Digital Commons Network^™

A Follow-Up Study On The Clinical Impact Of Pre-Registration Extended Immersive Ward-Based Simulation, Hugh Davies, Sue Robertson, Deb Sundin, Elisabeth Jacob

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To explore how extended immersive ward-based simulation influenced graduate nurses’ experiences six-months post-registration. Background: Graduates of nursing training programs are expected to enter the workforce meeting the role of a registered nurse. Extended immersive ward-based simulation has been adopted by nurse educators as a means of easing the transition to professional practice. To what degree transfer of learning occurs from these experiences is yet to be determined. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was used to conduct a series of face-to-face focus groups. Methods: Participants were nine former students who had participated in a series of ward-based simulation workshops before …

Simulation Of Polymerization On Surfaces: Implications For Abiogenesis, Sylvia Greene

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

How did life arise from the prebiotic conditions of the early earth? This problem has vexed scientists for decades with no consensus on its solution. Significant spontaneous formation of biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids in the aqueous phase appears to be improbable due to thermodynamic constraints. It has been proposed that mineral surfaces could have served as a catalyst for the initial formation of biopolymers. However, the feasibility of this mechanism has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, a particle simulation of polypeptide formation on surfaces is developed to assess the feasibility of this mechanism. Elementary processes …

Reducing First-Year Nurse Turnover In The Emergency Department: A Simulation-Based Onboarding Program, Melissa Smith Bsn, Rn, Allison Condon, Hannah Watts Md, Facep, Chse

Scientific Day

No abstract provided.

Feesability Of Laryngeal Endoscopy Simulation Labs In Student Training: A Scoping Review, Anna Thut

Student Research Symposium

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) involves passing a flexible endoscope through the nose and down the throat to provide a detailed view of the throat, airway, and vocal folds. With the scope in place, people can eat and drink, allowing the clinician to evaluate for safe swallowing. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) use FEES for diagnostic evaluation and to gauge therapy progress and effectiveness. Simulation training on a low or high-fidelity model may provide a bridge for SLP graduate students to gain competency before being introduced to FEES in a clinical setting. This review aims to gather evidence on the use …

Simulating Information And Communication Applications In Employee Interaction Network Models, Matthew Kanter

Student Research Submissions

Information and communication technology (ICT) use has been identified throughout its development and evolution with the Internet boom as a net positive tool for most employees and organizations in the working world. Only recently have studies regarding employees’ well-being begun to come to the forefront of research regarding these rapidly evolving technologies, however these are important issues to discuss in the context of work-life boundary management, emotional exhaustion, overwhelming stress levels, and moral disengagement among other employee well-being dimensions. To explore how employees’ well being might be influenced by ICT use, this study conducted a quantitative survey and analyzed a …

Minimally Invasive Tissue Extraction: Continued Growth Through Simulation For Obgyn Residents, Angela Frankel, Md, Mph, Melanie Hotz, Md, Patrick Teefey, Md

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Posters

Background

• Minimally invasive surgery often requires tissue morcellation for extraction of large surgical specimens.¹
• Surgeon comfort with tissue morcellation in gynecologic surgery is vital in providing a minimally invasive (MIS) approach.
• However, OBGYN residents often feel underprepared to perform this skill independently.²
• While practicing tissue morcellation in the OR is ideal, simulation has been shown to improve resident technical skill without risking increased operative time or associated morbidity.³
• This intervention seeks to build upon a prior simulation exercise, with the ultimate goal of improving OB-GYN resident self-reported comfort with minimally invasive tissue extraction.

Designing Efficient And Equitable Freight Services Markets For Sustainable Economic Performance, Arim Park, Mark Rodgers, Soohyun Cho

American Business Review

Despite the indispensability of freight trucking services and truckers’ role as critical stakeholders in supply chains, relatively little attention has been paid to analyzing small independent truckers’ roles. Shippers often prefer working with larger trucking companies to the detriment of smaller independent truckers, who must grapple with an inherently disadvantageous job market. Furthermore, in the presence of uncertainty or peak demand periods, trucker shortages can pose significant economic challenges for shippers and downstream customers. In this paper, we propose an analytical framework to address these challenges in efforts to enhance the sustainability of the freight service industry. We formulate and …

The Analysis Of Mechanical Exfoliation Of Graphene For Various Fabrication And Automation Techniques, Lance Yarbrough

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mechanical Exfoliation of Graphene is an often-overlooked portion of the fabrication of quantum devices, and to create more devices quickly, optimizing this process to generate better flakes is critical. In addition, it would be valuable to simulate test pulls quickly, to gain insight on flake quality of various materials and exfoliation conditions. Physical pulls of graphene at various temperatures, pull forces, and pull repetitions were analyzed and compared to the results of ANSYS simulations, solved for similar results. Using ANSYS’ ability to predict trends in exfoliations, flake thickness and coverage using stress and deflection analyses were investigated. Generally, both strongly …

Advancing Game Development And Ai Integration: An Extensible Game Engine With Integrated Ai Support For Real-World Deployment And Efficient Model Development, Ryan Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis introduces Acacia, a game engine with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Acacia allows game developers to effortlessly incorporate Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms into their creations. By tagging game elements to convey information about the game state or rewards, developers gain precise control over how RL algorithms interact with their games, mirroring real player behavior or providing full knowledge of the game world.

To showcase Acacia’s versatility, the thesis presents three games across different genres, each demonstrating the engine’s AI plugin. The goal is to establish Acacia as a preferred resource for creating 2D games with RL support without …

Integrating Galectin-3 Into A Computational Model Of Cardiac Fibrosis Progression, Adam Pieratt

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiac fibrosis, a large contributor to heart failure, is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix in response to stress or injury. There are no approved treatments for cardiac fibrosis, and targeting specific species involved creates complex problems for drug development, so a computational model of the cardiac fibroblast signaling network can be used to observe the interactions involved in the progression of cardiac fibrosis. In this paper, a new protein called galectin-3 is integrated into this existing model, and connections are established to expand the coverage of the network. The additions are described, simulated using Netflux biological system simulation software, …

Emotional Intelligence And Srna Success Utilizing A Sim Experience, Melody Gassoway, Kaleigh Peters

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) face many challenges in meeting the rigorous demands of their doctoral-level training. Research demonstrates that high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) contribute to SRNAs’ academic and clinical success and improve patient safety and quality of care. Simulation is emerging as an educational tool to enhance the EI skills of students training in highly stressful professions and demonstrates promising benefits for SRNAs, such as improved decision-making, critical thinking, self-awareness, and self-regulation (Moriber & Beauvais, 2017; Dix et al., 2021). This doctoral project aimed to determine the efficacy of a high-fidelity simulation for strengthening the EI skills …

Procedural Sedation Training: Competency Verification Through Simulation, Christine Hawknuff

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A 450-bed tertiary hospital in Central Illinois lacked a standardized process for competency verification for procedural sedation care by registered nurses (RNs). Despite recommendations by many organizations, there are no consistent or standardized guidelines for verifying competency in nursing care of the procedural sedation. This project implemented a Procedural Sedation Training Course which comprised an in-person prelearning lecture, a group simulation learning experience, and an individual verification of competency through simulation.

Fifty-six RNs completed the Procedural Sedation Training Course and demonstrated competency through simulation, and 24 of these RNs completed a procedural sedation within the eight-month pilot period. Qualitative and …

Proof-Of-Concept For Converging Beam Small Animal Irradiator, Benjamin Insley

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The Monte Carlo particle simulator TOPAS, the multiphysics solver COMSOL., and

several analytical radiation transport methods were employed to perform an in-depth proof-ofconcept

for a high dose rate, high precision converging beam small animal irradiation platform.

In the first aim of this work, a novel carbon nanotube-based compact X-ray tube optimized for

high output and high directionality was designed and characterized. In the second aim, an

optimization algorithm was developed to customize a collimator geometry for this unique Xray

source to simultaneously maximize the irradiator’s intensity and precision. Then, a full

converging beam irradiator apparatus was fit with a multitude …

Comparing North American Professional Sports League Season Formats Using Monte Carlo Simulation, Lathan Gregg

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Each NFL, NBA, and MLB season consists of a regular season, in which teams play a set number of scheduled games and a playoff, in which qualifying teams compete for a championship. At the conclusion of each season, teams are ranked based on their performance throughout the season. This study aims to investigate the ability of each league's season format to accurately rank teams using Monte Carlo simulation. Matches between two teams are simulated by using the team’s assigned strength ranks to calculate a winning probability for each team. The winning probabilities are simulated with different skill values, dictating how …

Evacuation Of Students With Intellectual Disability In Building Fires: A Three-Part Methodology, Haley Hostetter

All Dissertations

People with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in building fires. Despite this, they have traditionally been overlooked by fire evacuation researchers. This is perhaps the most alarming for the group with Intellectual Disability when given their present statistics for fire involvement, injuries, and death. Annually, people with mental disabilities are involved in 1700 home fires, resulting in 39 fatalities and 122 injuries per 1000 fires. Additionally, 40% of these fires were started intentionally by people with mental disabilities. When combined with their high fire risk, the lack of evacuation research focused on people with Intellectual Disability shows …

Novel Vector Assignment Approach For Inherent Strain Modeling Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Manufacturing, Lucas M. Morand

All Dissertations

The expansion of the design space due to additive manufacturing (AM) has been a large motivator for the success of this family of processes. Despite the complexity of the physics in metal laser powder bed fusion AM causing significant stresses and strains in finished parts, the design advantages and subsequent performance improvements continue to drive the expansion of AM. Because the trial-and-error approach to AM part development is cost prohibitive, simulation of prints has become crucial. However, full thermo-mechanical simulation is susceptible to the same pitfall of time and computational cost in order to attain part-scale results. The development of …

Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality In Anesthesia Machine Education, Heather Milder, Rachel Geisendorfer

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The anesthesia machine is an essential part of anesthesia practice, as it connects the patient to the provider and provides a constant stream of vital information. Therefore, the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) should be trained to utilize and troubleshoot the anesthesia machine to deliver high-quality patient care. Education about the anesthesia machine begins with Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) through various learning opportunities. Immersive virtual reality simulation has emerged as a potential educational aid to engage active learners. This project aimed to determine the effectiveness of utilizing the immersive virtual reality simulator SIMVANA for first-year Southern Illinois University Edwardsville …

Simulation And Self-Efficacy In The Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist: A Quantitative, Causal-Comparative Study, Joseph Craig Kiesznowski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if simulation training causes a significant increase in clinical self-efficacy in Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Simulation training in healthcare has been found to improve patient safety and has become a major tenet of nurse anesthetist education. Self-efficacy has been shown to correlate with improved clinical performance. This study builds on the research involving simulation training and clinical self-efficacy in the SRNA population. A convenience sample of SRNAs was taken from 49 different graduate nurse anesthesia programs across 13 different states. The Schwarzer and Jerusalem General Self-efficacy scale was used to …

The Advancement Of Experimental And Computation Tools For The Study Of Molten Salt Chemistry To Facilitate The Extraction Of Strategic Elements In Nuclear Applications, Michael Stoddard

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear energy presents environmental benefits, yet the challenge of radioactive waste management persists. Advanced solutions, such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), require a more profound understanding of molten salt chemistry. This research aims to develop tools, including a depletion simulator, molten salt electrochemical simulator, and a fluoride-based thermodynamic reference electrode for electrochemical purification. The computationally inexpensive depletion simulator allows for exploration into extraction and processing strategies for molten salt reactors. An illustrative case study on Mo-99 production from MSRs demonstrates the practical application of the theoretical framework, emphasizing the need for optimization in extraction effectiveness and separation difficulty. The electrochemical …

The Lived Experiences Of Student Nurses During Simulation Of Perinatal Loss, Paloma Alejandra Peña

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate nursing students in providing care following a perinatal loss simulation. The theories that guided this study included Malcolm Knowles’ Theory of Andragogy and the National League for Nursing Jeffries Simulation. The selected theories provide structure for adult learners’ need to experience situational learning activities that are relevant to their job while building upon the foundation of students’ knowledge. Incorporation of Knowles’ and Jeffries’ theories guides the qualitative study of the simulation of a perinatal loss and the experiences of nursing students in providing care during …

Increasing Medication Administration Simulation To Improve Student Confidence And Performance Skill Level, Jessica Landry-Lyons

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Objective: Medication errors continue to occur in healthcare settings across the globe impacting patient morbidity and mortality. With nurses being at the forefront of the medication administration process, it is crucial that thorough training and ability to correctly administer medications start early in nursing education. This includes ongoing education and effective utilization of technology and safeguards. Building confidence in medication administration skills is essential for their success in a demanding healthcare environment. If students are able to participate in more MA experiences through simulation, will they feel more confident with the skill? The purpose of this study investigated the potential …

Optimization Of Human Interactions In The College Campus Model Via Simio Integration, Benjamin E. Chaback

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

College campuses are a significant part of life in some cities. Many students each year attend university, pursuing additional knowledge from faculty members. Both staff and faculty members rely on these students to have successful jobs and to ensure the university functions. Yet recently, more and more students are attending, leading to overcrowding, lower admission rates, and difficulty getting into good programs. Previous work exists on qualitative student affairs and quantitative retention data, yet little on using simulations to model this problem. This work aimed to (a) Determine the ability to successfully model human interactions/people flow on a college campus, …

Adaptive Control Of An Aeroelastic System For Active Flutter Suppression And Disturbance Rejection, Patrick Sterling Downs

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The future of aircraft design strives for lighter weight, more aerodynamically efficient structures. These improvements may come with the drawback of increased structural flexibility and elevated aeroelastic effects, often resulting in a lower flutter speed. This motivates the implementation of advanced control methods to control aeroelastic systems over a range of flight conditions, suppress and delay the onset of flutter, and compensate for disturbances, actuator dynamics, and unmodeled nonlinear dynamics.

This dissertation first develops a novel method for constructing time-domain simulation models of two and three-dimensional aeroelastic systems, resulting in models that are suitable for the implementation of state-space control …

Improving Emergency Department Nurses Communication Self-Efficacy With Underrepresented Populations Through Cultural Humility Training, Nikki L. Graham

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Problem Description: The chasm of health inequality for underrepresented populations in the United States is growing, despite advances in healthcare and increased life expectancy. Disparities span the age and healthcare continuum for underrepresented populations, with increased mortality and morbidity rates in nearly every category. Non-white residents in Cook County face the same challenges. Historical lack of trust creates a reluctance to seek healthcare among Black populations, but when they do, they are disproportionately dissatisfied with their care, receive less aggressive treatment, and report higher levels of uncontrolled pain. Nurses, as the largest body of healthcare professionals, are uniquely positioned …

Interprofessional Simulation And The Development Of Professional Identity Using Asynchronous Teaching Methods, Benjamin Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This study aimed to explore whether virtual, asynchronous interprofessional education (IPE) improve interprofessional attitudes as defined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies and develop student professional identity. Healthcare professionals are highly specialized providers that often interact and overlap with other providers to help treat patients. Literature shows that stressful environments and a lack of understanding of roles can lead to conflict, but successful interprofessional collaboration leads to improved patient care. This study used a mixed method approach, creating a virtual, asynchronous viewing of a simulation within the school’s education platform Moodle as the intervention. The video was of …

Physician Assistant Students' Attitudes Toward Satisfaction And Self-Confidence In Learning Of Summative Standardized Patient Simulations In Relationship To Their Prior Healthcare Experience Hours And The Number Of Formative Assessments: A Quantitative Predictive Correlational Study, Juanita W. Skillman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlational study aimed to determine if there is a relationship between the criterion variable of physician assistant students' attitudes of satisfaction and self-confidence in learning among the linear combination of the predictor variables of prior healthcare experience hours and the number of formative assessments before the summative assessment. The experiential learning theory guided this study and is valuable to physician assistant programs because the data obtained on students' perceived attitudes is crucial to improving future student simulation experiences in which competencies are measured and compared against outcomes standards set by accreditation bodies. The study included 136 …

Using Cuticular Wax Alkanes And Computer Simulation To Estimate Diet Selection, Herbage Intake And Nutrient Cycling In Grazing Sheep, H Dove, R J. Simpson

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In grazing ewes, plant cuticular wax alkanes were used as markers to estimate diet selection, herbage intake, N intake and N excretion in faeces. Pasture and animal data were then used as inputs to the decision-support system GrazFeed, which simulates grazing and digestion to predict herbage intake, N intake and N excretion. Estimated and predicted intakes agreed closely, especially for N intake, and it is concluded that, subject to further investigation of the possibility that GrazFeed slightly under-estimated faecal N excretion, the close agreement between estimated and predicted OM and N intakes suggests that this combined use of alkane methods …

Research On Influencing Factors Of Knowledge Transfer In Science And Technology Service Alliance Based On Service Innovation Chain, Meng-Meng Liu, Chang-Yun Li, Jing Wang

Journal of Science and Technology Management

The system dynamics model is constructed based on the knowledge transfer of science and technology service alliance,and the influence of various factors on knowledge transfer is determined to provide decision support for the government,alliance and its members while providing reference for the development of science and technology service alliance.Based on the perspective of service innovation chain,this paper analyzes the structure of science and technology service alliance and constructs the conceptual model of knowledge transfer process.On this basis,it carefully combs the influencing factors of knowledge transfer to construct the system dynamics model.Finally,the Heilongjiang Science and Technology Service Alliance is used as …

Performance Analysis Of Mobile Edge Computing Deployment Models In 5g Networks, Safaa Alali, Abdulkaim Assalem

Jerash for Research and Studies Journal مجلة جرش للبحوث والدراسات

5G networks and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) are two main pillars of the next technological revolution. The first pillar provides ultra-reliable, high-bandwidth connectivity with ultra-low latency, while the second pillar gives mobile networks cloud computing capabilities at the edge of the network, enabling compute-dense, context-aware services for mobile users. So the next generation of mobile networks will see close integration between computing and communication. Therefore, it was necessary to study the different deployment options for edge hosts in 5G network, to know the effect of those options on the overall performance of the network. In this research, (Omnetpp 6.0) network …

Fitness Correlates To Firefighter Job Tasks, Chaehyun Byun, Francesca Aquilino, Ernesto Balderrama, Raquel J. Cavazos, Shelby Gerner, Cheyenne Martinez, Austin Riffe, Vipa Bernhardt, Michael D. Oldham, Hussien K. Jabai

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Firefighters have their focus on rescuing and responding in any emergency and fire situations (Antolini, 2015). The demand for firefighting includes a need for both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, along with muscular strength, endurance, explosive power, and reaction time (Xu, 2020). PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between fitness assessments and job task simulations in firefighter cadets. METHODS: 21 firefighter academy students performed fitness assessments and job task simulations on different days. Fitness assessments included vertical jump, lateral medicine ball throw, push up, horizontal row, and 300-yard shuttle run. Job task simulations were …