Digital Commons Network^™

Intravascular Ultrasound Is More Accurate Than Angiography In Arteriovenous Vascular Access Lesions, James W. Decker, Dima Banihani, Curtis Honshideler, Saran Lotfollahzadeh, David Jasen Wu Wong, Alik Farber, Jeffrey J. Siracuse, Najia Idrees, Laura Dember, Mohammad Bader, Suvranu Ganguli, Vijaya Kolachalama, Tarek Shazly

Faculty Publications

Background:

Conventional angiography remains the standard diagnostic modality for arteriovenous (AV) access dysfunction in hemodialysis patients, but its geometric accuracy is limited. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) offers superior lesion detection, yet its absolute measurement accuracy remains uncertain. Using three-dimensional (3D) printed vascular conduits as reference standards, we assessed the accuracy of IVUS versus angiography, hypothesizing that complex conduit geometry, quantified by Gaussian curvature, would exacerbate angiographic error.

Methods

Clinically relevant AV access geometries were modeled with computer-aided design (CAD) and fabricated using 3D printing. Lumen diameters were measured by contrast angiography and IVUS and compared with CAD dimensions. Conduit geometry was …

Punishment And Regret, Michelle Madden Dempsey

Faculty Publications

This essay is a contribution to a symposium on Adam Kolber’s Punishment for the Greater Good. As the title suggests, the essay focuses on the issues of punishment and regret. Its main thrust is a critique of Kolber’s failure to acknowledge the salience of retrospective normativity. This failure divorces Kolber’s attempt to justify punishment from our actual current carceral practices, which are fundamentally backward-looking responses to past (actual or supposed) wronging. It also limits Kolber’s ability to account for the normative reasons we have to regret these practices: mistaking regret as solely a matter of feeling and human psychology, while …

Assessing The Threat Of Southern Pine Beetle To Pitch Pine In Acadia National Park, Caroline R. Kanaskie, Mark J. Ducey, Jeff R. Garnas

Faculty Publications

Many of the mountain summits of Acadia National Park (ACAD) are dominated by Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine). The ACAD Pitch Pine population is particularly valuable due to its position at the northernmost edge of the species’ range, its association with unique animal and plant communities, and its contribution to the aesthetics of the park. Pitch Pine is host to Dendroctonus frontalis (Southern Pine Beetle [SPB]). As the name suggests, SPB is native to the southeastern US, and can kill large numbers of healthy pines via mass-attack. With warming winters, SPB can establish and persist further north than ever before, presenting …

Asian Reference Values For Handgrip Strength, Gait Speed, Five-Times-Sit-To-Stand Test, Muscle Mass And Calf Circumference, Jozo Grgic, Siew Ling Tey, Dieu Thi Huynh, Yen Ling Low, Zeljko Pedisic, Nina Schaller, Vanessa Kristina Wazny, Weilan Wang, Yasuhiko Saito, Ravindra P. Rannan-Eliya, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Monique Chaaya, Carlos Mendes De Leon, Preeti Gupta, Ecosse L. Lamoureux, Mythily Subramaniam, Edimansyah Abdin, Rahul Malhotra, Angelique Chan, Bayasgalan Tumenbayar, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

Background:

Handgrip strength, gait speed, Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) performance, skeletal muscle mass and calf circumference are important health outcomes, particularly useful for diagnosing sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to establish reference (normative) values for handgrip strength, gait speed, FTSST performance, skeletal muscle mass and calf circumference by pooling individual participant data from national cohorts in Asia.

Methods:

We conducted a pooled analysis of individual participant data from 20 national cohorts representing 12 Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka). We included cohorts with data on at least …

Structural And Mechanical Properties Facilitate Shock Wave Damping By Helmet-Like Orbital Hoods In Snapping Shrimp, Mia Kazel, Rebekah E. Cammack, Alexandra C.N. Kingston, Ahmed A. Alshareef, Tarek Shazly, Daniel Isaac Speiser

Faculty Publications

Snapping shrimp damp the shock waves they produce and use as weapons with a helmet-like structure termed the orbital hood. Here, we ask how structural and material properties contribute to shock wave damping by orbital hoods in Alpheus heterochaelis. Using tensile mechanical testing, we find orbital hoods are approximately half as stiff as carapace and have twice the capacity for viscous energy dissipation. Microstructural features probably contribute to tissue-specific mechanical properties: the endocuticles of orbital hoods have almost twice as many lamellae as those of carapaces despite being half as thick, suggesting a mechanism for enhanced material mobility underlying …

Striation Characteristics In Atmospheric Pressure Ac-Driven Glow Discharge Operating In Monoatomic Gas, Ayuob K. Alwahaibi, Sang Hee Won, Tanvir Farouk

Faculty Publications

Striation in an atmospheric pressure AC-driven helium glow discharge operating at 25 kHz is experimentally characterized. Striation behavior is characterized by the visualization of discharges and voltage–current measurements over a range of plasma power. Voltage–current characteris tics reveal that striations form in the “normal” glow regime of operation, with a higher number of strata at low current, diminishing as dis charge current increases. The relative differences and similarities in the striation patterns during the positive and negative cycles are identified. High-speed imaging shows the striations to be traveling in time—“moving striations.” The spatial luminosity of the striations is tracked over …

Equal Chances Or Fewer Victims? Moral Judgments In Autonomous Vehicle Dilemmas, Alexander Matros, Eren Bilen, Leonid Matros

Faculty Publications

We examine the moral dilemma of how autonomous vehicles (AVs) should be programmed to act in unavoidable crash scenarios involving trade-offs between saving one life and saving many. We report results from three experimental studies that investigate individuals’ preferences over alternative AV decision rules in stylized crash scenarios. Across designs, we find robust support for a probabilistic decision rule that assigns passengers and pedestrians equal ex ante chances of survival (a 50:50 rule). This preference persists across different framings and remains salient even when additional probabilistic options are introduced.

Obesogenic Behaviors During Structured Periods Among Children And Adolescents With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Keagan P. Kiely, Keith Brazendale, Mckenna Hill, Sarah Burkart, Michael Beets Med, Mph, Phd, Elizabeth L. Adams Phd, Bridget Armstrong, Christine St. Laurent, Abigail L. Hogan Ph.D., James W. White Iii, Olivia Finnegan, Joshua Culverhouse, Anthony Holmes, Robert Glenn Weaver Med, Phd

Faculty Publications

Background:

Children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at greater risk for obesity and poor obesogenic behaviors (e.g., physical activity, screen time, diet, sleep) than their typically developing counterparts. The Structured Days Hypothesis (SDH) suggests that in typically developing children and adolescents, obesogenic behaviors worsen during periods of reduced structure (e.g., weekend or summer vacation). However, children and adolescents with IDD have unique factors that may alter how structure (i.e., pre-planned, segmented, adult supervised, out-of-home programs) influences obesogenic behaviors. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine obesogenic behaviors during periods of more …

Ecologic Factors Contributing To West Nile Virus Hyperendemicity In Central South Carolina: An Integrated Vector–Human–Environmental Study, Elba S. Fridriksson, Ahayla Muraleedharan, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Madeleine M. Meyer, Kia Zellars, Hiuxuan Li, Melissa S. Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) is an endemic arboviral infection in the United States that has undergone phyloge-netic evolution since its introduction 25 years ago. An integrated vector–human–pathogen study was conducted in the summer of 2023 to unearth contemporary Culex quinquefasciatus habitat patterns and human transmission spillover foci in South Carolina, a state with historically little WNV data. A serosurvey revealed WNV seroprevalence 10 times the national average (22% versus 2%, respectively), with unusual epidemiologic risk factors. Female Culex quinquefas-ciatus WNV positivity was low (2.7%), with viral phylogenetics 100% homologous to the WN02 clade. Mosquito vectors clustered in affluent urban neighborhoods …

Theoretical And Conceptual Approaches To Journalism Education, August E. Grant, Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, G. Nathan Carnes

Faculty Publications

Many journalism programs embrace the teaching hospital model because of its practical approach, employing working journalists as journalism educators. However, critics contend a more conceptual model of journalism education is needed. This essay explores the literature on journalism education models and seeks to integrate the teaching hospital and entrepreneurial journalism approaches with the revised Bloom's Taxonomy and Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Combined, these models provide a solid theoretical foundation for practical, applied journalism education. This essay applies these four models to journalism education, yielding a matrix of dimensions that can guide the creation or modification of curricula as well …

Construction Project Performance Research: A Bibliometric, Scientometric, And Qualitative Review (1989–2023), Abdelnaser Abdelhameed, Mohamed S. Yamany, Ahmed Abdelaty, Emad Elbeltagi

Faculty Publications

Despite the significant increase in publications on construction project performance (CPP), there is a deficiency of research that rigorously assesses and synthesizes previous studies to delineate the field’s development, themes, and research gaps. This article employs quantitative and qualitative methodologies to critically evaluate studies on CPP published over the last three decades and indexed in the Scopus database. The quantitative approach includes bibliometric searches and scientometric analyses to assess the extent of research interest and achievements. The qualitative methodology aims to conduct thorough content analysis to classify existing material based on prevalent themes. The results demonstrate an exponential growth of …

Boronate Esters For The Binding And Detection Of Low Molecular Weight Volatile Amines, Xiaoning Li, James Boyt, Steven Sloope, Luke T. Lackovic, Mark D. Smith, James J. Lavingne

Faculty Publications

Conjugated thiophene-based diboronate esters, 1–4, were synthesized to investigate how substituents on catechol alter the Lewis acidity and accessibility to boron, and influence binding interactions with low molecular weight Lewis basic amines. Crystallographic analysis indicated that both boron centres bind analyte and that Lewis base coordination induces deplanarization of the conjugated system. Spectroscopic studies demonstrate that amine binding disrupts conjugation, producing distinct and reproducible optical responses that depend on analyte basicity and structure, with association constants in organic solvent ranging from 10³ to 10⁶ M⁻¹. Quantitative binding analyses indicate strong negative cooperativity between the two boron …

Biomechanical Trade-Offs Between Root Tensile Strength And Porosity In Coastal Marshes, M. O. Hassan, N. H. Jafari, A. S. Rovai, R. R. Twilley

Faculty Publications

Root biomechanics play a fundamental role in stabilizing wetland soils and sustaining coastal ecosystems under increasing environmental stress. This study investigates the tensile strength (TS) and internal porosity (n) of roots from two dominant marsh grasses, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens, across four sites in the Mississippi River Delta Plain (MRDP), spanning active (Atchafalaya) and inactive (Terrebonne) basins. Through approximately 300 tensile strength tests conducted on live roots across diameter classes and depths, we observed a consistent decline in strength with increasing root diameter and depth. Fine roots (< 2 mm), particularly those in the upper 15 cm, showed the highest tensile resistance, reinforcing their critical role in erosion control. To assess morphological drivers, we employed high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with a machine learning (ML) segmentation pipeline to quantify porosity and visualize aerenchyma. Coarse roots exhibited significantly higher porosity due to large central lumens and expanded aerenchyma, while fine roots maintained denser tissue structures. An exponential decay relationship emerged between porosity and tensile strength, indicating a trade-off: increased void space enhances oxygen diffusion in waterlogged soils but compromises mechanical integrity. This inverse relationship was most pronounced in saline environments, suggesting that stress amplifies structural compromises in root traits. This integrative approach, combining precision mechanical testing, advanced imaging, and ML-based analysis, provides a scalable and reproducible framework for characterizing root biomechanics. Findings advance understanding of plant contributions to belowground stability in coastal wetlands and offer practical insights for restoration strategies to enhance shoreline resilience.

The Promise Of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Stress-Reduction Strategy For Testicular Cancer Survivors' Health-Related Quality Of Life, Michael J. Rovito, Colin F. Mahony, Kamalie Thomas, Keith Brazendale, Ciaran Fairman Ph.D., Cscs, Cet

Faculty Publications

Background: Testicular cancer (TC) disproportionately affects younger men and carries unique psychosocial and physiological consequences that extend well beyond treatment. Despite favorable survival rates, TC survivors frequently report diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL). These burdens are often compounded by masculinity-related identity disruptions, fear of recurrence, sexual dysfunction, and a lack of tailored psychosocial support. Existing interventions remain limited, with most programs focused on physical rehabilitation or early detection. Few address the multidimensional stressors that shape the TC survivorship experience.

Aims: This narrative review examines the literature on HRQoL among TC survivors and evaluates the potential of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) …

Dynamical Analysis Of A Stochastic $Sei_{U}I_{R}Rs$ Epidemic Model With Vaccination And Log-Normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process, Qun Liu

Faculty Publications

In this study, we develop and investigate a stochastic $SEI_{u}I_{r}RS$ (Susceptible-Exposed-Undetected infected-Detected infected-Recovered-Susceptible) epidemic model with vaccination of newborns and the disease transmission rate driven by a log-normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. By establishing a series of Lyapunov functions, we derive sufficient conditions for persistence in the mean of the disease in the long term under the condition $\mathcal{R}_{0}>1$ and these criteria are applied to guarantee the existence of an invariant probability measure of the stochastic system. Subsequently, we also derive sufficient conditions for eradication of the disease when the parameters $\mathcal{R}_{0}< 1$ and $\mathcal{R}_{0}^{E}< 1$. Finally, two numerical examples are given to confirm the theoretical results. This work can help us implement interventions to regulate the disease dynamics.

Future Trends In Cybersecurity: A Meta-Review, Yara Mohammed, Manar Alsaid, Gahangir Hossain

Faculty Publications

The increasing importance of cybersecurity in protecting digital assets, data and infrastructures necessitates a reevaluation of research priorities within the discipline. As of today, numerous emerging cybersecurity topics are gaining significant importance in both academic research and industry applications. To identify recent trends in cybersecurity topics, this study extracts scholarly articles from two prestigious academic databases, the ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar, covering the period from early 2015 to late 2024.Through a systematic identification of trends and focal points in cybersecurity research, a comprehensive analysis is facilitated, including Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Biterm Topic Modeling (BTM), keyword frequencies, and …

Rapid Flood Inundation Mapping For Dam Failure And Operations, Shivakumar Balachandran, Parvaneh Nikrou, Ayman Mokhtar Nemnem, Reza Saleh Alipour, Sagy Cohen, Xingong Li, Erfan Goharian, Jasim Imran

Faculty Publications

Dam failure often causes catastrophic flooding. Although conventional hydrodynamic models are available for generating flood inundation maps, there is a need for low-complexity models that can provide rapid inundation estimates during emergency situations. Operational releases of large volumes may also lead to downstream flooding. This study utilizes two DEM-based models, OWP HAND-FIM and FLDPLN, to produce flood inundation maps for near-real-time operational applications. Three dam-related scenarios, including failures and controlled operations, are examined using these simplified models for the Fall River Dam in Kansas. Breach flows are estimated using empirical relationships, and discharge attenuation is calculated using an analytical approach. …

The Case For An African Investment Court (Aic), Won L. Kidane

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Research Journal 2026: People And Places, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

José Rivera narrates his life history from adolescence into college years, university teaching, research career, publications, and ends with post-retirement service as a giving back to community. For most of his term as an academic, his research focus was on community-based organizations that he terms “peoples’ institutions”: acequia associations and mutual help societies. For data, he conducted field work in New Mexico and the American Southwest as well as internationally, primarily in Mexico, Peru, Spain and the Philippines. While at these locations, he interviewed people, collected maps, researched archives, and took photographs as ethnographic evidence of people and places. His …

Influence Of Superhydrophobic Surface Microstructure On Transient Jet Impingement Cooling, D. Jacob Butterfield, Brian D. Iverson, Daniel Maynes, Julie Crockett

Faculty Publications

Water jet impingement is an effective method of rapidly cooling a surface, but heat transfer from the surface is highly dependent on the surface condition and properties. Here, the impact of a superhydrophobic (SH) surface on heat transfer to an impinging, axisymmetric, room-temperature water jet with Re=6 x 10³to 18 x 103 is explored. SH surfaces are created by etching thin silicon wafers to form different micropatterns (posts or holes). Surfaces are heated to between 200 and 320°C, and the local surface temperature is measured with a thermal camera. The time resolved heat transfer from the surface and …

Reaching The People: Prosocial Witnessing And The Church, Karl G. D. Bailey

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Challenges For Today's Church: How To Reach An Increasingly Unchurched Society, Craig Carr, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Taming Psoriatic Inflammation: Targeting The Inos–Oxidative Stress–Necroptosis Axis For Precision Therapy, Tolulope Omotope Omolekan, Tithi Roy, Jean Christopher Chamcheu

Faculty Publications

Necroptosis is increasingly recognized as a central driver of psoriatic inflammation, promoting keratinocyte death and sustaining immune activation. Recent evidence shows that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) deficiency and exogenous nitric oxide (NO) supplementation ameliorate psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice by reducing oxidative stress and constraining necroptotic signaling. These findings identify iNOS-derived NO as both a mediator of reduction–oxidation (redox) imbalance and a key regulator of necroptosis, thereby advancing mechanistic insight into psoriatic pathogenesis. Importantly, they highlight the iNOS–oxidative stress–necroptosis axis as a translationally actionable therapeutic target. Modulating necroptotic cell death through NO-based interventions may restore epidermal homeostasis and improve clinical …

Patient-Specific Lumped-Parameter Model For Quantifying Vessel-Specific Remodeling And Predicting Right Ventricular Function In Pulmonary Hypertension, Christopher G. Lechuga, Amirreza Kachabi, Mitchel J. Colebank, Claudia E. Korcarz, Farhan Raza

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous disease with patient-specific variability and vessel-specific remodeling, which eventually lead to right ventricular (RV) failure. The gold standard for RV assessment—pressure–volume (PV) loop acquisition—is invasive and limited to specialized settings. This study aims to develop a patient-specific lumped-parameter model that quantifies vessel-specific remodeling and simulates RV PV loops across PH phenotypes using routine clinical data.

Methods: A lumped-parameter model was calibrated using right heart catheterization and echocardiography data. Model agreement was assessed by R2 values for pressure and flow goodness-of-fit, and model-derived hemodynamic metrics were comparedwith clinical values. A dimensionality reduction approach was …

Characterization Of Ru(Ii) Polypyridyl Photosensitizers Bound To Tio2 Supports Through A New Covalent Metal-Ester Bonding Motif, D. M. S. C. Dissanayake, Christopher T. Lebarron, Laura C. Maybach, Joseph J. Kuchta Iii, Seyyedamirhossein Hosseini, Aaron K. Vannucci

Faculty Publications

The development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices involves the attachment of molecular photosensitizers onto solid supports. Particularly significant to this work are PECs that rely on ruthenium-based photosensitizers on high band gap metal oxide (MOx) supports. In this study, we have explored a new ester binding motif (MOx-ester) to covalently attach a ruthenium polypyridyl photosensitizer to TiO₂. This new MOx-ester photoanode is compared to the traditional photoanodes that utilize acid/base binding groups to attach the molecular Ru sensitizers to TiO₂. The new MOx-ester binding motif is characterized by cyclic voltammetry UV-Vis, solid state ¹³C NMR, and …

Psychological Resilience In The Covid-19 Response: A Systematic Review For Future Public Health Preparedness, Atena Pasha, Abdul-Hanan Saani Inusah, Jannatun Nayem, Xiaoming Li, Shan Qiao

Faculty Publications

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of psychological resilience for well-being. While several reviews have addressed resilience in specific populations or contexts, few have synthesized global literature across diverse populations. This review examines psychological resilience across diverse populations, focusing on measurement, associated factors, and future public health preparedness strategies. Method: Guided by the PRISMA, a thorough search of PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science was conducted in February 2024, including quantitative studies considering psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic published in peer-reviewed English journals from 2020 to 2024, using search terms relevant to psychological resilience and COVID-19. …

“When And Where [We] Enter…”? Intersectional Ideologies And Experiences In African American Support For Lgbtq+ Communities, Monique L. Lyle, Todd Shaw

Faculty Publications

This article examines how intersectional ideologies and experiences of marginalization affect the extent to which African Americans support or oppose the marginalization of LGBTQ communities. We posit that awareness of the race-gender positionality of African American women, as well as the unique positionalities of other marginalized African American subgroups, is critical to understanding the conditions under which Black Americans embrace LGBTQ rights and communities. Using the Black respondent subsample of the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Study, we test the extent to which intersectional theories explain African American cross-group consciousness with LGBTQ persons and support for LGBTQ rights and communities. In …

Community Synchrony In Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Is Unrelated To Environmental Variability But Differs Among Functional Feeding Groups, Anthony J. Pignatelli, Tad Dallas

Faculty Publications

Environments are becoming increasingly more variable, as a function of climate change. As this occurs, species may be exposed to conditions outside their preferred range. Such variability in the environment can influence community abundance as individual species respond either similarly (synchronous dynamics) or differently (asynchronous dynamics) to each other. These fluctuations in abundances are important for understanding the impact of environmental variability on species temporal fluctuations in aquatic macroinvertebrates. This group of organisms is species-rich and highly sensitive to environmental fluctuations. We analyzed 18 stream macroinvertebrate communities sampled by the National Ecological Observatory Network between 2014 and2022 to understand how …

Green Runs: Colorado Cannabis Sales During Ski Season, Joshua H. Hess, Isabellle Bassock

Faculty Publications

This study examines the impact of ski tourism on Colorado’s retail marijuana (RMJ) sales, leveraging county-level sales data and ski resort characteristics. Using a two-way fixed effects model, we analyze seasonal variations in RMJ sales across counties with differing ski resort acreages. Our findings indicate that ski resort counties experience significant increases in RMJ sales during peak ski months (December–March), with the most prominent effects observed in counties with the largest ski resorts. The largest ski resort county– Summit County– sees an estimated seasonal increase of $4.35 million in RMJ sales. We estimate the isolated extra-state ski tourism effects and …

Recalibrating The Risk Of False Confession Wrongful Convictions: Interrogation Tactics And Inverse Probability, Scott M. Mourtgos, Ian T. Adams

Faculty Publications

False confession wrongful convictions (FCWCs) are a serious failure of the criminal justice system. Although scholars have identified interrogation tactics thought to elevate this risk, existing research rarely estimates the population-level probability that legally permissible methods will produce an FCWC. Instead, inference relies on outcome-selected case series and laboratory diagnosticity ratios that ignore base rates and the far larger universe of interrogations without false confessions. This article offers a methodological recalibration. We formalize the outcome-selection problem and apply inverse probability logic to derive posterior FCWC risk integrating base rates, sensitivity, and specificity. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we synthesize available empirical …