Digital Commons Network^™

Nurse-Led Quality Improvement Asthma Self-Management In Primary Care, Jolene Steinert-Abderhalden

DNP Projects

Background:
Poorly controlled asthma contributes to preventable morbidity, yet many adults lack consistent self-management support. Local Problem: Baseline assessment at a rural Midwestern clinic revealed limited asthma knowledge, inconsistent action-plan use, and low confidence among adults with Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores below 20.

Methods:
This quality improvement project used a pre- and post-intervention design guided by Lean methodology and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. Interventions: Registered nurses delivered standardized asthma education, inhaler-technique review, and action plan reinforcement with monthly structured follow-up for 16 weeks.

Results:
Among four enrolled participants, three completed follow-up. Mean ACT scores improved from 17.5 at baseline …

Evaluating Preoperative Education Modalities For Orthopedic Surgery Patients, Hannah Johnson

DNP Projects

Effective preoperative education is essential as total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures shift to outpatient care, yet traditional education methods may not be meeting patients’ diverse learning styles. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to evaluate the impact of multimodal preoperative education (in-person, virtual, hybrid video modules, or a combination) on patient-reported anxiety and discharge readiness, as well as length of stay (LOS), surgical site infections (SSIs), and 30-day readmissions. The in-person portion could not be implemented due to staffing constraints. The pre-post evaluation was conducted with a sample of 273 patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty (pre …

Bridging The Gap: Empowering Primary Care Providers With Nonpharmalogical Strategies For Adhd Management, Grace Sawyer

DNP Projects

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many adults and children and is commonly managed with pharmaceutical drugs. Although evidence supports the use of nonpharmacological, many providers may not know or have the confidence to use these modalities to incorporate these into practice. This educational gap could contribute to an overreliance on medication when there are other options available for comprehensive ADHD care.  This quality improvement pretest-posttest design aimed to bridge the gap in provider knowledge and confidence regarding evidence-based nonpharmacological ADHD management at two college health clinics.  The intervention consisted of four pre-recorded modules delivered over four weeks that focused on exercise, …

Evaluating An Educational Intervention On Penicillin Allergy De-Labeling Among Graduate Nursing Students, Allison Desmond

DNP Projects

Background
Approximately 10% of patients report a penicillin allergy; however, up to 90% of these individuals are not truly allergic. Inaccurate penicillin allergy labels contribute to inappropriate antibiotic use, increased healthcare costs, and antimicrobial resistance. Education on penicillin allergy testing remains limited among future Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs).

Methods
A quantitative quality improvement project using a pretest-posttest design was conducted among second- and third-year Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) students enrolled in Pharmacology II or Advanced Practice Nursing III at a Midwestern liberal arts college. Participants completed a 15-minute voiceover PowerPoint educational intervention on penicillin allergy testing and …

Improving Provider Knowledge And Confidence In Hormone Replacement Therapy Through A Quality Improvement Educational Intervention, Caitlin Schmidt

DNP Projects

Background
Menopause is associated with symptoms that can significantly diminish quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) remains the most effective intervention for moderate to severe menopausal symptoms. Despite evidence-based guidelines endorsing its use in appropriately selected patients, HRT utilization remains limited.

Local Problem
A gap in provider knowledge and confidence regarding HRT prescribing was identified in a rural primary care clinic in the Midwestern United States. The clinical needs assessment revealed an absence of standardized menopause-specific education and highlighted an opportunity to improve evidence-based menopause management.

Methods
This quality improvement project employed a pre-post educational design guided by the …

Registered Nurse Procedural Sedation In Operating Room: An Analysis Of Patient Safety And Nurse Confidence Efficacy Of 2 Years Post Implementation, Cassandra Fredrickson

DNP Projects

Background
A Midwest hospital implemented a registered nurse (RN) procedural sedation program to provide safe, cost-effective sedation for selected operating room procedures under physician supervision, improving patient access while optimizing anesthesia resources.

Methods
A retrospective descriptive program evaluation examined 1,117 patients who received RN-administered procedural sedation for vascular and neurovascular procedures during 2022 and 2024. Outcomes included anesthesia consultation, anesthesia takeover, reversal agent use, and adverse events. Patient demographics and procedure duration were analyzed. Six procedural sedation nurses completed a self-efficacy survey assessing confidence in sedation-related competencies. Descriptive statistics and qualitative review of adverse event narratives were performed.

Results
Among …

Haptic Portable Robotic Device For Automated Guidewire Or Catheter Navigation In Endovascular Procedures, Vahid Mohammadi, Jason Mactaggart, Majid Jadidi, Alexey Kamenskiy

Journal Articles

Purpose

Endovascular therapy is preferred over open surgery due to its minimally invasive nature, faster recovery, and lower perioperative risk; however, fluoroscopy guided procedures are limited by radiation exposure, high equipment costs, and reliance on highly skilled operators. This study aims to develop and evaluate a lightweight, portable robotic system for autonomous guidewire navigation to improve safety, accessibility, and operator independence.

Methods

A compact 400 g robotic device was designed with millimeter scale positioning accuracy, servo current-based real-time haptic feedback, precise axial rotation, automated retraction advance control, and compatibility with standard endovascular tools. Miniature linear actuated servomotors replicate skilled manual …

Strategies For Effectively Socializing Remote Workers, Emily Dahlen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Improper socialization of remote workers into the organization can increase employee turnover and create an unstable remote workforce. Business leaders who fail to effectively socialize remote workers in ways that strengthen organizational identification and reduce turnover risk may create workforce instability that exposes the organization to additional business risks. Grounded in the theory of organizational socialization, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry research project was to identify and explore the effective strategies some business leaders use to socialize remote workers and increase employee retention. The participants were eight business leaders who had implemented effective socialization strategies to remote employees. …

Staff Education To Address Medication Nonadherence Among Patients With Mental Health Challenges, Almena Ilis Huggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients’ non-adherence to prescribed medication regimens remains a significant challenge in healthcare. Patients often misuse or skip their medications, which undermines treatment outcomes. This was evident at a mental health medical practice located in a suburban area of the southeastern coast. To address this problem, I developed, implemented, and evaluated a staff education program on evidence-based strategies to improve medication adherence among individuals with mental illness. The practice question focused on whether staff knowledge increased following participation in the education program. Four nursing staff participated in the 2-hour education program. Pre- and posttest questionnaires consisted of 15 multiple-choice questions. The …

Enhancing Surgical Team Readiness: Simulation Training For Power Failure Response In Robotic Procedures, Heather Marie Sorton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project, I used a quality improvement design to implement and evaluate a simulation-based education aimed at improving perioperative staff knowledge related to robotic power-loss events. A practice gap was identified in staff preparedness for robotic system failures due to limited education on emergency protocols, communication, team roles, and Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)-aligned response processes, impacting patient safety during robotic-assisted procedures. I examined whether implementation of a simulation-based educational intervention improved staff knowledge related to robotic power-loss management. The purpose of the project was to improve staff knowledge and standardize responses to …

K-12 Teachers’ Perspectives On The Adoption Of Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality Technology In Classroom Instruction, Breanna Mckenley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study was that although some K–12 teachers have access to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, these tools are not widely accepted or adopted for classroom instruction. Guided by the technology acceptance model, the purpose of the study was to explore K–12 teachers’ perspectives on their willingness to incorporate VR/AR, the perceived usefulness and ease of use of these technologies, and the challenges they encounter or anticipate during the adoption process. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 K-12 teachers from public, charter, and private schools in the United States who had …

Order Re: Motion For Derivative Standing

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Investigating Nanoparticle Capture By Condensed Phase Coacervates And Their Mixtures, Sanjna A. Bhakta

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The thermoresponsive polymers elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) have served as a programmable bioseparation tool for applications in nanoparticle capture due to biocompatibility and tunable properties. This work investigates how the polymer composition of ELP and PNIPAM coacervates influences their phase behavior, structural morphology, and nanoparticle recruitment. In addition, the influence of interfacial interactions in nanoparticle recruitment using Tween 80 as a mechanistic probe was also investigated. Different mixtures of ELPs E1.40, E1.80, and E3 with PNIPAM14 and PNIPAM20 were used to characterize their phase behavior and analyze structural morphology using turbidity measurements and microscopy, respectively. Nanobead recruitment using …

Surveyception: An Exploration Of Deceptive Survey Forms, Muhammad Danish

Computer Science ETDs

Survey platforms such as Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are widely used for feedback, data collection, and engagement, but scammers increasingly exploit them to distribute phishing and deceptive attacks. This thesis presents a large-scale study of survey-form abuse across ten major providers. We collected 140,000 forms from three sources: public posts on X, search-engine results, and web pages from the top 10 million DomCop-ranked domains. Using automated filtering and manual qualitative review, we identified 2,645 forms requesting sensitive information and classified 566 as scams. These forms used techniques including phishing, private-secret theft, account and personal-data harvesting, financial deception, and psychological …

Metastatic Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Rare Cause Of Hypopituitarism, Smriti Nair, Taskeen Ahmed, Jessica Watari

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Pituitary metastases from pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) are exceedingly rare but should be considered in patients presenting with arginine vasopressin deficiency and panhypopituitarism in the context of known or suspected metastatic lung cancer. Early recognition and prompt initiation of hormonal replacement therapy are essential to prevent life-threatening endocrine crises and to improve symptom burden. We describe a case of a 43-year-old male who presented with dyspnea, weight loss, and weakness who was found to have metastatic LCNEC involving the liver. Endocrine evaluation revealed central hypothyroidism, central adrenal insufficiency, and later arginine vasopressin deficiency manifested by polyuria and hypernatremia. …

Spherical Video–Based Vr Training For Nurses' Workplace Violence Management, Wen-Chii Tzeng, Yen-Yin Lin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Workplace violence is a major global public health concern that undermines the physical safety, psychological well-being, and professional performance of nurses. Effective responses require increased sensitivity to environmental cues and interpersonal dynamics. However, nurses' workplace violence management cannot be cultivated through classroom instruction or text-based materials alone. This gap necessitates innovative, sustainable, and immersive learning approaches.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of a spherical video–based virtual reality training programme aimed at helping nurses manage workplace violence.

Methods: A convergent mixed-methods study was employed. This study included nurses from a tertiary medical centre in Taiwan. The training …

Developing And Validating A Nursing Leadership Competency Framework For Hospital Nurse Managers, Wen-Chii Tzeng, Ling-Yu Chien, Yao-Mei Chen

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Nursing leadership competencies are essential for ensuring care quality, organizational performance, and professional advancement. However, in Taiwan, leadership development has been limited by the absence of a validated, tiered competency framework that reflects both local practice contexts and global standards.

Purpose: To develop and validate a nursing leadership competency framework for hospital nurse managers in Taiwan.

Methods: A three-phase design was employed. Phase 1 involved a systematic review of international and domestic literature to generate preliminary competency domains. Phase 2 used focus group interviews with nurse executives, managers, and educators to refine and contextualize the framework. Phase 3 conducted …

Assessing Nursing Students’ Palliative Care Competence To Inform Course And Curriculum Design, Wen-Wen Li, Jung Eun Kim, Derrick Huang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: This project evaluated undergraduate nursing students’ competency and knowledge in palliative care (PC) before a semester-long course. Findings informed curriculum design to strengthen students’ understanding and application of PC concepts in clinical practice.

Background/Significance: Palliative care is vital in nursing education, yet integration into undergraduate curricula remains inconsistent (Lippe & Becker, 2021). Developing PC competence enhances patients’ and families’ quality of life (Alhaddar et al., 2025). Assessing students’ baseline knowledge helps identify learning gaps and align curricula with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN] CARES Competencies (AACN, 2021) in PC education.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted …

Luis Lora Fontalvo V. Director Federal Bureau Of Prisons

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

West Coast Workshop To Southwest Institute, Hannah Marie Cerne

Art & Art History ETDs

This thesis considers Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico (originally established as Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, CA), and its contributions to collaborative printmaking. Originally founded in 1960 by June Wayne with Clinton Adams and Garo Antreasian, Tamarind Lithography Workshop (the precursor to Tamarind Institute) revitalized lithography through structured collaboration between artists and master printers, alongside rigorous training programs. This thesis provides an institutional history of the workshop during its relocation to the University of New Mexico, highlighting its transformation into a university-based institute that integrated education and professional production. Using social and labor-based methodologies, this study analyzes how …

Tomographic Bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Exploiting The Starlink Communication Waveform, Jonathan C. Denton

Theses

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a powerful tool for imaging and reconnaissance, typically operated in a monostatic configuration. Bistatic geometries spatially separate the transmitter and receiver, capturing unique target scattering information, while passive methods leverage existing environmental signals of opportunity. With the advent of massive Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink, high-bandwidth reference signals with large Doppler modulation now exist globally, offering bistatic SAR imaging potential worldwide. This research presents an end-to-end simulation to demonstrate the passive exploitation of Starlink communication waveforms for tomographic bistatic SAR imaging. Utilizing high-fidelity Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models, the simulation generated a …

Vines In The Landscape: Japanese Wisteria, Saroj Burlakoti, Youping Sun, Shital Poudyal

All Current Publications

Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is a vigorous, woody, deciduous climbing vine known for its spectacular, drooping (pendulous) clusters of pea-like flowers. This fact sheet provides information on planting and management guidelines, as well as its landscape performance in Utah.

Mapping Along-Strike Changes In Shallow Subduction Zone Geometry At The Alaska Subduction Zone Using Seismic Reflection And Tectono-Geomorphic Analysis, Madelyn K. Hurd

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Alaska subduction zone, where the oceanic Pacific plate subducts beneath the continental North American plate at a rate of 60-66 mm/yr, has hosted more >M8 earthquakes over the last century than any other subduction zone globally. The largest of these, the 1964 M9.2 Alaska earthquake, ruptured 800 km of the margin, including a high slip patch near the trench offshore Kodiak Island. The 1964 rupture area may have overlapped with the 1938 M8.3 Semidi earthquake rupture zone that lies to the west. Slip propagation near the subduction trench during large earthquakes can control tsunamigenesis, and differences in wedge geometry …

On Food, Politics, And The Power Of Representation In The American History Museum, Mason A. Bright

Museum Studies Theses

This study explores the political implications of foodways-related interpretation at American history institutions, situating it within current partisan discourse. Using an “Anthropology of Museums” framework, I place literature from the fields of food history, human geography, and museum studies in conversation with interviews with three curatorial professionals from the National Museum of American History, the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, and the New Mexico History Museum. I understand the ways these professionals navigate politically engaged interpretation through the lens of ethnographic refusal, a phenomenon drawn from the anthropology subfield of resistance studies. I argue that the connections between food …

Cbd's Impact On Learning, Memory, And Anxiety: A Dose Response, Audrey Camacho

Psychology ETDs

Cannabidiol (CBD) is widely utilized for its therapeutic properties, yet its impact on an unmanipulated model at baseline behavior remains poorly understood. This study investigates CBD’s dose-dependent behavioral profile on spatial learning, memory, and anxiety using Long-Evans rats. Subjects received a vehicle, 20 mg/kg, or 40 mg/kg CBD dose prior to assessment in the Morris Water Task (MWT) and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM). MWT results indicated consistent Day 1 learning, but the 40 mg/kg dose induced a temporary disruption 24 hours post-treatment. Performance returned to baseline by day 6. On the EPM, traditional anxiety markers remained unchanged. While CBD did …

Assessment And Classification Of Idiosyncratic Behavioral Sequences In Rodent Navigation, Max G. Segal

Psychology ETDs

The Morris Water Task (MWT) has been the gold standard assessment of place learning and memory for over four decades, yet the processes that contribute to successful navigation are not completely understood. It is generally posited that rats learn to navigate directly to a place; however, navigation is not perfectly direct but contains variation in swim speed and trajectory resulting in efficient, yet suboptimal paths. Gonçalves-Garcia et al. (2024) demonstrated that path topography is quantitatively similar across trials within individual rats for a given start location, and dissimilar between rats and different start locations within rat. This suggests rats may …

Elucidation Of Micro/Nanoplastic Signature Of Human And Murine Lung Tissue Utilizing Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Aerlin D. Decker

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Micro-and Nanoplastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous biological pollutants that have been identified throughout a variety of biological samples. MNPs have been detected in several human tissues, such as the brain, kidneys, and liver. Lung tissue remains understudied for MNP accumulation despite the large surface area and clear path for exposure. Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), human lung tissue was evaluated for 12 different polymers, enabling quantification of total plastic per gram of tissue to be identified. Further analysis was performed with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to investigate heavy metal accumulation in human lung samples and determine whether a …

Usa V. Brandon Mcintyre

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

In Re: Alecto Healthcare Services Llc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

Community Business Engagement Program Report Exeter Nh July 2026, Nate Bernitz, John Christ, Patricia Prescott, Extension Community & Economic Development

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.