East Carolina University : Research and Creative Achievement Week 2011
population from December 2010-March 2011 in order to determine if there is a correlation between low temperatures and a decreasing flea population. I explored changes in the flea population when the temperatures dropped in 2010, and observed a resurgence in the population when the temperatures started to rise in 2011. By flea combing all of the animals at the Pitt County Animal Shelter weekly, I observed a drastic drop in the number of fleas on the animals after the first freezing temperatures were recorded in 2010. There were no fleas on the animals after freezing temperatures and snow occurred in 2010. The fleas returned the first weekend that temperatures above 70 degrees farenheit were recorded in February 2011. A review of literature shows that this is a common occurrence in flea populations. When temperatures drop below freezing, fleas become extremely inactive, and when temperatures rise above 60 deegrees farenheit, they become active again. The temperatures and weather conditions in eastern North Carolina were not typical during the time that fleas were collected. Snow and below freezing temperatures are not conditions that are typical in eastern North Carolia, even during the winter season, thus, this is an unique study. The results may effect the way that pets and yards are treated with pesticides in the future during the winter months. Preliminary results show that fleas cannot be collected when temperatures drop below freezing and can be collected when temperatures elevate above 60 degrees farenheit. I predict that the flea population will continue to grow as temperatures continue to rise, and if tempratures fall below freezing again, that the number of fleas collected will decrease.
Comparison Of Gait Biomechanics At Self-Selected And Standardized Walking Speeds. Elizabeth Kitchens, Patrick Rider, Mike McNally, Erica Gibson, Tibor HortobĂĄgyi, Paul DeVita, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Walking is a fundamental human activity which directly affects quality of life in individuals of all ages. The Biomechanics Laboratory at ECU has conducted research on the biomechanics of walking in healthy and pathological populations to better understand how gait mechanics change with pathology and age and to ultimately improve quality of life for walking-disabled individuals. However, these tests have typically been conducted with a standardized walking speed (1.5 m/s) to eliminate the confounding variation occurring with a change in walking speed in regards to the biomechanical factors producing walking. This controlled walking speed brings into question the ecological validity of this method, indicating that the standardized walking speed may not be a true representation of walking gait mechanics compared to the subjects freely chosen or selfselected speed. The purpose of this study was to compare walking gait biomechanics in healthy young adults walking at a self-selected speed and at the standardized speed in order to investigate the biomechanical similarity or dissimilarity of self-selected and constrained walking conditions. The results of this study show there are significant differences between the self-selected walking speed and the standardized walking speed which alter gait mechanics. The mean self-selected walking velocity of 1.45 Âą 0.14 m/s was significantly different than the mean standardized walking speed of 1.52 Âą 0.06 m/s (p=0.03). Hip torque and work values were 1.7 (p=0.00) and 1.8 (p=0.00) times larger at the standardized speed. Knee torque was 1.4 (p=0.03) fold greater at the self-selected speed 207
P138