11549 research outputs found
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BURIAL TAPHONOMY OF HUMAN REMIANS INTERRED IN IRON COFFINS FROM THE RHEM VAULT, NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA
No full textBy investigating the burial taphonomy of human remains, we gain a better understanding of the important biological processes that take place following a person’s death. Taphonomy is the study of how organic materials pass from the biosphere to the lithosphere through processes such as decomposition, burial, and fossilization. This investigation focused specifically on iron coffin burials, which became popular during the Civil War (1861-1865), and their effect on the preservation of human remains in above ground burials. The first part of this study consisted of examining eight subadult skeletons to create an inventory of the present bones and note the taphonomic changes that occurred. The second part of the investigation used X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to conduct both a qualitative and a quantitative analysis of the elemental composition of the bone surface, soft tissue, and coffin materials. This provided further insight on whether there is a positive correlation between some taphonomic changes, such as red-colored staining of the remains and iron oxidation of the iron coffins. In addition, XRF analysis was used to identify any chemical signatures of embalming, such as arsenic. Establishing results of postmortem processes will help to further understand the effects of decomposition within iron coffins, which is essential knowledge in the fields of forensics and anthropology
Family Members Impact on Physical Activity Levels and Enjoyment in Preschool-Aged Children
No full textPurpose: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impact mothers and older siblings have on the physical activity levels of preschoolers. Secondarily, the preschooler's co-participation enjoyment was explored as well. Methods: A sample of 27 families (mother, sibling, and preschooler) participated in a one-time research visit. During the visit, there were two 20-minute play sessions: preschooler playing with mother and preschooler playing with older sibling independently. During the play sessions the participants were given a variety of sedentary and physical activities to choose from. Total physical activity counts during each play session were measured with an accelerometer. Enjoyment of physical activity co-participation was measured using a smiley face Likert scale. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test to compare total physical activity counts of the preschooler when playing with mother and when playing with older sibling. A paired t-test was also used to compare preschooler's rating of enjoyment of physical activity co-participation between the mother and older sibling. Results: This study found that preschooler's physical activity levels are similar when playing with their mothers (47,071.22 ± 19,653.04 counts per second) and older siblings (54,530.81 ± 20,791.38 counts per second) (p=.21). For enjoyment, there was no significant difference between the preschooler's rating of enjoyment when playing with their mother or older sibling (4.76 ± .52 and 4.88 ± .86, respectively; p=.31). However, a higher percentage of preschoolers said they enjoyed playing with their mother (62%) more than their older sibling (38%) when asked. Discussion: The findings of this study show that both mothers and older siblings have a positive impact on preschoolers' physical activity. This study further expands on the existing literature suggesting that families need to continue to be investigated as a determinate of physical activity for preschoolers. The novel findings on enjoyment of co-participation of physical activity contribute to the small amount of existing literature suggesting that enjoyment of co-participation needs to be further explored as a determinate of preschooler physical activity
Hand Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT) Improves Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Bimanual Coordination in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
No full textUnilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) causes sensorimotor impairments on one side of the body and affects bimanual coordination, causing difficulty in the performance of functional tasks and affecting independence in daily life. HABIT is effective in improving bimanual function; however, results of previous studies typically rely on standard assessments. There is limited evidence to understand preciseness of bimanually coordinated movements. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of HABIT on spatiotemporal characteristics of bimanual coordination. The study included 25 participants with UCP (age=11.2 ± 3.6 yrs; 18M, 7F). HABIT was provided in a camp-based setting where participants engaged in structured, task-based bimanual activities in play context 6hrs/day for 5 days. To assess spatiotemporal characteristics, 3-dimensional motion analysis (3DMA) was used to analyze variables of two cup-stacking tasks (symmetric performance and bimanual cooperation), pre- and post-HABIT. In the symmetric task, the child grasped a cup in each hand and concurrently placed them into targeted areas. In the bimanual cooperation task, they stacked 6 cups in a pyramid formation. Variables measured included peak speed, task completion time, hand path distance, and normalized movement overlap time. A 2×2 ANOVA was used to compare spatiotemporal changes with time (pre-, post-HABIT) and UEs (affected and non-affected) as factors for all kinematic variables. Post-HABIT, in the bimanual coordination task, significant gains (p<0.05) were observed in task completion time (pre= 15.05 ± 1.9, post= 10.09 ± 1.08) and movement overlap (pre= 0.5 ± 0.02, post= 0.93 ± 0.01), indicating enhanced speed and bimanual participation. There was a significant interaction (time × limb [F (1,54)]= 5.2, p= 0.02) for peak speed. Increased speed in affected UE post-HABIT suggests enhanced fluency of movements. There was no significant interaction in hand path distance; however, there were significant main effects of time (pre= 3.2 ± 0.16, post= 2.7 ± 0.14, p= 0.001) and limb (affected= 2.5 ± 0.2, non-affected= 3.3 ± 0.2, p= 0.004). For the symmetric task, there were no significant changes in task completion time and no time × limb interactions for hand speed and path distance. Based on these results, HABIT improves spatiotemporal characteristics of bimanual coordination
Precision medicine takes an individualized approach
No full textMedical and dietetic students often co-author a column for the Daily Reflector under Dr. Kolasa's byline. The students research the topic a reader or patient has asked. Dr. Kolasa reviews their draft for technical accuracy, patient friendly language, people first language. She fact checks the study or other evidence-based reference the student provides. If a physician review is appropriate, Dr. Kolasa requests a colleague from ECU physicians to review the article. The final draft is submitted to the Reflector with the editor having the final say. The headline is written by the Reflector headline writer. The food and nutrition column has run weekly since 1987. Starting in 2020, in addition to the Daily Reflector, the article is published in daily and weekly papers owned by the Adams Publishing Group East (https://adamspg.com)This is a weekly Q and A newspaper column under the byline of Dr. Kathy Kolasa. Today's column is about the future of precision medicine and how it's contribution can benefit the people of not only Eastern NC but the United States as a whole.Non
THE ROLE OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN THE SUCCESS OF SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN NORTH CAROLINA
No full textThis study examines what accounting knowledge is lacking in the average SME business owner, and how those gaps may inhibit business success. This research found that business owners were able to complete algebraic problems relating to breakeven analysis and inventory control but struggled in correctly identifying accounts, performing journal entries, and understanding the importance of internal controls. These findings highlight a lack of basic accounting knowledge such as bookkeeping and financial statement comprehension. Additionally, this research uncovered that most business owners are not directly involved in the accounting of their business, instead utilizing the professional services of a certified public accountant. While the sample size was limited, the results emphasize the potential benefit of further research in this area, to eventually provide SME owners with the knowledge and financial literacy necessary to gain competitive advantage and grow sustainably
ASSESSING THE OUTCOME OF PERIPHERAL NERVE INJURY IN A RODENT MODEL: BEHAVIORAL, PHARMACOLOGICAL, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL, AND MASS-SPECTROMETRIC STUDIES
No full textChronic neuropathic pain (CNP) is a pathophysiological condition and is pain that lasts for longer than 3 months. CNP is usually the result of injury or disease to the central nervous system (CNS) or the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Despite their reputation and their possible side effects, opioids remain a main treatment option for CNP. Preclinical work from the lab has previously shown that an injury to the CNS, in the form of spinal cord injury (SCI), led to CNP in the rat model, and additional data showed that treatment with opioids had an analgesic effect in only ~ 1/3 of the animals tested. SCI is a massive injury inflicted onto the CNS, and here we wanted to probe the outcome of a less severe injury to the PNS, sciatic nerve ligation (SNL) on the development of pain and chronic pain. The aims of this project were to a) determine the behavioral outcome of SNL on pain behaviors, b) assess the analgesic effects of morphine treatment after SNL, c) probe for morphine and dopamine receptor expression in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) that receive the sensory information from the periphery, and d) test if the injury potentially led to systemwide changes that could be detected in the blood proteome. We found that, as in centrally-induced pain models, SNL led to a decrease in pain reflex latencies, indicative of a heightened pain sensitivity. Treatment with morphine was also only effective in less than 40% of the animals, again similar to the CNS model. In addition, we found that morphine mu-receptors (MORs) were upregulated in ipsilateral over contralateral dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) at the level of the injury. In contrast, we did not find differences in dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) expression between ipsi- and contralateral sides. Blood samples collected prior to and following SNL were processed for unbiased proteomics. Proteomic analysis identified that unilateral SNL altered the blood proteomic profile. Together, these data suggest that the peripherally-induced unilateral injury mimics the outcomes of the centrally induced CNP model, and that it leads to chronic pain-manifestations that affect both specific neural tissues and blood proteome alike
Understanding the Efficacy of Personal Protective Equipment During the Covid-19 Pandemic Through the Eyes of Hospital Nursing Staff in Eastern North Carolina
No full textIn late 2019, a respiratory virus swept across Asia and quickly made its way to North America, seemingly halting everyday activities in its place. With the uptick of hospitalizations, diagnoses, and fatalities, healthcare workers were more vital than ever before. To keep the healthcare workers as safe as possible, they were required to wear various forms of PPE, personal protective equipment, even if there wasn't enough PPE to go around or it meant sacrificing their comfort. This study was created to see how the registered nurses at two separate, yet similar, hospitals perceived the comfort and availability of the PPE given to them. This information displays how nurses in rural communities were affected and allows researchers to receive personal responses from employees that were in the thick of the pandemic. It was found that their comfort levels were similar, but their perceived availability was over all lower at one hospital. The researcher also considered the years of experience the nurses had and if the employee had contracted COVID-19 at all
Shiloh Waite, Senior Flute Recital
No full textFor my Signature Honors Project, I researched and performed three pieces from the flute repertoire by Ewazen, Ibert and Reinecke. In conjunction with my mentor, I have studied and researched the history of each piece in order to perform in a historically informed way. This is a culmination of all of my studies on flute at ECU
AUTISM INTERVENTION AWARENESS IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
No full textAutism is a disorder caused by differences in the brain that lead to difficulties in communication, social interactions, restricted or repetitive behaviors, and differences in learning methods (What is autism spectrum disorder? 2022). Eastern North Carolina (ENC), along with the majority of the east coast of the United States, has a higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to the rest of the nation. This information provided an opportunity to further educate our region and community on autism intervention resources for greater awareness. Through this secondary research study the intention of guiding families to local interventions and informing them on differences in each type of available intervention was focused on. To educate on resources for families of children with ASD, it was necessary to know what interventions are currently available in ENC and what interventions are highly supported and effective. To conduct the research both quantitative and qualitative data from previous studies was compiled and analyzed. The data found was from scholarly and reliable sources that provided in-depth explanations of the interventions’ backgrounds and effectiveness. From the compiled results it was clear that rural counties of ENC are lacking in autism interventions compared to those in urban counties such as Greenville, N.C. and other central North Carolina counties. Of the interventions studied it was evident that Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is most widely used, with many other types of interventions stemming from this therapy. Overall a mix of interventions was recommended to best support children with Autism. The study also discusses interventions that have been effective in areas outside of ENC that would be beneficial to bring into our rural communities. This research could allow more families to give their children the support that they may need in order to succeed and live healthy lives