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Welcoming the Next Patron
No full textThe first article of a new recurring column in North Carolina Libraries where we on the front lines of librarianship can share our experiences, tips, and recommendations
EXPOSURE OF UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS TO TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY
No full textThe healthcare field is constantly expanding, resulting in new scientific developments that improve the care of patients and support the development of improved medical interventions. As the area grows, opportunities to develop new, evidence-based methods of patient care increase. Due to the extensive time nurses spend with their patients, awareness of these changes and opportunities for collaboration increases so that interventions can be implemented. Introducing these ideas early in a nurse’s undergraduate education may benefit newly graduated nurses who can recognize areas for patient improvement that may require a multidisciplinary approach and can better advocate for their patients. Introducing the concepts of translational science to undergraduate nursing students is one strategy for increasing their competency in applying evidence to practice
THE WORD GAP AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON K-5 BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT AND BEYOND
No full textDespite numerous efforts to reduce or eliminate the disparities in achievement between black males and their white counterparts in schools, the achievement gap continues to exist. Black males at every level perform at a disproportionately lower rate on state achievement tests and day to day performance in general. This leads to many troubling statistics including higher discipline rates, higher dropout rates, and higher incarceration rates to name a few. When you begin to diagnose these outcomes and consider root causes there are many variables that began to surface as to the reason(s) for this occurrence. For the purpose of this study we will focus on vocabulary acquisition. The implications of a low vocabulary range from low academic performance in school to fewer job opportunities as an adult with many obstacles in between. The 30 Million Word Gap is a study which exposed this reality by studying the interaction and dialogue of families of low economic status to learn the conversation patterns and exposure to words for the children in these homes prior to entry into kindergarten. The findings coined the phrase The 30 Million Word Gap as it was found that children from low economic status homes knew 30 million less words than their more affluent peers by the time they arrived in grade school. The majority of the children in this study were black males. My case study at Lucky Day Elementary School focused on research based instructional strategies to increase vocabulary acquisition and ultimately reduce the word gap. While the study afforded students the opportunity to read books of interest in a structured and intentional manner, the results of the study were inconclusive with regards to impact on word acquisition
Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Adoption of Telehealth Services among Acute Care Hospitals in the U.S
No full textRecent unprecedented events, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, have profoundly influenced the landscape of the United States healthcare system. In response to challenges related to accessibility, affordability, and the rapid spread of the virus, technological advancements played a pivotal role. Telehealth services, encompassing virtual medicine, public health, health education, and support services, emerged as a crucial solution. This study aims to explain the influence of a hospital's geographic location on its adoption of telehealth services post-COVID. Data incorporating hospital characteristics and adoption of telehealth services from the 2020 and 2021 American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals was combined with county-level characteristics from the Area Health Resource File. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the panel data. Examining 6,552 acute care hospitals (38.83% rural and 61.17% urban), logistic regression revealed that rural hospitals were 1.37 times more likely to adopt telehealth services than their urban counterparts (P<0.05). Furthermore, hospital characteristics, including ownership status and bed size, were identified as significant factors influencing the likelihood of telehealth adoption. County-level factors such as unemployment rate (β= 0.064, P<0.05), percent persons with more than a high school diploma (β= 0.041, P<0.05), and percent white population (β= 0.011, P<0.05) also proved vital predictors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency to adopt telehealth services was notable, particularly in hospitals serving rural communities. Rural hospitals exhibited a higher likelihood of telehealth adoption than their urban counterparts. Telehealth played a pivotal role in mitigating accessibility challenges in rural areas and curbing the spread of the disease
Adapt & Overcome: Hypoxia Resistance is a Novel Phenotype of the Flexor Digitorum Brevis Skeletal Muscle
No full textSkeletal muscle comprises the largest mammalian organ system by mass that enables movement, respiration, and thermogenesis. Each of these processes requires the presence of molecular oxygen (O2). Inadequate O2 bioavailability (i.e., hypoxia) is detrimental to muscle contractile function and morphology, and in chronic cases can result in muscle wasting. Importantly, modern therapeutics and surgical approaches have proven largely ineffective to rescue skeletal muscle from hypoxic damage. Such a gap in the field is attributed predominantly to the fact that known skeletal muscles are highly susceptible to hypoxic insults. Thus, current knowledge of specific cellular properties that promote hypoxia resistance is sparse. However, our lab has identified a murine skeletal muscle that retains physiological function in the complete absence of O2. Using models of in vivo hindlimb ischemia and ex vivo muscle hypoxia exposure, we observed the preservation of force production and plasma membrane stability in the flexor digitorum brevis (FDB). In contrast, the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles suffered functional decline and structural damage following the same hypoxic insults. A critical aspect of hypoxia resistance in the FDB is the ability to sustain energetic charge. Hypoxia decreases the mass action ratio of adenosine triphosphate ([ATP]) to adenosine diphosphate ([ADP]), which determines the capacity of a cell to perform work. However, the [ATP]/[ADP] ratio is maintained by the hypoxic FDB. Contrary to the EDL and soleus, we found that the FDB does not depend upon the mitochondria but requires glycolysis to function during hypoxia. Furthermore, the hypoxic FDB preserves stability of the plasma membrane whereas hypoxia causes membrane damage in the EDL and soleus. Following an unbiased, discovery-based interrogation of muscle proteomes, we identified significantly higher expression of multiple protein targets in the FDB as compared to the EDL and soleus that related to our findings. Due to the loss of force output in the FDB with inhibition of glycolysis, we selected the transmembrane glucose transporter GLUT1 as our first target. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments surrounding GLUT1 were employed to further characterize the FDB phenotype. Skeletal muscle-specific deletion of GLUT1 accelerated the loss of force output in the FDB during hypoxia exposure. Thus, to test the sufficiency of GLUT1 to attenuate hypoxia-induced damage in other skeletal muscles, we utilized an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to overexpress GLUT1 in the EDL. During these experiments we also manipulated concentrations of glucose and the oxidized form of ascorbic acid as these are the primary substrates that are transported by GLUT1. However, all conditions failed to prevent the loss of force production of the EDL during hypoxia exposure. Collectively, our results demonstrate that GLUT1 is necessary for the FDB phenotype, but insufficient to rescue other skeletal muscles from functional decline in a hypoxic environment. Due to the preservation of structural integrity in the FDB during hypoxia, we selected the membrane repair protein Annexin A2 and the extracellular matrix protein Col5a1 as our second and third targets, respectively. In separate sets of experiments, FDBs lacking Annexin A2 and Col5a1 did not demonstrate increased susceptibility to hypoxic damage as compared to control muscles. Importantly, however, using the same experimental approach that revealed the FDB's ability to resist hypoxia, we have observed that the phenotype is adapted over time as opposed to an innate feature of the muscle. Hypoxic FDBs from young mice (4 weeks) exhibit a loss of force output and structural integrity in a manner that is similar to the hypoxic EDL. Following our observation of this apparent adaptation, we employed a proteomic analysis of FDBs from adult and young mice to further characterize differences between age groups. We subsequently integrated this data with our initial discovery-based proteomics analysis of the FDB, EDL, and soleus with the goal of improving the precision of our future target selection. Collectively, the data suggest that the FDB's ability to survive hypoxia may be conferred by protection against structural damage via stabilization of the dystrophin-glycoprotein protein complex (DGC), which links the muscle plasma membrane to the extracellular matrix. In turn, structural protection likely promotes the maintenance of physiological function in the hypoxic FDB. Defining the FDB's unique ability to resist hypoxic damage remains of critical importance for the muscle biology field to develop novel therapeutic approaches that promote the survival of skeletal muscle during times of limited O2 availability
In Step with Library Leaders
No full textWelcome to the inaugural article for a new column, to be focused on library leadership. Leadership may provide vision, direction, encouragement, or a model, and it may come from those in positions of authority or from coworkers alongside you. This first column asks three questions of three library leaders, Janice Lewis, Melanie Morgan, and Kathy Parker
Evaluating Plant-Microbe Associations in Response to Environmental Stressors to Enhance Wetland Restoration
No full textMicroorganisms can enhance nutrient acquisition or suppress diseases from pathogens, while plants can provide carbon resources and oxygen to root-associated microbes. However, human activities have altered nutrient cycles and disrupted such mutualisms. Therefore, we need to understand how to promote positive plant-microbe associations to aid in restoring coastal wetland ecosystems where human stressors and climate change (e.g., hurricanes, sea-level rise) challenge restoration outcomes. This study seeks to examine how salinity stressors influence plant-microbe relationships, where we hypothesize that the presence of microbes will buffer salinity stressor effects. We used a whole sediment inocula approach to test this hypothesis. We exposed marsh cordgrass (Sporobolus alterniflorus) seedlings to a replicated factorial experiment with three levels of microbiome addition (microbial inocula, autoclaved microbial inocula, no microbe control) and two levels of salinity (0 psu, 20 psu), replicated ten times. We added microbial inocula from the marsh site with autoclaved soilless media and exposed half the seedlings to saltwater (20 psu) and half to freshwater (0 psu). Results revealed that marsh microbial inocula additions during early plant development may ameliorate salinity stressors and could be critical for future restoration efforts. The addition of marsh microbial inocula provided a rescue effect from salinity stress, observed in plant height and aboveground biomass. Belowground biomass, bacterial diversity H’, and bacterial evenness J’ were similar across microbial and water treatments (ANOVA, NS); however, the main effects of water (PERMANOVA, R2=0.100, P<0.001) and microbial (PERMANOVA, R2=0.086, P<0.001) treatments significantly influenced the bacterial community composition. This work provides evidence that microbial stewardship is essential for buffering against environmental stressors and could promote plant establishment for wetland restoration
Knife Building SHP Creative Portfolio
No full textI decided to take Mr. Weckesser’s Thinking Through Making course because it was the only HNRS seminar course that was available that fit in my schedule this semester. After seeing what the class was about I was excited because it would give me an opportunity to step away from all of the science and kinesiology based courses that I was having to take because of my major. This course has been great for me, I am a hands-on learner and this class is about as hands-on as you can get. This class has allowed me to explore and find a new passion. I would not consider myself a creative person, but this class has taught me that being creative can look many different ways using many different instruments. This HNRS seminar only gave me a small taste into the world of wood-working and a very small taste into the world of working with metals. I am hoping this signature Honors Project will allow me to further this passion. I will be working with Mr. Weckesser to learn more about wood-working, during this time he will be helping me create a pocket knife using important items with meaning to me and my family
THE EFFECTS OF PREPARATORY MUSCLE ACTIVATION ON LOWER EXTREMITY BIOMECHANICS DURING A DOUBLE LEG DROP-JUMP TASK
No full textAuthors: Lauren Crawford and Katie Kim, Mentor: Dr. Anthony Kulas
Background: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are widely known as the most common ligament injury of the knee, recently accounting for 100,000 to 200,000 of the total injury count for athletes each year. America spends on average $3,812,100,000 for ACL reconstructions yearly. Even with this surgery, there is a lack of evidence to prove that reconstruction prevents long-term joint damage such as osteoarthritis. To prevent these instances from occurring, biomechanical risk factors must be evaluated. A study focusing on the 2-dimensional analysis of dynamic knee valgus in athletes was performed (Numata et al., 2018). The results yielded by this study showed that 3 years after the first evaluation 9.6% of the athletes had sustained ACL injuries. The injured athletes had a greater knee valgus at initial contact with the ground than the non-injured athletes, showing knee valgus is a strong risk factor. It is hypothesized that hip muscle activation affects knee joint movements. Preparatory muscle activation happens before the actual movement i.e., before landing, making it plausible that appropriate preparatory hip muscle activation is a central component in reducing knee valgus.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if hip muscle activation affects knee valgus during a vertical drop jump task.
Methods: All subjects must be healthy meaning that they have not experienced any major lower extremity injuries. After completing the informed consent process, subjects will be prepped and set up for the use of electromyography (EMG). Electrodes will be attached to glute, quad, and hamstring, muscles. Each participant performed isometric hip abduction, hip extension, and knee flexion strength tests using a dynamometer. The subjects will then have reflective markers attached to major landmarks of the body to be used in motion capture analysis. Subjects are given 2 tasks to complete, squats and vertical drop jumps. Their movements are analyzed using both motion capture and EMG equipment.
Results: The magnitude of pre-activation was not significantly different compared to post activation for the semitendinosus (P=.42), gluteus maximus (P=.46), and gluteus medius muscles (P=.17). Biceps femoris post-activation was significantly greater than pre-activation (P=.025), increasing activation from 77% to 93% on average. Gluteus medius pre-activation was significantly correlated with peak knee flexion angle during landing (r=.663, P=.01). Semitendinosus post activation was negatively correlated with peak knee valgus (r=-.58, P=.03).
Significance: By understanding when hip activation happens during preparation for the jump, hip and knee torques can be better related to frontal knee motion, such as knee valgus, during the landing. If hip activation timing affects knee joint angles, interventions could be created to attempt a decrease in knee valgus and load, lowering the number of ACL tears as well as decreasing the population of young adults with osteoarthritis
The Effects Pediatric Simulation have on the Confidence and Physiological Processes of Accelerated BSN Students
No full textIntroduction: Simulation allows nursing students the opportunity to experience clinical scenarios in a controlled setting where mistakes do not harm a real-life patient. Confidence is crucial for nurses as it helps them provide competent care, fostering a sense of trust. Therefore, it is important to measure how effectively simulations build confidence in nursing students. Simulations may be designed to expose students to stressful clinical scenarios and equip them for difficult situations in their nursing careers. However, stress levels during simulation should not reach levels that disrupt learning and prevent confidence building. This study aims to evaluate the confidence and physiological changes simulation has on East Carolina University Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing students (ECU ABSN).
Method: Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered during a 2-hour pediatric simulation. The sample contained 21 ECU ABSN students. The study assessed the student’s physiological indications of stress such as heart rate and oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter probe provided by the ECU College of Nursing. Time points for assessment were pre-lecture, pre- and post-simulation, and at the conclusion of the activity. Changes in confidence related to the simulation were evaluated using a pretest and posttest question survey.
Results: At baseline, the student's average heart rate was 83.19. Immediately, prior to beginning the simulation, there was an increase in heart rate to 87.05. Following the completion of the simulation, there was an increase in the heart rate to 94.19. During the debriefing period, there was a decrease in heart rate to 89.19. At baseline, the student's average pulse oxygenation saturation was 99.14. Directly before the simulation began, their average pulse oxygenation saturation decreased to 98.71. Immediately after the completion of the simulation, there was a slight increase to 98.76. During the debriefing period, the average pulse oxygenation saturation decreased to 98.62. Sixteen (n=16) students had an increase in confidence and 5 (n=5) students had a decrease in confidence after completing the simulation.
Conclusion: Confidence is important within the field of nursing, but further research is needed to determine whether students’ confidence is enhanced by simulation. Understanding how simulation influenced these ABSN students will allow further development and revision to ensure future students get the full benefits from pediatric simulation