Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Associated With Academic Outcomes And Leave Of Absence Among Health Professions Graduate Students, Laura Plummer, Emile Boutin, Hien Nguyen, Devashish Tiwari, Sanah Chatiwala, Deborah Altsher, Nara Gavini, Keshrie Naidoo

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the extent to which health professions graduate students' demographic, academic, and environmental factors influence time to graduation. It also aimed to explore the experiences of graduates who took a leave of absence (LOA), including their perspectives on the factors contributing to delayed graduation and the strategies that supported their reintegration and eventual success.

Methods: A mixed methods explanatory sequential design with the qualitative analysis providing deeper context to the quantitative data. The qualitative arm of the study utilized a phenomenological approach. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviations for the continuous variables, …

Letter From The Dean, Jeff Edwards

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Precision Metagenomics Reveals Microbial Landscape In Acute Upper Respiratory Infections: A Comprehensive Dataset, Sadia Almas, Rob E. Carpenter, Vaibhav K. Tamrakar, Anuradha Singh, Aditya Sharma, Rahul Sharma

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives The comprehension of the microbial composition in upper respiratory tract infections is pivotal for the progression of diagnostic and treatment methodologies. This article presents a dataset derived from Precision Metagenomic next-generation sequencing using hybridization capture-based targeted sequencing. Nasopharyngeal samples from 24 patients with acute URIs were analyzed using the Illumina®/IDbyDNA Respiratory Pathogen ID/ AMR panel. The dataset contains a wealth of information on the composition of the microbiota, including the relative abundance of known pathogens and their potential clinical significance. Data description This dataset serves as a valuable asset for future research in respiratory medicine, infectious disease epidemiology, antimicrobial …

Crossing The Theory Threshold: The Pedagogical Potential Of Generative Artificial Intelligence In Educational Research, Amanda Burbage, Jennifer L. Styron

EVMS School of Health Professions Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper presents findings from an educational research graduate course in which generative artificial intelligence (AI) was incorporated to strengthen learners' understanding of threshold concepts related to theoretical frameworks. Medical and health professionals often struggle with the transition from a clinical role into the educational research role.

Methods

The study posits that the use of generative AI will help learners understand and apply theoretical frameworks beyond a superficial level, furthering their understanding, constructing new knowledge, and strengthening their ability to develop sound educational research studies. Journal and AI transcripts were analyzed for 37 participants.

Results

Open-ended codes were grouped …

Black-Capped Chickadees: Place-Based Lesson Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Elisabeth Mulcahy

OER Materials

This place-based learning plan is designed for fifth-grade students to explore the Black-capped Chickadee and its relationship with the environment at the MSUM Regional Science Center. Through a curiosity walk, students will observe natural habitats, identify possible food sources, and investigate how energy moves through an ecosystem. Students will record observations in field journals and create a labeled model showing how energy travels from the Sun to plants and eventually to chickadees. The lesson follows the 5E Instructional Model to encourage questioning, exploration, and critical thinking. This learning experience is significant because it allows students to connect science concepts to …

Walking And Wondering, Helen T. Tran

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis approaches walking as a form of inquiry and the Flood Wall as a site open to reinterpretation. I believe that the way we walk changes the way we observe and experience the world around us. This contrast between purposeful and leisurely walking reveals how time and intention shape our awareness of space. When walking is no longer dictated by urgency, it invites observations and questions. Slowing our pace allows curiosity to emerge, which aligns with my design ethos of asking questions as a foundation for understanding and creating meaningful experiences.

The Flood Wall’s emphasis on uninterrupted movement prioritizes …

Timing And Stability Of Uav Operations In Smart City Environments: Experimental Analysis And Design Implications, Rabia Ipek Yasar

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the deployment and performance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the Virginia Commonwealth University Open Cyber City (OCC) testbed. The study focuses on evaluating real-time indoor positioning performance using the Crazyflie drone platform. High-precision position measurements are obtained using the Vicon motion capture system, enabling analysis of the latency between the drone’s actual position and the system-reported position. In a closed-loop control system, the time difference between the position measurement and the application of the control command is called the system delay. Both stationary (hovering) and trajectory-following experiments are conducted to evaluate system performance. Communication delays in …

The Making Of Modern Kentucky, Melanie Beals Goan

Open Educational Resources

Kentucky has always been something of an enigma, never fitting neatly into regional categories of north, east, south, or west. It is a borderland, and its unique blend of glitz and glamour juxtaposed with its rough and wild reputation continue to make it a place that is hard to pin down. Designed for college students, both those born here and those who are making the state their temporary home, this book provides an introduction to Kentucky's history, moving beyond simplistic stereotypes to consider the forces that have shaped its development over more than two centuries.

The book can also be …

Colorful Flower Amenity, Soula Gianakopoulos

Student Publications

This Showpiece Amenity was based on the class template but the colors came from my own inspiration. I took color inspiration from a more natural, realistic flower as well as my mom's favorite color, which is purple. I really enjoyed making this showpiece, and I'm excited to see what I create in the future.

Industrial Wheat - Amenity, Gray Vega

Student Publications

The theme and concept of this showpiece was a modern industrial wheat design. It takes rusty beams and screws, and an elegant flower, and fuses them together, with the finishing touches of the wheat stalks at the top.

January 2026 Library News, University Libraries

Library News

No abstract provided.

External Validation Of A Knowledge-Based Clinical Toxicology Consultant For Diagnosing Single Exposures, Hugo Lerogeron, Joel D. Schipper, Jay L. Schauben, Laurent Guéguen, Valentine Lacotte, Kim An Nguyen

Publications

Introduction

Clinical prediction models assist healthcare providers in estimating disease likelihood using multiple patient-specific factors. While these models are increasingly used, few undergo the essential process of external validation, which limits their clinical utility. In toxicology, timely diagnosis is crucial and expertise scarce, making knowledge-based systems an excellent choice to support medical decision making. A knowledge-based system developed using data from the Florida Poison Information Center Network has shown promise but lacks external validation. This study aims to evaluate its performance using data from the Lyon Poison Information Center to assess its generalizability

Methods

To externally validate the Florida diagnostic …

Ai Is For Alma Implementation: Evolution Of Finding Ex Libris Documentation, James M. Day

Publications

Those of us who administer the Ex Libris Alma Library Services Platform for our institutions often need help with procedures for configuring or customizing Alma and its related applications: Alma-D, Leganto, Rapido, Primo, Summon, Analytics, etc. The way we have done this has evolved over the years. This paper reviews how methods for finding Ex Libris documentation online have changed, even as older methods are still in use today.

Artificial intelligence chatbots are changing the way we access information, including software application help. A recent Alma implementation project at my university provided the perfect opportunity to put a new, fully …

Alpacas: An Evaluation Methodology For No- Or Low-Cost Course Materials, Heather Leonard

Publications

Evaluating no- or low-cost course materials is a key concern for those supporting affordable learning initiatives. This article will review the current needs of researchers in no- or low-cost course material, the methods currently available to guide them, and a new method I have designed to specifically address needs that current methods cannot. This method, ALPACAS (Apt, License, Provenance, Accurate, Currency, Authority, and Sources), combines insights from several other well-known methods to assist librarians, course designers, and instructors in finding appropriate no- or low-cost course materials. For each item in ALPACAS, I will break down why it is important and …

Biphasic Remodeling And Trabecular-Cortical Uncoupling In The Jawbone During Antiresorptive Therapy And Medication-Related Osteonecrosis: A Quantitative Imaging Analysis, Ling-Ying Wei, Jun-Ching Lee, Ching-Ming Chiu, Sang-Heng Kok, Hung-Ying Lin, Wei-Yih Chiu, Hao-Hueng Chang, Shih-Jung Cheng, Jang-Jaer Lee

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Although antiresorptive therapy (ART) is crucial for managing oncology-related skeletal complications, it carries a risk of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Because conventional radiography relies on subjective interpretation, detecting early necrotic transition remains challenging. This study aimed to establish objective, quantitative imaging criteria for jawbone remodeling and MRONJ onset by evaluating 2D fractal dimension (FD) and 3D CBCT cortical thickness under zoledronic acid or denosumab therapy.

Materials and methods: Panoramic radiographs and CBCT scans of cancer patients receiving zoledronic acid (ZA, n = 155) or denosumab (Dmab, n = 168), and healthy controls (n = 95) were analyzed. …

Keratin 18 As A Cytoskeletal Regulator Of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Plasticity And Prognostic Risk In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tuan-Yu Kao, Hsuan-Chao Lin, Chien-Wei Lai, Julia Yu-Fong Chang, Feng-Chiao Tsai, Jang-Jaer Lee, Jean-San Chia

Journal of Dental Sciences

Background/purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) shows poor survival, and conventional staging does not fully capture biologic aggressiveness. Keratin 18 (KRT18) has been linked to malignant progression in epithelial cancers, but its prognostic and biologic significance in OSCC remains unclear. This study investigated whether KRT18 expression is associated with aggressive invasion patterns and adverse outcomes in OSCC, and whether KRT18 contributes to epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity-related malignant phenotypes.

Materials and methods: Eighty-eight non-irradiated OSCC specimens obtained after primary surgical resection at National Taiwan University Hospital were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Associations between KRT18 expression and clinicopathological variables were assessed, and survival was evaluated …

Digital Impression Workflows And Mucosal Considerations In Removable Complete Dentures, Fu-Chuan Tsai, Hsin-Hua Chou, Takashi Saito, Wei-Chun Lin

Journal of Dental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Brewed Differently: Comparing Subheading Use In Embase And Medline, Cynthia M. Schmidt, Danielle Westmark

Posters and Presentations: Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library

This project compared MEDLINE and Embase indexers' use of therapy subheadings and discusses the implications for literature searching. Objectives Our long experience with MEDLINE searching and attendance at NNLM-sponsored PubMed training sessions taught us to depend on specific patterns of subheading use by MEDLINE’s indexers. For instance, we learned to expect that drug trials would be indexed with a drug heading combined with a therapeutic use subheading. Our library licensed EMBASE in 2012. We soon began to suspect that subheading application was not as predictable in EMBASE as it was in MEDLINE. We wanted the recommendations we provide novice EMBASE …

Longnose Dace: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Madison Tillman

OER Materials

This lesson will be used to help students create connections with specific traits of the Longnose dace and why the traits are beneficial for their environment. This lesson uses the 5E model and should be used at the MSUM Regional Science Center to help provide real-life examples and encourage inquiry.

Silver Leaves On The Prairie: Investigating What Prairie Sage Needs, Taylor Lau

OER Materials

In this place-based lesson, fifth-grade students investigate a living prairie sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) plant, native to the Moorhead, Minnesota area, during a curiosity walk at the MSUM Regional Science Center. Aligned to Minnesota benchmark 5L.1.2.1.3, students collect at least three pieces of evidence, including measurements and observations of sunlight and soil, to show that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. Using the 5E model, students connect their findings to photosynthesis and Van Helmont’s willow experiment, then write a claim, evidence, and reasoning response about the conditions prairie sage needs to grow …

Using A Multimedia Icu Diary To Support Patient Recovery And Enhance Family Engagement In The Medical Intensive Care Unit Primary, Eliza Palow

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

The purpose of this project was to design and implement a multimedia ICU diary incorporating QR-coded educational tools to support patient and family engagement, improve understanding of the ICU environment, and enhance emotional orientation and recovery during and after hospitalization.

The Fundamentals Of Care (Foc) Experience: Educators Introducing Clinical Staff To The Fundamentals Of Care Through Technology., Ashley E. Cunningham, Sophia Ouellette

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

The aim of this project was to examine how watching a video explanation of the Fundamentals of Care Framework would influence clinical staffs’ reflections on their implementation of fundamental care.

A Retrospective Study Of Dietitian Assessment On 30-Day Readmission In Hospitalized Adults With Malnutrition, Paul Blakeslee, Kristiina Hyrkas, Wendy Craig, Rachel Haskell

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of nutrition assessment on 30-day readmission of adults who were discharged with a diagnosis of malnutrition by conducting a secondary analysis.

Rethinking Orientation: Embedding The Fundamentals Of Care Framework In The Onboarding Of Newly Licensed Nurses, Angela Cyr

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

The transition from education to NICU practice is a vulnerable and high‑stakes period for new nurses, requiring rapid clinical, emotional, and professional adaptation. Grounded in the Fundamentals of Care framework, this work reframes orientation as a person‑centered, relational process that supports readiness, well‑being, and sustainable practice.

Supporting Clinical Readiness And Well-Being In New Graduate Nurses: A Scoping Review, Angela Cyr Msn, Rn, Rnc-Nic, Npd, Bc

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Objectives: To map and synthesize current evidence on orientation strategies that integrate clinical and psychosocial support for newly licensed nurses, with a focus on first-year retention outcomes.

Competency Campfire Stories: S'Mores & Skills, Competency & Curriculum, Sparks & Social Media, Emily Bovino Msn, Rn, Cnl, Ccrn, Michael Defrancisco Msn, Rn, Britney Meunier Msn, Rn, Ccrn, Amy Stafford Dnp, Aprn, Ccns, Kristen Stogsdill Bsn, Rn, Ccrn

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Learning Objectives

• Identify strategies to foster connections and build confidence among new nurses by creating a supportive, interactive learning environment.

• Describe how to design and facilitate the Camp Competency onboarding experience to engage new nurses through interactive learning.

• Incorporate social media tools to enhance learner interaction and community-building.

Evolving Practices From Fasting To Non-Fasting Before Cardiac Catheterization: A Scoping Review, Sungjun Park Bsn, Cvbc, Cmsrn, Rn, Kristiina Hyrkas Phd, Licnsc, Mnsc, Rn

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

NPO before cardiac catheterization may overstate aspiration risk: evidence supports allowing clear liquids before catheterization.

From Evidence To Action: Optimizing Ards Care In The Icu, Amy Stafford Dnp, Aprn, Ccns

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Objectives

• Define ARDS using historical and current diagnostic criteria

• Explain the pathophysiology of ARDS and its impact on lung mechanics, including compliance, driving pressure, and recruitable lung

• Recognize limitations of common monitoring tools, including pulse oximetry, and incorporate this into clinical decision-making

• Apply evidence-based management strategies for ARDS, including lung protective ventilation, PEEP optimization, proning, and adjunctive therapies

• Analyze clinical case scenarios to make decisions related to ventilator management, oxygenation strategies, and escalation of care

Changing Culture Through Shared Passion: How We Found Our Identity In The Medical Icu, Lorrie Sluti Bsn, Rn, Ccrn, Alison Griffin Bsn, Rn, Ccrn, Megan Massey Bsn, Rn

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

The purpose is to examine the cultural transformation of a Medical Intensive Care Unit after the COVID-19 pandemic; highlighting how the development of a Unit-Based Practice Council restored unit identity, nursing job satisfaction, and improved patient outcomes.