Students present research at 2021 SNCURCS

Fifteen Honors College students participated last month in the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS). Students from all public and private institutions in North Carolina were allowed to submit abstracts based on their original work.

This year the event was held virtually on Nov. 13 and was co-hosted by Catawba College, Elon University and Livingstone College.

The students who presented and their project names and abstracts are listed below.

Austin Bland – Factors influencing decisions to invest in cryptocurrency (Mentor: Linda Quick; Major: Management/Accounting)

Cryptocurrency is one of the newer options when it comes to the world of investing. According to a survey done by Bakkt, a digital asset marketplace, 48 percent of American investors invested in cryptocurrency during the first half of 2021, and 32 percent of respondents who did not currently hold cryptocurrency planned to within the next 6 months. This relatively new investment method has gained a lot of interest from investors. For all the excitement around cryptocurrencies, we know very little about this investment method. There has not been much research done on the issue of how risky investors perceive cryptocurrency to be, or what drives risk tolerance when dealing with cryptocurrency investments. This study investigates whether the source and amount of investment capital will influence the desire to invest in cryptocurrency and the perceived risk of investing in cryptocurrency. I hypothesize that participants with self-generated capital will choose to invest less in cryptocurrency and perceive the investment as riskier than participants with gifted capital.

Elizabeth Chan – Metformin and mTPP Dose Response in Drosophila (Mentor: Darrell Neufer; Major: Biology)

Metformin has been the most used drug to treat diabetes for nearly 70 years, but its mechanism of action is unclear. Research shows that metformin impacts multiple pathways by accumulating in the mitochondria and inhibiting Complex I of the ETC. However, although mM concentrations are required to inhibit complex I in vitro, in vivo metformin only accumulates to µM levels. Metformin carries a formal positive charge and thus it, as well as other cations able to cross membranes, will accumulate in the negatively charged mitochondrial matrix, reducing the net electrochemical charge across the inner membrane. This decreases the efficiency of ATP production, which in the context of a positive energy balance is predicted to promote health span and longevity. The purpose of this study is to test this hypothesis in Drosophila simulans. In flight muscle of flies (cuticle), titration of metformin (1-200 mM) or methyl-triphoniumphosphate (cation; mTPP; 0.01-0.25 mM) induced a dose-dependent decrease (30-50% max) in mitochondrial ADP-stimulated oxygen consumption rate (JO2; normalized to complex IV activity). To establish the effect of cations in vivo, flies were fasted for 20 hours and then provided food containing mTPP (0-1.0 mM) with blue dye for two or four hours. Surprisingly, despite evidence of food consumption, ADP-stimulated JO2 was not affected, suggesting either flies did not consume enough food, that mTPP was not absorbed, or that it is ineffective in vivo. Additional feeding studies are underway to distinguish between these possibilities.

Emily Cross – Impulse Buying: How Digital Marketing is Influencing the Millennial Generation’s Impulsive Spending (Mentor: Christine Kowalczyk; Major: Marketing)

Impulse buying, in its most simplest form, is the process of making a purchase one had not intended to make (Cruze, 2020). Impulse buys can be small, they can also include larger items such as cars and computers. Millennials, currently aged between 26 and 41 and a population of 72.1 million, make up the largest segment of the American workforce (Pastore, 2020). Not only does this population make up a majority of the American workforce, they are also the highest spending generation and the generation that the media is most easily able to influence (Mullen, 2020). Among millennials, 82 percent buy a product they like the first time they see it, 70 percent admitted to often regretting purchases they made, and 64 percent reported they often make impulse buys (Mullen, 2020). The purpose of this research is to analyze what forms of digital marketing are able to influence the millennial population the most. This research will also attempt to examine what demographics influence consumers to purchase an expensive or luxury product that they had not intended to buy. The demographics that will be included are age, race, gender, general income, and household type. Information will be contributed to this research through surveys submitted anonymously from participants aged 25 to 40 years old. By analyzing the results from the surveys, there will be more insight on what forms of digital marketing are most successful in achieving an impulse purchase by millennials.

Sophia Farrow – Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Concentration in Ovariectomized Rat Kidney: Effects of Ethanol and Estradiol (Mentor: Abdel Abdel-Rahman; Major: Biology)

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted discussion and research on ACE2. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 lowers blood pressure by catalyzing hydrolysis of angiotensin 2 (Ang II) into angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7). ACE2 receptors are utilized as a membrane receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as COVID-19. The number of ACE2 receptors located within the kidney affects the severity of symptoms caused by COVID-19. Estradiol (E2), the form of estrogen produced by the ovaries, and ethanol (EtOH) have been proven to separately affect the expression of ACE2 within the kidneys of female rats, with emphasis on the effects of EtOH on male rat kidneys. The objective of this research was to study the effect of EtOH and E2 on ACE2 concentrations in ovariectomized (OVX) female rat kidney, alongside the effect of EtOH on male rat kidney. The Western blot technique was utilized to determine the expression of ACE2 and how E2 and EtOH concentrations increased or decreased the ACE2 expression in corresponding OVX rats. By researching E2 and EtOH effects on ACE2 expression, scientists can further explore how COVID-19 treatment can be improved for alcohol consuming females.

Coleman Ferrell – Optimizing Self-driving Parameters in Autonomous Vehicles through Traffic Simulation and CART Analysis (Mentor: Jinkun Lee; Major: Engineering)

Autonomous vehicles (AV) are becoming more prevalent on our roadways, and the safety of driving alongside AVs is a growing public concern. AV developers tend to program a conservative self-driving algorithm in order to ensure public safety and avoid legal problems. However, a conservative position can significantly worsen traffic flow when AVs are introduced into the traffic network. Therefore, there is a need for a public discussion and agreement so developers can take a more aggressive approach to make AVs drive seamlessly alongside human drivers, while also maintaining safety. With the objective of preventing vehicle collisions while maximizing traffic efficiency, the control parameters of AV models are identified, analyzed, and designed inside a traffic network simulation within the Greenville, NC network. Specifically, machine learning is utilized to create classification and regressions trees (CART), which assist in determining the values of the parameters that achieve the target variables. The outcome of this work, the set of optimal control parameters of AVs determined from this research, will be the decision basis when traffic-related authorities, AV developers, and public representatives are trying to reach a consensus and discuss regulations for all AVs.

Rachel Hansel – Understanding the Sustainability of Quality Improvement in an Academic Medical Center: A Case of the Fall Prevention Toolkit (Mentor: Thompson Hollingsworth Forbes III; Major: Nursing)

Most nurses providing care at the bedside have a story about a patient who experienced a fall that either sped up their disease process or prolonged their hospitalization. Due to the potential severity of harm from falls, health systems and payers have placed an intentional focus on reducing the incidence of falls. Numerous studies have explored interventions to decrease the incidents of falls, for example, tailoring interventions to the specific unit’s environment (Jacobs, 2016), increasing staff training (Montejano-Lozyoa, 2020), and talking with patients about their fears to bridge the fall risk perception gap that often occurs between patients and staff (Kityoshi-Teo, 2020). While there is an abundance of research on individual interventions, there is a deficiency in knowledge about intervention sustainability. The purpose of this project is to conduct a quality improvement assessment to understand the impact and sustainability of the Vidant Health Falls toolkit implementation on reducing falls. Understanding the impact of this toolkit, we can adjust it to provide better outcomes for both our patients and our hospital payers. In 2021, Vidant Health implemented a fall reduction tool kit in its effort to address the incidence of falls across their academic medical center. Focus groups with key staff members were conducted after units had been using the toolkit for at least 6 months. ”Key staff members” will be used throughout this paper to describe individuals whose units utilize the toolkit and have had personal experience with its usage. Interviews with these key staff members revealed that there were two overarching barriers to successful implementation: lack of time to execute the toolkit, and lack of understanding why the toolkit is important. These findings reinforce that health systems implementing falls reduction toolkits should include education during new hire education that explains the rationale behind the toolkit in order to create a foundation for a falls prevention culture.

Emily Kustka – Exploration of Interest and Development of Intergenerational Facilities in Pitt County (Mentor: Abby Schwartz; Major: Social Work)

Research has shown that residents in nursing homes often experience isolation, loneliness, and boredom, which can lead to mental and physical decline. To address this, some facilities provide intergenerational care, by combining nursing and childcare with daily interaction between adults and children. There are no intergenerational facilities in Pitt County, and the extent to which intergenerational programming is offered is unclear. This research project aimed to explore the benefits and challenges associated with developing an intergenerational facility in Pitt County, and to propose key considerations in developing such a facility. A qualitative research method was used, and 10 stakeholders were interviewed by phone or virtually due to COVID19. Stakeholders were recruited via faculty mentor contacts and snowball sampling. Preliminary themes related to benefits and challenges include: using older adults’ talents to provide educational experiences for children, children’s exposure to difficult conversations (e.g., death), and older adults’ exposure to flu and other illnesses. Preliminary themes related to considerations in developing a facility include: researching and implementing appropriate licensing and certifications, development of activities catered to different ability levels of older adults and children, and interprofessional and community collaboration to ensure facility success. The results suggest that an intergenerational facility in Pitt County is feasible if stakeholder input were to be addressed. Ideas for future research are also discussed (e.g., costs, diverse racial/ethnic perspectives of potential consumers) to gain additional detail needed to develop an intergenerational facility.

Zachary Pakulniewicz – An Experimental Study on the Dynamics of Binder Drops Impacting on a Powder Surface in Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing (Mentor: Yang Liu; Major: Engineering)

Binder jetting additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been widely used for manufacturing complex and advanced structures. The binder jetting method creates 3D structures by jetting binder drops onto a powder bed with subsequent curing. While this method can provide fast and efficient non-contact manufacturing with additional design and material flexibilities, it suffers from several drawbacks, such as coarse resolution and manufacturing inconsistency. These undesired effects are caused by the complex drop-powder interactions during the printing process. In this study, we will experimentally investigate the complex binder-powder interactions during drop impacting and curing processes. While a high-speed imaging system will be used to capture the transient details during the drop-powder interactions, a micro digital image projection (m-DIP) system will be used to quantitatively measure the instantaneous 3D surface morphologies of binder drops impacting on powder surfaces. The findings derived from this study will be of great value to improve the current binder jetting AM procedures and develop more efficient and robust AM techniques tailored for fabricating high-quality functional structures in various applications.

Elliot Paul – Implementation of an in silico modeling pipeline for bone remodeling in microgravity (Mentor: Ali Vahdati; Major: Engineering)

As space exploration become more prevalent, bone health in microgravity remains a major concern. Microgravity puts astronauts at risk of losing 1% – 1.5% of bone mass per month in space [1]. This study aims to implement a mechanistic in silico approach to simulate mechanically-induced bone remodeling in microgravity. A finite element model was developed in the open-source software FEBio [2], which was run using a MATLAB script and the open-source toolbox GIBBON. The output of this finite element analysis became the input to an existing NASA toolchain for bone remodeling in microgravity [3], which couples differential equations for temporal evolution of biological and chemical factors. Preliminary results show that factors, such as TGF-β1, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts population dynamics play an important role in the computational remodeling simulations. For example, when the mechanical loading was increased, the population of active osteoblasts and bone density slightly increased, while the number of active osteoclasts slightly decreased. This in silico model is currently being further developed, verified, and validated against NASA’s existing modeling toolchain [3]. The fully verified and validated model can eventually aid in designing exercise protocols that minimize astronaut bone loss and maximize the potential for safe space exploration.

Jonathan Porter – Using Virtual Reality to Motivate Remote Employees to Positively Impact the Effects of Burnout (Mentor: Corey Pulido; Major: Management)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses made the decision to transfer work positions to a virtual format. Companies have realized the benefits of maintaining remote positions and many plan to retain remote positions following the pandemic. Some employees working virtually have experienced increased levels of burnout and exhaustion without a rigid structure and less interpersonal communication. Identifying ways that managers can motivate these employees and prevent burnout is important to the longevity of these positions. This study identifies and highlights the implications of virtual reality (VR) as a means of reducing and managing stress factors contributing to burnout. Research highlights the successes of virtual reality in modifying psychological factors and denotes potential applications of virtual reality to curb burnout in remote workers.

Ashley Reid – Men in Nursing Academia: Factors Associated with Recruitment and Retention (Mentor: Mark Hand; Major: Nursing)

Currently there is a shortage of males holding faculty positions in schools of nursing. Minimal research has been conducted to address the shortage of male faculty. The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to recruitment and retention of men in the faculty role. In this multisite descriptive design, 242 male faculty completed the electronic Nurse Educator Recruitment and Retention Survey. Top strategies reported regarding attraction to the role were opportunity to work with students , help shape the nursing profession, and nurse faculty role modeling. Top recruitment strategies were increased salaries , employee benefits , having discussions with students, and flexibility in working hours. Retention strategies reported were positive work environment and support from administration. The factors identified from this study are essential for the recruitment and retention of men in faculty roles.

Georgia Sasser – Examining the Relationship between Poverty, Urbanicity, and Child Maltreatment Fatalities (Mentor: Cierra Buckman; Major: Rehabilitation Services)

While deaths attributed to maltreatment represent a minority of child fatalities, the official rate of child abuse deaths was 2.39/100,000 children in 2018. There are geographic variations in maltreatment and fatality rates between states, counties, and neighborhoods. Previous literature has come to conflicting conclusions about whether maltreatment fatalities are higher in rural or urban areas. This distinction may be related to differences in defining “rural” and “urban”, as some studies use the Rural-Urban Continuum code, which is based partially on commuting rates, and others use population density data. There are variations in how data on child maltreatment is collected, with databases including the National Violent Death Reporting System, and the Kids Inpatient Database. Poverty has been reported as an important variable in maltreatment fatality rates both independently and when intersected with rurality, as one study claimed that counties with a high level of poverty had more than three times the abuse fatality rate of low poverty counties. One study that found higher abuse in urban areas also found that maltreatment in families receiving government welfare, including food stamps and unemployment insurance, was higher in rural areas. Family stress and financial insecurity are more common in rural victims, while factors like parental drug abuse, which is involved in 19.3% of maltreatment fatalities, are more common in urban environments. Eligibility for public insurance and demographic characteristics are also debated as risk factors. We hypothesize that individual-level and regional poverty rates are more strongly associated with higher maltreatment fatality rates than urbanicity.

Adam Schmitt – Optimizing Mass Spectrometry Protein Detection in Aging Mouse Muscle (Mentor: Ted Graber; Major: Exercise Physiology)

Neuromuscular dysfunction results in a decline in physical function and exercise capacity with aging, leading to reduced quality of life and eventual increased mortality. Changes in muscle protein expression levels through aging play a role in the development of sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass/strength). Tandem mass taglabeled (tmt) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (lc-ms/ms) is a well-validated technique used to establish differential protein expression, but the dominance of two proteins necessary for generating force output, myosin heavy chain (MHC, ~42%) and alpha-actin (a-actin, ~18%), limits effective dynamic range and makes it difficult to detect low abundance proteins in muscle fibers. With no further treatment, 493 proteins are detected in our mouse skeletal muscle homogenates. This ongoing project’s main goal is to use different strategies to maximize protein detection. We increased detectability 70% to 803 proteins using a high pH reverse phase fractionation kit, and then with size-exclusion chromatography, further increased detection to 1493 proteins in an under 30,000 Dalton fraction alone (note: MHS ~ 200 kDa, a-actin ~ 60 kDa). Our pilot data (n=3 per age group) using reverse phase fractionation demonstrates that we can reliably detect significant (p<0.10) protein differences between older adult (28m) and adult (6m) muscle (22 altered proteins). We will also be investigating a myofibrillar separation homogenization where myofibrillar proteins are fractionated biochemically from sarcoplasmic proteins. Overall, we conclude that finding an optimal protein detection protocol will better enable us to tease out potential mechanisms of age-related muscle dysfunction using tandem mass spectrometry.

Molli Sholar – Vitamin B12 Regulation of PUFA Synthesis (Mentor: Michael Wheeler; Major: Nutrition and Dietetics)

Low-grade, chronic inflammation is associated with a range of diet and age-related disorders, including diabetes, arthritis, and cognitive deficits. Inflammatory cells have the capacity to synthesize complex PUFA called specialized pro-resolution mediators (SPMs) that regulate the extent and duration of inflammatory responses. Humans have a limited capacity to synthesize SMPs, especially as we age, due to decreased expression of the elongase and desaturase enzymes required in their conversion from dietary PUFAs. It was recently shown that vitamin B12, an essential micronutrient, enhances the cognitive benefits of dietary n3 PUFAs. It is hypothesized that B12 will increase macrophage SPM synthesis and subdue pro-inflammatory cytokine production. To test this hypothesis, RAW264 macrophage cell line was stimulated with LPS and gIFN, which promotes robust pro-inflammatory gene expression. Cells were also stimulated in the presence of 50 uM cobalamin (B12). Gene expression profiles were assessed using signal cell RNA-seq. The addition of B12 had no significant impact on the expression of most prototypical pro-inflammatory genes. However, it was demonstrated that B12 significantly increased elov5 expression, suggesting that B12 does indeed regulate PUFA biosynthesis in macrophages. Moreover, B12 enhances the expression of Trem2, a novel anti-inflammatory transcript associated with neuro-protective effects. While pro-inflammatory responses in general were not changed, B12 selectively regulated expression of key factors involved in neuro-protective pathways It is concluded that B12 differentially regulates macrophage responses and may be beneficial in mitigating chronic inflammation associated with age-related pathologies.

Raazia Zia – Structural and Thermodynamic Investigation of Pb2+ Binding to Human Cardiac Troponin C (Mentor: Anne Spuches; Major: Biochemistry)

Toxic metal exposure is linked to a variety of health issues including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is known that toxic metals are capable of mimicking essential metals for binding sites in proteins. It is also known that both divalent cadmium (Cd2+) and lead (Pb2+) can disrupt Ca2+ signaling pathways. However, little else is known about how this happens at the molecular level. Research in the Spuches Lab is geared towards understanding metal toxicity from a structural and thermodynamic perspective. In this project, I will investigate Pb2+ binding to human cardiac troponin C(hcTnC), a Ca2+ binding protein that is responsible for heart muscle contraction. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC)studies of Pb2+ binding to wild-type and C35A/C84A N-domain hcTnC will be conducted to determine the stoichiometry of metal binding as well as ΔG, ΔH, and TΔS of the reaction. Circular dichroism (CD) experiments will also be used to probe the structural changes that occur upon Pb2+ binding to wild-type and C35A/C84A N-domain of hcTnC. My results will be compared to data obtained for Cd2+ in the Spuches lab in an effort to understand lead toxicity at the molecular level.