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Posts by Joshua Barbour

I think it’s time we all think very seriously how much of the internet and online life in general we’re willing to give up to shut down the panopticon.

Doesn’t look like there’s a future with both tech and tech regulation. Looks increasingly like safety means being offline.

3 days ago 12 7 0 0
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What is informational is relational: How close relationships are implicated in information quality concerns In this article, I argue that research on information quality and its effects has focused too much on the individual effects of (mis/dis) information and not enough on both the relational factors a...

📢 New research shows misinformation doesn't just warp beliefs — it breaks relationships.

"When information is partisan and personal, the health of our relationships becomes inseparable from the health of our democracy."

@emilyvanduyn.bsky.social

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

1 month ago 0 1 0 0
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‘Unbelievably dangerous’: experts sound alarm after ChatGPT Health fails to recognise medical emergencies Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases

Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

1 month ago 1274 723 43 186

Quick PSA for all mid-career academics and above: people may be citing articles with your name on them that don't exist.

2 months ago 162 66 7 21
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Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

2 months ago 48307 19770 1367 809
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Here's a time-lapse from yesterday as thousands of people marched through downtown Minneapolis to protest ICE.

📷️: Sydney Lewis/The Minnesota Star Tribune

2 months ago 2421 953 39 88

I'm really glad we bought all those guidebooks, we made the right person our guide. ❤️

4 months ago 154 17 4 0
picture of journal article:: title: Noninferiority and Efficiency/Revenue Facilitation (NERF) Endpoints Shifting Grounds of Argument in Health AI Interventional Studies; abstract: This article investigates ethical hazards associated with argumentative shifts following the emergence of combined non-inferiority and effi-ciency/revenue facilitation (NERF) endpoints, with particular attention to research on artificial intel-ligence (AI) in health and medicine. The study pre-sented here adopts a Toulmin argumentative analysis approach to investigate the dominant persuasive log-ics of twenty-three health AI trials evaluating NERF endpoints. In so doing, the article demonstrates how the argumentative logics of NERF trial reports shifts away from health outcomes as the putative evidence base for adopting novel interventions toward an argu-mentative model that prioritizes economic benefits over patient benefits. Ultimately, the article argues that new logic of NERF endpoints is consistent with and risks accelerating the harms to patient care that arise from increased financialization of the healthcare sector. If the use of NERF endpoints and attendant logics continue to grow unchecked, they could result in significant harms to patient health and well-being.

picture of journal article:: title: Noninferiority and Efficiency/Revenue Facilitation (NERF) Endpoints Shifting Grounds of Argument in Health AI Interventional Studies; abstract: This article investigates ethical hazards associated with argumentative shifts following the emergence of combined non-inferiority and effi-ciency/revenue facilitation (NERF) endpoints, with particular attention to research on artificial intel-ligence (AI) in health and medicine. The study pre-sented here adopts a Toulmin argumentative analysis approach to investigate the dominant persuasive log-ics of twenty-three health AI trials evaluating NERF endpoints. In so doing, the article demonstrates how the argumentative logics of NERF trial reports shifts away from health outcomes as the putative evidence base for adopting novel interventions toward an argu-mentative model that prioritizes economic benefits over patient benefits. Ultimately, the article argues that new logic of NERF endpoints is consistent with and risks accelerating the harms to patient care that arise from increased financialization of the healthcare sector. If the use of NERF endpoints and attendant logics continue to grow unchecked, they could result in significant harms to patient health and well-being.

🚨new pub - Noninferiority and Efficiency/Revenue Facilitation (NERF) Endpoints: @jadeshiva.bsky.social, @kimberharrison.bsky.social & I explore how NERF endpoints prioritize financial incentives over patient outcomes in health AI research & accelerate culture of financialized health. rdcu.be/eQzJe

5 months ago 7 4 0 0
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Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.

This is not a deal — it's an empty promise.

Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.

Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

5 months ago 12114 3367 550 280
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Submit to our special issue Hybrid Organizing for Social Good: Implications for Communication. 3/31/26

journals.sagepub.com/page/mcq/202...

5 months ago 1 0 0 0
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On Saturday, the American people will rise up again for a truly historic day of defiance. Make your plan to be part of the biggest day of peaceful protest in modern US history: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i... #NoKings

6 months ago 943 401 22 25

Two minutes out!! Drop on by for a visit.

6 months ago 81 21 8 0

How can local news thrive?
A study by @EmilyVanDuyn and @TaliaStroud finds that engaged journalism — where journalists connect more directly with communities — may be part of the answer.

6 months ago 3 3 1 0

A lot of people think that every international student admitted means one fewer spot for domestic students, when the opposite is more likely true - the tuition revenue international students bring allows public universities to provide substantial discounts to domestic students, improving access.

6 months ago 5834 1682 81 64
Green and gold flyer announcing an award presentation

Green and gold flyer announcing an award presentation

I’m doing a thing at @sacstate.bsky.social today. #sacstate #research #nerdalert

6 months ago 4 1 0 0
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AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities Large language models reflect biases that can lead to inferior healthcare advice to female, Black and Asian patients

AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities on.ft.com/46ILa9z

7 months ago 33 19 1 10

Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.

sbgi.net/tv-stations/

7 months ago 19591 9867 502 443
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How to Lead Conversations within a Highly Polarized Political Context. Advice for teachers and leaders of all kinds about how to communicate for democracy

How to Lead Conversations within a Highly Polarized Political Context.
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

7 months ago 133 58 10 4

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.

This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.

All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

7 months ago 60909 17616 1751 710
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New Issue Alert! Introducing the JoC Special Issue: Qualitative Theorizing and Methodological Advancements, edited by Kristina M. Scharp, Elizabeth A. Hintz @elizabethahintz.bsky.social and Sandra Vera Zambrano
Check it out here: academic.oup.com/joc/issue

7 months ago 3 2 0 0

Illinois is now the number one state in the Midwest to work in.

This ranking reflects our work in making Illinois the best state in the nation to do business, raise a family, and thrive.

7 months ago 2674 510 51 17
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Republicans have tossed the rulebook out.

Here in Illinois, we will do whatever it takes to preserve democracy.

8 months ago 2293 552 85 42
ACES researcher acclaimed as national leader in agricultural innovation | College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences | Illinois A scientist in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Congratulations to UIUC's own Dr. Kaiyu Guan who is receiving national recognition for his groundbreaking work in food security and environmental sustainability!

8 months ago 12 4 0 0
The Art of Science
The Art of Science YouTube video by Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois

Will Barley! youtu.be/8u8GB44WuDg?...

9 months ago 2 0 0 0
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What Happens When You Trade Doomscrolling for Hopescrolling Our phones have become misery machines. Hopescrolling can change that.

What Happens When You Trade Doomscrolling for Hopescrolling: Doomscrolling turns our phones into misery machines—and makes us see the world as a mean, scary place. Here's what happened when Jennifer Mercieca's students tried hopescrolling instead
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/what-happens...

9 months ago 198 73 13 22
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed three sessions under the same condition. In a fourth session, LLM users were reassigned to Brain-only group (LLM-to-Brain), and Brain-only users were reassigned to LLM condition (Brain-to-LLM). A total of 54 participants took part in Sessions 1-3, with 18 completing session 4. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load during essay writing, and analyzed essays using NLP, as well as scoring essays with the help from human teachers and an AI judge. Across groups, NERs, n-gram patterns, and topic ontology showed within-group homogeneity. EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use. In session 4, LLM-to-Brain participants showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement. Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.

This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed three sessions under the same condition. In a fourth session, LLM users were reassigned to Brain-only group (LLM-to-Brain), and Brain-only users were reassigned to LLM condition (Brain-to-LLM). A total of 54 participants took part in Sessions 1-3, with 18 completing session 4. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load during essay writing, and analyzed essays using NLP, as well as scoring essays with the help from human teachers and an AI judge. Across groups, NERs, n-gram patterns, and topic ontology showed within-group homogeneity. EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use. In session 4, LLM-to-Brain participants showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement. Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.

Looks like oral exams after LLM use may not be the easy fix some are hoping for. arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872

10 months ago 19 10 3 4
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Huge congratulations to my brilliant Rutgers colleague Sophia Fu for receiving the #ICA25 Early Career Scholar Award!

So glad to see her important work recognized with this prestigious award!

10 months ago 7 1 0 0
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Ten actions every one of us can take to defend democracy Every sector of society is under threat. We must work together.

Ten actions every one of us can take to defend democracy
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

11 months ago 201 79 4 9
Research on policy mechanisms to address funding bias and conflicts of interest in biomedical research: a scoping review

Thanks to a great team: Quinn Grundy, Nandini Sharma, @jadeshiva.bsky.social, @barbourjosh.bsky.social, Justin Rousseau, @zoltanmajdik.bsky.social, and Lisa Bero

Read article here: rdcu.be/elVHg

11 months ago 4 3 0 0
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Interprofessional Communication in Health and Social Care This is an Open Access book.This book aims to fill that gap by offering practitioners, policy makers, interprofessional curriculum builders, and students

Excited to share open access to this new book edited by Drs.
Stephanie Fox, Kirstie McAllum, Leena Mikkola. Dr. Cassidy Doucet and I contributed a chapter. If you’re interested in professions, healthcare organizing, or interprofessional communication, check it out! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

11 months ago 3 0 0 0