North Carolina Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

One thousand and eleven men under age forty ( n = 161) or over age sixty-four ( n = 850) admitted to medical and neurological services of an acute care hospital were screened for depressive symptoms as part of the Durham VA Mental Health... more

One thousand and eleven men under age forty ( n = 161) or over age sixty-four ( n = 850) admitted to medical and neurological services of an acute care hospital were screened for depressive symptoms as part of the Durham VA Mental Health Survey. Thirty-three percent of younger and 22 percent of older men scored 11 or higher on the Geriatric Depression Scale. Self-rated symptoms were most prevalent among younger whites (40%) and least common in older blacks (19%). Other exogenous factors such as being retired or unemployment and prior psychiatric history were also related to depressive symptoms, as were poor functional status, impaired cognitive status, and respiratory illness. Coping resources associated with fewer symptoms were social support and moderate alcohol use. In a subgroup of 443 patients, self-rated symptoms were compared with observer-rated symptoms. Agreement was highest among young Whites and lowest in older Blacks. Other correlates also varied depending on whether sel...

This study was designed to determine the serotypes, genotypes, and antibiotic resistance (AbR) patterns of 42 Salmonella isolates recovered from either fecal or litter samples of 12 commercial turkey farms across two seasons (summer and... more

This study was designed to determine the serotypes, genotypes, and antibiotic resistance (AbR) patterns of 42 Salmonella isolates recovered from either fecal or litter samples of 12 commercial turkey farms across two seasons (summer and winter) and two ages (3 and 19 weeks). Isolates were serotyped on the basis of the Kauffmann-White scheme. Genotyping was done by restriction digestion of cDNA (XbaI) and subsequent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The AbR was determined with Sensititre susceptibility plates. Serovar Kentucky was the most prevalent serotype (26%), followed by Senftenberg (19%), Muenster (17%), Mbandaka (10%), Javiana (7%), Hadar (5%), Heidelberg (5%), 8,(20):nonmotile (5%), Agona (2%), Infantis (2%), and 4,12:r:− (2%). Serovars Kentucky, Heidelberg, Hadar, and 8,(20):nonmotile were isolated only from the 19-week-old bird samples, whereas Senftenberg and Muenster were isolated only from the young birds (3 weeks old). Isolates within any one serotype showed min...

Differences between households with and without phones in the United States as a whole are well documented, but these differences, and their implications for nursing practice and research, have received little attention in nursing... more

Differences between households with and without phones in the United States as a whole are well documented, but these differences, and their implications for nursing practice and research, have received little attention in nursing publications. This article 1) reviews findings from national studies of these differences and 2) reports on a nursing study that examined such differences specifically in a random sample (N= 2,053) of lowincome families having children eligible for but not using the well‐child services of the Medicaid program in rural North Carolina. The study was part of a randomized trial of nursing interventions to encourage parents to use these services. The analyses reported herein focus on how families with and without phones differed in health‐related characteristics and in responses to the interventions. The findings have relevance for public health nurses conducting outreach or research with similar low‐income families, even when the outreach or research methods d...

This study examined the accuracy and costs of determining whether rural, low‐income Medicaid recipients did or did not have a phone, and of obtaining phone numbers for those who did. For a random sample of 209 families, we compared phone... more

This study examined the accuracy and costs of determining whether rural, low‐income Medicaid recipients did or did not have a phone, and of obtaining phone numbers for those who did. For a random sample of 209 families, we compared phone information obtained from phone books and directory assistance with information obtained from department of social services (DSS) records. DSS records identified 51% of the sample as having phones, compared with 19%‐25% for phone books and directory assistance. For identifying families as having no home phone or a phone with a number that matched the one in the DSS record, phone books or directory assistance corresponded with DSS records in 52%‐57% of the sample. Using phone books or directory assistance was up to 3.2 times more costly than using DSS records. The study highlighted the need to establish policies to promote the exchange of information between social services and public health agencies and researchers.

OBJECTIVES. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of three outreach interventions to promote well-child screening for children on Medicaid. METHODS. In rural North Carolina, a random... more

OBJECTIVES. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of three outreach interventions to promote well-child screening for children on Medicaid. METHODS. In rural North Carolina, a random sample of 2053 families with children due or overdue for screening was stratified according to the presence of a home phone. Families were randomly assigned to receive a mailed pamphlet and letter, a phone call, or a home visit outreach intervention, or the usual (control) method of informing at Medicaid intake. RESULTS. All interventions produced more screenings than the control method, but increases were significant only for families with phones. Among families with phones, a home visit was the most effective intervention but a phone call was the most cost-effective. However, absolute rates of effectiveness were low, and incremental costs per effect were high. CONCLUSIONS. Pamphlets, phone calls, and home visits by nurses were minimally effective ...

Runoff from open animal feeding operation is a major source of non-point pollution. Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are one of the effective ways in controlling non-point source pollution. In this study, performance of a vegetative filter... more

Runoff from open animal feeding operation is a major source of non-point pollution. Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are one of the effective ways in controlling non-point source pollution. In this study, performance of a vegetative filter strip situated at down slope end of a beef feedlot was evaluated under eastern North Dakota climatic conditions. Two automatic ISCO samplers were installed to collect runoff water entering and leaving the vegetative filter strip. Runoff samples were analyzed for solids, nutrients, pH, and conductivity using standard methods. Results indicated that VFS was effective in reducing concentration of total solids (TS) by 33.7%, total suspended solids (TSS) by 68.0%, total phosphorous (TP) by 29.9%, ortho-phosphorous (OP) by 19.3%, ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) by 31.8%, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) by 35.6%, and potassium (K) by 19.8%. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations at the outlet samples increased as expected, and the buffer was not effective in redu...

Landscape and forest plants in the Midwest sustained extensive damage in 2007 from several storms of historic proportion. The purpose of this document is to place those events in historical perspective, to describe the types of damage... more

Landscape and forest plants in the Midwest sustained extensive damage in 2007 from several storms of historic proportion. The purpose of this document is to place those events in historical perspective, to describe the types of damage observed and plant responses to it, to predict several long-term effects of this damage and to suggest approaches to remediation. Some of the weather events causing this damage were unprecedented in scope and severity. Consequently, it is difficult to predict in detail how damaged plants will respond over time, because there is little experience upon which to base projections.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the microbial integrity of preservative-free cyclodextrin-based alfaxalone in a multiple-use system. SAMPLE 22 vials of preservative-free alfaxalone. PROCEDURES 2 storage conditions (room temperature, 22°C;... more

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the microbial integrity of preservative-free cyclodextrin-based alfaxalone in a multiple-use system. SAMPLE 22 vials of preservative-free alfaxalone. PROCEDURES 2 storage conditions (room temperature, 22°C; refrigerated temperature, 4°C) and 3 handling techniques (closed system transfer device, nonclosed dispensing pin, and manufacturer-supplied vial stopper) comprised 6 treatment groups (3 replicates/group). An aliquot (0.5 mL) was withdrawn from each vial daily for 14 days. Samples were immediately inoculated into tryptic soy broth and incubated at 36°C for 24 hours; samples were subcultured onto 5% Columbia sheep blood agar and incubated for 48 hours. Isolated colonies were evaluated for identification. RESULTS There was no evidence of microbial contamination of vials stored for 7 days in refrigeration and handled with a protected port (closed system transfer device or nonclosed dispensing pin). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The US FDA prohibits the use...

Detailed vegetation databases are being compiled from color infrared (CIR) aerial photographs and used in conjunction with 3D terrain visualization techniques to create interactive displays of National Parks and Historic Sites in... more

Detailed vegetation databases are being compiled from color infrared (CIR) aerial photographs and used in conjunction with 3D terrain visualization techniques to create interactive displays of National Parks and Historic Sites in southeastern United States. The sizes of the parks vary from about 2000 km2 for the rugged Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, to small national battlefields and historic sites of less than 100 ha. The dense forest cover in many of the parks has required the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys in combination with softcopy photogrammetry, DEMs, image processing techniques and geographic information system (GIS) procedures to construct large-scale digital orthophotos and vector-based vegetation databases (Welch et al., 2000). As part of the study, the DEMs generated by stereocorrelation procedures from the color IR photographs were compared to those available from the U.S. Geolo...

The North Carolina Association of Historians Annual Meeting Hosted by the Department of History at the College of the Albemarle. The Program Committee of the North Carolina Association of Historians invites submissions of one-page... more

The North Carolina Association of Historians Annual Meeting Hosted by the Department of History at the College of the Albemarle. The Program Committee of the North Carolina Association of Historians invites submissions of one-page proposals for papers to be presented in person at the annual meeting on 28th-29th March 2025.

It is well known that skeletal remains of carbonate secreting organisms can provide a wealth of information about past environments. Sr/Ca ratios have been successfully used as a temperature proxy in corals and sclerosponges. Previous... more

It is well known that skeletal remains of carbonate secreting organisms can provide a wealth of information about past environments. Sr/Ca ratios have been successfully used as a temperature proxy in corals and sclerosponges. Previous work on aragonitic bivalve shells has not been conclusive but suggests a major control of growth rate on Sr/Ca ratios. As many studies have used bivalve growth rates to determine temperature, we tested if Sr/Ca ratios could predict temperature through its relationship with growth rate. Shells from the two species of clams from the same family (veneroidea) studied here, Saxidomus giganteus and Mercenaria mercenaria, show vastly different seasonal Sr/Ca profiles. A strong relationship between average annual Sr/Ca ratios and annual growth rate was found in S. giganteus shells from both Washington (R2 = 0.87) and Alaska (R2 = 0.64), USA, but not in M. mercenaria shells from North Carolina, USA. Furthermore, the Sr/Ca–growth rate relationship was also evide...

CDC conducts active surveillance annually from October through May on the emergence and spread of influenza virus variants and the impact of influenza-related morbidity and mortality. Influenza activity is also monitored throughout the... more

CDC conducts active surveillance annually from October through May on the emergence and spread of influenza virus variants and the impact of influenza-related morbidity and mortality. Influenza activity is also monitored throughout the year by passive surveillance. This report summarizes U.S. influenza surveillance from October 1992 through May 1994. Influenza surveillance comprises four components, three of which provide weekly data from October through May: a) state and territorial epidemiologists provide estimates of local influenza activity; b) approximately 140 sentinel physicians report their total number of patient visits and the number of cases of influenza-like illness; and c) approximately 70 collaborating laboratories of the World Health Organization (WHO) report weekly influenza virus isolations and submit selected influenza isolates to CDC for antigenic analysis. Throughout the year, vital statistics offices of 121 cities report deaths related to pneumonia and influenza...

Selenium-induced fish kills in Belews Lake, North Carolina in the late-1970s resulted in a substantial amount of research on selenium effects to aquatic life. Similarly, selenium-induced teratogenesis in aquatic birds at Kesterson... more

Selenium-induced fish kills in Belews Lake, North Carolina in the late-1970s resulted in a substantial amount of research on selenium effects to aquatic life. Similarly, selenium-induced teratogenesis in aquatic birds at Kesterson Reservoir, California in the mid-1980s resulted in extensive research on selenium effects to aquatic birds. Unlike many other contaminants for which water exposure is the critical pathway for environmental effects, selenium ecotoxicology is driven by bioaccumulation in invertebrates and exposure to fish and birds via the diet. At sufficiently high levels, these exposures result in embryo teratogenesis and reduced survival of larval fish and bird chicks. Because of the dietary exposure pathway, assessment of selenium risks to the environment is best accomplished by evaluating concentrations in fish and bird tissues rather than the water. One of the end results of the intensive research efforts mentioned above has been the publication of tissue-based toxicit...