Objective: In recent years, the training of novice medical professionals with simulated environments such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) has increased dramatically. However, the usability of these technologies is limited due to the complexity involved in creating the clinical content. To be comparable to a clinical environment, the simulation platform should include real-world learning parameters such as patient physiology, emotions, and clinical team behaviors. Incorporating such nondeterministic parameters has historically required faculty to possess advanced programming skills. Lack of effective software for instructors to easily develop VR curriculum content is a hurdle in developing VR based curriculum. Method: We address this challenge through a software platform that simplifies the creation of Interactive Mixed Reality (IMR) scenarios. Three educational components we were able to embed into an IMR scenario includes 1) integrated 360-degree video recording of a clinical encounter to provide a first-person perspective, 2) rich annotated knowledge content, and 3) assessment questionnaire. We developed a sepsis prevention education scenario using the IMR software to demonstrate the potential of enhancing simulated medical training by accelerating clinical exposure for novice students. Result: An IRB approved study was conducted with a group of 28 novice students to evaluate the efficacy of the IMR technology. The participants provided feedback by answering demographics, NASA-TLX and system usability scale questionnaires. Significance: Our software is a step towards improving VR based education content development process. Conclusion: The studies conducted here provide preliminary evidence that the IMR software is a usable technology based on the NASA-TLX and system usability studies conducted. Future work will compare our new educational strategy for medical training with live simulation scenarios inside a hospital room and a simple video-based curriculum.

A need exists to prolong the release of rapidly metabolized peptides of a low molecular weight, while delivering this peptide without environmental interference. Previous studies have used bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model peptide to study release characteristics from alginate microcapsules. BSA is 66 kDa in size, while the peptide of interest here, connexin-43 carboxyl-terminus mimetic peptide (αCT1), is only 3.4 kDa. Such a change in size results in a much different set of release parameters. Our overall goal is a sustained release over a 24+ h period. Prolonged application of the peptide to a wound site to investigate therapeutic effects is ideal. As a result, a diffusion method using alginate microcapsules, along with the addition of poly-l-lysine and poly-l-ornithine, has been explored. We first aimed to establish and characterize our parameters through a set of parametric tests. Variations in polymer coating, change in pH, and changes in loading ratio have previously been shown to effect release using model compounds. Here we test specific changes in these parameters to show effects on the release of αCT1. Additionally, the microcapsules were attached to several biomaterials and surgical implants by ultraviolet cross-linking to study the effectiveness of attachment and delivery. Analysis and measurements using phase contrast microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize changes in microcapsule morphology.

In response to anticipated shortages of ventilators caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have designed low-cost emergency ventilators. Many of these devices are pressure-cycled pneumatic ventilators, which are easy to produce but often do not include the sensing or alarm features found on commercial ventilators. This work reports a low-cost, easy-to-produce electronic sensor and alarm system for pressure-cycled ventilators that estimates clinically useful metrics such as pressure and respiratory rate and sounds an alarm when the ventilator malfunctions. A low-complexity signal processing algorithm uses a pair of nonlinear recursive envelope trackers to monitor the signal from an electronic pressure sensor connected to the patient airway. The algorithm, inspired by those used in hearing aids, requires little memory and performs only a few calculations on each sample so that it can run on nearly any microcontroller.

This multi-methods study explores changes in engineering interest and identity of middle and high school students (n = 79) attending introductory-level engineering summer camps at a large western land grant university. Middle school is a critical time when student interest, identity, and subsequently career choice begin to emerge and hence it is important that at this age students are given accurate information about engineering majors in college and future career opportunities in engineering. Data were collected over a period of two years in six summer camps. Three separate populations of middle and high school students participated in the summer camps: (a) Young Women in Engineering camp, (b) First Generation Engineering camp, and (c) Open Enrollment Engineering camp. The study adds to the body of knowledge regarding involvement in informal engineering experiences and the effect on engineering interest and identity for this age group. Pre- and post-surveys as well as focus group interviews indicated a positive change in engineering identity and a strong increase in interest in pursuing engineering majors in college and engineering careers. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data, namely future self as an engineering major and/or engineering professional, enjoyment of camp activities and engineering interest, perceptions and knowledge of engineering, and increase in engineering identity as a result of camp participation in well-structured and purposefully designed activities. Changes implemented in summer camp design based on these themes are discussed.