acid detergent fiber in the grass samples. Cellulose (g/g DM): The dry matter content of cellulose in the grass samples.
Lignin (g/g DM): The dry matter content of lignin in the grass samples.

File type: .csv
File size: 16 KB

Evaluating And Mapping Habitat Suitability And Effects Of Woodland Treatment On Breeding Pinyon Jays In Colorado, Emily Diane Macklin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) is a highly social, colonially nesting corvid endemic to the interior western United States whose populations have declined by ~72% since 1966, prompting the species’ current review for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Pinyon jays inhabit pinyon pine (Pinus subsect. Cembroides) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands and other dry conifer woodlands, portions of which are treated through tree thinning and removal for fuels reduction, ecological restoration, and habitat improvement for wildlife. As a result there is pressing need to better understand how woodland treatment and other potential drivers impact pinyon jay habitat suitability and …

Enhancing Channel Data Savings And Information Transfer Efficiency In Ultrasound Imaging, Sai Konda, Hicham Chaoui

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Ultrasound is a popular imaging technique mainly due to its non-invasive nature. And so, it is being used in a variety of applications. Due to plane wave imaging technique in ultrasound, frame rate of ultrasound imaging has the potential for being very high. Due to which, many channel data frames are being generated within a few seconds. As a result, tasks such as storing data frames and transferring them from front end ultrasonic system to processing computers are presenting significant challenges. Our current research work minimized these issues. We proposed and implemented: (a) Data encoding technique - We combined every …

Coastal Empire Economic Monitor, 2nd Quarter, 2025, Georgia Southern University Center For Business Analytics And Economic Research

Coastal Empire Economic Monitor

• Forward Momentum Lost

• Savannah Metro Economy Stumbles

• U.S. Economy Rebounds but Demand is Weakening

• Regional Forecasting Index Falls

The Pre-Polarization And Concentration Of Cells Near Micro-Electrodes Using Ac Electric Fields Enhances The Electrical Cell Lysis In A Sessile Drop, Kishor Kaphle, Dharmakeerthi Nawarathna

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Cell lysis is the starting step of many biomedical assays. Electric field-based cell lysis is widely used in many applications, including point-of-care (POC) applications, because it provides an easy one-step solution. Many electric field-based lysis methods utilize micro-electrodes to apply short electric pulses across cells. Unfortunately, these cell lysis devices produce relatively low cell lysis efficiency as electric fields do not reach a significant portion of cells in the sample. Additionally, the utility of syringe pumps for flow cells in and out of the microfluidics channel causes cell loss and low throughput cell lysis. To address these critical issues, we …

Mxenes In Biosensing: Enhancing Sensitivity And Flexibility - A Review Of Properties, Applications, And Future Directions, Ali Mohammad Amani, Lobat Tayebi, Ehsan Vafa, Alireza Jahanbin, Milad Abbasi, Ahmed Vaez, Hesam Kamyab, Lalitha Gnanasekaran, Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

MXenes are a novel type of nanostructured material that has received a lot of attention for their potential applications in bioanalysis owing to their unique features. These materials, made from transition metal nitrides, carbides, or carbonitrides, have a number of advantages, including high hydrophilicity, a large surface area, strong metallic conductivity, superior ion transport capabilities, biocompatibility, and low diffusion barriers. Their surfaces are easily manipulated, making them more adaptable for a variety of applications, including biosensing. The outstanding properties of MXenes have attracted researchers of different fields, including renewable energy, fuel cells, supercapacitors, electronics, and catalysis. In the context of …

Incorporating Insulin Into Alginate-Chitosan 3d-Printed Scaffolds: A Comprehensive Study On Structure, Mechanics, And Biocompatibility For Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Afsaneh Jahani, Mohammad Sagdegh Nourbakhsh, Ali Moradi, Marzieh Mohammadi, Lobat Tayebi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability worldwide, challenging current treatments to limited cartilage self-healing capacity. Cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) integrates cells, scaffolds, and signaling molecules, with Insulin being utilized as a differentiation biomolecule due to cost-effectiveness, dose-dependent influence on chondrogenesis, suitable biological activity, and ability to activate relevant receptors. Yet, administering differentiation biomolecules through conventional scaffolds poses a persistent challenge. Alginate (Alg) is commonly employed in CTE for its biocompatibility, though it lacks sufficient mechanical properties. Chitosan (Cs), while enhancing scaffold mechanical properties, but does not independently provide optimal support for chondrogenesis. While Alg-Cs scaffolds have garnered attention, challenges …

Key Brain Region Identification In Obesity Prediction With Structural Mri And Probabilistic Uncertainty Aware Model, Walia Farzana, Megan A. Witherow, Ahmed Temtam, Liangsuo Ma, Melanie Bean, F. Gerry Moeller, K. M. Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Objectives/Goals: Predictive performance alone may not determine a model’s clinical utility. Neurobiological changes in obesity alter brain structures, but traditional voxel-based morphometry is limited to group-level analysis. We propose a probabilistic model with uncertainty heatmaps to improve interpretability and personalized prediction. Methods/Study Population: The data for this study are sourced from the Human Connectome Project (HCP), with approval from the Washington University in St. Louis Institutional Review Board. We preprocessed raw T1-weighted structural MRI scans from 525 patients using an automated pipeline. The dataset is divided into training (357 cases), calibration (63 cases), and testing (105 cases). Our probabilistic model …

A Fast Framework For Generating Radioactive Mixture Spectra And Its Application To Remote High-Performance Mixture Identification, Chiman Kwan, Bulent Ayhan, Adam Stavola, Kazi Aminul Islam, Hongfang Zhang, Jiang Li

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Remote detection of radioactive materials in mixtures using handheld or portal detectors remains a challenge because of factors such as low concentration, environmental interference, sensor noise, and other complications. This work introduces a fast framework for generating realistic mixture spectra. Moreover, we present mixture isotope identification using data generated by the fast framework. Researchers have examined a range of conventional and recent algorithms within the fields of machine learning and deep learning. An application to uranium enrichment-level prediction has been included. Extensive simulation experiments validated the efficacy of the proposed framework.

Enhancing Bone Regeneration Using Kaempferol As An Osteoprotective Compound: Signaling Mechanisms, Delivery Strategies, And Potential Applications, Mojdeh Salehi Namini, Sanam Mohandesnezhad, Sadaf Mohandesnezhad, Vahid Mansouri, Lobat Tayebi, Nima Beheshtizadeh

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Various plants, including fruits, vegetables, and spices, contain kaempferol, a bioflavonoid compound with diverse medicinal effects, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory characteristics. Furthermore, this compound exhibits multiple health-promoting properties, including osteoprotection and osteogenesis, primarily by modulating various cell-signaling pathways. This review aims to illustrate the medical advantages of kaempferol and its role in regulating bone metabolism through cell signaling mechanisms. Numerous studies have demonstrated the bone-protective properties of kaempferol and its encapsulated form. Further research is needed to clarify the optimal dosages, toxicity, safety, and other potential mechanisms of action. This review demonstrates that several signaling pathways, including nuclear …

Search Strategies For "Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde Modified Macromolecules And Resulting Autoantibodies In Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis: A Systematic Literature Review", Wenxian Zhou, Nozima Aripova, Hannah J. Johnson, Bryant England, Cynthia M. Schmidt, Daniel R. Anderson, Jill A. Poole, Tate Johnson, Michael J. Duryee, Geoffrey M. Thiele, Ted R. Mikuls

Search Strategies: Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library

No abstract provided.

The Professional Backgrounds And Experiences Of Higher Education Trustees And Its Influence On Decision Making, Jade J. Irving

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are many complex decisions that must be made among the board of governors within institutions of higher education. Recent headlines on the decisions of trustees regarding campus closures and consolidations, program cuts, and presidential appointments have put a spotlight on the individuals responsible for making such decisions. This study examined how trustees of public 4-year institutions in the state of West Virginia perceive the value of their professional backgrounds and experiences in fulfilling their governance responsibilities. Using an explanatory sequential design, this study investigated how trustees’ professional experiences shape their decision-making processes through the theoretical lenses of sensemaking theory …

Three Essays On Sustainability Economics, Hélène Flore Nguemgaing

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As global economies face increasing resource dependencies and supply chain challenges, it becomes essential to understand the vulnerabilities that threaten economic stability. This dissertation investigates three empirical issues in agribusiness and critical minerals using econometric models to estimate the following: 1) the impact of supply chain disruptions on stock market returns during COVID-19; 2) the extraction of rare earth elements from acid mine drainage treatment by investigating the impacts of ownership and legislation in West Virginia and Pennsylvania; 3) China-to�FOBb (Free-on-Board) price transmission in rare earth elements markets: a copula-based dynamic tail dependence analysis.

The first essay evaluates how events …

Machine Learning And Uass For Managing Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus Umbellata) On Reclaimed Surface Mines, Sean Michael Keane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research introduces an innovative approach for managing autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) on reclaimed surface mines through the integration of machine learning algorithms and unmanned aerial systems. The proliferation of autumn olive presents significant ecological challenges on disturbed landscapes, necessitating more efficient detection and control methods. This study evaluated Random Forest classification and deep learning approaches using the U-Net architecture for identifying autumn olive across four phenological stages using high-resolution imagery. The RGB U-Net model achieved F1-scores of 0.927, 0.912, and 0.871 for autumn olive detection during peak, late, and senescence stages respectively, outperforming both multispectral and vegetation …

A Multi-Case Study Exploring Ncaa Division I Athletic Departments’ Mental Health Culture Through Stakeholders’ Perspectives, Kimberly Ann Granados Tolentino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the NCAA’s ongoing efforts to guide athletic departments into providing sufficient mental health support to student-athletes, psychological well-being continues to be a primary area of concern for collegiate athletes. Student-athletes are as likely as the regular college population to experience mental health issues, but less likely to seek services (Watson, 2005). Researchers have continued to examine the perceived barriers preventing student-athletes from utilization of mental health services which include a lack of knowledge, limited access, and perceived negative stigma (e.g., Harris & Maher, 2023; Yoon & Petrie, 2023). Organizational culture–loosely defined as a group’s accumulated shared learning in which …

Influence Of Deck Area And Average Daily Traffic On The Deterioration Of Bridge Superstructures., Faysal Ahamed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are responsible for maintaining approximately 623,000 bridges across the United States. Effective bridge management requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing structural deterioration. Numerous studies have explored the effects of average daily traffic (ADT) and deck area (DA) on bridge deck deterioration. Given the interdependence between bridge decks and superstructures, it is plausible that ADT and DA significantly influence superstructure condition ratings and deterioration trends. However, their impact on superstructures remains insufficiently studied. In addition, existing studies primarily focus on overall bridge deterioration without adequately differentiating between superstructure designs and materials and maintenance authorities. …

Sexual And Gender-Based Violence Against Women In Sports: Prevalence, Impact, And Interventions In East Africa, Hesbon Hansen Owilla, Nancy Achieng' Booker, George Nyabuga, Tulinagwe Mwampanga, Samantha Agasha, Liz Awino, Ella Smith

Graduate School of Media and Communications

This study investigated the prevalence, causes, and impact of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women in sports across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combined quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to explore the scale of SGBV, its root causes, and the lived experiences of female athletes. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, with data collected from athletes, coaches, administrators, and sports officials from federations and associations in the three countries. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques at the federations, clubs and within the clubs was used and this ensured representation at multiple levels of the sports …

Policy Brief. Media Framing Of Sexual And Gender-Based Violence And Femicide: An Analysis Of News Stories In Select Kenyan, Ugandan And Tanzanian Media, Nancy Achieng' Booker, Hesbon Owilla, George Nyabuga, Olivia Sayani, Liz Awino, Rose Kimani, David Aduda

Graduate School of Media and Communications

This policy brief presents the findings of a regional study on media coverage of femicide and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The study analysed coverage of femicide and SGBV between January 2024 and April 2025, from major digital platforms, supported by interviews with editors. It sought to understand how media frames femicide and SGBV, which actors are most visible, and what implications these patterns have for accountability, justice, and deterrence. The findings show that while victims of femicide are given extensive sympathetic coverage, with very high salience, perpetrators are almost entirely absent from media narratives. …

2025 Butler Library Annual Report, Charles Lyons, Christopher Hulsman, Joseph Riggie

Butler Library Annual Reports

The 2025 annual report. Created in early 2026.

Exploring The Public Health Agency Of Canada’S And The Ontario Government’S Vaccine-Related Crisis Communication On X During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sheraza Burney, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Anita Kothari

Publications

Crisis communication strategies must be tailored to the unique nature of social media. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health agencies have widely used social media to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. This research utilized the social media pandemic communication model to describe the key themes disseminated through the Ontario government and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s vaccine-related crisis communication on X (formerly Twitter). Between 27 January 2020 and 6 April 2021, 1271 posts related to COVID-19 vaccination were collected from three official government X accounts——two from the province of Ontario and one from Canada. Posts were analyzed …

Passive Remote Monitoring Technologies’ Influence On Home Care Clients’ Ability To Stay Home: Multiprovincial Randomized Controlled Trial, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Bradley Hiebert, Grace Warner, Michael Reid, Jennifer Reid, Salimah Shariff, Emily Richard, Sandra Regan, Lori Weeks, Kathleen Ledoux

Publications

Background: Researchers in Nova Scotia and Ontario, Canada, implemented a passive remote monitoring (PRM) model of home care unique to their health system contexts. Each PRM model integrated tailored PRM devices (eg, motion sensors, cameras, and door alarms) into home care patients’ residences with the aim of linking patients, family and friend caregivers, and health care providers to support older adults’ aging in place. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the use of PRM technologies in the home to support older adults’ safe aging in place and avoidance or delay of higher levels of care. Methods: This …

Examining Racial Discrimination Index And Black-Years Of Potential Life Lost (Ypll) In South Carolina: A Real-Time Social Media Research, Yunqing Ma, Peiyin Hung Ph.D, Xiaotong Shen, Zhenlong Li, Curisa Tucker Phd, Rn, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D.

Publications

Purpose: Despite efforts to reduce health disparities, Black Americans still face higher mortality rates than Whites. Racism has been recognized as a significant social determinant of health. Using social media data, human-being qualitative coding, and AI, we created a county-level racial discrimination index, exploring its association with years of potential life lost (YPLL) rates. Methods: Through human-AI collaborative approaches using X/Twitter data, we calculated yearly county-level racial discrimination index (RDI)—number of racial discrimination posts per 100,000 in-county non-duplicated posts and examined the relationship between RDI terciles and YPLL per 100,000 non-Hispanic Black individuals. Annual data for the covariates were derived …

Self-Determined Strategies For Physical Activity Motivation Among Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Cynthia Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Bernardine M. Pinto Phd, Fapa, Fsbm, Fabmr, Michael D. Wirth Msph, Phd, Face, Robin M. Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc

Publications

BACKGROUND: According to clinical practice guidelines for polycystic ovary syndrome, first-line treatment includes performing 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on most days of the week plus at least 2 days of resistance training. However, < 40% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome engage in regular physical activity, and about 60% are sedentary. Research evidence supports theory-informed physical activity interventions to improve motivation for physical activity. This study examined the fit of a behavioral change theory for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this qualitative study were to analyze physical activity barriers through the lens of self-determination theory and identify motivational strategies that may promote initiation and maintenance of physical activity among women with polycystic ovary syndrome. DESIGN: The study involved a qualitative, descriptive design using theory-driven thematic analysis. METHODS: After emailing a demographic questionnaire and Personal Health Questionnaire-8 to screen for depressive symptoms, participants (n = 7) met three times via Zoom during the summer of 2021. Meetings were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. RESULTS: Participants were aged 33.9 (±8.1) years, premenopausal, mostly White (71%), educated (100% with at least some college), employed full-time (86%), and married (86%) with a mean depressive symptoms score of 6.4 (±3.4) indicating mild depression. Strategies such as a buddy system, physician support, technology, and behavioral change techniques are necessary to meet the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness among women with polycystic ovary syndrome to help increase exercise motivation. CONCLUSION: Findings supported the use of self-determination theory by emphasizing that the social context of polycystic ovary syndrome can undermine physical activity behavior. Thus, physical activity interventions should consider the social context, peer support system, and mental health status of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, and include tailored programs and motivational strategies to help meet the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.