Digital Commons Network^™

Let’S Talk About The Biological Reality Of Sex, Baby, John Parsi

FIU Law Review

Sex is at the very core of individual identity. It affects the conception of the self and the way others view the individual. Every day, one’s sex may open and close doors, access to communities, and opportunities. Laws that define sex may affirm scientific knowledge and protect people, or threaten to unravel the facts and the reality of sex. A deep unmooring of sex is underway, and this Article aims to halt it. On day one of the current presidential term, January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order on “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological …

Cruel And Unusual Punishments And The Constitutional Status Of The Idea Of Progress, R. George Wright

FIU Law Review

To this point, we have developed some idea of what progress might have meant to the constitutional Framers, ratifiers, and later judges. We need not attempt the fruitless task of doing any precise head count of the variations of the concrete meaning, perceived likelihood, or value of progress among those parties. Doubtless some persons were more optimistic than others.178 But we need only assume that enough constitutional Framers, ratifiers, and judicial interpreters sufficiently shared any mainstream understanding of progress. Any such constitutional legitimacy of the idea, or the multiple ideas, of progress licenses the language of progress embraced in Trop.

When Convenience Compromises Rights: How The European Union And Washington State Confront Facial Recognition Risks, Debora Rodriguez Lugo

FIU Law Review

As facial recognition technology (FRT) becomes increasingly embedded in policing, concerns and controversies over the lack of consent, misidentification, and mass surveillance grow. This Comment compares how the European Union (EU) and Washington State (Washington) regulate law enforcement’s use of FRT to mitigate risks to individual rights. The EU governs FRT use through a robust legal framework, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Law Enforcement Directive (LED), and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), which offer protections against these risks. In contrast, Washington’s pioneering statute, Wash. Rev. Code section 43.386, promotes transparency and limits the use of FRT. …

Table Of Contents, Fiu Law Review

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Jorge L. Esquirol

FIU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Protection Of Geographical Indications Under Comparative Lens: Whether Law Artificially Creates Scarcity Of Goods, Domenico Di Micco

FIU Law Review

The economic principles of supply and demand dictate that market prices are contingent on the conditions under which supply and demand converge. Within this theoretical framework, the concepts of scarcity and abundance assume paramount significance. When goods are scarce, prices tend to escalate, while in cases of abundant supply, prices tend to decline. But what factors determine scarcity and abundance? In many cases, scarcity is inherent to the nature of the commodity (for example, diamonds are rarer than common stones). In other cases, such as geographical indications, scarcity is constructed through the legal denomination associated with the commodity, thereby creating …

Geographical Indications For Agricultural Products: Inconsistencies And Conflicts In Europe And The Global Arena, Lorenzo Bairati

FIU Law Review

Food systems are regulated by a global and hybrid legal framework. In fact, while supranational and international sources play an increasingly important role, private regulators are also becoming more and more involved alongside traditional public policy-makers. Within this context, Geographical Indications (GIs) serve as the main tool in the European Union and beyond to protect quality agri-food products.

This Article aims to explore these instruments in depth in order to analyze several critical aspects from the perspective of global governance, i.e., the networked, hybrid, and diffuse legal space that develops through the participation, negotiation, and strategic interaction between public and …

Comparing Access To Land: Drawing Parallels In Diverse Jurisdictions, Helena Alviar Garcia, Anamaría Muñoz Rincón

FIU Law Review

By exploring the intersection between transitional justice initiatives and transformative constitutionalism, this article proposes that fruitful comparative study covering similarities and differences between diverse definitions of property—challenges and possibilities of accessing it and the main characteristics of the disputes over it—in four jurisdictions can be advanced. A close examination of the classic liberal paradigm framing the transitional process reveals the ways in which a progressive and justice-driven understanding of property falls short in all the countries considered. To examine this, we look at how property clauses, substantively and procedurally, are construed in transformative constitutions sitting at the heart of the …

Contracting For Innovation In The Global South: Empirical Evidence From Brazil, Pablo Marcello Baquero

FIU Law Review

As innovation cycles accelerate, companies seeking to remain at the forefront of the knowledge economy increasingly partner with sophisticated firms to co-create innovation. These collaborations involving pervasive uncertainty are structured through hybrid contractual arrangements that combine features of market-based independence with those of the close coordination typical of the firm. To date, contracting for innovation has been examined primarily in the context of the Global North. In the United States, the literature has focused on the governance mechanisms that parties employ to continuously define their obligations and mitigate opportunism amid profound uncertainty. In Europe, scholarship on contractual networks or organizational …

The Italian Rice Production: Between Tradition And Globalization, Bianca Gardella Tedeschi

FIU Law Review

The Article examines the Italian rice sector as a case study in how law mediates the tensions between territorial agricultural traditions and the pressures of globalization. Focusing on the rice-producing districts of Piedmont and Lombardy, the Article argues that the resilience of Italian rice production cannot be explained solely by agronomic or economic factors. Rather, it depends on a dense legal and institutional framework that structures water governance, quality control, market organization, and contractual relations across the supply chain.

The Article develops three principal claims. First, it shows that the competitiveness of Italian rice production rests on an integrated model …

The Making Of Egyptian Cotton: An Alternative Narrative Between Empire And Global Capital, Dina I. Waked

FIU Law Review

Egyptian cotton has become a celebrated brand. Referring to cotton as “Egyptian” signals a certain quality, luxury, and durability. Egyptian cotton has, thus, become its own trademark, a signifier of value, and a symbol of national heritage. This image is carefully curated. It is now protected under a licensing scheme of branding and marketing that assures that fraudulently claimed “Egyptian cotton” does not benefit from the added value this geographic location ascribes to it. The Egyptian Cotton Association was thus created 2005 to license and accredit the brand. Part of the curation of the brand image is a historical narrative …

Virtual Harm, Real Consequences: Constitutional Justifications For Criminalizing Ai-Generated Child Pornography, Adam Abdin

FIU Law Review

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled the creation of hyper-realistic child sexual abuse images without any real child involved. These AI-generated depictions pose a unique challenge: they replicate the most pernicious form of pornography—child pornography—while potentially being claimed as “speech” immune from regulation. This paper argues that it is both constitutionally permissible and morally imperative to criminalize AI-generated child pornography. This article presents two doctrinal pathways to justify a ban. First, such content can be treated as unprotected speech under existing First Amendment exceptions. Courts have long held that child pornography and obscenity lie outside First Amendment protection, and …

Changepoint Analyses Confirms Global Tropical Cyclone Frequency Decline, Michael Wehner, Thomas Fisher, Norou Diawara, Robert Lund

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Changes in tropical cyclone frequencies as the climate warms is a topic of significant current debate [1, 2]. There is no accepted theory of how tropical cyclogenesis might respond to a warmer ocean-atmosphere system as multiple controlling factors exist [3–7]. Anthropogenic warming of surface ocean temperatures due to increased greenhouse gas concentrations [8] increases the potential for tropical cyclogenesis [9–11]; however, realized cyclogenesis also requires an initial local disturbance [12–16] to develop. Most multi-decadal tropical cyclone permitting climate models (i.e. resolutions of 15-50km) exhibit frequency decreases in warmer climates, despite the increase in tropical cyclogenesis potential [17–25]. In this paper, …

Academic Integrity In The Age Of Ai: A Student's Guide To Citation And Disclosure, Steve Baule

Essays in Education

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped academic work, creating new opportunities for learning while introducing complex challenges for maintaining academic integrity. This article presents a clear, practical three question framework to help students determine when and how to disclose AI use in their coursework. Grounded in principles of transparency and intellectual honesty, the framework consists of three guiding questions addressing AI‑generated content, meaningful process support, and purely mechanical assistance. Through detailed explanations and real‑world scenarios, the article clarifies distinctions among these categories and outlines appropriate citation and disclosure practices for each. It emphasizes that AI use …

Urban Trees In The Urban Hydrology Cycle, Jorge R. Vera

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In urban forestry, trees provide numerous economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits to the surrounding community. One of their key roles is intercepting stormwater runoff, reducing flooding risk, and improving water quality. Chapter 1 of this thesis characterized the ecological and economic contributions of urban trees on the Marshall University campus and provides guidance on their management and conservation in the future. Chapter 2 examined how urban tree species modify the urban hydrology cycle by altering the volume and timing of precipitation delivery. In Chapter 1, we inventoried 114 acres of Marshall University's main campus in Huntington, WV, from June 28 …

Glosa Do Wyroku Naczelnego Sądu Administracyjnego Z Dnia 17 Kwietnia 2024 R., Sygn. Akt I Gsk 1833/22, Bartosz Wojtaczka

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Niniejszy komentarz poddaje krytycznej analizie wyrok Naczelnego Sądu Administracyjnego (NSA) z dnia 17 kwietnia 2024 r. w sprawie o sygn. akt I GSK 1833/22. W orzeczeniu tym NSA stwierdził, że prawidłowe stosowanie mechanizmów wsparcia stanowiących pomoc de minimis wymaga także uwzględnienia unijnej definicji mikro-, małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw (dalej: MŚP)1. W ocenie NSA, w przypadku, gdy kryteria określające katalog podmiotów uprawnionych do wsparcia referują do definicji MŚP, niezbędne jest, sięgnięcie do jej unijnej wersji. Taki obowiązek ma przy tym wynikać wprost z prawa unijnego, w związku z czym wszelkie odmienne rozwiązania prawa krajowego muszą zostać pominięte. Zdaniem autora przyjęte przez …

Diffusion Mri Characterization Of Paranasal Sinus Masses, Fatma Elsayed Ali, Doaa Khedr Mohamed, Mohamed Magdy El-Rakhawy

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: In ordinary clinical practice, a number of nasal cavity lesions, both neoplastic and non-neoplastic, are often seen. Because diffusion-weighted MRI imaging (DWI) captures the random migration of water protons, it provides superior characterization of tissues and their physiological processes. Therefore, the current study's goal was to use echoplanar DWI to classify malignant and non-malignant sinonasal lesions.

Methods: Fifty patients with paranasal sinus masses who were sent to Mansoura University Hospitals' Diagnostic Radiology Department for radiological examination, including a traditional MRI procedure, were included in this prospective research, Diffusion Weighted Images (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). The final diagnosis …

The Judgments Of The Commentators On Ibn Malik's Statements Concerning Apparent Discrepancies Between Al-Tashil And Its Commentary: A Critical Study, Sarah Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Sabih

University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences

This study examines the instances in which commentators on al-Tashil pointed to what appears to be a difference between Ibn Malik's statements in Tashil al-Fawa'id wa-Takmil al-Maqasid and his Sharh al-Tashil. It aims to analyze these judgments and assess their validity considering textual context and grammatical methodology. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the study correlates the concise formulations of the Tashil with their expanded explanations in the commentary and traces the criteria employed by the commentators in identifying difference or inconsistency. The findings indicate that most cases described as contradiction do not constitute genuine inconsistency. Rather, they result from variation in …

Contemporary Issues In Economics And Finance: The View From China, Kenneth S. Bigel

Open Touro Created

2026

This collection of essays showcases original research crafted by exceptional young scholars—primarily high school students from China and North America—guided step-by-step from topic selection to final publication. Across diverse subjects in business and the social sciences, these emerging researchers demonstrate curiosity, discipline, and global awareness. Their work provides a rare window into the questions today’s youth are asking on both sides of the Pacific, offering fresh perspectives and a meaningful bridge between two world powers. Designed not only to inspire but also to instruct, this compendium fills a long-recognized gap in early research education: it presents accessible, real student …

Improving Patient Outcomes Through Structured Nursing Safety Huddles In Acute Care Settings: An Integrative Research Review (Irr), Brandon Everard Thomas

Covenant Nurses Week 2026

No abstract provided.

A Balm For The Broken: Bearing The Scars And Songs Of Generational Survival In A World That Denies Our Humanity, Desmond Beach

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

“We survived to tell the tale.” This dissertation explores the intersections of visual art, Black cultural memory, and spiritual labor through a body of creative and scholarly work rooted in Black textile traditions. Informed by the artist’s upbringing in West Baltimore and shaped by the spiritual and communal practices of the Black church, the research considers artmaking as a form of ritual, resistance, and remembrance. Patchwork, performance, and mixed media installations become not only expressive gestures but also repositories of intergenerational memory, sites of ancestral presence, and acts of survival that exceed mere endurance.The dissertation integrates creative production with critical …

Planetarity And Relation: Ecology As Method, Ashish Ghadiali

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The List of Works submitted comprises research through film, text, exhibition, performance and policy engagement, developed during a three-year period from 2021 to 2024 in the site-specific location of Southwest England. This multi-modal and interdisciplinary practice is framed in response to the question of how art and cultural strategy can, in the contexts of climate breakdown and global racial inequity, be conceived of as agency for environmental justice. In this integrative summary, I present a theoretical framework where ecology, in response to conditions of environmental crisis, is understood not only as a subject of inquiry but also as method. In …

Feminism, Domestic Abuse And The Singer-Songwriter, Kathryn Ferguson

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This project explores how feminism and domestic abuse can be articulatedthrough songwriting. Research in music therapy, sociology and popular musicincreasingly speaks to the value of songwriting as a tool for personal andcommunity empowerment, but there is space to actively use songwriting toexplore feminist issues independently of the traditional commercial context ofpopular music. Existing feminist music has been deemed as at its mostsuccessful when it is linked clearly to social change in our communities(Greene, 2017, p.8). Modern popular feminist songwriting has been criticised fornot going far enough in deconstructing systemic patterns of patriarchy (Tong,2024, p.9). Considering this, engaging with academic research …

Inked Mobilities: Tattoos As Embodied Visual Narratives Of Youth Migration Between Italy And Australia, Giulia Marchetti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article examines tattoos as embodied visual narratives within a broader study on youth transnational mobility (2019-2023). Focusing on recent Italian migration to and from Australia, 13 tattoos were documented among the 36 participants, acquired shortly before departure, during the stay in Australia, or upon return to Italy. Methodologically, the article proposes tattoo-based interviews as a participatory visual method that mobilises permanently inscribed images as sites of visual elicitation, enabling forms of reflection and storytelling. Tattoos thus operate as relational spaces of dialogue, co-interpretation, and reflexive meaning-making between researcher and participants. Epistemologically, tattoos are approached as visual narratives through which …

Numerical Investigation Of The Influence Of Fiber Content On The Shear Performance Of Uhpc Deep Beams Reinforced With Hybrid Steel And Synthetic Fibers, Hossein Mirzaaghabeik, Sanjay Kumar Shukla, Nuha S. Mashaan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study investigates the shear performance of ultra-high-performance concrete deep beams (UHPC-DBs) reinforced with hybrid fibers comprising 5D steel fibers and Forta-Ferro (FF) synthetic fibers. UHPC-DBs are widely used in bridges, piles, and transfer girders because of their high load-bearing capacity. Although fiber content strongly influences shear behavior, the contribution of synthetic fibers in hybrid systems remains insufficiently understood. To address this gap, finite element analysis based on the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model was developed in ABAQUS and validated using experimental results from five previously tested UHPC-DBs with different fiber contents. Load–deflection response, crack patterns, shear capacity, mid-span deflection, …

The Basis For Recommending The Selection Of Samplers In Determining Occupational Exposures To Aerosols, Martin Harper, Pieter Bertier, Marcus Cattani, Karen Galea, Darrah Sleeth, Steven Verpaele

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Measurements are considered to be the basis of exposure assessments used to determine risks to workers. Inhalation exposure poses the greatest risk for most airborne chemicals, and measurements are based on collecting (sampling) and analyzing air samples. Samplers have been developed for more than 120 years. Each new design has been intended to address flaws perceived in earlier designs. Users are faced with a varied array of samplers from which to choose. Comparisons are difficult to make because tests of sampler performance were not standardized until recently and have not been applied consistently. The existing large body of work does …

Baseline Body Mass Index Category And Incident Treated Hypertension In Australian Men: A Linked Prospective Cohort Study Using Pbs/Mbs Data, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Excess adiposity is a major modifiable risk factor for hypertension; however, the incremental prognostic value of body mass index (BMI) beyond standard predictors remains unclear. We examined the associations between baseline BMI category and incident treated hypertension, and assessed whether BMI improved risk prediction.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Ten to Men longitudinal study (2013–2024) linked to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) records. The cohort comprised 12,742 men aged ≥ 18 years without treated hypertension at baseline, followed for 133,038 person-years. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were fitted. Discrimination, calibration, decision curve analysis, E-values, …

Inside Out: Improving Large Model Safety, Wei Zhao

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

While Large Language Models (LLMs) and Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) are at the frontier of current advancements in artificial intelligence, demonstrating remarkable capabilities across diverse applications, there are growing concerns about their reliability and security. LLMs remain vulnerable to adversarial attacks through carefully crafted prompts that circumvent safety mechanisms, while MLLMs face additional security challenges stemming from their multimodal nature. Despite considerable efforts in reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) and supervised fine-tuning, existing safeguards have proven inadequate in addressing these critical vulnerabilities. This inadequacy stems from the fact that these models are inherently blackboxes that do not provide …

The Impact Of Corporate Mergers And Acquisitions On Performance From The Perspective Of Growth Pressure, Jiandong Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Against the backdrop of economic volatility and intensified industry competition, firms generally face multidimensional growth pressures, including historical growth pressure, social growth pressure, and market competition pressure. Growth pressure is not only related to firms’ operational stability, but also profoundly influences their strategic choices, particularly merger and acquisition (M&A) behaviour.Grounded in performance feedback theory, this study constructs an integrated analytical framework encompassing growth pressure, M&A strategic decisions, and M&A performance, and systematically examines how different types of growth pressure affect firms’ M&A decisions, as well as how M&A performance varies across different firm characteristics and different types of M&A.

The …

Christianity As Coping Mechanisms For Migrants With Mental Health Challenges In Australia: Social Work Implications, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Nnaemeka Meribe, Kathomi Gatwiri, Lillian Mwanri, Agness Tembo, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Edith N. Botchway-Commey, Aunty Kerrie Doyle, David Chisanga, Ahmed A. Moustafa, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Christian religion may be a powerful resource that can serve as a coping mechanism to resolve challenges and provide comfort to African migrants confronted with mental health challenges. We aimed to explore the coping strategies among African migrants in Australia. We undertook semi-structured interviews online with 11 participants with African backgrounds, comprising six mental health clinicians and five migrant service users living in Australia for at least the past 12 months. Literature exploring religious coping mechanisms, social support and acculturation was drawn on. The interviews were undertaken online via Teams, WhatsApp call, and zoom with participants whom we recruited through …