This thesis explores the ethical implications of using facial recognition artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in medicine, with a focus on both the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of this technology in the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic disorders. We highlight the positive outcomes of using AI in medicine, such as accuracy and efficiency in diagnosing rare genetic disorders, while also examining the ethical concerns including bias, misdiagnosis, the issues it may cause within patient-clinician relationships, misuses outside of medicine, and privacy. This paper draws on the opinions of medical providers and other professionals outside of medicine, which finds that while many are excited about the potential of AI to improve medicine, concerns remain about the ethical implications of these technologies. We discuss current legislation controlling the use of AI in healthcare and its ambiguity. Overall, this thesis highlights the need for further research and public discourse to address the ethical implications of using facial recognition and AI technologies in medicine, while also providing recommendations for its future use in medicine.

This thesis explores the ethical implications of using facial recognition artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in medicine, with a focus on both the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of this technology in the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic disorders. We highlight the positive outcomes of using AI in medicine, such as accuracy and efficiency in diagnosing rare genetic disorders, while also examining the ethical concerns including bias, misdiagnosis, the issues it may cause within patient-clinician relationships, misuses outside of medicine, and privacy. This paper draws on the opinions of medical providers and other professionals outside of medicine, which finds that while many are excited about the potential of AI to improve medicine, concerns remain about the ethical implications of these technologies. We discuss current legislation controlling the use of AI in healthcare and its ambiguity. Overall, this thesis highlights the need for further research and public discourse to address the ethical implications of using facial recognition and AI technologies in medicine, while also providing recommendations for its future use in medicine.

In this thesis, several different methods for detecting and removing satellite streaks from astronomic images were evaluated and compared with a new machine learning based approach. Simulated data was generated with a variety of conditions, and the performance of each method was evaluated both quantitatively, using Mean Absolute Error (MAE) against a ground truth detection mask and processing throughput of the method, as well as qualitatively, examining the situations in which each model performs well and poorly. Detection methods from existing systems Pyradon and ASTRiDE were implemented and tested. A machine learning (ML) image segmentation model was trained on simulated data and used to detect streaks in test data. The ML model performed favorably relative to the traditional methods tested, and demonstrated superior robustness in general. However, the model also exhibited some unpredictable behavior in certain scenarios which should be considered. This demonstrated that machine learning is a viable tool for the detection of satellite streaks in astronomic images, however special care must be taken to prevent and to minimize the effects of unpredictable behavior in such models.

This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telemedicine-prescribed controlled substances by discussing the opinions of pharmacists holding an Arizona pharmacy license. To accommodate the rapid changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government adapted pharmacy laws to better support the healthcare community. The use of remote healthcare services such as telemedicine visits and online pharmacy services dramatically increased during the pandemic, so regulators waived tele-health restrictions like the Ryan Haight Act. This study involved structured interviews with 3 participants. The interviews revealed a positive outlook on the future of telehealth and the possibilities of modernizing healthcare and pharmacy. The study suggests that the waiving of the Ryan Haight Act was perceived somewhat positively by pharmacists, although they still had concerns regarding abandoning parts of the Act from a patient safety standpoint. The study concludes that certain pharmacy and telemedicine regulations are outdated given the positive and negative outcomes of these laws during the global pandemic. While this study offers insights on bringing various healthcare and law arguments together, the small sample size results in limited scope. The study still provides points of discussion to offer recommendations for implementation of the Ryan Haight Act and other similar tele-health and online-pharmacy regulations.

Intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. Despite being an important motivator for innovation, IP laws and IP protections are largely unknown by most individuals outside of the legal field. The purpose of this work is to condense some of the most fundamental concepts in U.S. intellectual property law and describe them in an understandable way for non-lawyers. This thesis covers basic information on U.S. patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and the ways in which they impact both science and society. Additionally, this thesis discusses the need for better IP education and presents a solution to this problem in the form of a partly completed draft for an educational book. The book itself is meant to illustrate how the research of this thesis can be utilized in introductory educational materials while also demonstrating the potential for presenting IP law concepts in a fun and visual way.

Intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. Despite being an important motivator for innovation, IP laws and IP protections are largely unknown by most individuals outside of the legal field. The purpose of this work is to condense some of the most fundamental concepts in U.S. intellectual property law and describe them in an understandable way for non-lawyers. This thesis covers basic information on U.S. patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and the ways in which they impact both science and society. Additionally, this thesis discusses the need for better IP education and presents a solution to this problem in the form of a partly completed draft for an educational book. The book itself is meant to illustrate how the research of this thesis can be utilized in introductory educational materials while also demonstrating the potential for presenting IP law concepts in a fun and visual way.