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

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UNIVOLVED LIMB STRENGTH AFTER ACL RUPTURE AND RECONSTRUCTION
(2025-12-10) Ipock, Madison Grace
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most common injuries seen within orthopedics. This injury is usually followed by surgery with extensive rehabilitation afterwards. Traditionally, clinicians have used the Limb Symmetry Index (LSI), which compares the unaffected limb to the affected limb to evaluate strength changes. However, there is limited research on whether the unaffected limb will experience strength deficits of its own. This study aims to explore quadricep and hamstring strength on the unaffected limb after an ACL injury. Using handheld dynamometry, with maximal isometric extension and flexion measured at numerous follow up appointments results showed that the uninvolved quadricep grew in strength with each appointment, while on the other hand the hamstrings strength decreased significantly. The distinguished change between the two displays an imbalance of strength which can lead to a lack of stability within the knee. These findings show the significance of observing the unaffected limb and being cautious while using LSI to interpret return to play standards.
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BEYOND THE BEDSIDE: MALE NURSE PRECEPTORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF FACULTY ROLES IN NURSING EDUCATION
(2025-12-12) Diamond, Grace E
Abstract Background: The ongoing shortage of nursing faculty continues to limit program enrollment and workforce expansion. Male nurses remain underrepresented in nursing academia, despite their growing presence in clinical practice. Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of male nurse preceptors regarding nursing faculty roles and the factors influencing their interest in pursuing academic positions. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine male registered nurses who met inclusion criteria of active licensure, experience as clinical preceptors, and no current faculty appointment. Data were analyzed thematically using an inductive approach to identify recurring patterns and meanings. Results: Thematic analysis revealed six major themes: pathways into precepting, preceptor training, confidence and teaching style, distinctions between faculty and preceptor roles, interest in faculty roles, and qualities of effective educators. Participants developed strong teaching identities through clinical mentorship yet faced barriers such as inflexible educational requirements, limited mentorship opportunities, and competing personal obligations when considering faculty positions. Conclusion: Findings suggest that male nurse preceptors possess valuable teaching experience and motivation to enter academia but encounter systemic and structural challenges that limit their transition. Enhancing mentorship pathways, offering flexible academic preparation models, and promoting visible male role models in education may help address faculty shortages and strengthen gender diversity within nursing academia.
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MANUFACTURING LEGITIMACY: BOLSHEVIK MEASURES TO SEIZE POWER
(2025-12-18) Carter, Benson R
The Bolsheviks ousted the Provisional Government in a sudden ascension to power before the convocation of the Constituent Assembly. At the beginning of the year, the Bolsheviks were a fringe political party. They grew rapidly through deception and by shifting their policy to draw in the revolutionary population and gained significant support. By November, they controlled the Petrograd Soviet, the Second Congress of Soviets, and became the ruling party. They did not gain power peacefully or through representative means. The Bolsheviks employed subversive measures to seize and consolidate power because they lacked sufficient support to do it legitimately.
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UNDERSTANDING VALUABLE WORKFORCE COMPETENCIES IN FIELD OF HEALTH INFORMATICS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (HIIM)
(2025-12-15) Young, Sophie
This study examines Health Informatics (HI) and Health Information Management (HIM) job requirements, noting that applicants often struggle because postings lack clarity. Prior research shows HIM jobs typically require an associate degree with RHIT or a bachelor’s degree with RHIA, along with coding and revenue cycle skills. Analyzing two years of LinkedIn postings, this study found employers most frequently seek communication, computer, and healthcare policy skills for HIM roles, while HI roles emphasize communication, teamwork, and software skills. These insights can help align college curricula with workforce expectations to better prepare graduates for HI and HIM careers.
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FROM PUPPY TO PARTNER: IDENTIFYING EARLY PREDICTORS OF GUIDE DOG QUALIFICATION OUTCOMES
(2025-12-10) Irvine-Smith, Caitlin Sarah
This project analyzes data from the South African Guide Dogs Association (2014–2025) to identify the characteristics that influence whether a dog successfully graduates into guiding or service work, is selected for breeding, or is withdrawn from the program. The original dataset included 866 dogs across multiple breeds and mixed broods. To narrow the research question and ensure stronger internal validity, a pivot table was used to isolate purebred Labrador Retrievers, the most common breed in guide dog programs, resulting in a final analytical sample of 466 dogs. Focusing on a single breed reduces confounding effects, increases model consistency, and allows clearer inference about predictors of success. Guide dog training is costly and resource-intensive, making early predictions of outcomes essential for effective breeder selection, program planning, and animal welfare. The dataset contains demographic, developmental, radiographic, temperament, and early training indicators, along with a five-category outcome variable. Extensive data cleaning was completed, including handling missing values, removing redundant variables, resolving near-perfect collinearity, and constructing composite hip and elbow scores. Exploratory data analysis assessed distributions, feature correlations, and outcome associations. Two modeling approaches were then implemented: a standard multinomial logistic regression (MLR) for interpretability and a regularized Elastic Net multinomial model to improve predictive accuracy and reduce overfitting. Results indicate that radiographic health scores, birth-year cohort effects, and early developmental measures are among the strongest predictors of outcome categories. The MLR model revealed clear relationships between orthopedic indicators and withdrawal, while the Elastic Net model produced a more stable set of predictors with superior model fit. These findings provide actionable insights for breeding, early screening, and resource allocation within guide dog programs. Future work will extend these models using larger, multi-breed datasets and longitudinal behavioral measures.