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Navigating Coastal Well-Being: A Qualitative Analysis of Environmental Change and Community Response in Down East, NC
Get PDFThe frequency of storms, such as hurricanes and nor’easters, is increasing due to climate change (Pörtner et al., 2022), exposing coastal communities to renewed surges of threats. Further, the aging and unincorporated communities of Down East, NC (Carteret County) remain vulnerable to repeated hurricane exposure, regular “sunny day” flooding, and saltwater intrusion. In the context of changing climate and changing culture, eleven oral histories were conducted with participants in "Down East" Carteret County to document local understandings of environmental change and processes of remembrance and recovery from Hurricane Florence. A qualitative analysis of these interviews examines resilience, vulnerability, and communal responses to environmental changes in relation to the well-being of Down East residents. The findings highlight how recurrent environmental hazards, aging, and social disruptions shape the lived experiences of residents, emphasizing the role of community networks in fostering resilience, particularly among the elderly. For retired residents, the cumulative impacts of flooding, hurricanes, and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to emotional strain and social isolation, yet faith and social ties remain vital sources of support. The study suggests that as Down East communities face escalating climate-related threats, there is a critical need for resilience frameworks that consider the cumulative and interconnected impacts of environmental, social, and cultural changes. This research calls for a reimagined approach to disaster, where slow-onset environmental changes like sunny day flooding and saltwater intrusion provide windows to rethink climate justice and community agency in the rural South. Bachelor of Art
Factors That Influence Visit Adherence and Panel Size Optimization for Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners in Hypertension Management
Get PDFABSTRACT
Background: This study explored how patient and Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) characteristics relate to patient engagement in a CPP-led hypertension program by analyzing factors linked to visit adherence.
Methods: Retrospective data from a CPP-led hypertension program (N=124 patients, 9 CPPs) were analyzed using logistic regression to assess associations between demographics, clinical/social factors, CPP attributes, and achieving adequate (≥6 of 8) or high (≥7 of 8) visit success within six months.
Results: CPP hypertension work effort of 41%-60% vs. the 0-20% (referent group) (OR=0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.64) and CPP age 45-54 years vs. the 25-34 years, reference group, (OR=0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.68) were associated with lower odds of achieving the high visit success threshold. Increasing patient age (OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99), patient household income 99,999 (vs. $20,000-49,999 group) (OR=0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.58), patient insurance "Other" (vs “Commercial”) (OR=0.15, 95% CI: 0.04-0.64), and CPP hypertension work effort 41%-60% (vs. 0-20%) (OR=0.17, 95% CI: 0.04-0.70) and CPP age 45-54 years (vs 25-34 years) (OR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.08-0.61) were associated with lower odds of reaching the adequate visit threshold when compared to their referent groups. CPP age 35-44 years was associated with greater odds of adequate success (OR=9.50, 95% CI: 1.15-78.38), and Medicare insurance was associated with greater odds of adequate success (OR=5.13, 95% CI: 1.17-22.39).
Discussion: CPP age, work effort, and patient age, income, and insurance type influence engagement in CPP-led hypertension care. Interventions should consider both provider workload and patient demographics to improve participation and CPP integration in team-based care.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt
The Affordance of the 'Series': Thomas Hoccleve's Use of Received Forms of Writing in 'My Complaint' and 'A Dialogue'
Get PDFThis thesis argues that Thomas Hoccleve uses received literary forms as a framework which he attempts to cling to as he struggles to write himself out of a dual social and personal crisis in his compilation of poems, later termed the Series. I argue that, being highly aware of their shape, Hoccleve implements these forms (primarily that of consolation, dialogue, and penance) as if looking for a singular solution to his own crises, only to be bitterly disappointed when they routinely fail to satisfy him due to their intractability. The first two poems of the compilation—My Complaint and A Dialogue—are the focus of my readings as they are where the author presents himself as a figure for public viewing and analysis; I also rely on Caroline Levine’s recent ideas of forms, as well as comparative analysis with the works referenced within Hoccleve’s own writing to make such points. Ultimately, I read the Series not as a text that seeks to be generative or helpful to others, but as a beneficially self-centered text that depicts the struggle of one deeply intellectual and introverted man as he struggles, in a remarkably transparent way, to reconstruct himself through a literary process following a total mental collapse. It is a defensive yet self-critical, cruelly reflective and scattered work that is also a deeply honest and personal account; the Series, without meaning to, offers the belief that one keeps going more so because they must, not because they have made themselves better. If one does so, the reward is the original goal of proving self-recovery—just not in its expected form.Bachelor of Art
Two Decades at 21%: Unchanging Gender Disparities in Rhinology Fellowships
Get PDFBackground The representation of women in otolaryngology has increased significantly over recent decades, yet discrepancies remain in certain subspecialties, including rhinology. Despite overall improvements in gender equity within otolaryngology, the specific demographic trends and scholarly productivity of fellowship-trained rhinologists have not been thoroughly examined. Objective We aimed to address this gap by examining demographic trends and academic productivity among rhinology fellowship graduates. Methods This cross-sectional study examined publicly available data to analyze fellowship-trained rhinologists in the United States, focusing on gender, career stage, practice setting, h-index, and academic rank. Statistical analyses included Fischer's exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, ANOVA, and η2. Results We included 477 fellowship-trained rhinologists who trained at 31 fellowships. No gender differences in career stage or practice type were found. Despite an absolute increase in women per year (0 to 9, η2 = 0.65), the percentage of women in rhinology fellowships has plateaued since 2002 (η2 = 0.001), averaging 21.1% (SD = 10.8%). Most fellowship-trained rhinologists were mid-career, with a median of 7 practice years; 55% worked in academics, mainly as assistant professors. Overall, women rhinologists had a slightly lower h-index than men (7 vs 9; P = .01), but when stratified by academic rank, there was no difference in h-index between men and women. Conclusion The percentage of women fellowship-trained rhinologists has not increased since 2002 (η2 = 0.001), remaining at a mean of 21.1%. Contrasting with other subspecialties, women and men rhinologists have similar h-indices by academic rank. However, there are still fewer women in rhinology overall than men
Hearts and Minds at Home: Constructing the American Understanding of the 2023 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Get PDFIn 1948, the United States became the first country to recognize Israel as a sovereign state, forging a close alliance that has at times threatened relations with other Middle Eastern states. The alliance has been subject to scrutiny by both international and domestic political actors, primarily due to Israeli use—and alleged misuse—of American military aid in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict, which has grown increasingly disproportionate since 2023, has prompted the emergence of strategic narratives from the United States government explaining its support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza. This thesis reconstructs the sphere of information through which Americans understand the conflict, including government, news, and social media sources, and it evaluates the success or failure of different government narratives in legitimizing and framing the conflict among domestic audiences.Bachelor of Art
The ICML 2023 Ranking Experiment: Examining Author Self-Assessment in ML/AI Peer Review
Get PDFWe conducted an experiment during the review process of the 2023 International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), asking authors with multiple submissions to rank their papers based on perceived quality. In total, we received 1,342 rankings, each from a different author, covering 2,592 submissions. In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of how author-provided rankings could be leveraged to improve peer review processes at machine learning conferences. We focus on the Isotonic Mechanism, which calibrates raw review scores using the author-provided rankings. Our analysis shows that these ranking-calibrated scores out-perform the raw review scores in estimating the ground truth “expected review scores” in terms of both squared and absolute error metrics. Furthermore, we propose several cautious, low-risk applications of the Isotonic Mechanism and author-provided rankings in peer review, including supporting senior area chairs in overseeing area chairs’ recommendations, assisting in the selection of paper awards, and guiding the recruitment of emergency reviewers
Perpetual encounters: reconceptualizing police contact and measuring its relationship to black women’s mental health
Get PDFResearch and media discussion of police contact routinely conceptualize it as time-constrained interactions between officers and civilians. However, extant literature documents preparation for encounters and post-encounter advocacy, which each challenge restricted understandings of contact and, importantly, its relationship to mental health. We introduce “perpetual encounters” to both theoretically and empirically move closer to the temporally unbounded and enduring way that police contact is experienced in black women’s everyday lives. Utilizing a novel, nationally representative dataset on their policing experiences, we explore how mental health is independently and conjointly associated with three dimensions of police contact: preparation, police stops, and advocacy against police violence. Beyond exemplifying how pervasive the police are in the day-to-day lives of marginalized communities, extending the scope of contact recognizes preparation as a significant threat to mental health and advocacy as a health-promoting activity. This study supports moving beyond discrete notions and measurement of police contact to process-oriented understandings and relational modeling
Use of L-band SAR to Detect Inundation in North Carolina Coastal Forests
Get PDFCoastal forests provide many ecosystem services and are an integral part of North Carolina’s coastal habitat. However, as sea level rise drives saltwater intrusion, coastal forests are at risk of tree mortality and land cover transition to salt marsh. While determining inundation extents in remote forested areas can be difficult, understanding inundation patterns is crucial for the protection of coastal forests. In this paper, I describe the use of L-band SAR from the ALOS-2 satellite to create inundation maps of Eastern North Carolina’s coastal forests using a random forest model to classify imagery as inundated or non-inundated. I determine that the amount of inundation detected by the imagery has a positive linear relationship with USGS streamgage measurements and the Palmer Drought Severity Index within the study area. Areas adjacent to rivers and lakes appear most frequently inundated. With greater availability of L-band SAR, long wavelength radar sensing will provide an effective method to monitor coastal forest inundation.Bachelor of Scienc
Patterns of Physical Activity and Associations with Clinical Outcomes Among Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Get PDFBackground: Despite the critical role of physical activity in glycemic control, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being, few studies have examined activity patterns among older adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We explored daily physical activity intensity patterns and the relationship between physical activity, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid profiles (HDL, LDL) in older adults with T1D. Our objective was to produce evidence that informs patient-centered, age-appropriate strategies to promote physical activity and optimize clinical outcomes. Methods: We recruited adults ≥65 years with T1D from the UNC Health System between March and August 2024 to participate in the DELI Snapshot Study. Participants completed two unannounced Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR) interviews (one weekday, one weekend), capturing activities and intensity levels in 30-minute time blocks (6:00 AM–midnight). Activities were assigned Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) values using the Compendium of Physical Activities. We calculated total and average daily METs, as well as bouts of moderate (≥3 METs) and vigorous (≥6 METs) activity. We assessed linear associations between total METs and clinical outcomes: BMI, HbA1c, HDL, and LDL. Results: We analyzed data from 25 older adults (mean age 73.0±5.7 years; 56% female, 92% White). Participants averaged 0.6±0.9 bouts of vigorous activity and 5.5±4.1 bouts of moderate activity across weekdays and weekends. Total daily energy expenditure was 70.9±10.2 METs, with an average of 2.0±0.3 METs. There was a significant inverse association between total METs and BMI among females (β = -0.831, p = 0.004), but not among males. No meaningful associations were found between total METs and HbA1c (β = -0.136, p = 0.918) or between total METs and lipid levels (HDL and LDL), though sex-specific trends in directionality were observed. Conclusion: Older adults with T1D in our sample engaged primarily in light- to moderate-intensity activities, with consistently low levels of vigorous activity across weekdays and weekends. The inverse association between BMI and physical activity in females highlights the potential importance of sex-specific and individualized intervention strategies. The lack of significant associations between physical activity and HbA1c or lipid levels emphasizes the complexity of metabolic health management in this population. Future studies are needed to further investigate these relationships and to develop tailored physical activity interventions that address the unique needs of older adults with T1D.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt
Optimizing Xanthyliums for Electrocatalytic C-H Activation
Get PDFXanthyliums are promising candidates for C-H bond activation catalysis due to their high hydride ion affinities (HIAs). Further, it has been observed that electrochemical oxidation of xanthenes is irreversible and results in the formation of the parent xanthylium. This makes xanthyliums useable in an electrocatalytic reaction. For this to work, the xanthyliums must have HIAs large enough to abstract hydride from the substrate, and the resulting xanthene must oxidise at a lower potential than the substrates it reacts with. A series of forty-five candidate xanthyliums/xanthenes with various substitutions were proposed, and oxidation potentials and HIAs were calculated. It was shown that oxidation potentials and HIAs can be tuned separately by modifying the xanthene core or 9-phenyl substituent respectively. From this, the most promising xanthenes were synthesised, and oxidation potentials and HIAs measured experimentally to confirm calculations. Experimental data confirmed computation trends leaving 9-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,7-dimethoxyxanthylium tetrafluoroborate as the most promising candidate for electrocatalytic C-H activation.Bachelor of Scienc