Photo of STEM Classroom dedication

Photo of STEM classroom in Dixon-Patterson Hall at ECSU, dedicated to Johnny L. Houston, PhD on April 11, 2024

Reveal Technologies: A Case Of Key Differences Between U.S. GAAP & IFRS And The Impact On Financial Performance Evaluation

This case gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of the differences between U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by making a series of adjustments to a company's U.S. GAAP basis account balances to reflect IFRS. Students then construct IFRS-based financial statements and compare financial performance measures for the company. Finally, students consider the effects of the different standards as a means of evaluating which gives more insight into the company's financial condition

School engagement and Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide: Identity groups differences

The Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) is a framework for understanding suicidality, yet there is little connection of IPTS to school environment, or exploration of this model within various populations. In this article, we conduct a cross-sectional assessment in a high school to understand the relationships between student engagement, IPTS, and suicidal behavior, to provide guidance for counseling professionals to target prevention and intervention efforts to increase effectiveness. A total of 1081 high school students participated in the current study. While perceived burdensomeness was found to moderate the relationship of some aspects of student engagement to suicidal behavior, nuances existed in risk factors to suicidal behavior for various identity groups within the school. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention efforts that would be most effective for students with diverse backgrounds

Student Perspectives On Chemistry Support Course, Success, and Barriers

There is a student success gap for underrepresented, first-generation, and transfer students shown in their increased DFW rates for General Chemistry 1. However, they demonstrate higher levels of resilience in continuing through a chemistry degree path, suggesting the first General Chemistry course is the barrier. A co-requisite support course (BASE) designed to reduce barriers in these categories by Building Student Assurance, Security, and Engagement is one solution to increase student success in General Chemistry. Appalachian State University began offering a one-hour support course in Fall 2021 to increase success in the first semester of General Chemistry. The course offers support with both chemistry material and success skills through activities designed to increase student skills and involvement. Data collected over five semesters shows the % DFW rates of students enrolled in the support course (34.4%) are similar to all students in the first-semester General Chemistry course (35.4%). However, the % DFW rates are lower than the historical rates for students in underrepresented groups, which indicates the support course may increase student success. Current research examines the student perspective to understand how the support course prompts student growth with data collection in both the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters

Data augmentation based methods for estimating the parameters of the Feller-Pareto Distribution: Theory and applications

In income and wealth data modeling Pareto distribution and its several variants play an important role. Both univariate and multivariate variations of this model have been extensively used as a suitable model for various non-negative socio-economic variables, for pertinent details, see Arnold (2015). In this article, weconsider the most general Feller-Pareto (FP, in short) distribution, which subsumes all four types of Pareto distributions and show that it can be represented as a mixture of a conditional generalized gamma and an unconditional gamma distribution. Using this strategy, we consider a data augmentation based method (under the envelope of Bayesian paradigm) to estimate the parameters of the FP distribution. This mixture representation allows us to easily derive conditional Jeffery’s type non informative priors. For illustrative purposes, one data set is considered to exhibit the utility of the proposed method

Improving Education Provided to Patients on the Interaction of Sugammadex and Hormonal

Background: Sugammadex is a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of rocuronium and vecuronium by encapsulating and physiologically inactivating it. Although sugammadex has a high affinity for rocuronium and vecuronium, it can also encapsulate progesterone and estrogen, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of progesterone hormonal contraceptives and increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy. It is recommended that patients on hormonal contraceptives use a non-hormonal birth control backup method for seven days after receiving sugammadex. Approximately 65% of women of reproductive age in the United States are currently using some form of hormonal contraception (CDC, 2020). The percentage of ambulatory surgical cases specifically performed on women also increased by 1.1% between the years 2000 and 2014 (CDC, 202). This increase in the utilization of sugammadex and increase in female surgical cases suggests that the number of patients affected by this medication interaction will likely continue to increase. Patients on hormonal contraceptives who receive sugammadex perioperatively are provided education on this interaction, however, this education is routinely provided postoperatively, following the administration of anesthesia. Following anesthesia, a patient’s memory may be impaired, and they may not remember the instructions provided. Providing patient education preoperatively improves patient recall. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve patient?recall of provided education on the interaction of sugammadex and hormonal contraceptives by having anesthesia providers provide this education prior to the administration of anesthetic medications. Methods: Patients using hormonal contraceptives that were anticipated to receive sugammadex perioperatively were provided patient education by an anesthesia provider preoperatively in addition to routine postoperative instructions provided by the nursing staff. Patients on hormonal contraceptives that received sugammadex were contacted postoperatively by phone to assess their recall of provided education. Results: Thirty-three percent of patients receiving postoperative instructions only on the interaction of sugammadex and hormonal contraceptives were able to recall receiving that education. In patients also provided this education preoperatively, 23% were able to recall receiving that education. Recommendations and Conclusion: Patient education provided preoperatively by the anesthesia provider did not improve patient recall of receiving this education. Further study is recommended to determine the best method(s) of educating patients on the implications of the interaction between sugammadex and hormonal contraceptives

North Carolina's Special Libraries Revisited

When North Carolina Libraries published its fall 1967 issue surveying the status of libraries inthe state, Dr. Doralyn J. Hickey, an Assistant Professor of Library Science at the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill, contributed “Special Libraries: A ‘Coming Force’ in NorthCarolina.” She had every reason to choose this optimistic title. There had been a steady rise inspecial libraries since the North Carolina Library Commission first began to record them in the1930s, and their membership had seen a substantial increase during subsequent decades. Hickeyattributed this growth to the expansion of the state’s industries, which needed dedicatedrepositories and subject specialists to serve the needs of individual businesses and further thestate's social and economic goals. The recent establishment of the North Carolina chapter of theSpecial Library Association in 1966 added legitimacy to these unique repositories and anchoredthe state to its national parent organization. In this environment, it was easy for Hickey toimagine a world where special librarians across North Carolina would join together, throughshared interests and better communication, to achieve “maturity and self-confidence as aprofession.” However, this positivity belied her deep frustration with ongoing challenges yet tobe sufficiently addressed within the field. These included the absence of a clear definition of a“special library,” problematic methods of statistical documentation, and deficient library staffing.Her concerns were prophetic, as these issues would plague the field for years and continue to doso today

Improving the health and wellbeing of homeless individuals using relational care approaches

Homelessness is a social system plagued by limited resources, access issues, and influenced by a relational social construct. A challenge for homeless service providers working with the unsheltered is addressing individual issues while managing the different system influences on homelessness. Within the ecosystem of homelessness there are multiple variables influencing how to cope and manage through personal, emotional, and health and wellness concerns. As homeless service providers engage a list of tasks as part of their organizational duty and roles, for providers to manage homeless consequences there is a need to know how to sustain provider-client relationships. When considering services to the homeless, fundamental to the helping process is provider attitude and professional behavior. Providers use of essential skills and display of professional attitudes can help reduce negative homeless outcomes. In terms of professional behavior and attitude, having multiple roles to play, staffing, and agency capacity are underlying influences on human service work. In considering approaches to service, professionalism and display of Relational care are vital. When trying to understand the best approaches to homeless services, elements such as leadership style, level of lived experience, ability to foster empathy and compassion, and professional knowledge are significant. In recognizing what are essential skills to service, considering the variety of service conditions, building rapport, empowering, developing the individual, addressing basic needs (psychological and physiological), instilling hope, and conflict resolution are vital. For homeless service providers to be effective and reduce positive effects of homelessness, they must recognize a two-pronged approach to homelessness, (i.e., to assess structural and client system conditions). A fundamental and principal part of helping unsheltered populations is building strong, healthy relationships that show understanding of individual client issues and being aware of the macro and mezzo issues that impact daily work. Next to understanding ecological issues is identifying client-specific needs and engaging external agency community partnerships that are collaborative in addressing homelessness. These elements encompass professionalism, advocacy, and engage a relational interaction. Having an active role that possesses the ability to advocate and address extreme social disparities connects to the humanity of others and breaks down the barriers that prevent individuals from attaining housing, maintaining health and wellness, and exiting homelessness. Maintaining a supportive attitude, professional skill, and assessing ecosystem factors are principal elements for providers to be aware when working with unsheltered populations and navigating homeless barriers. Keywords: Homelessness, Health Disparities, Care Approaches, Relational Care, Service Approaches, Leadershi

Effects of economic pressure and social support on parental depression and Head Start children’s behavioral problems

The importance of Head Start cannot be understated. This federal program, created out of necessity to address the disparities found in low-income families, has greatly expanded their focus to include the families of the attending children. As low-income families face many stressors, this study seeks to examine how social support could buffer parents from experiencing depression and how it may buffer children from experiencing externalizing behavioral problems. This study aimed to look at the association between parental depression and the interaction of economic pressure by total social support. I hypothesized that parents who live under conditions of high economic pressure and experience higher levels of social support will report lower levels of depressive symptoms. I further expect that children living in the same conditions will experience lower levels of externalizing behavioral problems. This study was conducted as a secondary analysis using a sample (n = 156) children attending Head Start and (n = 134) of their caregivers. Pearson correlations and linear regression models were used in order to test the hypothesis. I created an interaction variable of economic pressure and total social support to test our hypothesis. Results indicated that high economic pressure is associated with higher parental depression, while higher social support was associated with lower parental depression. The interaction between economic pressure and social support, unexpectedly, was not significant. Additionally, child externalizing behavioral problems was not predicted by economic pressure or social support or their interaction. These results highlight the importance of social support and further contributes to the growing literature on Head Start families

Interventions to Increase Osteoporosis Screening in Patients with Seizure Disorder on Antiepileptic Medications

People with epilepsy (PWE) are at above-average risk for fracture due to the biochemical bone changes that result from the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Osteoporotic fractures can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality while simultaneously having negative effects on healthcare cost. There is no recommended routine screening for osteoporosis in people who are at high risk for osteoporotic fractures for other reasons except being female and post-menopausal