Rest My Case: Sleep Science Should Inform J.D. Program Structures And Licensure Examinations To Enhance Performance, Equity And Well-Being, Laura J. Mott, Paula J. Manning

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

This Article critically examines the legal profession’s longstanding marginalization of sleep and circadian biology and argues that temporal structural norms embedded in legal education and licensure are at odds with established scientific evidence. Drawing on extensive and interdisciplinary research in neuroscience, chronobiology, cognitive psychology, and timekeeping, this Article explores how sleep deprivation and chronotype misalignment with institutional schedules impair attention, memory, emotional regulation, mental and physical health, and decision-making—capacities that are essential to competent, ethical, and sustainable legal practice. Despite robust scientific consensus that sleep quality, quantity, and timing have profound effects on performance and well-being, law schools and licensing …

Private Standards As Liability Shields: A Pro-Innovation Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Approach For States, Gary E. Marchant, Jordan Buckwald

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

States face a dilemma. The federal government is not regulating artificial intelligence (AI), and is threatening states that regulate the technology with preemption and funding restrictions. Moreover, piecemeal state regulation with different substantive requirements risks impeding AI innovation and harming our national interest and security. And yet, AI creates a whole host of problems relating to accuracy, safety, security, bias, transparency, privacy, and autonomy that needs to be governed. This Article presents a solution to this dilemma that can protect against AI risks without harming innovation and the national interest. The proposal is for states to provide a liability shield …

Creative Destruction For The Patent System? Impact Of Generative Ai, Henry H. Perritt Jr.

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

AI raises the provocative possibility that patents could one day become obsolete. AI has the ability both to generate inventions and to simulate the perspective of a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA). This article explores the transformative impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the United States patent system. The article supports a scenario in which everything becomes invented—and simultaneously, everything becomes obvious—thus challenging a foundational criterion for patentability. These developments can occur within established principles of inventorship, obviousness, and subject matter eligibility under U.S. patent law. Using a narrative case study and a test invention, the …

Hey! System! Leave Them Kids Alone: A Justification Of Minnesota’S ‘Raise The Age’ Law, Violet Butler

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

State Wetland Protections After Sackett V. Epa: Lessons From The Prairie Pothole Region, Elizabeth Thilges

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

The Right To Share: Affording Americans Meaningful Control Over Their Data, Kevin Frazier

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

Americans today face unprecedented opportunities to leverage their personal data for health, education, and economic benefit; yet state and federal privacy laws increasingly restrict their ability to do so. This Article argues that the prevailing regulatory paradigm—rooted in paternalism, behavioral assumptions, and a deep distrust of both firms and individuals— has produced a system that paradoxically denies people meaningful control over their own information. As artificial intelligence tools grow more capable, the inability of individuals to share data freely threatens to entrench inequities, concentrate access to high-quality AI systems among the wealthy, and accelerate the formation of an “AI abyss” …

From Data To Decisions: Why Ai Inferences Should Count As ‘Effects’ Under The Fourth Amendment, Susan Tanner

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

This Article argues that AI-driven microtargeting, enabled by large-scale data brokerage and increasingly acquired by government actors, creates a dual constitutional problem. First, it undermines Fourth Amendment protections through what has become known as the ‘data broker loophole.’ Second, it amplifies inequality and civic distortion by segmenting political information flows in ways that evade traditional constitutional checks and statutory privacy regimes. Building on Carpenter v. United States, Riley v. California, and United States v. Jones, this Article proposes a doctrinal framework that treats government acquisition of granular behavioral datasets and model outputs as ‘searches,’ even when intermediated by private actors, …

Sentinels Of Security -- A Case For State Leadership In The Quantum Era, J.T. Ayotte

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

You'll Loan Nothing And Be Happy, Becky Chambers

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

Digital lending of eBooks offers flexibility to patrons, but it also exacerbates the existential threats libraries face. Libraries cannot own eBooks—they can only license and lend them on publishers’ terms—which means libraries are paying more for less. This is known as the “digital lending problem.” Access to older books is even more limited, as publishers and copyright holders rarely offer them as eBooks, creating the “20th century book problem.” These problems are chilling libraries’ creative approaches to digital lending and are further exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s attacks on libraries and the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These developments …

Trends In Pharmaceutical Patent Settlements Since Actavis And Private Plaintiffs' Causation Requirement, Kelly Lear Nordby

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

In January 2025, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that a new form of “possible compensation” from brand drug manufacturers to generic (or biosimilar) manufacturers, specifically “quantity restrictions,” has become “increasingly prevalent” in pharmaceutical patent settlement agreements filed with FTC under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. As the FTC noted, “quantity restrictions” may reduce the settling firm’s incentives to compete, resulting in supracompetitive prices for the brand and generic drug. This article summarizes trends in pharmaceutical patent settlement agreements and reverse-payment antitrust litigation since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in FTC v. Actavis. Focusing …

Hyperscalers In The Heartland: How A Climate-First Framework Can Incentivize Sustainable Data Center Development And Grid Decarbonization, Eli Dotson

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

This Note proceeds in three parts. Part II surveys the rise of AI and hyperscale data centers, the technical and legal challenges their loads pose, and the evolving policy landscape, both nationwide and in Minnesota. Part III argues that Minnesota should build on its emerging data center framework in two ways. First, the PUC should institutionalize the framework’s most promising features by setting a “clean energy floor” to ensure that data centers contribute to, rather than prevent, the decarbonization of Minnesota’s grid. Second, the PUC should create an additional “distributed flexibility pathway” by forcing utilities to consider alternative ways of …

York District And York County Court Records Microfilm Collection - Accession 909, York County Court Of Common Pleas, York District Court Of Equity

Manuscript Collection

This collection consists of 22 reels of microfilm reproducing historical court records for York District and York County held by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The records date from 1786 to 1889 and document the operations of the Court of Common Pleas, Court of General Sessions, Court of Equity, County Court, and Intermediate Court. Materials include pleadings and judgments books, abstracts of judgments, court journals, commissioner’s reports, references books, original evidence books, and an extensive series of bills of complaint.

The bulk of the collection consists of York District Court of Equity bills of complaint spanning 1818–1872, …

Pettus Family Papers - Accession 1731, Pettus Family

Manuscript Collection

The Pettus Family Papers document the history, genealogy, landholdings, and daily life of multiple generations of the Pettus family, with roots in Indian Land, South Carolina, and branches extending throughout the southeastern United States and abroad. The collection spans the nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries and includes family histories, genealogical research, correspondence, legal and financial records, photographs, reminiscences, literary works, and artifacts. Together, these materials provide a comprehensive record of family relationships, agricultural and commercial enterprises, property ownership, and historical memory.

A significant portion of the collection is devoted to genealogical research and family history, including compiled genealogies, correspondence …

Helen Ruth Chambers Papers - Accession 1748, Helen Ruth Chambers Wren

Manuscript Collection

The Helen Ruth Chambers Papers document the undergraduate experience of Helen Ruth Chambers Wren (1909–1985) during her years as a student at Winthrop College, from the late 1920s through her graduation in 1931 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. Helen was one of three sisters that graduated from Winthrop including Ella Margaret Chambers (Class of 1929) and Dorothy Chambers (Class of 1935). The collection consists primarily of student publications, academic work, and ephemera reflecting campus life, student organizations, and intellectual culture during this period.

Materials include a Winthrop College commencement announcement and program from 1929; student handbooks published by …

Dysfunctional Leadership As A Dynamic And Relational Process, Rory E. Kuhn, S. Burak Ozkum

Faculty Publications – Psychology

First paragraph in lieu of abstract:

The focal article by Ducheyne and De Fruyt (2026) calls for a clear conceptual distinction between toxic and incompetent leadership, proposing that these categories can guide research and practice by reducing ambiguity. Although we agree that this differentiation offers useful conceptual clarity, we contend that it becomes unstable in its application. Dysfunctional leadership unfolds through both temporal fluctuation in leader behavior and relational variation in follower appraisal. These intertwined processes suggest that the same leader may appear toxic in one moment and merely incompetent in another, depending on shifting behavioral cues and the relational …

Susan Huffman Pruitt Collection - Accession 1445, Susan Huffman Pruitt

Manuscript Collection

The Susan Huffman Pruitt Collection consists of materials documenting Pruitt’s experiences as a student at Winthrop College and her continued involvement with the institution as an alumna. Pruitt (1919-2015) graduated from Winthrop College in 1940. The collection includes three bound volumes of Winthrop College’s Tatler yearbooks from 1937-1939, Winthrop publications, newspapers and newspaper clippings, alumni and class reunion materials, photographs, and miscellaneous items.

The collection provides insight into student life at Winthrop College during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Tatler yearbooks and other Winthrop publications document campus activities, student organizations, events, and other aspects of college life. Photographs …

The Civil Justice Business, J. Maria Glover

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Our civil justice system rests on foundational commitments: to make rights real for those the law protects, whatever their station; to hold wrongdoers accountable, whatever their power; and to deter misconduct in a system that depends heavily on private enforcement. We put great faith in these values.

Civil justice, for all its lofty goals, is also a business. Attorneys and liability insurers have long held economic stakes in litigation, bounded by their own professional and regulatory norms. Now, a new litigation finance industry has arisen: outside investors supply equity capital—divorced from legal representation and liability management—and take returns directly from …

Influence Of A Structured Strength Program On Sport-Related Outcomes In Female Lacrosse Players, Taylor R. Howard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), approximately 30,000 individuals participate in collegiate lacrosse in the United States, roughly 13,000 being women. Participation beyond the NCAA has increased substantially in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA), the Women’s Club Lacrosse Association (WCLA), and high school programs nationwide.  As women’s lacrosse continues to grow, strength and conditioning programs at the collegiate level have become pervasive to enhance athletic performance. However, limited research exists examining the impact of strength training on physical performance in women’s lacrosse.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the …

Does The Impact Of Volunteering On Health Differ By Wealth? [Research In Brief: Volunteering], Seoyoun Kim, Cal J. Halvorsen

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Volunteering among older adults has many potential health benefits; however, older adults with more wealth are also more likely to volunteer in the first place, raising the question of whether they are the ones reaping the most benefits. This study asked two questions: (1) Does formal volunteering improve self-reported health and reduce depressive symptoms in older adults? (2) Does the impact of volunteering on these outcomes differ between older adults in the lowest and highest wealth quintiles?

Understanding The Labor Behind Library-Published Scholarly Journals In The U.S., Karen Bjork, Annie Johnson, Johanna Meetz

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

University libraries in the United States play a critical and growing role in supporting open access (OA) scholarly journals, yet the labor required to sustain these publications—who performs it, how much time it demands, and how it is compensated—remains underexamined.

Recent research by Lange & Severson examined labor in Canadian non-commercial independent journals, providing valuable insights into editorial structures and compensation models in that national context. However, their study did not include journals hosted or published by U.S. university libraries. To expand this conversation and develop evidence to support local decision-making, the presenters conducted a complementary research study focused specifically …

Implementing A Nurse Re-Education Program To Promote Timely Use Of The Jada® System In The Postpartum Hemorrhage Cascade: A Quality Improvement Project, Maegan E. Doody

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), defined as blood loss greater than 1,000 mL after delivery, is a leading cause of maternal morbidity in the United States. Identification of risk factors and timely intervention are critical to improving maternal outcomes after delivery. First-line interventions include manual uterine massage, uterotonic medications, and antifibrinolytic medications; however, when bleeding is not well controlled, the Jada® System (Jada) is a newer vacuum-induced hemorrhage control device with a high efficacy and safety profile, particularly when implemented earlier in the hemorrhage cascade.

Local Problem: In 2025, the annual rate of PPH within the microsystem was 7.29%, …

Reducing Readmissions For Copd Through Improved Education: A Gap Analysis, Raphael Gaughan

Master's Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Patient Safety And Team Communication Via Standardized Unit Handoff Tools In Inpatient Rehabilitation, Julia Rae Before

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Interdisciplinary safety huddles in healthcare are used to facilitate staff communication, voice patient safety concerns and identify high acuity patients, as well as identify current unit issues that need resolution. Using characteristics of safety huddles, revising patient report sheets to include pertinent safety information often shared during huddles may lead to an increase in staff perception of communication as well as awareness to patient safety concerns. Within an in-patient rehabilitation hospital, anonymous staff reports indicated dissatisfaction with interprofessional communication and microsystem data revealed increased events of adverse patient outcomes and safety concerns. Baseline data indicated inconsistent patient handoff …

A Patient-Centered Approach To Improving Patient And Family Education On Perioperative Processes To Reduce Anxiety: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Ashley Lauren Doherty

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Perioperative anxiety is common among surgical patients and their family members. Anxiety may be increased by uncertainty and limited understanding of the surgical experience. Improving perioperative education may enhance understanding, reduce anxiety, and support a more patient and family centered surgical experience.

Local Problem: A Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) identified knowledge gaps in patient and family education about the perioperative process. The existing waiting room bulletin board was outdated and provided limited information. PACU nurses observed anxiety-related behaviors and confusion among patients and family members about the perioperative process. Patient satisfaction surveys routinely collected by the hospital also demonstrated …

Enhancing Safety And Efficiency In Cardiac Admission Handoffs Through Implementation Of An I-Pass Checklist: A Quality Improvement Project, Soraia D. Barros

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Effective care handoff is a necessary step for maintaining patient safety during hospitalizations. The goal of this quality improvement project was to improve the completeness of information, particularly cardiac-related, provided by the ED staff to the CSSU nurses. The implementation involved the creation of a cardiac checklist and applying it to the pre-existing I-PASS forms used during asynchronous handoff.

Local Problem: The macrosystem implemented an updated system for handoffs between the ED and CSSU by substituting an over-the-phone report with a faxed I-PASS sheet. The result, as identified by the CSSU staff, is that reports contain undetailed patient …

Improving Operating Room First-Case On-Time Starts And Reducing Turnover Times: A Quality Improvement Project, Ashley Cote

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Delays in first case on-time starts (FCOTS) contribute to decreased operating room (OR) efficiency, increased healthcare costs, workflow disruptions, and reduced staff and patient satisfaction. Evidence suggests that standardized workflows, improved communication, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies can improve perioperative efficiency and reduce delays.

Local Problem: Baseline data from a local OR microsystem demonstrated an FCOTS rate of 77%, below the organizational benchmark of 80%. Root cause analysis identified inconsistent preoperative workflows, communication gaps, and variable staff adherence to standardized processes as primary contributors to delayed first-case starts.

Methods: A quality improvement project utilizing the Define, Measure, Analyze, …

Increasing Patient Feedback Survey Completions Through Patient-Centered Nursing Communication: A Quality Improvement Project, Lindsey E. Pawlowski

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Patient feedback is essential to providing the best possible nursing care. Positive patient experiences can impact overall patient satisfaction, loyalty, and trust.

Local Problem: On a pediatric unit at a New England hospital, an assessment of the microsystem revealed that there was a low number of monthly patient feedback survey completions, which limited insight into patient experiences.

Aim Statement: The primary aim of this project was to increase the number of monthly National Research Corporation (NRC) surveys to ten by June 30, 2026.

Methods: This quality improvement project was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. The first stage of …

Improving Telemetry Alarm Fatigue By Reducing Perception Of Noise Through Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Emma Bergeron

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The perception of excess telemetry noise has a negative impact on nursing staff workflow, emotional stress, physical stress, and alarm fatigue. This can create a distressing workplace, interrupt the ability to answer telemetry alarms in an appropriate amount of time, and further worsen alarm fatigue in nursing staff.

Local Problem: The local problem identified was the perception of telemetry noise and alarm fatigue. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of alarm fatigue and perception of telemetry noise on the unit.

Methods: The study consisted of an assessment of the microsystem itself and the observed impact …

Promoting Safe And Effective Ciwa-Ar Protocol Adherence On An Inpatient Psychiatric Unit Through An Educational Reference Poster: A Quality Improvement Project, Kenan J. Gray

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) can progress to seizures, delirium tremens, and autonomic instability. The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol–Revised (CIWA-Ar) supports symptom-triggered AWS management, but safe use depends on timely nursing assessment, reassessment, and documentation.

Local Problem: On an adult inpatient psychiatric unit, chart audits identified CIWA-Ar protocol adherence gaps, including missed four-hour assessments and one-hour reassessments after lorazepam.

Methods: This quality improvement project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act model. Three educational reference posters were placed in high-visibility staff areas with QR-linked access to the facility’s AWS protocol and CIWA-Ar scoring guidelines. Outcomes were evaluated using pre- and post-intervention …

Improving Nurse Well-Being And Patient Safety Through A Structured Break Buddy System: A Quality Improvement Project, Elizabeth Harrington

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Nursing burnout has become an increasing concern due to heavy workloads, staffing shortages, and the inability of nurses to consistently take uninterrupted rest breaks during their shifts. Missed breaks contribute to fatigue, emotional exhaustion, decreased job satisfaction, and an increased risk of patient safety events. Evidence suggests that structured break interventions may improve opportunities for recovery during the workday.

Methods: A quality improvement (QI) project was conducted on a respiratory care unit at a midsized hospital in central New Hampshire using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. A microsystem assessment identified inconsistent break-taking as a significant gap. A five-question anonymous …