Digital Commons Network^™

Translating Predictive Models Into Clinical Practice: Fast-And-Frugal Trees For Postoperative Delirium Using Routine Data, Odette Wegwarth, Felix Balzer, Sebastian D. Boie, Niklas Gisa, Anika Müller, Jan K. Woike, Claudia D. Spies, Helge Giese

School of Psychology

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a frequent and serious complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Although predictive models for POD exist, they are rarely implemented in routine clinical practice, partly due to their complexity and data requirements. Simple and interpretable tools based on routinely available data may improve clinical applicability. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated Fast-and-Frugal Trees (FFTrees) for predicting POD using routine electronic health record data from 61,150 surgical patients treated between 2017 and 2020 at a large German university hospital. We assessed the transferability of previously developed FFTrees and compared their performance with logistic regression, classification …

Dnp Final Report: Can Implementing A Mindfulness-Based Program Help Reduce Stress In Nursing Students?, Shelby Devreeze Msn, Rn, Cpn, Cne-Cl

DNP Final Reports

Stress among nursing students is a well-documented problem that contributes to physical, mental, and emotional issues, substance abuse, and program dropout. A mindfulness-based stress reduction program was implemented with nursing students to evaluate its impact on perceived stress levels over a five-week period. A review of evidence-based articles provides strong evidence that this intervention correlates with reduced reported stress. An MBSRP was implemented with nursing students who completed a Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10) before the intervention and again after five weeks.

Results from this project showed a statistically significant reduction (t=2.725, p=0.025) in stress among the nursing student population …

Prompt Engineering For Lawyers: We Will Add Your Distinctiveness To Our Own: Iterative Refinement And Prompt Chaining, Cliff Mckinney

Arkansas Law Notes

In the last edition, we explored two advanced prompt engineering techniques, chunking and few-shot prompting. In this edition, we will examine two more useful techniques: iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining. Iterative prompt refinement involves repeatedly rephrasing and refining questions to lead to a better response. Prompt chaining involves guiding the artificial intelligence through related multi-step reasoning.

At first glance, iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining may seem like the same concept, but the key difference lies in their approach. Refinement improves a single prompt through repeated adjustments, whereas chaining links a series of prompts together to tackle different stages …

Exploring Occupational Therapy’S Role In Addressing Mental Health Disparities And Emergency Service Utilization Among Homeless Populations: A Comprehensive Review, Megan Darnell

Capstone Projects

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession focused on enabling individuals to engage in meaningful activities and roles through a client-centered approach. This doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was completed in the Emergency Department (ED) at Bronson Methodist Hospital, where individuals experiencing homelessness frequently present with unmet mental health needs. A gap was identified in the accessibility and utilization of community-based mental health and social resources, contributing to repeated ED utilization. The purpose of this DCE was to examine how resource provisions impact the frequency of ED visits and engagement with community mental health services among this population. Objectives include developing …

Advocating For Occupational Therapy Services In Adult Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinics: Enhancing Interprofessional Collaborative Care, Hannah Peyerk

Capstone Projects

The topic of this capstone project is to define occupational therapy’s (OT) role at an adult outpatient physical therapy (PT) clinic. The project focuses on advocacy and education related to OT’s scope of practice and role on an outpatient interdisciplinary team. Literature suggests that healthcare professionals have limited understanding of OT’s specific roles on the rehabilitation team. This can impact referrals and involvement of OT in interprofessional collaboration. The best way to advocate and educate about OT’s role is by active collaboration with other healthcare professionals. This project takes place at Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy (Ortonville), an outpatient PT clinic …

Role Of Occupational Therapy In Hippotherapy And Therapeutic Riding: A Mental Health Perspective, Ava Morrison

Capstone Projects

The purpose of my doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was to gain knowledge about the unique role that occupational therapy (OT) plays in equine-assisted therapy at the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center, with an emphasis on Therapeutic Riding. Equine-assisted therapy, including hippotherapy and therapeutic riding, is an emerging area of occupational therapy practice that promotes physical, cognitive, emotional, and social well-being through structured interactions with horses. Despite growing evidence supporting the therapeutic benefits of equine-assisted interventions, confusion remains regarding the distinctions between hippotherapy and therapeutic riding, highlighting the need for increased education and advocacy within the field. In addition, there is a …

On Humans And Ai: A Financial Reporting Dilemma, Jeremy Bertomeu, Edwige Cheynel, Radhika Lunawat, Mario Milone

Olin Business School Faculty Research

This study examines the resolution of ethical dilemmas in financial reporting by human participants and large language models. Participants act in the role of a CFO deciding whether to discontinue a prior policy with biased reporting; however, the bias is known and corrected by investors whereas a change may temporarily mislead investors. We find that models are less amenable to competing ethical considerations than humans, and exhibit greater preference for truthful reporting. Moreover, they respond with greater consistency to institutional ethical guidance, while humans become more indecisive under pressure from management. The models exhibit more internal coherence between their moral …

Becoming Laser-Focused On Sustainability Leadership In Higher Education Institutions, Ray F. Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This dissertation explored leadership responses to integrating sustainability into higher education institutions (HEIs). Specifically, it compared statistical differences between self-perceptions of leadership and student, staff, and faculty perceptions regarding leadership effectiveness for sustainability in two Florida based HEIs: one holding a sustainability certification and one without such certification. In response to a shortage of survey instruments regarding this topic, I produced a new instrument to assess perceptions of leadership sustainability, made statistical comparisons between these two institutions to inform others of those perceptions, and synthesized several leadership components into a proposed change process identified as the Attitude Based Cognitive Dissonance …

A Study Of Library Web Pages In Websites Of Government Degree Colleges In Telangana State, Dr. Mohammadi Asra Sultana

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries are an indispensable part of higher educational institutes. Academic websites provide us a virtual tour of the college. Library web pages in a college website are an important tool through which the students can be reached out to showcase and promote print and electronic resources, services, library activities, etc. The present study has been taken up to study the web pages of the websites of Government Degree Colleges in Telangana. Maximum number of colleges has uploaded information in their Digital Library button, followed by Library Services, Library Collection and Library Profile. A few colleges have uploaded information in other …

A Statewide Study Of Burnout Among School Board Members, Nicole V. Schilling, Kyle Wagner, Taylor N. Pawliski, John Gillham

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Statement of the Problem: School board members maintain influential power in public school systems, yet they face political turmoil, community backlash, and role ambiguity (Plough, 2014). While this stress has increased in recent years, little to no research has been conducted on them (Diem et al., 2015).

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to explore P-12 school board member burnout.

Methodology: The researchers requested P-12 school board members complete the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) which addresses three constructs: 1.) personal burnout, 2.) work-related burnout, and 3.) client-related burnout.

Findings: The school board member participants …

Rural Community Perspectives On Hurricane Helene In Western North Carolina, Jennifer A. Horney, Lilly Moreau, Search Wnc

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: After making landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast in September 2024, Hurricane Helene impacted Western North Carolina (WNC) with historic flooding, landslides, and hurricane-force winds. More than 100 deaths in the region were attributed to the storm’s direct impacts.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess community perspectives of long-term recovery in Mitchell and Yancey Counties, two rural WNC counties severely impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Methods: A 14-question interview guide was developed based on prior disaster research and the community engagement work of Sustaining Essential and Rural Community Healthcare (SEARCH). Questions covered post-Helene experiences related to access …

Exploring Systemic Challenges In The Western North Carolina Dental Safety Net: A Qualitative Analysis, Blaire Mirmow, Bill Milner, Nadia Laniado

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Despite statewide growth, rural communities in Western North Carolina (WNC) face persistent barriers to oral health care driven by chronic dental workforce shortages and systemic geographic disparities. Within this Appalachian region, the dental safety net serves as a vital yet strained support system, struggling with limited financial resources and a lack of provider participation that leaves many underserved populations without essential oral health services.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the experiences of individuals working within the WNC dental safety net to identify barriers and strategies required to strengthen the delivery of oral health care in high-need rural settings. …

The Effects Of Hurricane Helene On Mental Health And Physical Activity, Hunter Smathers, Robyn York, Jarrett Walbolt

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Hurricane Helene brought widespread damage to Southern Appalachia, disrupting utilities, health care, and recreation. While natural disasters are linked to declines in mental and physical health, few studies have examined their effects on distinct types of physical activity (PA).

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of Hurricane Helene on perceived stress, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology, and intentional (exercise for health benefits) and incidental (physical labor or transportation) PA. Evacuation status influence was also explored.

Methods: Twenty participants completed assessments four weeks before (BASE), immediately after (0POST), and four weeks after landfall (4POST). Measures included the Perceived …

Pengaruh Status Sosial Ekonomi Orang Tua, Pendidikan Pengelolaan Keuangan Keluarga, Dan Pembelajaran Di Perguruan Tinggi Terhadap Literasi Finansial Mahasiswa, Irin Widayati

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengkaji pengaruh langsung maupun tak langsung status sosial ekonomi orang tua, pendidikan pengelolaan keuangan keluarga, dan pembelajaran di perguruan tinggi terhadap literasi finansial. Data dikumpulkan dengan melalui tes dan angket. Teknik analisis data dengan analisis jalur dan analisis regresi dengan uji selisih mutlak. Hasil penelitian adalah terdapat pengaruh langsung maupun tak langsung status sosial ekonomi orang tua, pendidikan pengelolaan keuangan keluarga, dan pembelajaran di perguruan tinggi terhadap literasi finansial.

Tindak Immediacy Guru Dalam Pembelajaran Di Sekolah Dasar, Ahsan R. Junaidi

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Fokus penelitian ini adalah: (1) bagaimana manifestasi tindak immediacy guru di sekolah dasar dalam konteks meningkatkan keterlibatan emosional siswa dalam berbagai situasi pembelajaran; (2) bagaimana motif tindak immediacy guru dalam pembelajaran di sekolah dasar. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan mengikuti tradisi penelitian phenomenology. Pengumpulan data melalui observasi dan wawancara mendalam. Sumber data penelitian adalah lima orang guru dan dua belas siswa. Analisis data kualitatif merujuk pada empat tahap analisis data pada interpretative phenomenological analysis. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa tindak immediacy guru di SD dimanifestasikan dalam lima tindakan, yaitu (1) memberi penghargaan, (2) memberi sentuhan, (3) membantu siswa, (4) sikap …

Improving The Students' Skill In Writing English Abstract Through The Directed Writing Activity (Dwa), Sigit Budisantoso

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Every year, most of the fifth-semester students in the Accounting Department, State Polytechnic of Malang always had a problem in writing English abstracts. This study was intended to improve students’ skill in writing English abstracts through the Directed Writing Activity (DWA). This research is a collaborative classroom action research. The data were collected through students’ portfolios, questionnaires on the students’ responses, and the observation sheet on the teacher’s performance. The assessment was done by evaluating the students’ portfolios, the students’ responses on the DWA implementation in their classroom, and the observation on the teacher’s performance. After evaluating all the data, …

Emily Brontë'S Wuthering Heights In Indonesian Version: Lulu Wijaya's Translation Strategies And Inappropriateness Explored, Maria Lucia Luciana

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This study is aimed at providing the answers to the two research questions proposed. First, it is to examine the strategies used by Lulu Wijaya in translating Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Second, it is to explore how inappropriate Lulu Wijaya’s translation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is. The research data were obtained from both the English and the Indonesian versions of the novel under discussion. The data were then analyzed dealing with the translation strategies and the researcher’s suggested translation version for the inappropriate translation. The suggested translation version was later validated by two validators to make sure that the …

Factors Contributing To Learners’ Autonomy In Efl Reading, Sri Endah Tabiati

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This study aims to discover factors that assist learners develop their autonomy in EFL reading. The approach employed is qualitative involving EFL learners in an English Department of the Faculty of Cultural Studies, Brawijaya University Malang. There are two stages in the study: the subject selection stage intended to gain potential subjects and the main study intended to find the answer of the research questions. The findings of the study show that the autonomy of EFL learners in reading is influenced by 14 internal and 14 external factors. These factors appear to happen naturally. It seemed that autonomy in reading …

Communication Strategies Employed By Efl Learners In A Speaking Class

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The present study explored verbal and nonverbal communication strategies (CSs) employed by learners both as message senders (speakers) and as message receivers (listeners) in English in a speaking class. It employed a qualitative design with an ethonography of communication approach in a limited situation setting (speaking class). Thirty two students taking Speaking II subject at the English Education of IKIP Mataram were selected by using a purposeful technique. The techniques used to collect data consisted of non-participant observation and video recording. The research findings showed that there were eleven verbal CSs employed by message senders and six nonverbal. Furthermore, on …

Um Ethnobotany Garden: Transcriptions To Sustain A Living Legacy, Hannah Hornyak

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

This capstone project produces a status report for the University of Montana (UM) Ethnobotany Garden to facilitate continuity of care and long-term stewardship. As the garden’s primary caretaker and author of this report prepares to graduate, a significant amount of site-specific and institutional knowledge and management experience is at risk of being lost. The objective of this project is to document operational, cultural, and ecological knowledge in a format that supports future caretakers and garden leadership.

The project uses a knowledge-transfer approach, drawing on personal records and experience, including field notes and observations, alongside existing documentation gathered from UM staff. …

Expanding University Of Montana's Contract Management System, Brooke Odenthal

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The University of Montana is currently losing millions of dollars due to their lack of efficiency and oversight on contracts. There are many contracts that affiliates of the university have signed without authorized oversight. Without the correct oversight, the university ends up signing multiple contracts for the same product. This also leads to members of the university wrongly giving away valuable data and information to companies without properly signing contracts. All of their contracts are scattered across campus, some signed correctly and some not. These documents are stored in various offices, departments, and using a mix of storage systems. This …

Section 9 Of The Endangered Species Act (Esa): History Of Harm, Maxwell Lee Hirrill

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Since its passage, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has held the unofficial title of the strongest law for environmental protections. This Act, passed in 1973, contains powerful language, with one word standing out among them all: "take" found in section 9. Section 16 U.S.C. § 1532(19) defines take as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct." The definition of harm has been interpreted in different ways over the years, with some interpretations granting it more power and others limiting it. A particular point of contention within the …

Late-Time Miri Imaging Of Sn 2011ja Reveals High Cold Dust Mass, Aiden G. Agostinelli, Benjamin C. Radmore

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Using new JWST MIRI images, we constrain the mass of dust around SN 2011ja long after explosion. SN 2011ja is a Type IIP core-collapse supernova (CCSN) in galaxy NGC 4945. The SN is difficult to identify in the MIRI images, so we apply an alignment routine which matches bright stars between MIRI and Spitzer images to locate the correct point source. Dust masses for SN 2011ja have previously been estimated at 105, 486, 637, 857, 881, 1007, and 1332 days post-explosion. These new MIRI images were taken at day 4241. We perform PSF photometry and fit analytical dust models to …

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies In Prom Administration For Persons With Aphasia, Tyra Kucinski

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies in PROM Administration for Persons With Aphasia

Tyra Kucinski, Allison Marr, Emilia Waters

Introduction: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that impairs speaking, listening, writing, and/or reading, with intelligence remaining intact. Aphasia also disrupts mental health, quality of life, and communicative participation. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized questionnaires that allow patients to reflect on their functional health status, providing insight into how persons with aphasia (PWAs) perceive their condition and/or the treatment they are receiving. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide a number of supportive communication strategies to ensure accuracy of patient responses on PROMs …

Combating Overdose: Production And Analysis Of Fentanyl Specific Antibodies, Elizabeth J. Florian

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Fentanyl overdose deaths are on the rise from both intentional use and accidental exposure. Our work focuses on identifying additional treatment options to Narcan, an opioid receptor antagonist which reverses overdose effects by receptor competition. One alternative method, that has been approved by the FDA, is the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This therapeutic method works by antibodies binding fentanyl in the bloodstream and preventing it from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Our group has begun identifying mAbs by vaccinating mice with a fentanyl hapten (F1) vaccine adjuvanted with a TLR 7/8 agonist. Vaccination leads to the production of antibodies that …

Firefly, Hannah Bailey, Kyle Krstulich, Stellios Bonadurer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Prescribed fires are deliberately conducted to reduce hazardous fuel loads, mitigate wildfire risk, and sustain ecosystem function. Their operational effectiveness, however, is limited by sparse real-time environmental sensing, inadequate situational awareness, and latency in decision support, factors that impede accurate forecasting of fire spread, smoke emissions, and associated safety hazards. This project proposes developing a prototype Internet-of-Things platform, FireFly, that addresses these limitations through distributed, multimodal sensing and on-device machine-learning inference. The system will deploy low-power sensor nodes measuring wind direction and speed, soil moisture, air quality, temperature, and humidity during controlled burns. Each node integrates an edge-computing unit capable …

Recency Vs. Frequency: Contrasting Controls On Soil Carbon Cycling After Wildfire In Subalpine Lodgepole Pine Forests, Declan Clark, Kimberley T. Davis, Dalton Brantley, Jacob Baldner, Meredith Zettlemoyer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Wildfires in western United States conifer forests have increased in both frequency and severity due to human-caused climate change, with important but poorly constrained implications for carbon (C) cycling in these ecosystems. The largest pool of ecosystem C in forests is belowground, though much of it is insulated against direct combustion from fire. Therefore, understanding how changing wildfire regimes influence ecosystem C requires not only quantifying soil C pools to capture direct effects but also evaluate the indirect and legacy effects of fire on C cycling, including changes in microbial C processing.

To evaluate the direct and indirect fire effects, …

All Teeth No Rakers: The Legacy Of Timbersports At The University Of Montana, Chloe F. Brown

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

My project is focused on the history of the University of Montana Woodsman Team. I have been a competitor on the Team for three years and throughout that time I have heard murmurs of our history but have never seen any in-depth information about our existence at the school. My goal with this project is to create an easily accessible way for current team members and alumni to learn about the Woodsman Team’s place on campus as well as in the Missoula and greater timbersports community. The outcome of this project will be a short book that includes sections on …

Gαi Megabodies As A Structural Scaffold: Complexing Megabody Ca15960 And Δn31g⍺I, Sylvie-Aganoti T. Tower

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a major and diverse group of membrane receptors, are responsible for transducing extracellular signals (ligands) to activate intracellular metabolic pathways. In fact, over a third of FDA approved drugs target GPCRs. Research on GPCR activity contributes significantly to pharmacology and medicine. Signal transduction results in a conformational change activating guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) by exchanging GDP for GTP. G proteins form heterotrimers consisting of alpha (𝜶), beta (β), and gamma (γ) subunits. From a Gαi specific nanobody (~15 kDa), we have derived 3 megabody constructs ranging in molecular weight from ~55-100 kDa. Megabodies …

Examining High School Students' Comprehension Of Miranda Vocabulary, Madeline Durrant, Eddy Manning

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Introduction. The Miranda warnings are intended to protect individuals' constitutional rights during police interactions, but their effectiveness depends on whether the language is understood. Research suggests that legal vocabulary embedded in these warnings may be inaccessible to many vulnerable groups, including adolescents.

Research Questions. How well do high school students with typical language skills comprehend the legal vocabulary in the Miranda warning? Are MVS scores correlated with language test scores? Are MVS scores correlated with completion of a civics course?

Methods. Thirty high school students completed the Miranda Vocabulary Scale (MVS), a measure in which participants were asked to define …