A network model of legal relations.

From at least the early twentieth century, legal scholars have recognized that rights and other legal relations inhere between individual legal actors, forming a vast and complex social network. Yet, no legal scholar has used the mathematical machinery of network theory to formalize these relationships. Here, we propose the first such approach by modelling a rudimentary, static set of real property relations using network theory.

Legal personhood and frozen embryos: implications for fertility patients and providers in post- America.

The demise of has prompted some state lawmakers to try to redefine legal personhood to begin before birth and even before pregnancy. The sweeping abortion bans passed and pending in the wake of pose a threat to reproductive rights that extends beyond abortion. That threat spills over into in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

Reducing Health Disparities in Radiology Through Social Determinants of Health: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disproportionate morbidity and mortality borne by racial minorities, patients of lower socioeconomic status, and patients lacking health insurance reflect the critical role of social determinants of health, which are manifestations of entrenched structural inequities. In radiology, social determinants of health lead to disparate use of imaging services through multiple intersecting contributors, on both the provider and patient side, affecting diagnosis and treatment. Disparities on the provider side include ordering of initial or follow-up imaging studies and providing standard-of-care interventional procedures, while patient factors include differences in awareness of screening exams and confidence in the healthcare system.

The Roots of Structural Racism in the United States and their Manifestations During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disproportionate morbidity and mortality borne by racial minorities, patients of lower socioeconomic status, and patients lacking health insurance reflect pre-existing structural inequities. Structural racism is racial discrimination rooted in history, perpetuated through policies, and manifested in disparities in healthcare, housing, education, employment, and wealth. Although these disparities exert greater impacts on health outcomes than do genetics or behavior, scientists, and policy makers are only beginning to name structural racism as a key determinant of population health and take the necessary steps to dismantle it.

Risk of death associated with kratom use compared to opioids.

Kratom use appears to be increasing across the United States, increasing attention to deaths in which kratom use was detected. Most such deaths have been ascribed to fentanyl, heroin, benzodiazepines, prescription opioids, cocaine and other causes (e.g.

Privatizing procreative liberty in the shadow of eugenics.

The late John Robertson is renowned for the theory of 'procreative liberty' that he expounded in his pioneering book, . Procreative liberty captures the 'freedom to reproduce without sex' above and beyond the 'freedom to have sex without reproduction' that are recognized by constitutional rights to abortion and birth control. Most controversial among Robertson's work on procreative liberty was its application to prenatal selection.

The State's Interest in Potential Life.

Courts have resolved a range of controversies by casual appeal to the state's interest in "potential life" that Roe held capable of overriding even fundamental rights. My analysis of this potential-life interest reveals its use to mean not one but four species of concern. I call these prenatal welfare, postnatal welfare, social values, and social effects and demonstrate how they operate under different conditions and with varying levels of strength.

The Not So "Sweet Surprise": Lawsuits Blaming Big Sugar for Obesity-Related Health Conditions Face an Uphill Battle.

Because obesity and its associated health problems have been largely attributed to poor self-control, laziness, and various other personal failings, society has been unwilling to assign blame to food manufacturers for their role in contributing to this problem. But, as consumers are becoming more aware of the significantly harmful effect that poor diets can have on a person's heath, the scales may be tipping in favor of bringing "Big Food" to court. Food manufacturers, however, are not exactly vulnerable.

Response to 'pervasive sequence patents cover the entire human genome'.

A response to Pervasive sequence patents cover the entire human genome by J Rosenfeld and C Mason. Genome Med 2013, 5:27. See related Correspondence by Rosenfeld and Mason, http://genomemedicine.

Assessing competency competently: toward a rational standard for competency-to-stand-trial assessments.

This article reports on a survey of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists who read two case study vignettes and assessed whether each criminal defendant was competent to stand trial, using three differently worded standards of competency: one that focused on whether the defendant's thinking was rational, a second that focused on whether the defendant's behavior was rational, and a third that did not use the word "rational." The objective was to discover whether forensic examiners would distinguish among the standards (i.e.