The ScholarShip

The ScholarShip is a digital archive for the scholarly output of the ECU community. Its mission is to capture, preserve, and make available the intellectual output of East Carolina University's faculty, staff, and students.

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Superpatching for Image Analysis Using Transformers and Superpixels
(East Carolina University, July 2025) McCutcheon, Brannon Brannon
Transformers have revolutionized Computer Vision, offering robust performance across diverse tasks. However, their reliance on uniform pixel patching presents limitations, including computational inefficiency for larger images, suboptimal handling of local features, and an inability to process non-uniform patches. Addressing these constraints allows for new opportunities to expand their utility in demanding fields, such as medical imaging. This work proposes a novel architecture combining Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Transformers to leverage superpixels, clusters of pixels with shared characteristics that capture local feature boundaries effectively. We propose an architecture that segments images into a collection of superpixels, vectorizes these superpixels using a CNN, and passes the resulting tokenized vector representations to a standard Transformer. By removing the uniformity constraint in patching, our approach aims to enhance Transformer performance on tasks requiring large-scale image analysis and fine-grained local feature understanding, potentially opening a way for broader Transformer applications in Computer Vision.
Access status: Embargo ,
DO MANUALLY POWERED SOIL AUGERS PRESENT ERGONOMIC-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER (MSD) RISKS AMONG ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS?
(East Carolina University, July 2025) Oparanozie, Kolachi
This research examined the associations between the use of manually powered soil augers by environmental health (EH) professionals and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). While previous studies have investigated occupational injuries related to repetitive strain and manual labor, there was limited research specific to the use of soil augers by professionals working in environmental health. This study included statistical analyses of survey responses from 60 participants regarding their age, years of experience, soil type, and conditions (presence of roots, rocks to auger through) they typically work in, workload (number of soil borings and depth of borings), and number of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) they have experienced. Soil survey data from each county in North Carolina were analyzed, and the percentage of soils with relatively high clay content (Soil Groups III and IV), which require more torque to turn the auger, was calculated. The data were used to quantify which portions of the state may require more torque to turn the auger, potentially leading to more MSDs. The number of site visits and septic permits issued in each county of North Carolina was summarized to estimate spatial differences in where most of the work using soil auger was performed. Most (95%) participants reported experiencing at least one MSD, with commonly cited ailments associated with the lower back, shoulders, and wrists. There were significantly more MSDs reported by those who worked in soils where they had to auger through extensive roots and rock more than 30% of the time. Most (63%) participants who worked in multiple regions of the state reported that Piedmont was the most difficult place to work. The Piedmont region had the highest percentage of soils with Group III and IV textures, and counties in the Piedmont had the highest number of site visits and septic permits issued per county. Thus, counties in the region of the state with the highest clay content are where participants auger the most boreholes. Most survey respondents indicated that their MSDs were directly related to manual auger use and reported receiving little or inadequate training. Despite the high frequency of lower back and elbow disorders, very few respondents indicated the use of back-related or elbow-related personal protective equipment (PPE). These findings suggest that the participants, particularly those in the Piedmont region with a prevalence of higher clay content soil, rock, and roots, may be at greater risk of developing MSDs. Future research is suggested to explore how intervention strategies, such as ergonomic tool modifications and training programs, may influence the health of EH professionals.
Access status: Open Access ,
MILITARY FAMILIES STRESS AND COPING WHILE HAVING A CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
(East Carolina University, July 2025) Dickson, Madison
This case study examined the lived experiences of a military spouse raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during periods of relocation, deployments, and reintegration. A semi-structured interview was analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method. Military related stressors, navigating autism-related services, and family resilience and adaptation emerged as the main themes. Transitions in the military cycles, relocation, deployments, and reintegration tended to disrupt care and required renewed advocacy, which was the responsibility of the military spouse. The Double ABC-X model (McCubbin & Patterson, 1983) was used to understand how stress, resources, and perceptions—specifically how families interpret or make sense of both the original stressor and the accumulation of demands over time—affect family adaptation. Informal support from other military families and personal resilience emerged as central elements to coping for this military spouse, who served as the primary parenting figure in the family. The study highlights the need for more consistent ASD services across military bases, improved provider awareness, and stronger caregiver support. Findings can inform future research, clinical practice, and policies supporting military families with children on the autism spectrum.
Access status: Open Access ,
Crafting a Path to Retirement: Exploring the Link Between Subjective Age, Job Crafting, and Age-Inclusive Practices
(East Carolina University, July 2025) Die, Kalvaince
As the American workforce ages, organizations must navigate the complexities of managing the widest age span the U.S. workforce has ever seen, presenting challenges and opportunities for HR managers seeking to motivate and retain workers. While chronological age explains some differences in work motivation, subjective age offers a deeper, more flexible understanding of employees’ experiences. This study examined how subjective age shapes approach and avoidance crafting behaviors, retirement intentions, and perceived financial preparedness, as well as how age-inclusive HR practices (AIHRP) moderate these relationships. Data were collected from 437 full-time U.S. workers. Findings revealed that subjective age positively predicted avoidance crafting and retirement intentions, suggesting that older-feeling workers are more inclined toward disengagement and transition out of the workforce. Avoidance crafting was positively related to perceived financial preparedness, while approach crafting was negatively related to retirement intentions, indicating that proactive work engagement may reduce intentions to retire. Notably, AIHRP moderated the relationship between subjective age and avoidance crafting, indicating that age-inclusive organizational practices can shape individual employee behavior. These findings highlight the importance of designing HR practices that address subjective age experiences to promote productive and satisfying late-career work trajectories. From an applied perspective, the positive relationship between subjective age and avoidance crafting underscores the need for organizations to address how employees’ internalized age perceptions shape their work behaviors. Notably, the study’s models examined whether subjective age predicts outcomes above and beyond established individual differences and emotional attachment to one’s organization. Affective commitment, psychological capital, and core self-evaluations emerged as the strongest predictors of crafting types and perceived financial preparedness. This suggests that age-inclusive HR practices alone may not suffice; companies may achieve better outcomes by pairing them with targeted efforts to strengthen employees’ psychological resources through training exercises. Simultaneously, organizational leaders are responsible for maintaining a supportive work environment and a positive organizational climate to reinforce and amplify the benefits of AIHRP. Moreover, the results emphasize that AIHRP are not universally beneficial; their effectiveness depends in part on individual differences such as subjective age. Consistent with the theory of aged heterogeneity, older workers cannot be treated as a monolith, given their diverse needs, preferences, and motivations. For example, older-feeling employees may respond to AIHRP with disengagement or withdrawal behaviors if their work is not sufficiently meaningful or well-matched to their goals. Managers and leaders must therefore proactively adjust tasks, reallocate workloads, and emphasize the value and significance of work to create a more emotionally meaningful experience. Finally, by distinguishing approach and avoidance crafting as separate behavioral patterns, organizations can better target interventions: promoting approach crafting may help delay retirement intentions, while identifying and addressing avoidance crafting may be critical to reducing turnover risk and supporting sustainable, satisfying late-career trajectories.
Access status: Open Access ,
Perceptions Surrounding the Role of Recreational Therapy within Transitions Services as a Pathway to Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
(East Carolina University, July 2025) Clatfelter, Alexa
The current rate of employment in the US for ages 16 and over is 60.2% (US Department of Labor, 2024); however, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are underemployed. In comparison, the employment rate for individuals with IDD in the United States is 34%, with only 18% holding a competitive job (Avellon et al., 2021). In K-12, students with disabilities including IDD are eligible and required to receive a free and appropriate education deemed necessary under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This includes transition services starting at the age of 16 focusing on functional skills for work and community life (US Department of Education, 2017). Recreational therapy (RT) as a related service to education, special education, and transition services is included under IDEA; however, RT is not prevalent within schools nor transition services. Nevertheless, one of recreational therapy’s mandates is to facilitate skills and opportunities for community life for their clients with disabilities. Therefore, this study aimed to gauge the perceptions of RT within transition services as a pathway to employment for individuals with IDD through a grounded theory approach of qualitative research. The study primarily focused on a community located in the eastern region of NC as the population of individuals with IDD in NC (18%) (NCDHHS, 2023) is noted to be higher than the national average of approximately 3% (US Census, 2019). Data collection included interviews with individuals with IDD, their parents/ family, and/or caregivers, employers, recreational therapists, and those working within related disciplines. Data analysis used the method of constant comparison of emerging codes and axial codes where utilization of two additional reviewers on the research team triangulated the data for credibility and trustworthiness. Five themes were constructed from patterns of similarities and differences from transcribed interviews. The findings of this study included the societal perceptions of individuals with IDD, their characteristics in the workplace, and what is needed for them to achieve employment and maintain it. This study also has multiple implications for both practitioners and future research, including the underutilization of recreational therapy services as a pathway of employment for individuals with IDD and types of settings for such employment.