Digital Commons Network^™

Quality Improvement Project Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Institute For Healthcare Improvement’S Joy In Work Framework On Burnout Experienced By Dialysis Staff, Bernice Jones

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Burnout continues to pose a pervasive and escalating challenge in healthcare, with its severity further amplified in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dialysis professionals are especially vulnerable, facing elevated patient volumes, extended work hours, and frequent encounters with complex clinical needs. These ongoing stressors highlight the critical importance of this quality improvement (QI) project, as there exists an urgent need for evidence-based strategies to alleviate burnout among dialysis professionals. This QI project aimed to enhance joy in the dialysis work setting and reduce burnout experienced by dialysis staff through the implementation of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Joy …

Development Of Policy Related To Test Anxiety In High-Stakes Environment, Jancy J. Sabu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Many nursing students experience test anxiety (TA) due to the highly stressful learning environment and the high-stakes nature of nursing exams. A community college in Texas has experienced an increase in student attrition from 2018 to 2022, primarily due to course failures, which are linked to TA. Expressive writing (EW) is a proven intervention that allows students to write about their anxieties and fears related to exams, helping them to regulate their emotions and manage TA. This project aimed to develop a policy that implements EW as an intervention and incorporates it into the nursing syllabus. Using the Centers for …

Feasibility Of A Novel Combined Treatment For Apraxia Of Speech, Claire Evans Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a disorder of articulation and prosody interrupting the spatial and temporal planning and/or programming of speech movements and commonly co-occurs with aphasia. Most AOS treatment research has used single case experimental designs (SCEDS) to document the effects of treatment. The strength of SCEDs is that they can demonstrate clear causal relations between intervention and behavior change. The most studied AOS treatment is an articulatory-kinematic treatment called Sound Production Treatment (SPT). This study was designed to examine the effects of a novel treatment, Sound Production Treatment in a Metrical- Paced Frame (SPTMF), on the speech production …

My A-T Pack: A Qualitative Study Of The Utility, Acceptability, Design, And Content Of A Family-Designed And Owned Information Pack Relevant To The Lives Of Children And Young People Living With Ataxia Telangiectasia, Lisa Bunn, Joanne Paton

School of Health Professions

BackgroundAtaxia Telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare genetic and progressive condition, primarily affecting the neurological, immunological, and pulmonary systems. In the absence of a cure, people living with A-T require co-ordinated multidisciplinary care to manage their complex needs. This often leads to families working with a range of different professionals and feeling burdened by the amount of information and coordination of care that they manage.With the aim to inform the co-production of a family-owned healthcare pack to promote person-centered care and self-management, this study explored the views of children with A-T and parents of children and young people with A-T about …

The Effect Of Hcv On Methadone Dose During Pregnancy, Sarah Boudova, Neel S. Iyer, Danielle M. Tholey, Jonathan M. Fenkel, Rupsa C. Boelig

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

Pregnancy is a time of high patient motivation to initiate treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Hepatic drug metabolism can be altered by pregnancy and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We aimed to examine the impact of HCV during pregnancy on methadone dosing. Retrospective chart review of all pregnant patients with OUD admitted for initiation of methadone from 1/2020-6/2022. Associations were examined using Student's T-tests, chi-squared tests, Fisher's exact tests and univariate and multivariate linear regression. We identified 191 pregnancies initiated on methadone, of which 188 were screened for HCV. 111 (59.0%) were HCV Antibody (Ab)+, of whom 108 were …

Indirect Dna Transfer To Duct Tape Rolls Stored In Cars, Yuching Chung

Student Theses

This project investigated the accumulation of DNA on duct tape rolls stored in cars. Specifically, we analyzed samples recovered from three areas (the inside, outside, and flat sides) of unused duct tape stored under the driver's seat and trunk of cars for seven days. Twelve volunteers were recruited, resulting in 64 DNA samples from 12 cars. We evaluated DNA quantities and STR genotyping outcomes after amplification with the GlobalFiler™ kit. On average, the DNA yields from under the driver's seat were higher than from the trunk, but the difference was not significant. The inside of the tape roll yielded significantly …

Dyadic And Multiparty Turn-Taking In Two Deaf Preschool Classrooms, Savannah Tellander

Theses

Conversational turn-taking skills are needed to succeed in most conversational interactions. Timing of turn-taking is crucial for young deaf signers, who need early, accessible, and consistent input in a signed and/or spoken language. For deaf children who acquire a language in either modality, they must acquire appropriate turn-taking skills. Without these abilities, children may miss critical language input, and in a cascading effect–they may miss opportunities both for input (and thus new knowledge) and expressive language. In addition to documenting deaf children’s turn-taking skills across development, it is important to also document timing data for further understanding of cognitive language …

Exploring Hepatic Stellate Cell-Driven Fibrosis: Therapeutic Advances And Future Perspectives, Alka Singh, Ansab Akhtar, Prashant Shukla

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Liver fibrosis, a progressive liver disease arising from viral or metabolic causes, poses a major global health challenge due to its potential progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the complex aetiology and epidemiology of liver fibrosis, most therapies fail in the clinic, and very few drugs have been approved by the US FDA. APPROACH: This review highlights the pathophysiological features of liver fibrosis, with a focus on novel targets in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), key players in the fibrogenesis process, to develop successful therapeutic approaches using both pharmacological agents and active targeting strategies. The review …

The Impact Of The Implementation Of A Code Lavender Stress Management Program On Post-Surgical Critical Care Nurses’ Stress, Solange Ngoundjou

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Post-surgical critical care nurses face a variety of stressful events when providing patient care. And there is a strong relationship between job stress, provision of patient care, patient satisfaction, and the overall well-being of the organization.

PICOT Question: For post-surgical critical nurses who are part of a stressful event (P), do evidence-based stress management strategies (I) compared to the current practice (C), reduce stress (O) within 8 weeks (T)?

Evidence: The evidence that guided this project change is based on John Hopkins’ nursing evidence-based practice model, and Lewin’s Change theory.

Intervention: The Code Lavender …

Artificial Ignorance: Understanding The Role Of Ai In Modern Agnotology, Amit Ray, Michael Nolan

Articles

This paper explores the concept of agnotology, the deliberate production of ignorance, within the context of modern scientific endeavors, particularly in the corporate and technological sectors. It examines how industries use various tactics to manipulate public understanding of scientific issues, often to protect profits and limit liability. The rise of private sector funding and the increasing reliance on technologies like AI and machine learning have exacerbated this process by making scientific inquiry more opaque and less accountable. Ultimately, we argue that as knowledge production becomes more entangled with corporate interests and technological systems, traditional methods of oversight and regulation are …

Gated Recurrent Unit With Decay Has Real-Time Capability For Postoperative Ileus Surveillance And Offers Cross-Hospital Transferability, Xiaoyang Ruan, Sunyang Fu, Heling Jia, Kellie L Mathis, Cornelius A Thiels, Schaeferle M Gavin, Patrick M Wilson, Curtis B Storlie, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ileus, a postoperative complication after colorectal surgery, increases morbidity, costs, and hospital stays. Assessing risk of ileus is crucial, especially with the trend towards early discharge. Prior studies assessed risk of ileus with regression models, the role of deep learning remains unexplored.

Methods: We evaluated the Gated Recurrent Unit with Decay (GRU-D) for real-time ileus risk assessment in 7349 colorectal surgeries across three Mayo Clinic sites with two Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. The results were compared with atemporal models on a panel of benchmark metrics.

Results: Here we show that despite extreme data sparsity (e.g., 72.2% of labs, …

Factors Influencing Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Vulnerable Communities In Texas: Perceptions Of 2-1-1 Helpline Callers, Lara S Savas, Paula Cuccaro, Kehe Zhang, Rodrigo Hernandez, Meghan E Haffey, Belinda Reininger, Anais Mendiola, Olivia Dominguez, Maribel Sifuentes, Cici Bauer, Maria E Fernandez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Vaccination effectively and safely prevents serious illness from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study examines the complex factors associated with vaccination uptake among economically disadvantaged adults calling the Texas/United Way 2-1-1 helpline. Results informed the development of strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality.

Material and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 2-1-1 adult callers (May 2021-September 2022). The survey examined demographic, sociocultural, healthcare access, and psychosocial factors, as well as mistrust in health agencies. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine factors associated with vaccination uptake, and …

Socioecological Factors And Age Of Diagnosis For Autism Spectrum Disorder Among U.S. Children, Richline Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As autism spectrum disorder (autism/ASD) diagnoses rise, understanding the influence of socioecological factors on the age of diagnosis among children in the United States is critical for timely intervention and improved quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine how socioecological factors influence the age at which children are diagnosed with autism/ASD. The quantitative causal-comparative design, which was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model, involved analysis of secondary data from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health (N=1416). Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that race and ethnicity moderated the relationship between socioeconomic status (caregiver educational and employment status …

Staff Education For Improved Diabetes Management: Enhancing Knowledge And Patient Outcomes, Carissa Martine Bolden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increase in patients’ hemoglobin A1c levels in a South Mississippi organization suggests that inadequate type 2 diabetes (T2DM) knowledge among the staff hindered them from delivering competent care. The gap in practice at the site revealed a deficiency in knowledge in nutrition education for healthcare providers and staff, which led to the practice question: Does educating providers and staff on nutrition for adults with type 2 diabetes improve knowledge, as evidenced by pre- and post-surveys? This educational initiative employed the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model, the John Hopkins evidence-based practice (JHEBP) model, the Walden University Doctor …

Effective Strategies For Mitigating Skills Gaps Postpandemic In The Automotive Industry, Neil Shah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate approaches to filling employee skill gaps can seriously weaken workforce stability and organizational performance. Canadian automotive sector leaders are concerned about the risk of persistent employment shortages, high employee turnover, and decreased productivity. Grounded in Alderfer's existence, relatedness, and growth theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore the strategies employed by Canadian auto manufacturers to address skill shortages in their workforce in the wake of the pandemic and subsequent digitalization. Six senior executives from Canadian auto manufacturers who led successful skill-development and retention initiatives participated in semistructured interviews, complemented by a review of …

African American Men's Perceptions Of Law Enforcement, Dr. Dedrie Reshell Leonard-Francis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American Black men are more likely to report unreasonable, unnecessary, and unwarranted experiences with U.S. law enforcement than men of other racial groups, and they higher mistrust toward law enforcement than any other racial group. These experiences have been described as unjustifiable due to the level of force used by police. In some cases, excessive force by law enforcement has resulted in the death of Black men. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore Black men’s perceptions of law enforcement and to understand their distrust. The study centered on the facilitators and barriers to Black men trusting …

Und Leads Implementation Team Meeting Agenda — August 4, 2025, University Of North Dakota

LEADS Implementation Documents

Agenda for the August 4, 2025 meeting of the UND LEADS Implementation Team. The agenda includes subgroup reports and discussion of Learning recommendations as part of the team’s ongoing data-informed recommendation development process.

The Confucian Path To Utopia : Liao Ping’S Theory Of Great Harmony, 1897–1918, Jiahui Dong

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Seeing utopia as “the expression of the desire for a better way of being” and a term that encompasses both the meanings of “good place” and “no place,” this thesis examines the theoretical interaction between Western utopianism and the concept of great harmony, or Datong, which emerged from the study of ancient Chinese classics. It focuses on the late Qing to early Republican period through the case of Liao Ping (1852–1932), a new-text Confucian scholar from Sichuan province, China. As an eminent scholar, Liao was deeply exposed to and influenced by Western concepts and literature during the time of …

Patient Engagement Strategies In Weight-Loss Programs, Olufunmilayo M. Bishop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Weight regain after pharmacological weight-loss interventions remains a pervasive challenge in primary care, with over 70% of patients reverting to baseline weight within six months. This quality improvement project aimed to enhance healthcare providers’ patient engagement skills to improve retention and long-term outcomes in weight-loss programs. A structured staff training program focusing on motivational interviewing, goal-setting, and barrier recognition was implemented among a multidisciplinary team. The program’s effectiveness was evaluated through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative pre- and post-assessment scores and qualitative staff satisfaction surveys. Results demonstrated a significant increase in staff knowledge, with average scores rising from 68% to …

Like A Scientist: A Method For Introducing Disciplinary Literacy In The Science Classroom, Elizabeth L. Kuperus

Masters Projects

To be literate within a particular area of study requires an understanding of the literary disciplinary norms practiced in that field. Within the science classroom, students are often expected to engage with scientific literature, yet are unable to fully grasp the material since they have not been taught the disciplinary literacies associated with science. This project evaluates research surrounding the area of scientific disciplinary literacy and suggests how it could be used to inform classroom instruction. Disciplinary literacy skills need to be explicitly taught and modeled to demonstrate how students can approach texts and other literacy practices as a scientist. …

The Need For Updated Curriculum, Krahseeva N. Hugmeyer-Walsh

Masters Projects

The modern world requires a workforce equipped with diverse, adaptable skills, yet many students remain unprepared due to outdated curriculum models that no longer align with current societal and professional demands. This project explores the growing disconnect between traditional educational systems and the skills needed in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world. Current curricula often emphasize theoretical knowledge over practical application, leaving students ill-equipped to navigate real-world challenges. This project also proposes the development of a modernized secondary-level curriculum unit that prioritizes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, ethics, and technological literacy. The proposed unit is designed to reflect student interests, promote engagement, and …

Exploring Parenting Students’ Experiences With Institutional Support Using The Loss/Momentum Framework, Paula Kwok Jung

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The California Community College system serves as the primary entry point for our marginalized student populations. According to Cruse et al. (2019), approximately 22% of nontraditional students in colleges and community colleges identify as student parents. Student parents are highly motivated to succeed in their academic journey. However, due to various factors including institutional barriers and the lack of support, it was found that only 37% of all parenting students complete a degree or certificate within six years, compared to 60% of non-parenting college students (Reed et al., 2021). Research has shown that institutional actions and support play a crucial …

Transforming Business Management Placement Students Into Teachers, Carl Evans, Paul Harrington

Plymouth Business School

A period of work placement is widely recognised to be one of the most effective ways to enhance an undergraduate’s employability and work-readiness. However, at present, the value of all the learning gained on the work placement remains with the placement student. The authors of this viewpoint paper propose an approach to widen the benefits of a work placement, by sharing an element of industrial or commercial knowledge gained with fellow undergraduates and with teaching staff, via a delivered teaching presentation. In doing so, brings work experience to a wider group of undergraduates and strengthens the link between education and …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 01, August 4, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Nemvaleukin Alfa Monotherapy In Patients With Advanced Melanoma And Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results From The Phase 1/2 Non-Randomized Artistry-1 Trial, Emiliano Calvo, Valentina Boni, Olivier Dumas, Sang Joon Shin, Seth D Rosen, Arvind Chaudhry, Philip R Debruyne, Xiaomin He, Ulka N Vaishampayan, David F Mcdermott

School of Nursing and Midwifery

BACKGROUND: Despite improved outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and their combinations in advanced solid tumors, a subset of patients remains unresponsive or progresses, highlighting an unmet need for novel treatments with durable benefit. Nemvaleukin alfa (nemvaleukin, ALKS 4230) demonstrated manageable safety and antitumor activity, alone and in combination with pembrolizumab, across heavily pretreated advanced solid tumors in the ARTISTRY-1 study. We report in-depth antitumor activity, safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of nemvaleukin monotherapy at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) in advanced melanoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cohorts from ARTISTRY-1.

METHODS: ARTISTRY-1 was a three-part (A, B, and C), …

Mechanistic Role Of Heavy Metals In Driving Antimicrobial Resistance: From Rhizosphere To Phyllosphere, Rahul Kumar, Tanja P. Vasić, Sanja P. Živković, Periyasamy Panneerselvam, Gustavo Santoyo, Sergio De Los Santos Villalobos, Adeyemi Nurudeen Olatunbosun, Aditi Pandit, Leonard Koolman, Debasis Mitra, Pankaj Gautam

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Heavy metal pollution represents a pervasive environmental challenge that significantly exacerbates the ever-increasing crisis of antimicrobial resistance and the capacity of microorganisms to endure and proliferate despite antibiotic interventions. This review examines the intricate relationship between heavy metals and AMR, with an emphasis on the underlying molecular mechanisms and ecological ramifications. Common environmental metals, including arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead, exert substantial selective pressures on microbial communities. These induce oxidative stress and DNA damage, potentially leading to mutations that enhance antibiotic resistance. Key microbial responses include the overexpression of efflux pumps that expel both metals and antibiotics, production of detoxifying …

Twelve Tips To Help Junior Faculty Review Medical Education Literature With Confidence, Abagayle Bierowski, Casey Morrone, Ridhima Ghei, Michael Pasirstein, Dimitrios Papanagnou

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Peer reviews play a critical role in maintaining the quality, credibility, and advancement of medical education scholarships. While many early career faculty members are eager to contribute to the peer review process, there are few formal resources available to guide them in how to approach this work effectively. This article offers 12 practical tips tailored specifically for junior faculty who are new to reviewing medical education manuscripts. These tips cover key aspects of the review process, including how to structure feedback, evaluate methodological rigor, assess alignment with journal aims, and communicate constructively with authors and editors. The guide also emphasizes …

Hemispherotomy For Drug-Resistant Epilepsy In Bilateral Sturge-Weber Syndrome: Illustrative Cases, Eveline Teresa Hidalgo, Eric A Grin, Yosef Dastagirzada, Nealen Laxpati, Judith Bluvstein, Julia R Schneider, Daniel Miles, Michal Tzadok, James Riviello, Howard L Weiner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a congenital neurocutaneous disorder characterized by angiomas of the face, choroid, and leptomeninges. Seizures in these children often present within the first 2 years of life. SWS is typically unilateral, but bilateral SWS occurs in approximately 15% of cases. Bilateral SWS is associated with earlier seizure onset and poorer cognitive, developmental, and functional outcomes. More than half of children with SWS develop drug-resistant epilepsy requiring surgical intervention. Hemispherotomy has been established as a successful treatment for unilateral SWS, but resective surgery has traditionally not been considered a treatment option for patients with bilateral disease.

Observations: …

Long-Term Follow-Up Of Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion: Results Of The V-Clip Multi-Center Post-Market Study, Elias Zias, Katherine G Phillips, Marc Gerdisch, Scott Johnson, Ahmed El-Eshmawi, Kenneth Saum, Michael Moront, Michael Kasten, Chanderdeep Singh, Gautam Bhatia, Hiroo Takayama, Ralph Damiano

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Comparative Outcomes Of Coil Embolization And Surgical Clipping In Elderly Patients With Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Yohanna Idsabella Rossi, Gabriel Bolner, Jonathan Costa Dall'acqua, Fabiana Dolovitsch De Oliveira, Lucas V. Zacaria, Taís L. Denicol, Michel Frudit, Natália Vasconcellos De Oliveira Souza

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Elderly patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) face a disproportionately high burden of morbidity and mortality. While endovascular coiling is often favored in this population, direct comparisons with surgical clipping are limited. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare outcomes of clipping versus coiling in SAH patients aged ≥ 60 years.

METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases identified studies comparing the two treatments in this age group. The primary outcome was a composite of unfavorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] > 2 and mortality). Secondary outcomes included mortality, favorable outcome (mRS 0-2), rebleeding, and hospital length …