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The Evil Historical Twin: How the Requirement of a Historical Analogy Could Result in Further Discrimination in the Law
No full textIn 2024, the Supreme Court decided the case of United States v. Rahimi. The Court, unpersuaded by Rahimi’s objection regarding federal law which prohibited an individual subject to a domestic violence restraining order from possessing a firearm, decided the restriction was constitutional. While the holding of this case represents a win for survivors of domestic violence, the legal reasoning plants itself of flimsy concepts of history. The Court utilized a historical analysis test and looked to precedent rooted in social customs, legislation, and court holdings. The first major issue of this test is the dueling interpretation between a historical principle or historical analogy. The second issue with a historical analysis approach, is the lack of representation of minority communities in historical legislation or norms. The third issue is how lower courts are inconsistent in their evaluations, or even reevaluations, of Second Amendment cases since the historical analysis test was reaffirmed. The final major issue with the historical analysis test is it fails to consider modern studies and social norms that reflect the needs of a modern society. This comment identifies potential solutions to these problems by addressing issues from a broad to narrow target group. The first step is to clarify the historical analysis test so courts consistently apply historical precedent based on social principles. The second step is to address the needs of victims through local efforts towards victim assistance programs. The final step is to address the needs of perpetrators by prioritizing recovery programs. In order to allow courts to analyze based on the Nation’s history and tradition, history and tradition must first reflect inclusivity for all people
Shattering the Silence: The Path to Maternal Equity in Texas
No full textThe Black maternal mortality crisis reflects the persistence of institutionalized racism embedded in the U.S. healthcare system. In Texas, Black women account for just 11% of births yet represent 31% of maternal deaths—a mortality rate more than twice that of their white counterparts. This staggering disparity has persisted, even as statewide initiatives have improved maternal outcomes for non-Black women. This Comment situates the current crisis within a broader historical continuum: from the coerced medical experimentation on enslaved Black women by figures such as J. Marion Sims, through the codified racism of the Jim Crow era, to present-day inequities ingrained in the healthcare system, including implicit bias and inadequate access to culturally responsive care. Drawing on a comparative analysis of California’s effective interventions—including the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, mandated implicit bias training, and expanded support for midwives and doulas—this Comment argues that advancing maternal health equity in Texas requires a fundamental reimagining of maternal care. Specifically, I propose a three-part framework: implementing community-based participatory research that centers Black women’s lived experiences; enacting robust implicit bias legislation; and expanding access to alternative models of care, while reforming eligibility criteria for critical social support programs. Without urgent and systemic intervention, Texas will continue to abandon its most vulnerable mothers—perpetuating a preventable public health crisis rooted in centuries of medical exploitation, racial discrimination, and persistent structural and social inequities
Microplastic Exposure Alters Tubulin Leading to Alterations in Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells
No full textAbstract
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels due to impaired insulin secretion or diminished cellular response to insulin (resistance). Pancreatic β-cells depend on a well-organized cytoskeleton, particularly microtubules composed of α- and β-tubulin heterodimers, to transport insulin granules to the plasma membrane during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Disruption of microtubule organization can impair granule trafficking and reduce insulin release. However, emerging environmental toxicants such as microplastics that interfere with β-cell cytoskeletal function remains largely unexplored.
Microplastics (MPs) are small plastic particles (\u3c 5 mm) that have become widespread environmental contaminants and can enter biological systems. Previous studies have shown that MPs can induce cellular stress and protein misfolding, but their effects on microtubules in pancreatic β-cells are not well characterized. This study investigates whether exposure to fluorescent polystyrene microplastics alters microtubule organization and insulin secretion in βTC-6 cells.
βTC-6 cells were treated with 10 µg/mL of fluorescent polystyrene microplastics for 24 hours, followed by glucose stimulation (0, 2.5 mM or 20 mM glucose) for 3 hours. Microtubules were quantified using Tubulin Tracker Far red in the Incucyte Live-Cell Imaging System, and insulin secretion was measured by ELISA. MP internalization was assessed and confirmed through flow cytometry at the MP absorbance. Cell size increased in cells exposed to MPs by 10-15% (0 mM: p = 0.0002; 2.5 mM: p = 0.0016; 20 mM: p = 0.0002; ordinary one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-test) compared to their no-MP counterparts across all glucose conditions. Total tubulin fluorescence showed minor differences across glucose and MP conditions, indicating that MP exposure did not heavily affect total tubulin. Because this assay measured total fluorescence, no conclusions can be made about specific microtubule organization changes. However, insulin secretion increased with glucose stimulation, and MP treated cells showed a decrease in secretion at high glucose. These findings indicate that microplastics are readily internalized by β-cells and alter cell morphology, with potential implications for microtubule organization and insulin release. Further studies are needed to determine whether microplastics disrupt microtubule dynamics in ways that impair granule trafficking during GSIS
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1012/thumbnail.jp
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1014/thumbnail.jp
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1015/thumbnail.jp
Evaluating the SNA1 Gene Using CRISPR Mediated Knockdown in Ewing Sarcoma Cells
No full textEwing sarcoma is a pediatric cancer with limited therapeutic options and poor long-term survival. CRISPR–Cas9–mediated gene editing provides a powerful tool for investigating tumor molecular behavior and identifying potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we worked with CRISPR–Cas9 in Ewing sarcoma ES8 cells to evaluate the roles of the transcription factors SNAI1 and SNAI2, both implicated in epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cancer progression. Using guide RNAs targeting each gene, we assessed proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and long-term survival through Incucyte live-cell imaging and colony-formation assays. Knockout of SNAI1 resulted in decreased cell proliferation and reduced migratory capacity compared with controls, suggesting a pro-tumorigenic role in Ewing sarcoma. In contrast, SNAI2 targeting achieved effective mRNA knockdown, but it produced a mild increase in migration without a significant trend. Overall, this work demonstrates successful implementation of CRISPR–Cas9 editing in ES8 cells and highlights differential contributions of SNAI1 and SNAI2 to Ewing sarcoma cell behavior.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/mecofdis/1002/thumbnail.jp
Emerging technologies in Beluga research: potential and possibilities
No full textBeluga whale face increasing threats in the Arctic, demanding effective research for conservation. Transitional methods going on field trips to collect short videos in excel, going on field trips to collect short videos, and having to rewatch the video are often time- consuming labor intensive, and limited in scope. This poster explores how engineering and AI can improve research. Engineering can provide robust tools like autonous underwater vehicles with advanced sensors for data collection in challenging environments. These technology offer an enhanced understanding of belugas behavior and ecologyhttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/rscpos25/1072/thumbnail.jp
Evaluation of cellular and genetic responses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae CARDS Toxin using a transfection model
No full textMycoplasma pneumoniae is a microorganism that causes respiratory infection ranging in acuteness. Its connection to developing pneumonia is most widely known and this causes misleading assumptions for M. pneumoniae to be a mild infection.1 However, it is possible for many cases to arise in small populations or even spread epidemically.² M. pneumoniae is also known to cause extrapulmonary infections ranging in a wide variety of symptoms, such as skin rashes, psychological disorders, and arthritis.3 The mechanism by which M. pneumoniae can cause such diverse disease is unknown and still under investigation. Looking further into the functions of this pathogen would provide deeper understanding and potentially ways to decrease infection.
It is speculated that M. pneumoniae is unique from other mycoplasmas as it generates an exotoxin that enter host cells during infection. This exotoxin is called Community Community-Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome or CARDS Toxin. CARDS Toxin is a protein that consists of three known subunits or domains, labeled D1, D2, and D3. It is known that D1, or the N-terminal, has ADP-phosphorylating activity once the toxin enters a cell.1 Yet, the roles of D2 and D3, or the C-terminal, are still undetermined. It is speculated that the C-terminal triggers harmful vacuole production and disconnects from D1 once in the cell. The uncertainty of these domains gives rise to concerning questions for the understanding of M. pneumoniae and the effects it can have on intracellular mechanisms as a whole.
We hypothesize that mutating CARDS toxin DNA at the 132nd amino acid, changing Glutamine (E) to Alanine (A), would hinder the toxin’s ability to perform ADPPhosphorylation. Amplification of the N- and C- terminals separately would allow the mutation to be developed, and generating an ADP-ribosylating-deficient mutant of CARDS toxin will help us better determine if the mechanism of vacuolization is independent of ADP-ribosylationhttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/rscpos25/1047/thumbnail.jp
The language of Theshrahk Thwath
Get PDFJ.R.R. Tolkien, British linguist and creator of fictional Elvish languages, coined the term glossopoiea to describe the act of inventing languages. In EN5361A Inventing Languages, our group engaged in glossopoiea to develop a constructed language, Theshalshe, based on the fictional culture and environment of Theshrahk Thwath, the Crane Forest.
Theshrahk Thwath is a deciduous forest. The climate is temperate, with four seasons and mild winters. The people observe a monotheistic religion centered around the goddess Kemajthwa, incarnate in an ancient willow tree. They are an egalitarian society arranged with age hierarchy. They are a scientifically advanced and literate people, specializing in herbal medicine, writing, and bookbinding.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/rscpos25/1022/thumbnail.jp