Digital Commons Network^™

A. Vs. I In Ai: Is There A Threshold To "Engineered" Intelligence?, Joshit Mohanty

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite artificial intelligence reshaping the world, its development generates uncertainties regarding future capabilities. AI simultaneously exists as an artifact of engineering design and as autonomous intelligence, creating an observer-participant feedback loop. This paper proposes that embodied AI faces a bandwidth-limited intelligence threshold T_h that it arises from B = min(C_sens,C_Act). However, Shannon capacity measures bits while intelligence operates on concepts, necessitating a dual-channel model separating physical bandwidth B_io from representational capacity B_rep. Intelligence emerges as multi-dimensional rather than scalar, with components exhibiting different bandwidth dependencies. Surpassing T_h requires either new sensing methods expanding B, enhanced representational frameworks, or reconceptualization within …

A Three-Stage Causal Root-Cause Diagnostic Protocol For Nonstationary Industrial Time Series Data, Cansu Yalim, Resit Unal, Holly A. H. Handley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Predictive maintenance (PdM) systems effectively forecast failures, but they often fail to find root causes, particularly when system dynamics change over time. This limitation arises from applying static causal models or decoupled segmentation to handle nonstationary industrial time series. For regime-aware causal diagnostics and interventional effect estimation, we introduce a three-stage time-varying dynamic Bayesian network (TV-DBN) protocol. Using a minimum description length (MDL) objective that connects segmentation to mechanism changes, Stage I jointly infers change points and regime-specific graph structure. Stage II produces a completed partially directed acyclic graph (DAG) by orienting edges within each regime using a combination of …

Technological Interventions For Reducing Climate Change Impacts On Health: An Overview Of Future Possibilities, Sujatha Alla, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Bawa Singh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Globally, over five million deaths annually are attributed to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods, which create health crises and economic losses. The 2015 Paris Declaration emphasized climate technology mechanisms, including research and development, to enhance resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biotechnological advancements have mitigated about 20% of economic losses since the 1960s, highlighting technology’s potential to address climate-induced health risks.

Table Of Contents, University Of Colorado Law Review

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Silence For The Sake Of “Security”: Bop Regulations Stifle Incarcerated Journalism In Federal Prisons, Sydney Poppe

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

"The Reality Is, It All Came Back To Catch Us": Urban Population Increase And Water Conservation In The Arid West, Madison Dobson

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

2026 Winter - Friendly Correspondence Newsletter, Courtright Memorial Library

Friends of the Library

In This Issue:

• Fundraiser Updates
• Common Book
• FOL Board Updates
• Fall Program Review
• New Artist in Becker Gallery
• Library Mobile App
• Spring Events Calendar
• Otterbein Singers
• In Memoriam

Heat Misers, Snow Misers, And Cognitive Misers: The 'Nukewarm' Perceptions Of Nuclear Power, Tyler Williams

Dissertations and Theses

Rising energy demand in the United States necessitates alternatives to fossil fuels, yet renewable energy sources alone are insufficient to meet this demand. Nuclear power presents a promising option but faces persistent public hesitancy. This study examines how heuristic-based biases relate to American's risk-benefit perceptions towards nuclear power. Guided by the heuristic-systematic model. Results indicate that competence and affect are related to risk-benefit perceptions, and naturalness shows no relationship with risk perceptions but does correlate with benefit perceptions. Implications highlight the importance of affect-driven communication strategies for nuclear communicators, while also underscoring the need for participatory approaches that foster trust …

A Brief Measure Of Decisional Balance For Health Equity Engagement Among Health Professionals, Amanda Lee Almond

Publications and Research

Racial health and healthcare inequities are sustained in part by health professionals’ beliefs about the benefits and costs of equity-focused action, yet no validated decisional balance measure exists for this domain. This study introduces and evaluates the Health Equity Decisional Balance (HEDB) scale. Eighty-eight health professionals completed the scale of ten proposed items assessing perceived pros and cons of engaging with health and healthcare equity work, along with a measure of Anti-Racist Efficacy (ARE) (Eschmann et al., 2023). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the latent structure of the scale and its predictive validity. A …

Infection Control Across Clinical And Laboratory Dental Settings Protocols, Risks, And The Role Of Emerging Technologies, Khrystyna Vyprynyuk, Laura Andreesku

Publications and Research

This article explores infection prevention strategies and disease transmission pathways in dental settings, emphasizing the critical connection between clinical practice and dental laboratories. It highlights the risks of cross-contamination, disinfection and sterilization challenges, and the growing role of technology in enhancing infection control.

Challenging Stem Learning Spaces: The Paradigm Of Contemplative Traditions As The Bedrock Of Creativity And Healing, Raaghav Pandya, Christopher Emdin

Publications and Research

As the post-pandemic classroom and pedagogy evolve to remedy oppressive norms, young people’s mental health and alienation has taken front stage (Rahmani & Zitouni, 2022). Traditional STEM learning spaces often teach inquiry as a linear, non-deviated approach to problems about self and nature (Hrisa & Psillos, 2022). Furthermore, because our classrooms often strip students and educators of their inherent creative abilities through constant assessments, improvement scales, and market-driven expectations, classrooms cease to become places of healing (Pandya, 2021). Eastern wisdom traditions and their associated philosophies provide a unique pedagogical lens that emphasizes a deep inquiry into self, empathy, and creativity …

What Race Means For Health Among Black Americans: How Microaggressions Shape Self-Efficacy And Readiness For Behavior Change, Amanda Lee Almond

Publications and Research

Objectives: Persistent racial disparities in cardiovascular health among Black Americans reflect not only structural inequities in the United States, but also the racialized meanings of cardiovascular disease reproduced through public and private health communication. Drawing on ecological systems theory, this research examines how beliefs linking race and cardiovascular disease are reinforced through routine clinical interactions and how these meanings shape health behavior change. Method: Across two experimental mixed-methods studies, a model integrating ecological, social–cognitive, and behavior change frameworks was tested. In Study 1 (N = 374), health-message framing was experimentally manipulated to examine effects on self-efficacy and decisional balance while …

Teachers' Perspectives On Inclusive Education For Children With Special Needs, Abakah Francis, Ava-Gay Annakaye Morgan, Emmanuel Ogheneovo Sodje, Francis Dugbartey, Gabriel Lagbel, Okezie Chika Chibundu

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Inclusive education is widely recognized as a key approach to ensuring equitable access to quality education for children with special needs, requiring teachers to possess adequate knowledge, skills, and supportive resources. In the Nigerian context, particularly in private schools, gaps in teacher training, limited resources, and insufficient institutional support continue to hinder the effective implementation of inclusive education practices. This study investigates teachers' perspectives on inclusive education for children with special needs in Nigerian private schools. The primary purpose is to assess teachers' understanding of inclusive education, their familiarity with effective teaching strategies, and their preparedness to implement inclusive practices. …

The Presidential Address To The Association For Career And Technical Education Research: Cte Research Ecosystem Growing Scholars And Workforce Capacity, Michelle E. Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Career and Technical Education (CTE) research has advanced knowledge, strengthened communities, informed policy, and expanded pathways to opportunity for decades. As ACTER begins a new chapter, we are invited to imagine the future of our field beyond a linear pipeline. We can embrace a view of CTE research as a living ecosystem that grows talent, supports collaboration, and sustains discovery over time. This presidential address emphasizes three priorities for that future: applied research that reaches practice, mentorship that nurtures the next generation of scholars, and partnerships that ensure knowledge becomes action. By centering learners and communities in our work, we …

Infusing Authenticity Into A Service-Learning Program: Examining Long-Term Impacts On Professional Development, Mohan Yang, Jonathan Harbor, Belle Li, Jacqueline Nikiema

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Purpose

The employability of postgraduate students remains a critical concern in higher education, as postgraduate programs, particularly at the doctoral level, traditionally focus on disciplinary and research competencies. This leads to a lack of adequate preparation for employment, especially for non-academic roles. This study examines the long-term impacts of an authentic service-learning program on trainees' professional lives, with a particular emphasis on academia. This addresses the need for insight into the long-term impacts of initiatives that enhance postgraduate programs with opportunities for students to acquire transferable competencies prior to entering employment.

Design/methodology/approach

We adopted a narrative inquiry approach to investigate …

Debt Decisions: The Effects Of Paying For College In The United States With Student Loans, Kim E. Bullington, David J. Thomas, Minghui Hou, William L. Nuckols, Dennis E. Gregory, Joshua L. Howell, Kaycee L. Bills, Amy-Leah Joaquim

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Student loans have increasingly become a burden on individuals. This qualitative analysis explores how structural inequities and financial literacy gaps influence US student loan borrowers’ decisions to finance postsecondary education. The study highlights racial and economic disparities, examining participants’ reflections on debt aversion and systemic barriers to equitable access. We asked why participants took out federal student loans, asked about their decision processes when taking on debt, whether participants took any action to reduce accumulated debt, and if they’d made any discoveries about their decisions to take on student loan debt. After coding and a thematic analysis, five themes and …

Uncertainty-Guided Test-Time Optimization For Personalizing Segmentation Models In Longitudinal Medical Imaging, Jaehee Chun, Austin Castelo, Mckell Woodland, Caleb O'Connor, Mais Al Taie, Mohamed Eltaher, Aashish Gupta, Bilel Daoud, Shanli Ding, Jeddy Bennett, Anirban Maitra, Matthew A Firpo, Kimberly Kirkwood, Eugene J Koay, Kristy K Brock

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Accurate and consistent image segmentation across longitudinal scans is essential in many clinical applications, including surveillance, treatment monitoring, and adaptive interventions. While personalized model adaptation using patient-specific prior scans has shown promise, current approaches typically rely on fixed training durations and lack mechanisms to determine optimal stopping points on a per-patient basis, particularly in the absence of validation labels.

Purpose: We propose an uncertainty-guided test-time optimization (TTO) framework that dynamically adjusts the personalization duration for each patient using a validation-free stopping criterion based on predictive uncertainty.

Methods: Our framework personalizes a generalized segmentation model using patient-specific prior imaging and …

Reply To: Late Nonrelapse Mortality: A Hidden Risk In Triplet Therapy For Idh-Mutated Aml?, Jennifer Marvin-Peek, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Metastasis-Directed Radiotherapy For Oligometastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Of The Bladder And Upper Tract, Patrick Carriere, Omar Alhalabi, Jianjun Gao, Amishi Shah, Sangeeta Goswami, Matthew Campbell, Ruitao Lin, Lauren Mayo, Osama Mohamad, Karen Hoffman, Henry Mok, Charmaigne Lozano, Ashish Kamat, Neema Navai, Kelly Bree, Byron Lee, Charles Guo, Michael Rooney, Chad Tang, Seungtaek Choi, Comron Hassanzadeh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) for oligometastatic cancer is utilized for genitourinary malignancies including prostate and kidney cancers. Clinical research on MDT for urothelial carcinoma (UC) remains sparse, especially as systemic therapy advances have improved outcomes.

Objective: We investigated the role of MDT, specifically radiotherapy, for patients with oligometastatic bladder or upper-tract UC.

Methods: Data were collated on patients with metastatic UC with 5 or fewer metastatic sites undergoing MDT with ablative radiotherapy with or without preceding systemic therapy during January 2016 to July 2024. Endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards analysis was conducted to …

Balancing Nationalities In International Investment Law, Peter J. Spiro

Chicago Journal of International Law

How can you tell where someone is “from”?  Historically, an individual’s national identity was singular, starting with formal nationality. One’s national center of gravity was readily determinable. Not so today. Determining one’s primary national identification is no longer an easy thing in many cases. This is consequentially enabled by the growing acceptance of dual citizenship. One can openly identify as a formal member of more than one country in a way that was disfavored in the past.

International investment law, however, has not caught up to this reality. In an increasing number of international arbitrations, tribunals are shutting the doors …

The Territorial Independence Of Intellectual Property Rights, Aaron X. Fellmeth

Chicago Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Climate Change As A Security Interest: A Novel Defense In Fossil Fuel Investment Arbitration, Nabil Kapasi

Chicago Journal of International Law

Thousands of international investment and trade agreements contain provisions protecting investments made by parties from the signatory states. One such provision is Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), a mechanism allowing foreign investors to sue host states in arbitration for treaty violations. Fossil fuel investors are increasingly utilizing ISDS successfully to hold states liable for climate action; arbitral tribunals are awarding large compensations to these investors when states deny them permits for upstream activities or enact phase-out policies attempting to ban fossil fuel consumption. These awards impose heavy burdens on states while simultaneously deterring climate action by creating fears of liability. This …

Reducing Re-Hospitalizations Among Adult Residents In Skilled Nursing Facilities: A Guideline Project, Nicole Crooks

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Purpose: This project aimed to develop an evidence-based guideline to support early recognition of clinical deterioration and improve communication among SNF staff, with the goal of reducing avoidable rehospitalizations, and to evaluate stakeholder perceptions of the proposed recommendations. Methods: A literature review was completed to develop eight recommendations that were used to create a guideline and toolkit for the SNF setting. Six stakeholders evaluated the recommendations on a 4-point scale. Ratings were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Friedmans test. Results: Stakeholder ratings were favorable, with means ranging from 3.50 to 3.83. Recommendations 3 and 6 had the highest means …

Empowering Students To Engage With Climate Change Action: A Project-Based Module For Artificial Intelligence Literacy And Sustainability Thinking, Gabriel Granco, Yu Chen, Heather Macias, Yunfei Hou, Frank A. Gomez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

There is a growing need to prepare students to address complex environmental challenges, particularly climate change and the expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI). This article examines the adaptation of the Artificial Intelligence for Social Good (AI4SG) Ideation module, a pitch- and project-based teaching framework designed to integrate AI literacy and sustainability education. Implemented in an upper division climate change course, the module combines project-based learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and geographic thinking to guide students in developing community-oriented AI proposals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students were encouraged to approach their communities not through deficit lenses, …

Federal Protections For Farmworker Health In The United States: A Scoping Review Of Three Decades Of Research, Kaitlyn Alvarez Noli, Stephane Labossiere, Becca Berkey, Joseph G. Grzywacz

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Objectives: This scoping review characterizes the scope, methods, and framing of empirical research evaluating the Field Sanitation Standard (FSS) and Worker Protection Standard (WPS) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Labor respectively. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we identified empirical studies (1990–2024) assessing elements of either the FSS or WPS. Two reviewers screened and extracted study characteristics, designs, populations, and regulatory elements. Framing analysis of 1226 segments, identified using a large language model, from the studies' abstracts and introductions examined how authors conceptualized farmworkers' need for protection. …

Comparison Of Mental Illness Comorbidity Pre-Pandemic Vs. Pandemic-Era And Associations With Clinical And Demographic Characteristics For Virginia Public Hospital Inpatient Discharges With A Substance Use Disorder, Marilyn Bartholmae, Tharidu Gunawardena

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

The rise in mental illnesses after the COVID-19 pandemic is well documented. However, it is not known whether the rates of mental illness comorbidity increased. The objectives of this study were to compare mental illness comorbidity rates before and after the pandemic among inpatients with SUD and to test associations between mental illness comorbidity, physical illness, and demographics. We used a retrospective cross-sectional design in a sample of inpatient discharges (N = 233,017) at Virginia public hospitals from January 2018 to December 2022. We used Z tests to compare rates of mental illness comorbidity pre- and post-pandemic and Chi-square tests …

Assessment Of Skin In Patients With Systematic Sclerosis Using High-Frequency Ultrasound And Shear Wave Elastography: A Comparative Study With Histology, Molecular, And Clinical Parameters, Ruhani Desai, Filemon Tan, Minghua Wu, Jeffery L. Browning, Samuel Theodore, Meng Zhang, Brian Skaug, Harshdeep Singh Chawla, Manmohan Singh, Salavat Aglyamov, Kirill V. Larin, Maureen Mayes, Shervin Assassi

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: Ultrasound (US) has been proposed as a potential tool for assessing skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, a large-scale comparison of US-based assessment with histologic markers of skin fibrosis has not been reported. We evaluated US-based skin assessments for their face validity (differentiation between involved SSc and healthy control [HC] skin), construct validity (comparison to modified Rodnan skin score [mRSS]), and criterion validity (comparison to histologic and gene expression fibrosis markers).

Methods: Twenty HCs and 52 patients with SSc underwent clinical and US assessment followed by a forearm skin biopsy. Predefined areas were assessed on the finger, hand, …

Criterion Validity Of The Functional Status And Pain Assessment Scale Versus Pain And Length Of Stay In Hospitalized Adults With Scd, Wally R. Smith, Daniel M. Sop, Yue May Zhang, Margaret S. Guy, Rehan Qayyum

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objectives

In prior research we demonstrated face, construct, discriminant, and preliminary convergent validity of the newly developed, 10-item Functional Status Pain Assessment (FSPA) scale (0-50) in adult SCD patients hospitalized with VOC. We aimed in this study to further demonstrate criterion validity of the FSPA.

Methods

This was a prospective observational study of 561 daily functional and pain assessments from 91 hospitalized adults with SCD from January 2018 to June of 2019. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) Partial Least Squares (PLS) models determined the relationship between LOS, pain intensity, and FSPA. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to quantified the impact of …

Trends In Hypertension Prevalance And Control In The United States Over 25 Years, Omar Saleh, Neda Rehan, Saleh Mostafa, Rehan Qayyum

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Despite sustained public health efforts, hypertension remains highly prevalent in the United States, with persistent disparities across demographic and socioeconomic groups. We examined 25-year trends in hypertension prevalence, undiagnosed hypertension, and on-treatment uncontrolled hypertension in the United States using nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from adults aged ≥18 years. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥130 mmHg, diastolic BP ≥80 mmHg, or current antihypertensive use. Undiagnosed hypertension was defined as elevated BP without prior diagnosis or treatment, while on-treatment uncontrolled hypertension was defined as diagnosed hypertension with BP ≥130/80 mmHg despite treatment. Survey-weighted generalized linear …

Aggressive Natural Killer Cell Leukemia: A Rare And Rapidly Progressive Hematologic Malignancy—Case Report And Literature Review, Jennifer Priessnitz, Ali Hariri, Yuliya Levkiavska, Kyle E. Bonner, Stephan I. Fisher, Joshua M. Sill

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia (ANKL) is a rare, fulminant hematologic malignancy characterized by neoplastic proliferation of mature NK cells. It is frequently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, although EBV-negative cases have also been reported. While typically observed in young to middle-aged adults of East Asian descent, increasing recognition has led to identification of ANKL across diverse age groups and ethnicities. The disease is defined by a rapid clinical course and poor prognosis, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis and effective treatment. We present a case of a 71-year-old Caucasian male who developed fever, altered mental status, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, …