18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -i-

Spring 2009

North Carolina State University

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Book of Abstracts

Table of Contents

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Session 1 ....................................................................................................................... ii

Session 2 .......................................................................................................................xi

ABSTRACTS

Biological Sciences ......................................................................................................... 1

Applied Sciences (Crop, Poultry, Animal, and Horticultural Sciences) ................ 1

Ecology, Environmental, Conservation, Botanical ............................................ 17

Molecular, Biochemical, Genetics, Cell Biology ............................................... 19

Zoology, Physiology, Behavior, Neurobiology ................................................. 36

Design ......................................................................................................................... 43

Engineering and Technology ......................................................................................... 44

Humanities, Social Sciences, Psychology ...................................................................... 64

Physical and Mathematical Sciences ............................................................................. 74

EnvironMentors, Garner Magnet High School ............................................................... 84

INDEX ......................................................................................................................... 87

THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................ 101

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -ii-

Poster Presentations

Session 1

1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Poster # Student Presenter(s) Project Title Faculty Mentor(s)

I, C-23

Evan R. Adamek

Physics

Nanoscale-defined, In-plane

Oriented Molecular Deposition

Hans D. Hallen

Physics

I, A-22

Afreen Allam Biochemistry;

Microbiology

Conjugation of Water Soluble

Carbon Nanotube with Drugs like

Taxol and Gemcitabine

Sabyasachi Sarkar

Chemistry

I, B-13

William C. Andrew

Biological Sciences

Does ATP, Glutamate or NAAG

Affect Glial Cell Number in Rat

Sciatic Nerve?

Robert Grossfeld

Biology

I, B-4

Samantha R. Avery

Zoology

Creating an Alternative to Venom

Gland Excision in Agkistrodon

Contortrix

Harold F. Heatwole

Zoology

Michael K. Stoskopf

Clinical Sciences

I, B-15

Ashton L. Ayers

Nutrition Science

Assessment of First Year College

Students' Nutrition Knowledge and

Eating Behaviors

Stephanie Sobol

Health Promotion

I, A-22

Afreen Allam Biochemistry;

Microbiology

Conjugation of Water Soluble

Carbon Nanotube with Drugs like

Taxol and Gemcitabine

Sabyasachi Sarkar

Chemistry

I, C-15

Sarah Bauer-Nilsen Psychology

A Study of Meta-Analysis

Sharolyn Lane

Psychology

I, B-23

Rachel M. Beard, and

Seth D. McCullen

Biomedical Engineering

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on

the Osteogenic Differentiation of

Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

Laura I. Clarke

Physics

Elizabeth G. Loboa

Biology

I, B-24

Aria M. Behrouzi Chemical Engineering

Assessment of Miscanthus Grass for Optimized Bioethanol

Production

Steven Peretti

Chemical Engineering

Ratna Sharma

Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -iii-

I, A-2

Emma Buchanan

Animal Science

Follicular Dynamics and Embryo

Field Following Subcutaneous Administration of Follicle

Stimulating Hormone in Holstein

Cows

Peter Farin

Population Health and Pathobiology, College of

Veterinary Medicine

I, A-1

Malissa L. Braxton

Animal Science

Alkanes as Intake Digestibility

Indicators

Gerald B. Huntington

Animal Science

I, C-16

Jordan E. Buck

Sport Management

Collegiate Sport Fans: The Impact

of Socialization on Sport

Consumption

Jonathan M. Casper

Sport Management

I, C-24

Erika E. Burger, Ashley

N. Myers, and Steven G.

Somers

Statistics

Analysis of Water Quality Tests

William F. Hunt, Jr.

Statistics

I, B-25

Andrew B. Butler

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Camless Variable Valve Timing M. K. Ramasubramanian

Mechanical & Aerospace

Engineering

I, B-26

Jacqueline Byrne Biomedical Engineering

Effect of Varying Surfactant Concentrations on Drop Diameter

in Small-Scale Micro Array

Printing

Roger Narayan Biomedical Engineering

I, A-14

Mary T. Burkey

EnvironMentors

An Analysis of Household Carbon

Footprints in the US

Terrie Litzenberger

Forestry and

Environmental Resource

I, A-23

Whitney P. Chrisco

Biological Sciences

Drug A Reduces MMP-9

Expression by Immortalized HCE

Cells

Laura Guogas

Molecular Pharmacology,

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

I, C-17

John D. Coggin

Communication

The Population Stalemate:

Searching for a Solution after Forty Years of Discourse

William J. Kinsella

Communication

I, A-24

Sara D. Cohen

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Purple Sweet Potato Extract

Enhances Cox-2 Expression and Prostaglandin E2 Formation in

LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

Gabriel K. Harris

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -iv-

II, B-16

Kevin M. Daniel Wood and Paper Science

Production of Microfibrillar Cellulose for Use in High Strength

Biocomposites

Richard Venditti Wood and Paper Science

I, B-28

Mark T. Draelos Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Artificial Antenna Tactile Sensor

Edward Grant

Electrical and Computer

Engineering

I, B-29

Kathryn E. Earley and

Kristen E. Roskov

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Electrospinning Nanostructured

Organometallic Polymer Systems

Containing Magnetically-Active Nanoparticles or

Poly(ferrocenylsilanes)

Richard J. Spontak

Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

I, A-25

Ginger E. Edwardsen Microbiology

NAD+ Salvage Pathways: NatV

Activity of Phage-Infected Vibrio

parahaemolyticus & Escherichia

coli

Eric S. Miller Microbiology

I, C-18

Brittney Eustache

Parks, Recreation and

Tourism Management

Sport Consumption Interest and

Behaviors of African-American

NASCAR Fans

Michelle Harrolle

Parks, Recreation and

Tourism Management

I, A-15

Donta’ J. Fairey and

Kevin M. Bigsby

Forestry and Environmental Resources

Assessing the Feasibility of Using

Mobile Computing Technology for

Field Data Collection

Stacy A. C. Nelson

Center for Earth

Observation, Forestry and Environmental Resources

I, A-16

Michael B. Gamble

DSA - Durham

Battle of the Hybrids

Matt Todd

NC DENR

I, C-25

Laura K. Gardner

Chemistry

Catalase and Peroxidase Studies of

the KatG Mutants H270C and

H270Y

Reza Ghiladi

Chemistry

I, A-26

R. Kyle Gazdeck and

Plant Biology and Plant

Pathology

Development of an Arabidopsis

thaliana-based Screening Assay for Potential Pathogenicity Impaired

Mutants in Aspergillus flavus

Imara Y. Perera

Plant Biology

Rebecca S. Boston

Plant Biology

Gary A. Payne

Plant Pathology

Andrea L. Dolezal

Plant Pathology

I, A-3

Stephanie L. Gorski Entomology

Evolution of Host Recognition in Pest Moths

Jen Petzold Entomology

Fred Gould

Entomology

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -v-

I, C-26

Jodie Greene Chemistry

Synthesis of G2 Dendrimer

Chris Gorman

Chemistry

I, C-1

Dane A. Grismer

Wood and Paper Science

Characterization of Starch

Microcellular Foam Particle

Formation

Joel J. Pawlak

Wood and Paper Science

I, C-27

Lewis B. Guignard

Physics

Layered Organic Photovoltaics

Harald Ade

Physics

I, A-27

Nadia Hassounah

Zoology

The Effect of Vitamin D on Porcine

Satellite Cell Activity

Chad Stahl

Animal Science

I, C-2

Justin Hicks

In Vitro Biomechanical

Comparison of Internal Spinal

Fixation Techniques on the Canine Lumbosacral Vertebrae

Peter Mente

Biomedical Engineering

I, A-17

Jacob L. Hilton

Plant Biology

Optimization of Seed Germination

in Pyxidanthera barbulata var. brevifolia

Thomas R. Wentworth

Plant Biology

William A. Hoffman

Plant Biology

Wade A. Wall Plant Biology

I, C-19

Samantha L. Hiscock

Psychology

Sustainability, Energy and

Engineering Summer REU: Increasing the Number of

Underrepresented Groups in STEM

Fields

Pamela Martin

Psychology

Avril Smart

Psychology

I, A-28

Kit I. Ho

Molecular and Structural

Biochemistry

Identifying siRNA that Inhibits

Expression of Mouse Follicle

William L. Miller

Molecular and Structural

Biochemistry

I, B-22

Rachael M. Huston

Graphic Design

Designing Performative Science

Materials for Centennial Campus

Middle School

Meredith Davis

Graphic Design

I, B-16

Mangala S. Iyengar

Zoology

Effects of ATP and Glutamate on

Sciatic Nerve Glia

Robert Grossfeld

Biology

Jane L. Lubischer Biology

I, C-20 Brittney Eustache Consumption Behavior of Michelle Gacio Harrolle

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -vi-

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

Professional Football Fans in Fan Clubs

Parks Recreation and Tourism Management

I, B-1

Amanda B. Jones

Genetics

PAS Protein Regulation of the

Midline and Tracheal System

Patricia Estes

Genetics

II, C-3

Chris B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Study of Low Density, Low

Temperature Plasmas Containing

Non-Maxwellian Electron Energy Distribution Functions Using Novel

Langmuir Probe Analysis

Techniques

Steven Shannon

Nuclear Engineering

I, C-28

Samuel G. Kenny

Physics

The Characterization of a Physical

Model of Accretion: SS CYG

John Blondin

Physics

I, B-2

Anthony Kulukulualani Infectious Diseases and

Microbiology

B Lymphocyte Activation Affects the Expression of DC-SIGN and

Co-Stimulatory Molecules

Giovanna Rappocciolo Infectious Diseases and

Microbiology

Mariel Jais Infectious Diseases and

Microbiology

Charles Rinaldo Infectious Diseases and

Microbiology

I, A-18

Devin M. Lancaster EnvironMentors

Carbon Storage in Urban and Rural Loblolly Pine Trees

Shaenfy Greys Environmental

Sciences

Jason Moan

N.C. Forest Service

I, C-21

Janine Largen

College of Management

The Impacts of Consumers’

Internet Information Search

Patterns on Their Purchase Decisions and Welfare

Sangkil Moon

College of Management

I, B-3

Ellen E. Lentz

Plant Biology

Increasing Inositol Lipid Signaling

Alters Starch Metabolism in Plants

Wendy F. Boss

Plant Biology

I, C-4

Nicole M. Lewis

Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering

Development of an In-situ Video-

Based Monitoring System for Stent Deformation and Migration

Mechanisms

Stefan Seelecke

Mechanical and

Aerospace Engineering

I, C-29

Brandon J. Long Physical and Mathematical

Sciences

UV Resonance Nano-Raman Spectroscopy

Hans D. Hallen Physics

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -vii-

I, C-5

Jacob Majikes

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Permeability of PET and Recycled

PET Nanocomposites

Richard J. Spontak

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

I, C-6

Veronica Mbaneme Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

Production of Cellulase Enzymes in Solid Substrate Cultivation for the

Conversion of a Paper Based

Cellulosic Substrate to Fermentable

Sugars

Mari S. Chinn Biological & Agricultural

Engineering

I, B-17

John P. McQuilling and

Seth D. McCullen

Biomedical Engineering; Zoology

Responses of Adult Human

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells to

ATP and Electrical Stimulation

Robert Grossfeld

Biology

Jane Lubischer Biology

Elizabeth Loboa

Biomedical Engineering

I, A-4

Heather N. Mendenhall Food, Bioprocessing &

Nutrition Sciences

The Effects of Copper

Concentration on Whey Protein

Isolate Foam Stability

Allen Foegeding

Food, Bioprocessing &

Nutrition Sciences

I, B-4

Robert R. Meyerhoff

Poultry Science

Characterization of Turkey iNOS

and Development of Assays to

Study its Role in Acute Viral Enteritis

Matthew D. Koci

Poultry Science

I, C-7

Tenea M. Miller, Britany

P. Alston, Steven M.

Badawi, and Ruth E.

Brim

Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

Solar Powered Water Heater

Ratna Sharma-Shivappa

Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

I, A-19

Quinn D. Mortell Biology

The Effects of Distance from Habitat Edge and Disturbance on

the Dispersal of the Appalachian

Brown Butterfly

Nick M. Haddad Biology

Laura S. Vogel

Biology

I, B-5

Xiao J. Ni and Stephanie

Bloom

Biochemistry; Molecular

Biomedical Sciences

The Cellular Role of Pitx2 in Left-

Right Asymmetric Gut

Morphogenesis

Mike Dush

Molecular Biomedical

Sciences

Nanette Nascone-Yoder Molecular Biomedical

Sciences

I, A-5

Jessica Nomina Animal Science;

Biological Sciences

Pet Relinquishments at Second Chance Pet Adoptions

Kimberly Ange-van

Heugten

Animal Science

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -viii-

I, C-22

Justine Nomina

Psychology; Business

Management-Marketing

University Responses to Campus

Incidents

Rupert W. Nacoste

Psychology

I, B-18

Hamish S. Patel and

Chandni P. Patel

Zoology

Candidate Axon-Glia Signaling

Agents in Rat Optic Nerve

Robert Grossfeld

Biology

Jane Lubischer Biology

I, B-19

Natalie M. Phillips

Biological Sciences

The Wayne County Food Systems

Initiative: Creating Community Awareness and Sustainable Food

Systems

Sarah L. Ash

Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences

I, A-6

Daniel K. Porter, Isaac

M. Smith, Maureen D.

Matroni-Rakes, Ben R.

Clements, and Weston K.

Vipond

Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

Trailer-Mounted Mixer Design For Combining Hog Lagoon Sludge

and Biomass

J. Mark Rice Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

I, B-20

Jordan S. Pung

Biomedical Engineering;

Biological Sciences

Utility of Insulin-like Growth

Factor-I and RNA:DNA Ratios as

Growth Biomarkers in Fishes

Russell J. Borski

Biological Sciences

I, A-7

Casey Reynolds, Renee

Felice, Heather

Mendenhall, and

Catherine Meng

Food, Bioprocessing, and

Nutrition Sciences

Coffee Flavored, Dairy Based,

Probiotic Beverage

Brian E. Farkas

Food Science

I, A-8

Shahbaz A. Riaz

Biological Sciences, Food

Science

The Effects of Forage Treatments

on Nitrogen Metabolism of Beef

Steers

Gerald Huntington

Animal Science

I, B-6

Whitney L. Richardson

Biological Sciences

Determination of the Effect Genetic

Polymorphisms Have on

Subcellular Localization of the Chicken Mx Protein

Matthew D. Koci

Poultry Science

Rizwanna A. Ali Poultry Science

Chris M. Ashwell

Poultry Science

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -ix-

I, C-8

Kenneth F. Rooks,

Christopher B. Dodd,

Alec S. Happel, and

Christopher B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Design of an Interrogation System

for Nuclear Proliferation Detection

Hany Abdel-Khalik

Nuclear Engineering

Robin Gardner

Nuclear Engineering

I, B-7

Joseph W. Rose III

Physics

The Effect of Munc18

nSec1 on Syntaxin's Open

Closed States

Keith Weninger

Physics; Biochemistry

I, B-8

Johanna M. Schafer

Microbiology

Construction and Validation of

Mutant Superoxide Reductase to

Serve as a Negative Control in

Genetically Modified Tomato Research

Amy Grunden

Microbiology

I, B-9

Caroline A. Schroeder

Biology

Inhibition of Equine Infectious

Anemia on Feline Cells Treated with Peptide in vitro

Fred J. Fuller

Population Health and Pathobiology

I, A-9

Nikki M. Schweizer

Animal Science

Residual Feed Intake and links

between the Levels of T3, T4, IGF-

I, Progesterone, and Testosterone in

Beef Cattle

Scott Whisnant

Animal Science

I, C-9

Kimberly L. Shearer

Chemical Engineering

Electrospun Nanofibers of

Aliginates for Tissue Scaffolds

Saad Khan

Chemical Engineering

I, A-10

Halli D. Sigal

Animal Science

Coat Shedding Estimation among

Angus Cows and Establishing a

Working Score System

Joe P. Cassady

Animal Science

I, C-10

John C. Sigmon Jr.

Biomedical Engineering

Microfluidic Device for Trapping

and Studying Yeast

Glenn Walker

Biomedical Engineering

I, A-20

Tyler A. Strayhorn Wood and Paper Science

Bioconversion: Analyzing Hardwood and Softwood as

Artificial Soil Matrices

Perry Peralta Wood and Paper Science

I, C-11

Garrett R. Swindlehurst Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

Encapsulation of Iron Pyrophosphate Colloids in a

Cellulose Microparticle Matrix

Orlin D. Velev

Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

I, B-10

Briana Taylor

Biological Sciences

Characterization of Mutants for

Protein Trafficking Pathways

Marcela Rojas-Pierce

Plant Biology

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -x-

I, A-11

James M. Tyndall and

M. Colter Chitwood Animal Science

Leptin Radioimmunoassay

Validation and Correlation to Body Condition in White Tailed Deer

Shannon Pratt-Philips

Animal Science

Christopher S. DePerno

Fisheries and Wildlife

Sciences

I, B-11

Allison A. Vestal

Plant Biology

Activation Tagging of Gravacin

Hypersensitivity Mutants

Marcela Rojas-Pierce

Plant Biology

I, C-12

Jacob M. Vestal Chemical Engineering;

Nuclear Engineering

Use of Magnetorheological Fluid for Use as a Tunable Mold for

Polymer Processing

Mohamed Bourham

Nuclear Engineering

I, A-12

Andrea G. Watson Animal Science

Diet Digestibility and Efficiency in Beef Cattle

Gerald B. Huntington Animal Science

I, A-21

Abbey L. Williams

EnvironMentors

Land Use and Macroinvertebrates

in Streams

Ann Cutter

General Education: Biology

I, B-12

Stephanie N. Williams

Genetics

Drosophila as a Model for GxE

Iteractions behind Metabolic Syndrome

Laura K. Reed

Genetics

Greg Gibson

Genetics

I, A-13

Benjamin L. Winslow Animal Science

Relationships among Feed Utilization, ADG, Behavior, and

Carcass Ultrasonic Measures in

Angus Heifers

Joseph P. Cassady Animal Science

I, B-21

Lindsey M. Wright

Biological Sciences

Sleeve Gastrectomy in an Obese

Rat Model to Elucidate the

Hormonal Mechanisms behind Obesity

Dana Portenier

Duke University Medical

Center, Department of Surgery

I, C-13

Abdullah Zafar, Curt

Anderson, Maria

Mallner, Chad Morris,

and Nick Stehle

Materials Science and

Engineering

Nitrogen Inductively-coupled

Plasma Source Steven C. Shannon

Plasma Engineering

Mohamed A. Bourham

Plasma & Fusion

Engineering

I, C-14

Katrina L. Zmithrovitch,

Ryan McClellan, and

Raphael Clearfield

Materials Science and

Engineering

Microstructural Control of 7085-T7452 Forgings

Hans Conrad Materials Science and

Engineering

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xi-

Poster Presentations

Session 2

2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Poster # Student Presenter(s) Project Title Faculty Mentor(s)

II, B-14

Elizabeth L. Allen, Paul H.

Cameron, David A. Stewart, and

Veronica Mbaneme Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

Residential Green Design

and Development in

Cary, NC

William F. Hunt, III

Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

II, B-1

Anisha R. Anthony and Katelyn

Henderson

Plant Biology

Characterizing the Unfolded Protein

Response in Arabidopsis

Mutants

Imara Perera Plant Biology

Becky Boston

Plant Biology

II, A-1

Britt Austin, Eric Hinson, and

Christopher Moore

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition

Sciences

Shear Mixer

Homogenization in Ultra-

Pasteurized Whole Milk

Brian Farkas

Food, Bioprocessing, and

Nutrition Sciences

Gary Cartwright

Food, Bioprocessing, and

Nutrition Sciences

II, A-15

Eric J. Ballard

Soil Science, Crop Science,

Agroecology

Soil Fertility

Management in Organic

Cropping Systems

Julie M. Grossman

Soil Science

II, B-15

Ashley G. Brannan, Mark

Sugimoto, Jeremy Nobles, Collen

Madzivanyika, and Riley

Cumberland

Nuclear Engineering

Feasibility of Hydrogen

Production with Nuclear

Energy

Jacob Eapen

Nuclear Engineering

K. L. Murty

Nuclear Engineering

II, D-5

Jennifer L. Cessna Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric

Sciences

Analysis of Summit Plateaus in Western

Mongolia: Uplifted and

Preserved Paleoerosion Surfaces or the

Intersection of

Topography with the

Glacial Buzzsaw?

Karl W. Wegmann Marine, Earth, and

Atmospheric Sciences

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xii-

II, A-2

Ann C. Coulon-Johnson

Animal Science

Use of Audio Stimulation

to Increase Suckling Piglet Growth and

Survival to Weaning

Joseph P. Cassady

Animal Science

II, A-3

Scott T. Craddock and Lissete

Betancur

Plant Biology

Analyzing Cellulose Synthase (CESA) Gene

Expression and Cell Wall

Thickness in Arabidopsis

Vegetative Trichomes

Candace Haigler Crop Science; Plant

Biology

II, D-6

Rebecca V. Cumbie

Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric

Sciences

A Case Study on Tropical

Cyclone Intensification

Gary M. Lackmann

Marine, Earth, and

Atmospheric Sciences

I, B-16

Roger E. Daniel, Eric J. Jones, and

Jessica L. Sievers Materials Science and Engineering

Inclusion Analysis for

Calcium Treated Grades of Steel

Mike Rigsbee

Materials Engineering;

Keith Dawes

Materials Science and

Engineering

Lew Reynolds

Materials Science and

Engineering

II, C-12

Caitlin R. Daniels Psychology; Biology

Effects of Secondary Tasks on Adaptation

Acquisition, Retention,

and Transfer

Sharolyn A. Lane Psychology

II, B-17

Raleigh L. Davis

Chemical Engineering

Incorporation of Copper

Phthalocyanine

Nanoparticles into Poly(styrene-(ethylene-

co-butylene)-styrene)

(SEBS)

Richard Spontak

Chemical Engineering

II, B-2

Anushri V. Desai and Megan D.

Henley Structural and Molecular

Biochemistry

Regulation of FSHB

Production Using

Doxycycline Gene

Switch

William L. Miller

Structural and Molecular

Biochemistry

II, B-18

Susan Dunn

Civil, Construction, and

Environmental Engineering

Determination of a

Collimated Beam Design

for Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes (UV

LEDs)

Joel Ducoste

Civil, Construction, and

Environmental Engineering

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xiii-

II, C-1

Kathryn E. Earley, Farshid

Jafarpour, and Corinne E. Rose

Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

Magnetic Separation in Zero Gravity

Mohamed Bourham

Nuclear Engineering

Lisa Bullard

Chemical and

Biomolecular

Engineering

II, B-3

Christian S. Estes

Poultry Science

Embryo Gene Expression

Profiling during

Developmental Stages Associated with the

Development of

Abnormal Pigmentation

in the Silkie Chicken

Chris M. Ashwell

Poultry Science

Benjamin J. Dorshorst Poultry Science

II, B-4

Kenda T. Freeman Genetics

The Effects of Diet on

Weight in Drosophila

melanogaster: A Genetic and Environmental

Interaction

Laura Reed

Genetics

Owen McMillan Genetics

II, C-13

Joseph P. Gaglione

College of Management

Evaluating the

Effectiveness of Different

Advising Strategies

Al Chen

Accounting

II, B-12

Katherine L. Gleason, and

Samantha L. Frady

Biology

Predation Hazard

Influences Nocturnal

Feeding Activity of

Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

James F. Gilliam

Biology

Bradley A. Lamphere

Biology

II, D-7

Kristen L. Gore, Nicole J. Bader,

and Marshall G. Gaddis Statistics

Meteorologically-

Adjusted Particulate Matter Trend Analysis

William F. Hunt, Jr.

Statistics

II, C-14

Rashay M. Griggs Psychology

Professional Development and the

Application of Visual

Graphics

Eric N. Wiebe Math, Science and

Technology Education

John Bedward

Math, Science and Technology Education

Lauren Madden

Math, Science and Technology Education

II, A-4

Brandon D. Hall

Animal Science

Digital Infrared Thermal

Imaging and Feed Efficiency in Angus

Bulls

Gerald B. Huntington

Animal Science

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xiv-

II, D-8

Max M. Hampson Physics

Measuring Aerosol

Optical Thickness via

Diode Laser Extinction

Hans D. Hallen

Physics

C. Russell Philbrick

Physics MEAS

II, A-5

Nicolette M. Harris

Animal Science

Interaction of Host PIAS

Protein with Viral Nsp1

Protein of European Strain PRRS Virus

(PRRSV)

H. C. Sunny

Animal Science

II, B-5

Mallory A. Herbold Biological Sciences

Inhibition of Cytokine Secretion in Human

Monocytes

Emilee H. Fulcher, Research Scientist I,

Molecular

Pharmacology, Inspire Pharmaceuticals

II, D-9

Andrew Hewitt

Physics

Electronic Spectroscopy

of Organic Semiconductors in Planar

Magnetic Junctions

Daniel Dougherty

Physics

II, C-2

David H. Hook, Ryan N. Chan,

Javon Powell, and Patrick Z.

Wong

Materials Science and Engineering

High Temperature, Thin-Film Thermocouples

Keith Dawes

Materials Science and

Engineering

Jon-Paul Maria

Materials Science and

Engineering

II, B-6

Joseph A. Hook

Physics; Biomedical Engineering

Exploration and Analysis

of DNA-elongation

Techniques

Robert Riehn

Physics

Lianne Cartee Biomedical Engineering

II, C-15

Sara S. Hughes

Communication

Acoustic Analysis of

Vowel Productions of Individuals in an

ESL Pronunciation

Program

Daniel A. DeJoy

Communication

II, B-7

Chad M. Hunter

Environmental and Molecular

Toxicology

Identification of

Constitutive and

Inducible Response

Elements in the Human Pregnane X Receptor

(PXR) Gene

Andrew D. Wallace

Toxicology

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xv-

II, B-13

David A. Hurt Zoology; Biochemistry

The Effect of Size on the Utility of Circulating

Insulin-like Growth

Factor I as a Biomarker for Growth in a Teleost

Fish, the Hybrid Striped

Bass

Russell J. Borski Biology

II, C-3

Lauren C. Jackson, Brian F.

Bender, and Toby V. Tung

Materials Science and Engineering

Reactive Ion Etch

Optimization for

Polysilicon on MEMS Devices

Keith Dawes

Materials Science and

Engineering

George Rozgonyi

Materials Science and

Engineering

II, D-10

Jennifer J. James, Camille A.

Clark, and William J. Rice Statistics

Crustal Matter: Exploring

the Differences between Ambient Air Samples

and Emissions Inventory

William F. Hunt, Jr.

Statistics

II, C-16

Nicole A. Jameson Sport Management

Latino and Non-Latino Consumption Patterns at

a Professional Baseball

Game

Michelle Gacio Harrolle Sport Management

II, D-11

I Wei (Grace) Kan

Chemistry

Correlation of KatG

Mutants to Isoniazid

Resistance in Tuberculosis (TB)

Reza Ghiladi

Chemistry

II, C-4

Carissa L. Lada, Jonathan R.

Pierce, and Joshua S. Harris Materials Science and Engineering

Improving Tracking and

Erosion Resistance Performance of Raysulate

Formula T277

C. Maurice Balik

Materials Science

and Engineering

Keith Dawes

Materials Science

and Engineering

II, A-16

Andrew J. Lawrence Forestry & Environmental

Resources

Evaluation of Crossing Structures for the

Endangered Carolina

Northern Flying Squirrel

Richard Lancia Forestry &

Environmental Resources

II, D-12

Jason T. Leone, Kristen Gore,

and Jamie Pearce

Statistics

Forecasting Wildfires and

Examining the Extent of

Global Climate Change

William F. Hunt, Jr.

Statistics

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xvi-

II, C-5

John A. Leotaud

Biomedical Engineering

Single Nucleotide

Polymorphism Detection and Characterization

Using Surface Enhanced

Raman Spectroscopy

Gregory S. McCarty

Biomedical Engineering

II, D-13

Adele M. Lichtenberger

Physics

Surfactant Spreading on

Thin Liquid Films

Karen Daniels

Physics

II, C-6

Whitney Lohmeyer

Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering

New Method for

Calculating Skin Friction

at Transition from Laminar to Turbulent

Boundary Layers

Fred R. DeJarnette

Aerospace Engineering

II, A-6

Madeline M. Markunas Animal Science

The Effects of Small Grain Silage on Lactation

Performance and Milk

Content as an Alternative for Traditional Corn-

based Feeds

Vivek Fellner Animal Science

II, C-17

Maria McDuffie, Latavia Mason,

Curtis Gray, and Gerard

Breaux

Psychology

Qualitative Analysis of Religious Symbolism in

Hip Hop Album Covers

Pamela P. Martin Psychology in the Public

Interest

II, C-7

Suman Medda

Biomedical Engineering

Fabrication of a Middle

Ear Conductance Testing

Apparatus

Roger Narayan

Biomedical Engineering

Shuan Gittard

Biomedical Engineering

II, B-8

Emily G. Medlin Animal Science

Effects of Culture Media and Oxygen Tension on

Cytosine Methylation and

Gene Expression in Preimplantation Mouse

Embryos

Rocio M. Rivera Animal Sciences—

University of Missouri-

Columbia

II, A-17

Jasmine M. Molin Acid Rain

Jennifer Marik Division of Air Quality

II, D-14

Benjamin N. Orbon

Chemistry

AGET ATRP

Polymerization in Microfluidic Device for

Biosensing

Lin He

Analytical Chemistry

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xvii-

II, B-9

Matthew H. Overton Microbiology, Biochemistry

Characterization of the Murine Immune

Response Against Red

clover necrotic mosaic virus

Steven A. Lommel Plant Pathology

Richard H. Guenther

Plant Pathology

Tim L. Sit

Plant Pathology

Stefan Franzen

Chemistry

II, A-7

Holly E. Parkins

Animal Science

Effectiveness of Heifer

Plus for Gender Preselection of Bovine

Embryos Produced in

Vitro

Charlotte E. Farin

Animal Science

Eric Alexander

Animal Science

Elizabeth C. Compton

Animal Science

II, A-8

Rushil V. Patel

Molecular Biomedical Sciences

Zoonotic Diseases of

Current Importance to

Gujarat, India

Prema Arasu

Molecular Biomedical

Sciences

II, C-18

Emily B. Reass Communication

The Unfair Lady: Lessons about Identity

and Rhetoric in My Fair

Lady

Christina L. Moss Communication

II, A-9

Shahbaz A. Riaz, Jae W. Shin, Jen

Holcomb, and Sarah A. Smathers

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition

Sciences

Production, Analysis, and

Evaluation of a

Fermented Soy Beverage

Brian E. Farkas

Food, Bioprocessing, and

Nutrition Sciences

II, B-10

Rashid P. Riboul

Biochemistry

Modification of Enzymes

for Use in Organic Solvents by the Amide

Linkage of Succinimidyl

Carbonate Poly(ethylene)glycol

Reza Ghiladi

Chemistry

II, C-8

Garik C. Sadovy

Materials Science and Engineering

Behavioral Analysis of

Oligonucleotides in DNA Multilayer Films

Yaroslava Yingling

Materials Science and

Engineering

II, D-1

Rohil V. Shah Agricultural & Resource Economics

The Growing Inconsistencies of Cost-

Benefit Analysis and the

Impeding Regulatory Crisis

Theodore A. Feitshans Agricultural & Resource

Economics

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xviii-

II, C-9

Justin Smith Chemical & Biomolecular

Engineering

Predicting the Phase Behavior of Solvated

Triblock Copolymers

Richard Spontak

Chemical Engineering

Kim Rasmussen

Theoretical

Division, Los Alamos

National Laboratory

II, D-15

Steven G. Somers, Ashley N.

Myers, and Erika E. Burger

Statistics

Can Blood Lead Levels

in Children Be Reduced?

William F. Hunt Jr.

Statistics

II, B-11

Elizabeth R. Sommerville

Biomedical Engineering

Characterization of

Serum and Glucocorticoid Induced

Kinases (SGK) in a

Teleost Fish during

Salinity Adapatation

Russell J. Borski

Biology

William M. Johnstone

Biology

II, A-10

R. Allysa Stern

Animal Science

Effect of Dietary Energy

Intake on Digestibility in

Mature Horses

Shannon E. Pratt-

Phillips

Animal Science

II, D-2

Ho Yan Tsuen and Ashley B.

Craig

Psychology

Parents' Socialization of

Children's Gendered

Language: Does the Presence of People in

Conversation Matter?

Amy Halberstadt

Psychology

Julie Thompson School of Nursing (Duke

University)

II, A-11

Stacey M. White Animal Science

Influence of Sampling Method and Plant Part on

Nutritional Analysis of

Corn Stover

Matthew H. Poore Animal Science

II, A-12

Gregory S. Whitener, Jr.

Animal Science

Effect of Wet vs. Dry

Baling on Nutritional

Value of Corn Stover

Matthew H. Poore

Animal Science

II, A-13

Nicholas S. Willams

Forestry and Environmental

Resources

Detecting Allometric

Trends in Differing

Levels of Genetic Control in Juvenile

Loblolly Pine

Bronson P. Bullock

Forestry and

Environmental Resources

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -xix-

II, D-3

Sarah E. Williamson

Communication

Speech Perception and

Speech Production Accuracy Pre- and Post-

Activation of Adult

Cochlear Implant

Recipients

Beth Barnes

Communication

II, C-10

Brandon S. Womack, Thomas W.

Holmes, and Brandon S. Brown

Nuclear Engineering

Rail Shippable Natural

Circulation Boiling

Water Reactor

Paul J. Turinsky

Nuclear Engineering

J. Michael Doster

Nuclear Engineering

II, D-16

Susan M. Woody Chemistry

Genetic Detection of Human Sex

Chromosomes Using

PCR and RAFT Polymerization Reaction

Lin He Chemistry

II, C-11

Jonathan L. Wormald

Nuclear Engineering

Monte Carlo Modeling

and Burnup Assessment for the NCSU PULSTAR

Ayman Hawari

Nuclear Engineering

II, A-14

Shequenta L. Wray

Animal Science

Impact of

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Inflammation in

Porcine IPECJ2 Cells

Sheila K. Jacobi

Animal Science

Jack Odle

Animal Science

II, A-18

Michelle Ye Vermicompost's Effects on Plant Growth

Lauren Wellborn Civil Engineering

II, D-4

James Z. Zuravle

Sport Management

The Decisional Balance,

Commitment, and Self-Efficacy of Past and

Current Exercise Patterns

Jonathan Casper

Sport Management

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -1-

Abstracts

Biological Sciences:

Applied Sciences

Session II, A-1

Shear Mixer Homogenization in Ultra-

Pasteurized Whole Milk

Britt Austin, Eric Hinson, and Christopher

Moore

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Mentors: Brian Farkas/Food, Bioprocessing, and

Nutrition Sciences; Gary Cartwright/Food,

Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

The efficiency of an in-line shear mixer (ILSM)

on reducing fat globule size was examined in

ultra-pasteurized, homogenized whole milk. The

addition of a shear mixer was proposed to

replace the purchase of an expensive aseptic

homogenizer. Re-agglomeration of fats, also

known as creaming, is a major defect in Ultra

High Temperature (UHT) processed milk

products that drastically reduces the stability and

sensory characteristics of the milk. An ILSM

may reduce the particle size of fat globules and

slow or prevent the creaming process. The goal

of this research was to determine the

effectiveness of an ILSM on reducing the fat

particle size in ultra-pasteurized whole milk. The

shear mixer impeller spins rapidly forcing milk

through very small openings and imparting high

shear; it was hypothesized that this process

should reduce particle size in a similar method

to that of homogenization. Samples were

collected for four consecutive weeks in the

Robert H. Feldmeier Dairy Processing

Laboratory and were tested by comparing

particle size, sensorial and microbial properties

of shear-mixed, ultra-pasteurized processed

whole milk with the experimental control;

homogenized, ultra-pasteurized milk processed

without the addition of an ILSM. Analysis and

testing lasted for six weeks per sample series.

The particle size data thus far has not shown a

consistent trend to make a definitive conclusion

as to whether the ILSM is effectively preventing

creaming.

Session II, A-15

Soil Fertility Management in Organic

Cropping Systems

Eric J. Ballard

Soil Science, Crop Science, Agroecology

Mentor: Julie M. Grossman/Soil Science

Organic farmers are dependent on nitrogen

fixation and use inoculants to ensure that the

proper nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) are

available when legume seeds germinate. In

organic fields, soils may or may not possess the

appropriate rhizobia to nodulate specific legume

cover crops. Inoculants must contain a general

number of live rhizobia to ensure adequate

nodulation when using recommended

inoculation procedures. The objective of our

work was to isolate, identify, and quantify live

rhizobia within H (recommended for Lupine), C

(Vetches and Lentils), AB (Alfalfa and Sweet

clover), and R/WR (Crimson and Berseem

clovers) inoculants. We hypothesize that there

may be variability in the viability of inoculant

used in our associated field experiments in

winter 2008. We purified cultures of 30 rhizobia

strains from each inoculant. We then conducted

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using nifH

primers to amplify the gene region for

nitrogenase enzyme production and then

accepted or rejected each strain as rhizobia.

Results showed great variability among H, C,

AB, and R/WR inoculant types. AB inoculant

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -2-

contained more than 3X as many viable rhizobia

than inoculants C and RWR. We found that

25%, 96%, and 0% of C, AB, and R/WR

inoculant contained the nifH gene region,

respectively, meaning that not all the strains we

cultured were actually rhizobia and that some of

the tested inoculant contained very few or no

viable rhizobia. We conclude that proper storage

and handling as well as the age of the given

inoculant are essential to the number of viable

nitrogen fixing rhizobia within the inoculant.

Future studies will use our data to investigate

effectiveness of inoculation in field studies

where native and potentially competitive soil

rhizobia are present.

Session I, A-1

Alkanes as Intake Digestibility Indicators

Malissa L. Braxton

Animal Science

Mentor: Gerald B. Huntington/Animal Science

The objective was to evaluate n-alkanes as

intake markers in either supplement or

controlled release capsule (CRC). Seven

ruminally fistulated beef steers were fed 1 kg

corn grain:soyhulls supplement once daily and

alfalfa or switchgrass twice daily. Each steer

received dotriacontane (C32) in supplement or

intraruminal CRC in a balanced changeover of

16-day periods. Alkane delivery from CRC was

periodically measured with calipers. Fecal grab

samples and total feces were collected during the

last 8 and 5 days of each period, respectively.

Fecal grab samples were divided into aliquots

that were freeze-dried (FD) or oven-dried (OD)

to a constant weight at 60°C. Forage and fecal

alkanes were saponified, extracted with heptane,

and analyzed by gas chromatography. Overall,

predicted intake (PI) (6.12 ±0.55 kg DM/d) did

not differ (P = 0.46) from measured intake (6.01

± .10 kgDM/d). Fecal C31 (1057 ± 33 mg/kg

DM) and C32 (148 ± 10.6 mg/kg DM) did not

differ (P < 0.85) between OD and FD in steers

fed alfalfa. Fecal C31 (124 ± 17 mg/kg DM) and

C32 (112 ± 14 mg/kg DM) did not differ (P <

0.89) between OD and FD in steers fed

switchgrass. PI by fecal grab samples (6.38

kg/d) did not differ (P < 0.51) from PI by 5-day

total fecal collection (6.48 kg/d). PI by

supplement (6.03 ± 1.13 kg DM/d) did not differ

(P < 0.01) from PI by CRC (6.04 ± 1.12 kg

DM/d). Measured CRC delivery was 66 to 89%

of manufacturer’s specifications. In conclusion,

alkanes can be used to predict intake by using

fecal grab samples rather than collecting total

feces. Hay intake can be predicted accurately

with once daily alkane supplementation, and

samples can be OD or FD with no difference in

alkane concentrations.

Session I, A-2

Follicular Dynamics and Embryo Field

Following Subcutaneous Administration of

Follicle Stimulating Hormone in Holstein

Cows

Emma Buchanan

Animal Science

Mentor: Peter Farin, Population Health and

Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is used to

induce multiple ovulations for embryo

production. The objective of this study was to

determine the superovulatory response of dairy

cows to subcutaneous (SC) administration of

FSH using a reduced number of injections in

combination with a progesterone-releasing

device. Eighteen non-lactating Holstein cows

received an intravaginal device (CIDR-B, 1.38

mg progesterone) on Day 0, and an

intramuscular (IM) injection of 100 ug

Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone on Day 2.

Cows were randomly assigned to receive 400

mg (20 mL) of FSH (Folltropin-V) either by IM

injection (IM group; n=9 cows) given at 12 hour

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -3-

intervals on Days 4 (60 mg, 60 mg), 5 (55 mg,

55 mg), 6 (45 mg, 45 mg) and 7 (40 mg, 40 mg),

or by SC injection (SC group; n=9 cows) at 24

hour intervals on Days 4 (140 mg), 5 (140 mg)

and 6 (120 mg). CIDR-B inserts were removed

on Day 7 and cows received two IM injections

of 25 mg Prostaglandin F2α 12 hours apart.

Cows were inseminated at 12 and 24 hours after

standing estrus. Ovarian follicles and corpora

lutea (CL) were monitored by ultrasonography.

Embryos were recovered non-surgically on Day

16. Superovulatory response of cows to FSH

did not differ (P>0.05) between the IM (77.8%,

7/9 cows) and SC (88.9%, 8/9 cows) groups.

There was also no difference (P>0.05) between

the IM and SC groups for the number of follicles

after FSH treatment (mean±SEM; 12.4±1.6 vs.

12.7±2.2) or the number of CL at embryo

recovery (6.4±1.5 vs. 10.4±2.1). Similarly, there

was no difference (P>0.05) between the two

groups for total number of ooctyes/embryos

(5.6±2.6 vs. 13.0±4.3) or number of transferable

embryos (3.0±1.4 vs. 6.1±2.9). In conclusion,

subcutaneous administration of FSH in

combination with a progesterone-releasing

device was an effective method for

superovulating Holstein cows.

Session II, A-2

Use of Audio Stimulation to Increase

Suckling Piglet Growth and Survival to

Weaning

Ann C. Coulon-Johnson

Animal Science

Mentor: Joseph P. Cassady/Animal Science

Discovering even minor techniques to better the

efficacy of the swine industry has an impact on

both North Carolina and The United States’

economy. The objective of this study was to

determine if audio stimulation can be utilized to

increase piglet suckling frequency which would

result in decreased preweaning mortality,

increased weaning weights and greater

percentage of superior-quality weaned pigs.

Sixty three litters were placed in 4 farrowing

rooms in which 2 rooms were the control and 2

rooms had audio recordings played every 35

minutes. The audio was of a recorded sow and

piglet vocalizations during piglet suckling which

is expected to increase milk production, piglet

growth, and piglet survival. The model observed

fixed effects of sex, line, and room within

treatments. Pigs in the audio rooms gained 23.6

grams more per day (P < 0.01) from birth to 10

days of age and were also 410 grams heavier at

10 days of age (P < 0.01). Pig weights at 21 days

of age were not different among treatments, but

piglets in the audio treatment rooms gained 11

grams per day more than the controls (P < 0.08)

from birth to 21 days of age. Survival from birth

to 21 days of age was 11% greater in the audio

treatment pigs than controls. Eight video

cameras were also placed to observe 24 litters

suckling activity of which 12 were controls and

12 were audio treated. A technician observed 5

bouts of nursing or 2 hours of video whichever

came first on each litter for each day of the

study. The data was then analyzed using SAS.

Control pigs on average suckled every 35.6

minutes and pigs exposed to the audio

treatments suckled on average 33.5 minutes.

Session II, A-3

Analyzing Cellulose Synthase (CESA) Gene

Expression and Cell Wall Thickness in

Arabidopsis Vegetative Trichomes

Scott T. Craddock and Lissete Betancur

Plant Biology

Mentor: Candace Haigler/Crop Science; Plant

Biology

The cellulose synthase (CesA) gene family is

composed of ten members in Arabidopsis

thaliana, and they can be classified into three

major categories: CesA 1, 3, and 6 which are

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -4-

required for primary wall synthesis (CesA 2 and

5 can replace CesA6 activity), CesA 4, 7, and 8

which are required for secondary wall synthesis

in xylem cells, and CesA 9 and 10 which have

limited expression in the plant. My objective

was to determine which CesA genes were

required for synthesis of secondary walls of

vegetative trichomes and, furthermore, whether

their expression varied with plant growing

environment. Arabidopsis plants transformed

with 9 CesA promoters driving the GUS gene

(CesApromoter:GUS) lines were grown in a

phytotron chamber on soil or in an incubator on

agar in Petri plates (sealed with either parafilm

or paper tape). The plants were grown 14 days

until they had small leaves with trichomes. Both

whole plants and isolated trichomes were

analyzed histologically for GUS enzyme

activity. Then cell wall thickness was analyzed

in the isolated trichomes by use of polarization

microscopy and Image-J software, followed by

statistical analysis of the results using ANOVA.

Results will be reported on which CesA genes

were expressed in trichomes and whether their

expression varied between growing

environments. Results will also be shown to

demonstrate that trichome secondary wall

thickness was greater when plants were grown

on soil in an incubator compared to other

conditions tested. I thank Dr. Bir Singh for

performing the statistical analysis.

Session I, A-3

Evolution of Host Recognition in Pest Moths

Stephanie L. Gorski

Entomology

Mentor: Jen Petzold/Entomology; Fred

Gould/Entomology

Understanding how herbivorous insects choose

their host plants will lead to a better

understanding of insect evolution, speciation,

and diversification, and has practical application

in agricultural pest management as well. Little

is known about the genetic basis for differences

between generalist and specialist herbivore

insects and their ability to recognize host plants.

The moth species Heliothis subflexa is a

specialist that feeds only on plants in the genus

Physalis, while the closely related Heliothis

virescens, a generalist, feeds on over 14 plant

families. The ability to hybridize these two

species in the laboratory and the distinct

differences in their host ranges provide a unique

opportunity to examine the genetic basis of

differences in oviposition behavior between

generalist and specialist insects. H. subflexa and

H. virescens were hybridized, and hybrids were

backcrossed to each of the parent species. This

resulted in backcrossed individuals segregating

for host range genes from both species. These

backcrossed individuals, F1 hybrids, and the two

parent species were released in large outdoor

tents containing tobacco (a host of H. virescens)

and Physalis plants, and oviposition behavior

was recorded. Most moths backcrossed with H.

subflexa oviposited on Physalis while H.

virescens backcrosses oviposited on tobacco.

F1 hybrids, however, strongly preferred tobacco.

These results are not consistent with a simple

dominance pattern of inheritance. Possible

explanations, including multiple genetic loci and

heterozygote disadvantage, will be discussed.

Session II, A-4

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging and Feed

Efficiency in Angus Bulls

Brandon D. Hall

Animal Science

Mentor: Gerald B. Huntington/Animal Science

The purpose of the study was to determine if

how biologically efficient an Angus bull is at

putting on weight could be predicted by

correlating their surface skin temperature to their

feed efficiency. An animal that eats less feed

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -5-

but gains more weight is more efficient than an

animal that eats more food but doesn't gain as

much. The study separated 69 bulls into separate

pens according to weight, 10-12 bulls per pen.

Total feed consumed was measured daily and

body weight was measured biweekly for each

bull for 84 days. The skin temperature of each

bull was measured using a Fluke™ TI45 camera

capable of digital infrared thermal imaging. The

images from the camera were used to determine

the minimum, maximum, and average

temperature of a specified area of the bull, as

well as the standard deviations for that

temperature data. Three sets of images were

recorded, one in late September, late October,

and early December. This was to determine

whether the ambient temperature would have an

effect on the measurements. In October and

December, hair was clipped on the ribs of each

bull to measure the difference between their

actual skin temperatures and their temperatures

with hair. Average ± standard deviation (oC)

clipped surface temperature, ambient

temperature, rectal temperature and unclipped

surface temperature were (NA), 25.3±0.9,

39.5±0.3, 34.4±1.2 in September, 31.8±1.5,

11.1±0.3, 39.9±0.6, and 26.4±1.6 in October and

31.6±1.4, 7.2±0.6, 39.2±0.5, and 24.3±1.8 in

December. Feed efficiency of each bull was

calculated and compared to the recorded

temperature data. There was no significant

statistical correlation (P < 0.10) between the

measured skin temperature of each bull and their

feed efficiency. In conclusion, the skin

temperature of a bull is not an accurate predictor

of his feed efficiency.

Session II, A-5

Interaction of Host PIAS Protein with Viral

Nsp1 Protein of European Strain PRRS Virus

(PRRSV)

Nicolette M. Harris

Animal Science

Mentor: H. C. Sunny/Animal Science

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory

Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is an economically

significant disease affecting the swine industry

today, costing US pork producers about $600

million annually. The virus is diverse with

American strains (VR-2332) and European

strains (Lelystad), sharing only ~63% nucleotide

identity. We recently discovered that non-

structural protein 1 (nsp1), which consists of 2

subunits nsp1α and nsp1β, of the American

strain VR-2332 interacts with the host protein

Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT 1 (PIAS).

This project sought to determine which subunit

of nsp1 is the interacting partner of PIAS.

Additionally, we sought to determine if nsp1 of

an European-like strain (SD-01-08) also

interacts with the PIAS. In order to determine

these interactions between nsp1 and PIAS, a

yeast-2-hybrid approach was employed. This

approach is used to identify protein interactions

by fusing a protein of interest, in this case

nsp1β, to the DNA-binding domain of the

GALA gene, while the prey protein is fused to

the activation domain. If the bait and prey

proteins interact, then the DNA binding domain

and the activation domain are brought together

which then activates the transcription of a

reporter gene, which in this study was β-

galatosidase. Assay of β-galatosidase activity

was employed to confirm the interactions. Our

results suggest that nsp1 of the PRRSV strain

SD-01-08 also interacts with PIAS. More

specifically it appears that the nsp1β subunit of

both strains is the interacting partner of PIAS.

As PIAS is a known inhibitor of the NFΚβ

pathway and the activation of NFΚβ is known to

enhance PRRSV replication, it is possible that

nsp1β binds to PIAS to prevent it from

inhibiting NFΚβ signaling.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -6-

Session II, A-6

The Effects of Small Grain Silage on

Lactation Performance and Milk Content as

an Alternative for Traditional Corn-based

Feeds

Madeline M. Markunas

Animal Science

Mentor: Vivek Fellner/Animal Science

Due to the volatile economics of corn, finding

alternatives other than corn for ruminants is

essential. The production of ethanol in the US

increased rapidly around 2007 and 2008, thus

increasing the price of corn (Leibtag, 2008).

Despite a projected decrease in ethanol

production in 2008-2009 (Biofuels B. S., 2008),

the price of corn still remains high. Thus, the

current study was designed to determine the use

of small grain silages as an alternative to corn

silage for dairy cows. Twenty four mature

lactating Holstein cows were blocked by days in

milk (DIM), parity, and milk yield and randomly

assigned to one of four dietary treatments. The

dietary treatments were as follows: 1) Control

(Corn Silage); 2) Oat Silage (Hulless); 3) Oat

Silage (Normal) and 4) Wheat Silage. The cows

were milked twice daily and milk samples were

collected on d 0, 30, and 60 for subsequent

analysis of milk fat, protein and lactose. Milk

weights were recorded throughout the

experiment. Body weights were taken on d 0 and

60. Cows were fed their experimental diets in

Calan gates that allowed monitoring feed intakes

on individual cows. Feed offered and feed

refused were recorded daily to obtain daily feed

consumed. Cows fed the control and hulless oat

silage had greater (p < 0.01) feed intakes (24.6

and 23.1 kg, respectively) and milk yields (36.8

and 37.9 kg, respectively) when compared with

wheat (18.2 and 27.2 kg) and normal oats silages

(17.9 and 28.0). Milk composition was not

affected (p 0.10) by dietary treatments. Feed

efficiency was numerically greater for cows fed

the oat silages (hulless and normal) when

compared to either the control or wheat silage.

Our data suggest that hulless oat silage can be a

viable substitute for corn silage in dairy rations.

Data are presented as a comparative assessment

with a previous study in which cows were fed

similar small grain silage diets but at a lower

inclusion rate.

Session I, A-4

The Effects of Copper Concentration on

Whey Protein Isolate Foam Stability

Heather N. Mendenhall

Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences

Mentor: Allen Foegeding/Food, Bioprocessing

& Nutrition Sciences

Foams are important to the appearance,

structure, and texture of a variety of food

products such as cakes and confectioneries.

Transition elements, such as copper, have been

shown to alter the properties of protein foams;

however their mechanisms are still not fully

understood. Our goal was to better understand

the mechanism(s) responsible for increased WPI

foam stability observed in the presence of

copper. Whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions

(pH 7, 10% w/v) containing 0, 5, 10, 15 mM

CuSO4 were whipped into foams. Macroscopic

foam properties of percent overrun, yield stress

and drainage time (an indicator of foam

stability) were measured. Confocal microscopy

was used to visualize bubble distribution.

Interfacial properties of dilatational elasticity

and surface tension were measured for WPI

solutions. Gel electrophoresis was run on

samples to observe differences in beta-

lactoglobulin dimers. As copper concentration

increased, yield stress and drainage time also

increased; however little effect was observed on

percent overrun. Surface tension and elasticity

only slightly increased as copper concentration

increased; suggesting that the interfacial film

was not responsible for increased stability and

yield stress. Electrophoresis showed little to no

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -7-

differences in disulfide bonding among proteins

as copper was varied. As pH decreased from 7

to 6, drainage times for foams with 15 mM

CuSO4 significantly increased in comparison to

other treatments. However, increasing pH to 8

did not result in significant changes to

macroscopic properties. Confocal microscopy

revealed differences in bubble size and

distribution when 0 mM and 15 mM CuSO4

WPI foams were compared at pH 6, 7 and 8:

foams with 15 mM CuSO4 showed decreased

initial bubble size and slower rates of

disproportionation. It was concluded that some

of the differences observed in macroscopic

properties were due to microscopic properties of

the foams; however, the precise mechanism(s)

responsible continue to be enigmatic.

Session I, A-5

Pet Relinquishments at Second Chance Pet

Adoptions

Jessica Nomina

Animal Science; Biological Sciences

Mentor: Kimberly Ange-van Heugten/Animal

Science

Thousands of pets are returned to animal shelters

and rescue facilities each year. While studies

have evaluated animal adoption and return rates,

there is not published data specific to Wake

County, NC. Therefore, we conducted a study

using records from Second Chance Pet

Adoptions (SCPA), a non-profit rescue in

Raleigh, NC. Adoption records were used to

gather information about pets returned to SCPA

after adoption. These records were available for

cats from 2003 though 2008 and from 2000

through 2008 for dogs. About 90% of the dog

and 65% of the cat records contained a

questionnaire completed by the owner

surrendering their animal; thus, providing SCPA

with reasoning in their decision to return the

animal(s). This information can be helpful for

SCPA employees to use in assessing an animals’

future adoptability. In the 6 years studied, 136

cats out of 2364 (6%) adopted were returned.

Total adoptions for dogs are not known for all 9

years, but 23 of 733 (3%) dogs adopted during

the last 5 years were returned. It should be noted

that some adopters may have returned their

animals to other facilities and therefore our

numbers may not include all returns. The most

common reason for dog returns was due to

aggression, territoriality, and/or owner fear

(23%) while asthma and/or allergies was the

most common reason for cat returns (15%). In

close second for dogs was moving (18%) and

improper elimination and litter box issues for

cats (14%). Dog returns averaged 9 ± 6.9 per

year while cats averaged 23 ± 14.2 cats per year.

These results provide valuable information to

assist people adopting pets to make informed

decisions on matching their lifestyles with life-

long pets.

Session II, A-7

Effectiveness of Heifer Plus for Gender

Preselection of Bovine Embryos Produced In

Vitro

Holly E. Parkins

Animal Science

Mentors: Charlotte E. Farin/Animal Science;

Eric Alexander/Animal Science; and Elizabeth

C. Compton/Animal Science

Sex selection of cattle is an important

biotechnology that can improve the economics

of dairy operations. In the 1980s it became

possible to sex semen to allow selection of

offspring gender at the time of breeding. The

major commercial procedure for semen sexing is

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS).

―Heifer Plus‖ is a semen sexing product that

purports to increase the ratio of female offspring

produced at a cost lower than FACS systems.

The purpose of this project was to determine if

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -8-

Heifer Plus-treated semen used in an in vitro

fertilization system would result in an increase

in the number of female embryos produced

compared to untreated control semen. Female

gametes (COC) were recovered and matured in

culture. After maturation, COC were

inseminated with sperm pretreated with either

Heifer Plus or control procedures. After

fertilization, COC were cultured and the

proportion of embryos developing to the morula

and blastocyst (M+B) stages was assessed. The

sex of these embryos was determined based on

PCR analysis using Y-chromosome specific

primers. Development to the M+B stages was

significantly lower (16%; 19/116) in the Heifer

Plus group compared to controls (27%, 36/133;

P<0.05). There was no difference in the

proportion of female embryos produced in the

Heifer Plus group was (7/10, 70%) compared to

the untreated control group (19/34, 56%;

P>0.05). In conclusion, Heifer Plus treatment of

sperm was detrimental to the development of

embryos in vitro and was not effective in

increasing the proportion of female embryos

produced compared to untreated sperm.

Session II, A-8

Zoonotic Diseases of Current Importance to

Gujarat, India

Rushil V. Patel

Molecular Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Prema Arasu/Molecular Biomedical

Sciences

Globalization has resulted in greater

interconnectedness with increased air travel as

well as trade in food and other products with the

associated risks of transporting infectious

agents. Climate change, deforestation,

and migration of people from rural to urban

settings have further increased the cross-

exposure of humans with new plants, animals,

and the diseases that plague them. Consequently,

zoonotic diseases (i.e. those

transmitted between humans and animals) now

represent almost 75% of new and

emerging infectious diseases (EID). Recent

epidemiological studies suggest that India is a

hot spot for EID (Jones, K.E., et al. 2009.

―Global trends in emerging

infectious diseases.‖ Nature* *451: 990-994).

The focus of this study was to assess the

available literature and generate a review of the

profile of zoonotic diseases in a representative

state of India, Gujarat, given its relative

progressivesness, public health infrastructure

and access to pidemiological data. The National

Center of Biotechnology Information PubMed

database was searched for scientific papers

relevant to zoonotic disease within the past

ten years. Key words used in the search included

―India,‖ ―Gujarat,‖ ―zoonotic, ―infectious,‖

―diseases,‖ and ―zoonoses.‖ Findings were

also supplemented with epidemiological data

provided by the Gujarat State Department

of Public Health. Factors examined for each

disease included disease profiles, epidemiology

(e.g. transmission, vectors, etc.), and prevalence

in India and specifically in Gujarat. Eight major

diseases are described – plague, leptospirosis,

anthrax, avian influenza, rabies, anthrax,

Japanese encephalitis, and dengue fever. The

dynamic nature of the world today has made it

possible for diseases to jump from areas of

endemicity to regions untouched by them such

that foreign or transboundary diseases are now

of concern for health authorities in all countries,

including the U.S.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -9-

Session I, A-6

Trailer-Mounted Mixer Design for

Combining Hog Lagoon Sludge and Biomass

Daniel K. Porter, Isaac M. Smith, Maureen D.

Matroni-Rakes, Ben R. Clements, and Weston

K. Vipond

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Mentor: J. Mark Rice/Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

Due to the high environmental impact of the hog

farming industry, waste management practices

are concerns of high priority. Hog waste

disposal is typically carried out through the use

of anaerobic lagoons. Over the life of a hog

lagoon, the dead anaerobic bacteria cells build

up within the lagoons. Hog producers must

monitor and report the sludge accumulation

level in the lagoon on an annual basis. Once

threshold levels get too high a sludge

management plans must be developed.

Previous research has focused on combining this

cell build up, otherwise known as sludge, with

leftover biomass cotton stalks from crop fields in

order to create compost for plant nursery

applications. These methods were proven to be

a highly effective alternative for hog waste

disposal. With high transportation cost and no

guarantee that a cotton field will be located near

the lagoon, more readily available compatible

materials were identified and tested. Coastal

Bermuda hay was chosen as the biomass

material due to its absorptive properties and

because it is readily available at most hog

farming operations in North Carolina. The

current design implements the use of a PTO-

driven, tractor-pulled mixing container. This

design was intended to reduce material

transportation, handling costs and manual labor

necessary for the alternative method of hog

waste disposal. The goal was to reduce the cost

of production with these savings in order to

increase the economic viability of already

proven processes.

Session I, A-7

Coffee Flavored, Dairy Based, Probiotic

Beverage

Casey Reynolds, Renee Felice, Heather

Mendenhall, and Catherine Meng

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Mentor: Brian E. Farkas/Food Science

Probiotics are defined as microorganisms that if

consumed daily at 10^6 CFU/ml or greater have

been shown to exert beneficial health effects,

such as improved gastrointestinal health,

reduced risk of certain cancers, and enhanced

immune system, in the host. Currently,

Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei,

and Bifidobacterium ssp., are the most

commonly used cultures to make probiotic dairy

products. The goal of this research was to

develop a coffee flavored, milk-based beverage,

containing probiotics at a minimum of 10^6

CFU/ml during 21 days of refrigerated storage.

The proposed beverage, Liven Up!, would be a

competitive alternative to current probiotic

containing products such as yogurt and would be

able to be produced at any dairy facility. A

preliminary experiment was conducted by

inoculating currently available beverages similar

to the proposed beverage with Lactobacillus

acidophilus to determine if coffee and milk

based beverages would support survival of the

culture. All beverages had a probiotic count of

10^7 CFU/ml or greater after 21 days. Based on

these results, four test formulations were

developed holding sucrose, carrageenan, and

coffee concentrate amounts constant while

altering the milk-fat and addition of a prebiotic,

fructooligosaccaride. Survival over a 21 day

period of a Lactobacillus acidophilus culture

inoculated at a minimum of 10^6 CFU/ml in

each test formulation was determined, while also

monitoring pH and viscosity. Fourteen days into

the study the only formulation to have plate

replicates with 10^7 CFU/ml or higher was that

containing 3% milkfat and the prebiotic. A 50

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -10-

gallon batch of this formulation was produced in

the NCSU dairy. The product will be used in a

consumer acceptance test to determine overall

consumer likability of the formulation.

Session I, A-8

The Effects of Forage Treatments on

Nitrogen Metabolism of Beef Steers

Shahbaz A. Riaz

Biological Sciences, Food Science

Mentor: Gerald Huntington/Animal Science

The objective of this study was to assess the

effects of forage treatments on Nitrogen (N)

metabolism of beef steers. The treatments were

three different types of tall fescue fed to the

steers, which were endophyte-infected,

ednophyte-free, and novel-endophyte. The urine

was collected from steers that had been infused

with 15,15N urea isotope at a known rate into

the blood stream. Urine samples were collected

from 48 to 56 h after the isotope infusion began.

The samples were diluted to a final volume of 4

mL with deionized water. Then, 15,15 N urea,

15,14 N urea, and 14,14 N was converted into

N2 gas in a helium environment by a

monomolecular, chemical reaction with lithium

hypobromide. Finally, the samples were

analyzed using a mass spectrometer. The

treatments effects were measured in various urea

cycles. We adjusted the samples for N intake in

order to determine if forage factors other than

Nitrogen intake were affecting urea kinetics.

The treatments effects were found in fecal

Nitrogen output, urea entry rate into the body

(UER), the gut entry rate of urea (GER), and

return of urea to Ornithine cycle (ROC).

Compared with endophyte-free or novel-

endophyte, endophyte-infected fescue decreased

N digested (43 vs. 51 g/d, P 0.04), UER (56 vs.

138 mmol N/h, P < 0.06), GER (47 vs. 128

mmol N/h, P < 0.05), and ROC (6.9 vs. 28.3

mmol N/h, P < 0.08). Treatments did not affect

(P < 0.70) urea N excretion in urine or GER

when expressed as a proportion of UER.

Therefore, the novel-endophyte does not

interfere with the metabolism of a steer like a

regular endophyte does while providing the

same benefits toward urea metabolism a regular

endophyte provides. Hence, making the novel-

endophyte a very good substitute in place of

traditional fescue feeds containing endophyte.

Session II, A-9

Production, Analysis, and Evaluation of a

Fermented Soy Beverage

Shahbaz A. Riaz, Jae W. Shin, Jen Holcomb,

and Sarah A. Smathers

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Mentor: Brian E. Farkas/Food, Bioprocessing,

and Nutrition Sciences

According to the United States Department of

Health and Human Services, over 9.2 million

people suffer from cancer, osteoporosis,

menopausal symptoms and inflammation of the

arteries. Some studies have shown that

isoflavones, found almost exclusively in

legumes such as soy, may help reduce the

incidence of these conditions. Additional studies

have shown the bioavailability of isoflavones to

increase when broken down to their subunits

through fermentation. It would be advantageous

to develop a fermented soy beverage to

capitalize on the known health benefits that are

associated with fermented soy. The goal of this

study was to develop a fermented soy beverage,

which contains a higher concentration of

bioavailable isoflavones than soymilk. Variables

in the experimental design for the production of

fermented soymilk included microorganism and

sugar concentration. Soymilk fermentation was

carried out to better understand how these

factors contribute to the breakdown of

isoflavones. The fermentation of soymilk took

one to two days, depending on the

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -11-

microorganism and the growth conditions, such

as temperature and the amount of oxygen

present. Once fermentation was completed, the

isoflavone subunits were measured using high-

performance liquid chromatography.

Development of a fermented soy beverage that is

acceptable to consumers would be of great

interest in the fields of human health and

nutrition. This research will be important to

companies interested in further developing the

technology and marketing of a fermented soy

beverage with greater isoflavone bioavailability

than soymilk to consumers.

Session I, A-9

Residual Feed Intake and links between the

Levels of T3, T4, IGF-I, Progesterone, and

Testosterone in Beef Cattle

Nikki M. Schweizer

Animal Science

Mentor: Scott Whisnant/Animal Science

The largest expense for beef cattle producers is

feed cost; therefore, ways to increase feed

efficiency will greatly impact the profitability of

the beef industry. This study explores how

efficiently certain beef cattle use their feed.

Residual feed intake (RFI) is used, in this study,

to determine efficiency. These animals are then

blood-tested for certain hormones to detect

which hormones may be linked to a higher

efficiency, including T3, T4, testosterone and

progesterone. The main objective is to determine

if any of these hormones can then be

supplemented to produce a more efficient

animal. Blood samples were taken from a group

of bulls and heifers whose RFI was being

collected. The hormone levels were measured by

radioimmunoassays; these results were then

compared to the RFI data. These computations

determined correlations between the level of the

hormones and RFI and other feed efficiency

measures. The results showed that T4 and T3

were also correlated highly with DMI. RFI was

correlated with DMI at a rate of r= 0.65. T4 was

correlated at r= 0.29 with ADG, and was

heritable at 0.51. Progesterone and testosterone

had no correlation. The conclusions reached

based on the results were different than

expected. Rather than finding a way to

supplement to gain efficiency, we found a low-

cost way to calculate RFI. This is a successful

finding because gathering the data of RFI is

costly and time consuming. Other feed

efficiency research will be greatly impacted by

this finding because they can save time and

money; though, we did not find a clear way to

supplement in order to gain efficiency.

Session I, A-10

Coat Shedding Estimation among Angus

Cows and Establishing a Working Score

System

Halli D. Sigal

Animal Science

Mentor: Joe P. Cassady/Animal Science

An adequate scoring system is one that measures

a relevant trait, has an all-encompassing scope,

and is eclectic in its application. The objective of

this study was to estimate variation in hair coat

shedding in cattle and to establish a scoring

method that adequately assesses shedding

efficiency. Data were available from 304

registered Angus cows sired by 41 bulls from

the North Carolina State University Historic

Angus Herd. Cows were grazed on pastures

which were predominantly endophyte infested

fescue. Over two years, hair coats were scored

by two technicians on predetermined dates

beginning in March 2007 and approximately

every 30 days there after until July. Each

animal’s coat shedding status was scored on a

scale from 1 to 5. A score of 1 signified a slick,

short summer coat, while a 5 signified a full

winter coat. A score of 3 indicated that half of

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -12-

the winter coat had been shed, with scores of 4

and 2 as intermediate levels of coat shedding.

Productivity of cattle was assessed in terms of

calf weaning weight (kg) and body condition

score. In March, all cows had a hair coat score

of 5, and weaning occurred in July, indicative of

a sufficient timeframe of study with the trait

measured prior to shedding and after the point of

relevance. Using the mixed procedure of SAS,

calves from dams that began shedding by May

were concluded to be 8.2 ± 3.9 kg heavier at

weaning (P<0.04) than calves from later

shedding cows. Our hair coat scoring system is

important in its application to farmers by

providing a way to evaluate relative future cow

productivity and to scientists by providing a new

variable for study and comparison. Further

collection and analysis of hair shedding data will

be needed to confirm these results.

Session II, A-10

Effect of Dietary Energy Intake on

Digestibility in Mature Horses

R. Allysa Stern

Animal Science

Mentor: Shannon E. Pratt-Phillips/Animal

Science

Several life threatening conditions, such as colic

and laminitis, are associated with high rates of

feed intake in horses. This study was conducted

evaluate the apparent digestibility of dry matter

(DM), crude protein (CP), digestible energy

(DE), and acid-detergent fiber (ADF), when feed

at different rates of energy intake. Eleven

horses were initially fed maintenance diets of

100 percent of their daily energy requirements.

The horses were then assigned diets of 70, 100,

or 130 percent of their daily energy requirements

to collect comparative data on the effects of

varying rates of intake on digestibility. Fecal

collections were performed when all horses were

fed maintenance diets, as well as 10 days after

the different diets were assigned. Total fecal

and urine output was collected for four days by

fitting each of the horses with harnesses and

equine ―diapers.‖ Fecal samples were collected

and weighed every 24 hours for the last three

days. Sub samples collected from each day were

dried at 55 degrees Celsius to constant weights

to determine DM. Homogenized samples were

composed for day 0 and day 10 for analysis of

CP, DE, and ADF. Repeated measurements

ANOVA were used to determine the effects of

treatment (gain, lose, or maintenance) and day (0

vs. 10) on the apparent digestibility of DM, CP,

DE, and ADF. In terms of CP analysis,

ANOVA revealed a significant overall treatment

effect when ignoring time, but no significance

between the different treatment groups when

comparing day 0 to day 10. DE revealed a

significant treatment by time interaction

(P=0.0335) such that the lose group had lower

energy digestibility than both maintenance and

gain (gain vs. lose P<0.001 and maintenance vs.

lose P<0.01). Similar results were seen in DM

and ADF. Additional research would be

required to fully explain the results of this study.

Session I, A-11

Leptin Radioimmunoassay Validation and

Correlation to Body Condition in White

Tailed Deer

James M. Tyndall and M. Colter Chitwood

Animal Science

Mentor: Shannon Pratt-Philips/Animal Science;

Christopher S. DePerno/Fisheries and Wildlife

Sciences

Leptin is an adipose hormone that plays a key

role in regulating energy intake, appetite, and

metabolism and has been found to circulate at

levels proportional to body fat. The objective of

this study was to validate a radioimmunoassay

for leptin in White Tail deer serum and to

determine if a correlation exists between

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -13-

adiposity and leptin concentration. This would

be of importance because nutritional condition

could be assessed from blood samples collected

during field studies, instead of the traditional

methods that are available only from dead

animals. Blood, serum, body condition and

femur score samples from thirty doe and five

bucks were collected in July 2008. The Linco

Multi-Species Leptin RIA Kit was used to

quantitate leptin concentration in the deer serum.

The kit standards were diluted to accommodate

low concentrations found in deer serum. The

immunoassay was validated through

repeatability and serial dilution techniques.

Intraassay variation of leptin concentration was

6.45% and interassay variation was 19.16%.

Serial dilution resulted in a linear curve with a

slope of 0.019 and a Pearson correlation

coefficient of .99. Unpaired t-tests were used to

compare two groups and ANOVA was used to

compare leptin concentrations in more than two

groups. There was no correlation between leptin

and age, condition score, femur score, kidney

score, kidney fat index, or marrow fat index.

There was also no difference in leptin

concentrations between does and bucks, across

condition scores or across kidney scores. It is

likely that the number of animals were too small

to detect significant trends, nor were there

adequate numbers of animals across all

condition scores. There was however, a

significant difference in the amount of serum

leptin between 15 lactating and 15 non-lactating

doe (P=0.22). This is consistent with previous

work, as leptin concentrations have previously

been found to be lower post partum.

Session I, A-12

Diet Digestibility and Efficiency in Beef

Cattle

Andrea G. Watson

Animal Science

Mentor: Gerald B. Huntington/Animal Science

The objective of this study is to predict dry

matter (DM) intake and apparent DM

digestibility (DMD) from near-infrared

reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of bovine fecal

samples. NIRS can be very useful in examining

bulk samples with little or no preparation. The

technology utilizes the near infrared region of

the electromagnetic spectrum and is based upon

molecular overtone and combination vibrations.

Instrumentation includes a light source, a

detector, and a prism, or other dispersive

element. Fecal samples from 69 Angus bulls fed

a corn silage-based diet were collected over an

84-day period. A digestion trial was conducted

with 12 beef steers to predict dry matter (DM)

intake and apparent DM digestibility (DMD) of

the diet. Fecal samples were dried, ground, and

scanned by NIRS. These spectral data were

added to 2006/2007 data from similar animals

and diet to predict DM intake (percent of body

weight [BW]) and DMD. The bulls' DM intake

in September (2.43±0.22%), was greater (P <

0.01) than intake predicted by the 2006/2007

equation (1.85±0.22% ), and greater (P < .01)

than intake predicted by an equation that

included 2008 data (2.30±0.22 % ). The bulls'

DM intake in November (2.29±0.22 %) was

greater (P < 0.01) than intake predicted by the

2006/2007 equation (2.08±0.13%), but similar

(P <0.48) to intake predicted by an equation that

included 2008 data (2.30± 0.13%). The steers'

DMD was 70.5±3.5 %. Predicted DMD with the

2006/2007 equation (69.3±2.1 %) was lower (P

< 0.01) than measured. Predicted DMD with an

equation that included some 2008 data (69.8±3.3

%) was not different (P < 0.30) from measured.

The potential does exists for accurate prediction

of intake and digestibility by NIRS.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -14-

Session II, A-11

Influence of Sampling Method and Plant Part

on Nutritional Analysis of Corn Stover

Stacey M. White

Animal Science

Mentor: Matthew H. Poore/Animal Science

In 2007-2008 North Carolina experienced

extreme drought, forcing producers to use

alternative feeds, such as corn stover, to feed

their herds during winter. The purpose of this

work was to determine nutritional value of

different corn plant fractions and to determine if

techniques used to sample hay work on corn

stover. In experiment 1 different sampling

methods were used on stover and hay. Two

different types of commercial hay samplers were

used, and compared to a cross-section cut from

the bale. Crude protein (CP) and NDF both

showed an interaction between forage type and

sampling method. CP and NDF of corn stover

averaged 3.28, 83.7; 3.61, 82.95; and 3.58,

82.96%; and hay averaged 12.47, 52.43; 13.89,

47.83; and 13.81, 47.74%, for cross section,

sampler 1 and sampler 2, respectively.

Experiment 2 was done to determine the amount

and nutritional value of each component of a

mature corn plant. Whole corn plants were

collected from four field replicates and separated

into cobs, husk and silk, grain, upper stalk,

lower stalk, and leaf. Each component was

analyzed for nutritional fractions. Corn plants

were 9.5% cob, 42.7% grain, 6.8% husk, 17.0%

leaf, 18.4% lower stalk, 5.7% upper stalk. Grain

had the highest CP and lowest NDF of all

components (9.0 and 10.6%, respectively). Leaf

was next highest in nutritional value (6.1% CP

and 76.2% NDF) while cobs had the lowest

nutritional value (2.1% CP and 88.0% NDF).

Husk, upper stalk, and lower stalk were

intermediate with 4.2, 3.6, and 4.1% CP and

84.9, 83.1, and 83.1% NDF respectively. Both

commercial probes gave representative samples

of corn stover. All components of the corn plant

were indicative of low quality forage as

compared to grass hay. The data collected from

these experiments may be used for future

analysis of corn stover as an alternative feed.

Session II, A-12

Effect of Wet vs. Dry Baling on Nutritional

Value of Corn Stover

Gregory S. Whitener, Jr.

Animal Science

Mentor: Matthew H. Poore/Animal Science

The summer of 2007 brought about intense

drought conditions all across the state of North

Carolina. During the drought it became evident

that alternative feedstuffs were needed for cattle.

As part of the relief program in coordination

with the NCDA and CS, a research project was

completed to test the effectiveness of corn stover

as an alternative feedstuff. This project tested

the hypothesis that the corn stover when baled

immediately after cutting (wet), would heat,

causing a decrease in nutritive value compared

to stover baled after curing (dry). Twenty-seven

round bales (15 wet and 12 dry), were sampled

the day they were baled and again two and a half

months later to test the effects of storage. The

wet bales (70.9% DM), reached a maximum of

61.9°C 96 hours after baling, while the dry

(89.9% DM), reached a maximum of 42.3°C 24

hours after baling. After storage the % DM

recovered tended to be higher (p=.13) for dry

than wet stover (99.7 vs. 98.5%, respectively).

The NDF was significantly higher (p=.0003) in

wet compared to dry (85.8 vs. 83.8%,

respectively); which made cell content lower

(p=.0003) in wet compared to dry stover (14.2

vs. 16.2%, respectively). The ADF was

significantly higher (p<.0001) in wet compared

to dry stover (54.4 vs. 51.7%), as was the lignin

(p=.008) which was 6.6 vs. 6.3%, respectively.

Hemicellulose was higher (p=.003) for dry

compared to wet stover (32.4 vs. 31.3%).

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -15-

Cellulose was somewhat higher (p=.02) in wet

than dry stover (45.1 vs. 44.0%). The OM and

CP did not change due to moisture level. The

components that differed greatly between the

wet and dry bales were the NDF, cell contents

and ADF. However, compared to hay baled at

these moisture levels, the nutritional value

change of the stover was minimal.

Session II, A-13

Detecting Allometric Trends in Differing

Levels of Genetic Control in Juvenile Loblolly

Pine

Nicholas S. Willams

Forestry and Environmental Resources

Mentor: Bronson P. Bullock/Forestry and

Environmental Resources

A study was conducted on the Loblolly Pine

Genetics x Spacing x Thinning trial on the

Coastal Plain of North Carolina to make

comparisons between genetic families on an

individual-stem and stand-level basis.

Measurements were taken on each level of

genetic control represented in the study to

determine the volume per stem for comparison.

This study seeks to determine if allometric

trends, in differing levels of genetic control in

juvenile loblolly pine, as early as age two, can

be detected. Data collection on elite genetic

loblolly pines at early ages of growth will help

to develop growth rankings at early ages.

Session I, A-13

Relationships among Feed Utilization, ADG,

Behavior, and Carcass Ultrasonic Measures

in Angus Heifers

Benjamin L. Winslow

Animal Science

Mentor: Joseph P. Cassady/Animal Science

The objective of this study was to evaluate

relationships among feed utilization, backfat, rib

eye area, temperament, and frame size in Angus

heifers. Data were collected over 3 yrs (2006-

2008) from females raised at the Upper

Piedmont Research Station in Reidsville, NC.

Heifers (n = 156) began the feeding trial at age

299 2.2 d, weighing 270 3.5 kg. Heifers

were allowed a 2-wk period of adaptation to

Calan® gates and the roughage-based ration

(target gain rate of 1 kg/d). Following

adaptation, heifers began an 84 d test. Feed

offered was recorded daily and body weights

were taken every 14 d. Linear regression of

weight on time was used to estimate ADG.

Residual feed intake (RFI) was calculated with a

model including the dependent variable DMI/d,

year as a fixed effect, and regression covariates

42-d mid-weight and ADG. Means and SE for

ADG and DMI were 0.93 0.014 kg and 6.70

0.107 kg/d, respectively. Average feed

conversion ratio (FCR; DMI/d /ADG) was 7.41

0.157. At the beginning, middle, and end of

the test chute exit velocity (EV), chute

temperament scores (TS; TS = 1 = most docile

to TS = 5 = highly agitated), ultrasound scans,

and hip heights were recorded. Partial

correlation coefficients adjusted for year were

found to be 0.30 (P < 0.01) between RFI and

FCR and 0.40 (P < 0.01) between RFI and

DMI/d. No phenotypic correlations between RFI

and ultrasonic measurements of body

composition, hip height, TS, or exit velocity

were statistically different from zero.

Heritability of RFI, ADG, DMI, and FCR, and

genetic correlations among these traits, were

then estimated.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -16-

Session II, A-14

Impact of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on

Inflammation in Porcine IPECJ2 Cells

Shequenta L. Wray

Animal Science

Mentors: Sheila K. Jacobi/Animal Science;

Jack Odle/Animal Science

According to the USDA (2006) 83% of all swine

farms surveyed have significant problems with

enteric diseases, there by contributing to

considerable economic loss to the industry.

Dietary intervention is a potential target for

modulating enteric inflammation. In fact, dietary

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are known

to play a role in regulating inflammation.

Therefore, the objective of this study was to

determine if PUFA supplementation to

inflammatory challenged neonatal enterocytes

would alter proinflammatory immune response.

Porcine jejunal epithelial cells (IPECJ2) were

grown on transwell inserts to develop cell

polarization which occurs in intestinal

epithelium. The IPECJ2 cells were

supplemented with 30 uM arachidonic acids

(ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) for 96

h to enrich the phospholipid membranes of the

cells with the fatty acids (FA). Following the

enrichment period cells were stimulated with 10

ng/ml bacterial flagellin on the basolateral side

for either 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 24h to stimulate

inflammation. At the given time points cells

were harvested for RNA analysis of tumor

necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and

basolateral media were collected to analyze

TNF-alpha secretion. Following the 96 h FA

enrichment period ARA and EPA incorporation

increased from 0.96 to 5.47 and 0.025 to 1.23

percent of FA, respectively (P<0.05).

Additionally, in cells enriched with ARA,

prostaglandin E2 was significantly elevated

(from 15 ng/ml to 80 ng/ml; P<0.05) compared

to cells grown in control media. TNF-alpha

mRNA expression was numerically increased

~2-fold from 0 to 24h, and ARA and EPA

treatment overall increased TNF-alpha mRNA

expression. TNF-alpha protein secretion was

inversely related to the mRNA abundance. There

was decrease in protein secretion from time 0 to

24 h (P<0.05), and ARA numerically decreased

TNF-alpha secretion compared to control

(P=0.08). In conclusion, PUFA have the

potential to modulate proinflammatory immune

response in IPECJ2 cells.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -17-

Biological Sciences:

Ecology, Environmental,

Conservation, Botanical

Session I, A-15

Assessing the Feasibility of Using Mobile

Computing Technology for Field Data

Collection

Donta’ J. Fairey and Kevin M. Bigsby

Forestry and Environmental Resources

Mentor: Stacy A. C. Nelson/Center for Earth

Observation, Forestry and Environmental

Resources

Paper-based survey has traditionally been used

to collect field data. With the advancement of

mobile computing technology, more researchers

are interested in the benefits of implementing

Web 2.0 technologies. One benefit is that users

can enter collected information directly into the

device. The information is saved on the device

when it can be transferred to another computer,

shared with others or entered into a database.

However, it is not certain if Web 2.0

technologies can reduce the amount of error

inherent in data collection. The objective of our

study was to assess the ease of using a PDA for

field data collection and assess possible

reduction in error. An experiment was designed

comparing within and among user variation in

paper and electronic data collection methods. A

survey was then given to the field researchers to

determine how user friendly the mobile

technology is. The results from the survey were

quantified using a 'Likert' scale.

Session I, A-17

Optimization of Seed Germination in

Pyxidanthera barbulata var. brevifolia

Jacob L. Hilton

Plant Biology

Mentors: Thomas R. Wentworth/Plant Biology;

William A. Hoffman/Plant Biology; and Wade

A. Wall/Plant Biology

Pyxidanthera barbulata var. brevifolia is a

rare, evergreen subshrub endemic to the

Sandhills of North and South Carolina with the

majority of populations isolated to the Fort

Bragg Military Reservation of NC. Previous

studies suggest seeds may not be viable due to

the failure of seeds to germinate under

controlled conditions. Our aims were to

optimize germination in P. barbulata var.

brevifolia by successfully germinating the seeds,

determining the best environmental conditions

suitable for germination, and understanding

germination strategies to aid in restoration

efforts and future research conducted. There

were six total treatments in a complete block

design consisting of three temperature regimes,

low (18/14°C), medium (22/18°C), and high

(26/22°C), as well as two light settings,

complete darkness and daytime light exposure.

The seeds were placed in germination chambers

of the NCSU Phytotron. We ran the experiment

for 13 weeks, recording seeds germinated per

dish for each treatment. We tested for effects of

light and temperature on seed germination

proportions using a generalized linear model

(GLM). Of the seeds that germinated under

light conditions, we tested for differences in

time to germination between the different

temperature treatments using an analysis of

variance (ANOVA). In contrast to previous

studies, we found that P. barbulata var.

brevifolia does produce viable seeds and there is

a significant effect of light and temperature on

germination with highest germination

proportions under low temperatures and high

light conditions. Light-exposed seeds

germinated significantly earlier in cooler

temperatures compared to warmer temperatures.

These results indicate it is feasible to propagate

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -18-

this rare plant, while providing information on

the regeneration niche of this species.

Specifically, seedling establishment of this

species likely occurs in late fall and appears

dependent on adequate light availability to break

dormancy.

Session II, A-16

Evaluation of Crossing Structures for the

Endangered Carolina Northern Flying

Squirrel

Andrew J. Lawrence

Forestry & Environmental Resources

Mentor: Richard Lancia/Forestry &

Environmental Resources

The Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel

(Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) is a federally

endangered species that is limited to high

elevation forests in the Southern Appalachians.

The species’ optimal habitat is spruce/-fir-

northern hardwood forests that are found above

4000 feet in elevation. The population of

interest, located in the Unicoi Mountains of

Graham County, North Carolina, is one of the

most threatened populations in its range. Along

with its isolation from other populations and

lack of optimal habitat, the Cherohala Skyway, a

scenic highway completed in 1996, has proven

to be an insurmountable barrier that bisects the

Unicoi population. The inability for the Carolina

Northern Flying Squirrel to cross the Skyway in

search of mates increases the risk of low genetic

variability and species’ fitness. The Skyway

also reduces the population’s ability to search

for food sources. In June of 2008, Chris Kelly of

the North Carolina Wildlife Resources

Commission and Duke Energy installed six

modified power poles in three locations along

the Skyway. The poles were installed in hopes

that they would provide a launch site for the

flying squirrels, reconnecting the populations on

either side of the Skyway. My involvement in

the project included monitoring the crossing

structures with the use of heat sensing cameras

to get photographic evidence of use by the flying

squirrels. The cameras were aimed down the

launch beam at the top of each crossing structure

to capture a photo of the flying squirrel before

they launched. The crossing structures were

found to be effective by comparing the

movements of a radio-collared flying squirrel

and photos captured of that flying squirrel on the

crossing structure.

Session I, A-19

The Effects of Distance from Habitat Edge

and Disturbance on the Dispersal of the

Appalachian Brown Butterfly

Quinn D. Mortell

Biology

Mentors: Nick M. Haddad/Biology; Laura S.

Vogel/Biology

Many butterfly species exhibit a metapopulation

structure in which small, isolated individual

populations are often prone to extinction. The

persistence of a metapopulation is therefore

linked to the ability of individuals to disperse

through the landscape matrix between patches of

suitable habitat. The Appalachian Brown

butterfly (Satyroides appalachia) inhabits

bottomland forests and wetlands along streams

on Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, a fire-dependent

long-leaf pine (Pinus palustrus) ecosystem. We

conducted an experiment to determine whether

distance from a suitable wetland edge and the

level of disturbance within the landscape matrix

affected the dispersal ability of the Appalachian

Brown butterfly. We tested our hypothesis that

as distance from wetland edge increased,

butterflies would be less likely to locate the

wetland habitat from the disturbed habitat by

releasing Appalachian Brown butterflies in three

types of upland forest habitat (unburned, burned,

and recovering burn) at three different distances

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -19-

from the wetland edge. We used a linear

regression to determine whether distance from

the wetland edge affected the proportion of

individuals that returned to the wetland in the

three different types of habitat. We found a

significant effect of distance on the proportion of

individual butterflies that returned to the

preferred wetland habitat in the burned habitat

but not in the recovering burn or unburned

habitat. These results suggest that the further a

butterfly flies into a disturbed habitat, the more

difficult it is to locate the preferred wetland

habitat. A possible habitat management strategy

that could improve the success of butterfly

dispersal would be to conduct controlled burns

at least two months prior to the butterfly

breeding season so the matrix habitat may have

time to recover.

Session I, A-20

Bioconversion: Analyzing Hardwood and

Softwood as Artificial Soil Matrices

Tyler A. Strayhorn

Wood and Paper Science

Mentor: Perry Peralta/Wood and Paper Science

The forest products industry produces tons of

wood byproducts every year that go un-utilized

and un-recycled. In addition, farming industries

in North Carolina also produce massive

quantities of animal and plant waste. This waste

presents very serious health risks in the form of

water and soil contamination. By putting wood

and farm waste together in the right conditions

we can produce energy, neutralize the harmful

components of animal waste, and create an all-

natural fertilizer. By using the wood waste as an

artificial soil matrix for the waste material to

decompose in, it is possible to produce superior

conditions for aerobic decomposition to occur.

By comparing a hardwood and softwood waste

with each other and with a traditional soil

matrix, it can be determined which wood waste

material will hold up best and form the best

reusable substrate for this reaction.

Unfortunately, the decomposition reaction did

not proceed favorably. Several possible factors

for the lack of reaction, including

carbon/nitrogen availability, viability of the

bacteria in the horse piles, and the ratio of horse

feces to soil matrix, were analyzed. This

information will prove valuable in the future

redesign of this experiment.

Biological Sciences:

Molecular, Biochemical, Genetics,

Cell Biology

Session I, A-22

Conjugation of Water Soluble Carbon

Nanotube with Drugs like Taxol and

Gemcitabine

Afreen Allam

Biochemistry; Microbiology

Mentor: Sabyasachi Sarkar/Chemistry

The purpose of this research project is to

conjugate water soluble carbon nanotubes

(wsCNT) with cancer drugs such as Taxol and

Gemcitabine. These cancer drug conjugated

wsCNT have the potential to be used for target

drug delivery. The carbon nanotubes (CNTs)

are multifunctional. They have applications in

industrial fields as well as in medical fields.

Recently, it has been found that CNTs can be

used as drug delivery mechanisms. WsCNTs

can be functionalized to drugs which contain

NH2 groups. By using several characterization

techniques we were able to find that the wsCNT

was successfully conjugated with the desired

drug (either Taxol or Gemcitabine). The UV

spectrum was used to confirm the conjugation of

the drug to wsCNT. These conjugated wsCNTs

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -20-

can be used later for animal studies to test the

toxicity and potential efficacy of the conjugated

drug in treating cancer patients.

Session II, B-1

Characterizing the Unfolded Protein

Response in Arabidopsis Mutants

Anisha R. Anthony and Katelyn Henderson

Plant Biology

Mentor: Imara Perera/Plant Biology

Becky Boston/Plant Biology

Many secretory proteins are folded or assembled

into their final conformation in the endoplasmic

reticulum (ER). Chaperone proteins help with

protein folding in the ER. If proteins are not

able to fold properly, there is an accumulation of

misfolded proteins which leads to ―the unfolded

protein response‖ (UPR). During UPR, the

transcription of genes encoding chaperone

proteins and their protein levels increase.

Misfolded proteins of the ER may also be

targeted for degradation via the Endoplasmic

Reticulum Associated Protein Degradation

(ERAD) pathway. The major focus of this

research is the characterization of the unfolded

protein response in Arabidopsis. We first

studied the UPR of transgenic Arabidopsis

plants with altered lipid signaling. The

transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively

express the human type I inositol polyphosphate

5-phosphatase (InsP 5-ptase), an enzyme that

specifically hydrolyzes the second messenger

InsP3. Previous work from the lab had found

that several genes encoding ER chaperone

proteins are down regulated in the InsP 5-ptase

plants. We also characterized T-DNA insertional

lines for Hrd1, a protein which is part of the

mammalian ERAD machinery but whose

function has not been shown in plants. In

Arabidopsis there are three Hrd1 genes and we

screened T-DNA lines for the three Hrd1 genes

and confirmed the insertion by PCR. To study

UPR we used Tunicamycin (Tm), a drug that

inhibits N-glycosylation resulting in misfolded

or unfolded proteins and activation of the UPR.

We first tested different concentrations of Tm to

determine the optimal concentration that inhibits

plant growth but does not kill the plants. We

next monitored seedling growth following Tm

treatment in wild type and transgenic or mutant

plants. Results from these studies will be

presented.

Session I, A-23

Drug A Reduces MMP-9 Expression by

Immortalized HCE Cells

Whitney P. Chrisco

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Laura Guogas/Molecular

Pharmacology, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Key mediators of the ocular inflammatory

response include cytokine and chemokine

production, matrix metalloproteinases, and

activation of cell signaling pathways. Matrix

metalloproteinases (MMP) are a large family of

enzymes that are involved in the regulation of

many biological processes such as normal

development, reproduction, and tissue

remodeling. Specifically, matrix

metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been shown to

be secreted from the corneal epithelium and to

be involved in the ocular inflammatory response.

The objective of this study was to develop an in

vitro model system using immortalized human

corneal epithelial (HCE) cells to study the

effects of Drug A on the production of MMP-9.

Decreasing levels of active MMP-9 result in

reduction of cell trafficking which would reduce

inflammation. An in vitro model was

established to mimic an ocular inflammatory

response. Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-

a), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, was used to

yield an inflammatory response amongst the

HCE cells where MMP-9 could be measured

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -21-

within cell supernatant. Assay optimization

experiments were conducted to determine

optimal cell density, TNF-a concentration, and

TNF-a incubation time. Following the assay

optimization, two different assays were

conducted to explore (1) total expression MMP-

9 protein (active and inactive) and (2) the active

form of MMP-9. MMP-9 protein expression

was inhibited by Drug A in a concentration-

dependent manner. This inverse relationship

showed that as more drug was available, less

MMP-9 protein was expressed. Similar results

were observed when the active form of the

MMP-9 protein was studied. These results

suggest that HCE cells are a good model cell

line for studying MMP-9 protein expression as

well as the ratio of active and inactive forms of

MMP-9 stimulated by TNF-a. The use of Drug

A to decrease excessive production of MMP-9

may be beneficial for the treatment of ocular

inflammatory diseases such as blepharitis and

bacterial conjunctivitis.

Session I, A-24

Purple Sweet Potato Extract Enhances Cox-2

Expression and Prostaglandin E2 Formation

in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

Sara D. Cohen

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Mentor: Gabriel K. Harris/Food, Bioprocessing,

and Nutrition Sciences

Purple sweet potatoes (PSP) are widely

consumed in Asia and are growing in popularity

in the US. Past research has shown that PSP

contain high phenolic content. Though phenolic

compounds are thought to possess mainly anti-

inflammatory activity, there is research

suggesting that phenolic compounds may also

exhibit pro-inflammatory activity. The purple

sweet potato extract (PSPX) was extracted using

freeze dried purple sweet potatoes and an

acidified water-ethanol extract. Determination

of the total phenol concentration of the PSPX

was performed using the Folin-Ciocalteau

method. The PSPX treated cells were tested for

viability using the MTT assay and Trypan Blue

assay. The BCA assay was done to determine

protein concentration for Western Blotting.

Western Blotting tested for the amount of

cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the samples.

ELISA was used to test for PGE2, a downstream

product of the COX-2 enzyme. MTT results

showed similar data to the negative control

except that the highest does (1.0 mg/ml) for

PSPX alone and the 0.5 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml

doses in PSPX+LPS showed some toxicity.

ELISA data showed that PSPX causes similar

dose-dependent increases in PGE2

concentrations, with or without LPS.

Preliminary data indicates that, relative to the

LPS-treated positive control, PSPX alone

appeared to suppress Cox-2 expression. In

samples treated with PSPX + LPS, samples and

increase in Cox-2 expression was observed.

These findings indicate that PSPX affects

immune responses in RAW 264.7 cell culture

models. This project was funded by the state of

North Carolina.

Session II, B-2

Regulation of FSHB Production Using

Doxycycline Gene Switch

Anushri V. Desai and Megan D. Henley

Structural and Molecular Biochemistry

Mentor: William L. Miller/Structural and

Molecular Biochemistry

Follicle-stimulating hormone is released by the

anterior pituitary as a regulator of ovarian

follicle maturation and egg production. The beta

subunit controls overall FSH production, which,

in turn, is necessary for egg production in all

vertebrates, including rats and mice. The

purpose of this experiment was to construct and

test an expression construct that produces FSHB,

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -22-

except in the presence of the antibiotic

doxyclycline (Dox). The cloning portion of this

experiment involved sequencing a segment of

DNA that controls the Dox switch, and showed

that this segment contained the correct sequence.

The next step involved cutting this sequence

from one plasmid (used for creating mutations)

and ligating it into another (to change the Dox

switch mechanism). This step has been tried

several times, but only recently seems to have

worked. The final plasmid still needs to be

grown and tested for accuracy using restriction

enzymes; it also needs to be tested for Dox

regulation of FSHB expression. Equally

important is the testing of the original Dox

switch (not mutated) that turns on FSHB

expression with Dox. We have already tested

this in tissue culture to confirm that Dox does, in

fact, increase FSHB mRNA. Ultimately, the

newly cloned construct will be used in mice to

help control FSHB and egg production in

rodents.

Session I, A-25

NAD+ Salvage Pathways: NatV Activity of

Phage-Infected Vibrio parahaemolyticus &

Escherichia coli

Ginger E. Edwardsen

Microbiology

Mentor: Eric S. Miller/Microbiology

The nicotinamide adenine dinucelotide (NAD+)

biosynthetic pathway, which includes NAD+ and

related pyridine compounds, is essential for

supporting cellular redox reactions in living

organisms. Previous research has shown that

KVP40, a lytic bacteriophage that infects Vibrio

species, encodes an apparent pyridine nucleotide

salvage pathway, which had not been previously

seen in any viral system. A key enzyme in the

salvage pathway is NatV, which contains an N-

terminal region that is an NMN

adenylyltransferase (NMN ATase) allowing for

the conversion of NMN to NAD+. Analysis of

NatV activity in infected cells was done using a

coupled-enzyme assay measuring NADH

fluorescence. V. parahaemolyticus cells infected

with phage KVP40 showed optimal activity at

25oC, elevated NMN ATase activity (maximum

rate of 0.396 µmoles NADH/s/µg of protein)

about 15-20 minutes after infection, and

maximum natV mRNA level around 10 minutes

post-infection. These results demonstrated that

the natV gene is expressed and that the KVP40

NatV enzyme is active during infection.

Coliphage RB43, a related phage that infects the

genetically tractable E. coli, also encodes a

predicted salvage pathway. Escherichia coli

cells were infected at an MOI of 7 and samples

were removed at eight time points (0, 5, 10, 15,

20, 25, 30, and 40 minutes) after infection. The

results showed NatV activity for RB43 at an

optimum temperature of 37oC, with a maximum

rate of 0.252 µmoles NADH/s/µg of protein.

Activity was not as high as that observed during

infection with KVP40. Further research will be

needed to determine optimum conditions for

assays of NatV activity encoded by phage RB43

and the role of the pyridine nucleotide salvage

pathway during viral infections.

Session II, B-3

Embryo Gene Expression Profiling during

Developmental Stages Associated with the

Development of Abnormal Pigmentation in

the Silkie Chicken

Christian S. Estes

Poultry Science

Mentors: Chris M. Ashwell/Poultry Science;

Benjamin J. Dorshorst/Poultry Science

Skin pigmentation is caused by the presence of

melanin in the skin and helps protect skin cells

from damage caused by exposure to ultra-violet

light from the sun. The Silkie breed of chicken

is characterized by hyperpigmentation of the

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -23-

dermis of the skin as well as internal connective

tissues. Our unpublished work has suggested

that the genes EDN3 and B4ALT1 may be

associated with the hyperpigmentation

phenotype of the Silkie chicken. Other studies

have shown that differential staining by the

lectin PNA (Peanut Agglutinin) that binds a

similar glycosidic linkage as B4GALT1 defines

migratory routes taken by melanocyte precursors

during embryogenesis in the Silkie.

Overexpression of EDN3 in the mouse embryo

results in excessive proliferation of melanocytes.

Tissue samples of embryonic stages 18-32 were

taken from the unpigmented New Hampshire

breed and hyperpigmented Silkie breed of

chicken. Oligo sequences corresponding to the

primary candidate genes along with a selection

of other genes that have been shown to be a part

of the genetic regulatory network of melanoblast

development were printed onto a microarray.

The objective of this study was to determine if

differential expression of these two primary

candidate genes occurs during the embryonic

stages of development when melanocyte

precursor migration and proliferation are taking

place in the chicken.

Session II, B-4

The Effects of Diet on Weight in Drosophila

melanogaster: A Genetic and Environmental

Interaction

Kenda T. Freeman

Genetics

Mentors: Laura Reed/Genetics;

Owen McMillan/Genetics

Phenotypic variation is not just an effect of

genetics or environment alone, but also by the

interaction between these two factors. By

observing the phenotypic effects and variation of

organisms due to the interaction between genetic

and environmental factors, we can begin to

understand and even advance toward more ideas

within the field of genetics. The examination of

phenotypic variation (weight) across genetically

different lines of Drosophila provided with

different diets was performed. The diets

provided for the fruit flies consisted of three

different fat concentrations, and for each fat

concentration was a correlating sugar

concentration—either glucose or sucrose. The

objective of this experiment was to observe the

association between diet and weight gain on two

genetically different lines of Drosophila—NC2

063 and NC2 081. I hypothesized that there

would be an increase in weight under favorable

conditions, however, there would be a decrease

in weight on excessively high concentrations of

fat and sugar—these phenotypic differences

would reveal an interaction of both genetic and

environmental factors. Following analysis using

the JMP program, results showed that significant

factors that affected weight the most was that of

percent fat concentration, percent sugar

concentration, and genetic line with line effects

being the smallest of the three mentioned. The

type sugar, glucose or sucrose, showed no

significant effects for the variation of phenotype.

Session I, A-26

Development of an Arabidopsis thaliana-based

Screening Assay for Potential Pathogenicity

Impaired Mutants in Aspergillus flavus

R. Kyle Gazdeck

Plant Biology and Plant Pathology

Mentors: Imara Y. Perera/Plant Biology;

Rebecca S. Boston/Plant Biology;

Gary A. Payne/Plant Pathology;

Andrea L. Dolezal/Plant Pathology

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic plant

pathogen on maize, peanut, cotton, and tree nuts.

Gene expression studies investigating A. flavus

during infection of maize seeds identified

several hundred potential pathogenicity genes.

Functional analysis of these genes requires

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -24-

testing mutants with gene-specific deletions for

their pathogenicity. However, screening these

mutants on natural hosts for A. flavus is difficult.

The objective of this project was to develop a

rapid and reliable assay for A. flavus

pathogenicity using Arabidopsis thaliana as the

host plant. Placement of agar plugs embedded

with conidia of A. flavus onto A. thaliana leaves

was found to consistently result in lesion

formation. To test the reliability of this assay for

quantifying pathogenicity of A. flavus, we

inoculated A. thaliana leaves with two fungal

deletion mutants known to be impaired in

pathogenicity on maize seeds. Both of these, the

Zn/Cu-superoxide dismutase (SOD) encoding

sodA and the necrosis and ethylene inducing

peptide-like nepA deletion mutants, consistently

produced smaller lesions than the corresponding

controls. Based on the reduced pathogenicity

observed with the sodA deletion mutant, we

hypothesized that a mutant of A. thaliana unable

to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) may

be more susceptible to A. flavus. We tested this

hypothesis by taking advantage of the

availability of well-characterized ROS-deficient

mutant strains of A. thaliana. Lesion size varied

little between ROS-producing and ROS-

deficient lines of A. thaliana. Thus, these

findings suggest that, while ROS appears

important in plant defense, it is ultimately the

capacity of the pathogen to tolerate ROS that

conditions a level of plant susceptibility to the

fungus. These data support sodA and nepA as

pathogenicity factors in A. flavus as well as

demonstrate the validity of an A. thaliana-based

pathogenicity screening of A. flavus mutants.

Session I, A-27

The Effect of Vitamin D on Porcine Satellite

Cell Activity

Nadia Hassounah

Zoology

Mentor: Chad Stahl/Animal Science

Postnatal muscle growth is dependent on

satellite cell activity, and dietary phosphate (P)

deficiency decreases both the rate and efficiency

of lean muscle growth in swine. During P

deficiency, circulating levels of the active form

of vitamin D (1,25 (OH)2D3) are elevated, and

could be the mechanism by which dietary P

deficiency causes reduced muscle growth. The

objective of this study was to investigate the

effect of 1,25 (OH)2D3 on satellite cell activity.

Satellite cells isolated from 2 18-day old piglets

were cultured and assigned to 1 of 3 treatment

groups (control, 2nM 1,25 (OH)2D3(1X VitD),

and 20nM 1,25 (OH)2D3(10X VitD)). Complete

media changes were performed daily over the

course of the 6 day study. Determination of cell

proliferation and gene expression analysis was

conducted on days 1, 3, and 6 of culture. . Cell

proliferation was determined by pulsing the cells

with BrdU for 2 hours and then utilizing an anti-

BrdU primary and an HRP-conjugated

secondary antibody for immunocytochemical

staining. Gene expression analysis was

conducted with semiquantitative real-time PCR,

with a focus on genes that are markers for the

stages of satellite cell proliferation and

differentiation (Pax7, MyoD, myogenin,

CALCR, LPL), and genes whose products are

involved in 1,25 (OH)2D3 signaling (VDR, 24-

hydroxylase). Proliferation greatly decreased (P

< 0.05) over the course of the 6 day study. The

10X VitD treatment significantly reduced (P <

0.05) cell proliferation at day 1 compared to the

other treatments. There were no significant

effects of 1,25 (OH)2D3 treatment on cell

proliferation at any other time point. Changes in

gene expression based on 1,25 (OH)2D3

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -25-

treatment were observed. These results are

suggestive of an effect of 1,25 (OH)2D3 on cell

proliferation and gene expression.

Session II, B-5

Inhibition of Cytokine Secretion in Human

Monocytes

Mallory A. Herbold

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Emilee H. Fulcher, Research Scientist I,

Molecular Pharmacology, Inspire

Pharmaceuticals

Recruitment and activation of leukocytes to the

airway contribute to the reduction of airflow and

enhancement of airway reactivity in respiratory

diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease (COPD). One of the

principle leukocytes involved in these diseases

are monocytes, which play a central role in

inflammatory processes via secretion of pro-

inflammatory cytokines including IL-1beta, IL-

6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha. The objective of this

study was to determine whether small molecule

inhibitors of Kinase 1 and Kinase 2 were able to

inhibit the secretion of these four key pro-

inflammatory cytokines released from purified

human monocytes, and therefore may be

therapeutically useful as anti-inflammatory

agents. In order to explore the ability of Kinase

1 and 2 inhibitors to block cytokine secretion, an

in vitro model of cytokine secretion from

lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human

monocytes was established. To design a robust

in vitro assay to enable the quantification of

cytokine production, assay optimization

experiments were conducted to determine

optimal cell density, cell purity, LPS

concentration and LPS incubation time for the

four pro-inflammatory cytokines of interest.

Following the assay optimization, two classes of

compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit

cytokine secretion: (1) compounds that inhibit

both Kinase 1 and Kinase 2 and (2) compounds

that inhibit predominately Kinase 2.

Interestingly, the Kinase 2 inhibitors were

unable to inhibit cytokine secretion, while many

of the Kinase 1/2 inhibitors were able to

dramatically reduce cytokine secretion. These

results suggest that Kinase 1 may play a key role

in regulating cytokine secretion processes and is

a potential novel target for therapeutic

intervention. Advances in the development of

Kinase 1 inhibitors that possess anti-

inflammatory activity via suppression of

cytokine secretion may be useful in the

treatment of inflammation in respiratory

diseases.

Session I, A-28

Identifying siRNA that Inhibits Expression of

Mouse Follicle

Kit I. Ho

Molecular and Structural Biochemistry

Mentor: William L. Miller/ Molecular and

Structural Biochemistry

Genetically engineered pests (mosquitoes, flies,

rats, mice) can be used to decrease pest

populations. One way to decrease pest

populations by genetic engineering involves

producing males that are fertile, but pass

infertility genes to their female offspring.

Consequently, the reproductive cycle is stopped.

The ultimate goal of this project is to produce

males that carry genes encoding small

interfering RNAs (siRNA) that destroy mRNA

for follicle stimulating hormone beta subunit

(FSHB). Expression of this gene will destroy

FSHB mRNA and stop or significantly decrease

FSHB translation in female mice making them

infertile or subfertile although male mice will

still have viable sperm. The specific goal of this

study was to identify commercially available

shRNA which can reduce FSHB production by

> 95 %. LβT2 cells were transfected with

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different lentiviral vectors that were thought to

express siRNAs capable of decreasing FSHB

mRNA and their effects on FSHB mRNA were

analyzed using real-time rtPCR. None of the

three vectors decrease FSHB mRNA by 95 %,

but in one experiment vectors 3 and 4 decreased

it by ~ 50 %. Unexpectedly, increasing

transfection concentrations of V3 and V4 by 2x

had no effect on FSHB mRNA. Clearly, there is

more to learn about the effects of siRNAs on

FSHB mRNA levels to explain these unexpected

results. Moreover, the effectiveness of siRNAs

is likely to be dependent on which part of the

FSHB mRNA is targeted (3’UTR, 5’UTR, or

coding region). More studies will be needed to

determine the proper siRNA for effective FSHB

mRNA reduction and the proper level of

expression.

Session II, B-6

Exploration and Analysis of DNA-elongation

Techniques

Joseph A. Hook

Physics; Biomedical Engineering

Mentors: Robert Riehn/Physics;

Lianne Cartee/Biomedical Engineering

While techniques of bulk DNA analysis, such as

gel electrophoresis, are widespread in biological

sciences, they are not suitable for analysis on a

single-cell basis. Due to the polymeric nature of

DNA, molecules consequently form random

coils in solution; hence, elongation techniques

are necessary to determine genomic properties

by optical techniques. Because such techniques

permit visualization of genomes in their entirety

as opposed to conventional bulk methods, higher

resolution and more in-depth analysis can be

achieved, such as epigenetic mapping. The focus

of our study was to design and implement

multiple mechanisms of DNA elongation and

determine their efficiencies. The techniques of

interest include hydrophilic poly-l-lysine surface

stretching, hydrophobic silanized surface

stretching, end-tethered microfluidic elongation,

and flow-stretched microfluidic elongation.

Specifically for microfluidic elongation, a

multiple channel PDMS device was designed,

and a protocol for biomolecule immobilization

within the channel was developed. Results will

be discussed.

Session II, B-7

Identification of Constitutive and Inducible

Response Elements in the Human Pregnane X

Receptor (PXR) Gene

Chad M. Hunter

Environmental and Molecular Toxicology

Mentor: Andrew D. Wallace/Toxicology

The human pregnane X receptor is a ligand-

activated transcription factor whose primary

function is to sense the presence of foreign toxic

substances and in response up regulate the

expression of proteins involved in the

detoxification and clearance of these substance

from the body. Several factors are believed to

effect the expression of PXR and those studied

included hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha

(HNFa) and glucocorticoids, specifically

dexamethasone (Dex). Activating PXR induces

cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4); a key phase I

enzyme that plays a role in the metabolism of

drugs. Treatment of a rat liver cell line with the

taxane drugs paclitaxel or docetaxel, two

chemotherapeutic drugs, revealed that CYP3A4

promoter activity was induced. Increased

induction of CYP3A4 leads to an increased

metabolic rate of taxanes, which inactivates and

removes these drugs from the body. We

hypothesized that magnitude of CYP3A4

induction by taxanes is dependent on the

expression of PXR and may be significantly

higher in the presence of Dex. Treatment of a

rat liver cell line with the GR agonist Dex and

paclitaxel or docetaxel resulted in synergistic

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induction of CYP3A4 promoter activity. The

GR antagonist RU486, or co-transfection of a

dominant negative PXR expression plasmid,

greatly reduced this combination effect. To

determine the key transcription factors

mediating PXR expression, a human PXR

promoter reporter plasmid was used in

transfection studies. In the presence of HNF4α,

human PXR activity was induced 9-fold and in a

dose dependent manner, but no induction was

observed due to Dex. Understanding the

mechanisms of PXR expression and how this

influences the magnitude of CYP3A4 induction

will provide insight into improved treatments for

cancer chemotherapy patients while using

different taxanes. In addition, knowing the

effects of these drugs in combination with

different glucocorticoids will allow for the

greatest positive effect of these cancer drugs.

Session I, B-1

PAS Protein Regulation of the Midline and

Tracheal System

Amanda B. Jones

Genetics

Mentor: Patricia Estes/Genetics

Gene regulation is one of the most important

building blocks of life. Regulation makes the

right genes turn on at the correct time and in the

correct location. Regulation can also inhibit

genes from expressing in the wrong location,

which can lead to major malformations or death.

We are studying genes regulated by the PAS

proteins, Single-minded (Sim) and Trachealess

(Trh). Both of these PAS proteins form

heterodimers with Tango (Tgo), another PAS

protein and then bind to DNA and regulate the

expression of downstream target genes. Trh/Tgo

regulates genes expressed in the tracheal system

of Drosophila melanogaster, whereas Sim/Tgo

regulates genes expressed in central nervous

system midline cells. Some genes are expressed

in both tissues, but most genes are restricted to

one or the other. We are investigating how Sim

and Trh regulate different target genes. For

these experiments, we examine the expression

pattern of reporter genes to determine if they are

expressed in the trachea, midline or both. Next,

we determine the critical sequences needed to

provide expression in the midline and/or trachea.

Our long term goal is to identify additional

factors that work together with Sim and Trh to

restrict gene expression to either the midline or

trachea. These studies will indicate how genes

are differentially regulated in certain tissues

during development.

Session I, B-2

B Lymphocyte Activation Affects the

Expression of DC-SIGN and Co-Stimulatory

Molecules

Anthony Kulukulualani

Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

Mentors: Giovanna Rappocciolo/Infectious

Diseases and Microbiology; Mariel

Jais/Infectious Diseases and Microbiology;

Charles Rinaldo/Infectious Diseases and

Microbiology

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)

can be transmitted from antigen-presenting cells

such as dendritic cells (DC) and a subset of B

lymphocytes to CD4+ T cells in trans. It has

been shown that transmission can occur via the

C-type lectin receptor DC-specific ICAM-3

grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN). Some studies

demonstrated that activation of B cells induces

the expression of DC-SIGN; however, others

have shown that high expression levels of DC-

SIGN on some cell lines cannot efficiently

transfer the virus. Thus, it is uncertain whether

DC-SIGN is solely responsible or if co-

stimulatory molecules play a role in the

transmission. The goal of this study is to

measure the expression levels of DC-SIGN and

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co-stimulatory molecules for activated B cells

with CD40L, LPS, and BAFF. We hypothesize

that these activation treatments should induce

the expression of these cell markers. We first

isolated B cells using a gradient separation and

positive magnetic separation (MACS). The cells

were then stained with fluorescence tagged

antibodies to determine the initial level of

expression of the markers. Unstained B cells

were activated for 48 hours with CD40L, LPS,

and BAFF and then stained. We used a flow

cytometer to measure the expression levels of

these stained cells. Our results demonstrated that

upon activation, expression levels of DC-SIGN

and maturation markers were induced. We also

determined initial expression of DC-SIGN on

peripheral B cells. It was observed that BAFF

was the best activation treatment for DC-SIGN

and activation receptors. Results from this study

will help evaluate the role of DC-SIGN and co-

stimulatory molecules in the transfer of HIV-1

from B cells to T cells.

Session I, B-3

Increasing Inositol Lipid Signaling Alters

Starch Metabolism in Plants

Ellen E. Lentz

Plant Biology

Mentor: Wendy F. Boss/Plant Biology

The phosphoinositide (PI) signaling pathway is

present in both plant and animal cells; however,

most animal cells produce much higher levels of

phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate

(PtdInsP2) than plant cells. PtdIns(4,5)P2 is a

key component in PI signaling and a precursor

of the second messenger inositol 1,4,5-

trisphosphate (InsP3). The plant

phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinases (PIPKs)

that synthesize the PtdInsP2 are so much less

active and PIPKs represent a flux-limiting step

in plants (Im et al., 2007). Therefore, Dr. Boss’s

lab generated transgenic plants expressing the

human PIPK that is more active. The transgenic

plants had 2-3 fold more signaling lipid

(PtdInsP2) and 2-2.5 fold more InsP3. The

transgenic seedlings were small and had short

primary roots; yet, unlike wild type plants, the

growth of the transgenic seedlings was not

inhibited by high (3 %) sucrose. Our hypothesis

is that increasing the flux through the PI

signaling pathway affected basal carbon

metabolism by altering starch and sucrose

partitioning. I have monitored changes in starch

and the expression of genes encoding enzymes

involved in starch synthesis (APL3) and

degradation (PHS, DPE and bAM3).

Surprisingly, there was more starch observed in

the morning before the lights came on and less

in the afternoon in the transgenic plants

compared to wild type. This suggests the

diurnal cycle affecting carbon metabolism is

altered in the transgenic plants. We can conclude

that constant flux through the PI pathway

negatively impacts the regulation of starch

metabolism in transgenic plants.

Session II, B-8

Effects of Culture Media and Oxygen Tension

on Cytosine Methylation and Gene

Expression in Preimplantation Mouse

Embryos

Emily G. Medlin

Animal Science

Mentor: Rocio M. Rivera/Animal Sciences—

University of Missouri-Columbia

Imprinting is an epigenetic modification in

which one gene of a pair of alleles is silenced in

a parent-specific way. Imprinting is commonly

controlled by methylation of the C5 position of

cytosines which are located next to guanines in

DNA sequences. CpG methylation usually

confers a silencing signal to genes. Methyl-CpG

Binding proteins, (e.g. MeCP2), have also been

shown to play a role in silencing genes when

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -29-

bound to methylated DNA regions. Oxidative

stress has been shown to form 8-hydroxyguanine

lesions on guanine bases which may hinder

MeCP2 binding activity, and therefore hinder

gene silencing. It has been shown that culture of

preimplantation mouse embryos can cause gene

misexpression, including loss of imprinting.

The purpose of this study was to use

immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy

to examine whether culturing preimplantation

mouse embryos in different culture conditions

causes alterations in DNA methylation, binding

of the MeCP2 methyl-CpG binding proteins, and

the formation of 8-oxoguanine lesions on DNA

when compared to in-vivo produced mouse

embryos. Preimplantation mouse embryos were

subjected to four different culture conditions in a

2X2 factorial design using 2 levels of oxygen

tension (5% and 20%) and 2 different media

(KSOM + amino acids, and Whitten’s medium).

Cultured embryos will be compared to two

different in-vivo produced control groups; a)

super-ovulated and b) not super-ovulated. The

super-ovulated in-vivo group embryos were

collected from females 96h post hCG. The

culture groups embryos were collected at the

two-cell stage approximately 44 hours post hCG.

Two-cell embryos were then divided in four

groups and cultured until 108-120h post hCG.

At the completion of each treatment, embryos

were fixed or frozen for immunofluorescence or

real time RT-PCR analyses, respectively.

Results will be discussed.

Session I, B-4

Characterization of Turkey iNOS and

Development of Assays to Study its Role in

Acute Viral Enteritis

Robert R. Meyerhoff

Poultry Science

Mentor: Matthew D. Koci/Poultry Science

Acute viral enteritis is one of the leading causes

of morbidity and mortality in both animals and

humans. However, despite its prevalence, our

understanding of the mucosal immune response

to these enteric pathogens is limited. Of the

numerous viruses known to cause enteritis,

astroviruses are recognized as one of the most

prevalent, and have been estimated to cause

more infections than rotaviruses or Norwalk.

For immunocompromised individuals, the

impact of astrovirus-mediated disease can be

especially significant. Gastrointestinal distress,

abdominal pain, and vomiting are the most

notable clinical symptoms, with some cases

resulting in a chronic infection. In spite of the

prevalence of this virus, very few treatment and

control strategies have been developed. In an

effort to further characterize this host-pathogen

interaction, our laboratory has developed a

model of acute viral disease mediated by turkey

astrovirus type-2 (TAstV-2). In previous

studies, we demonstrated that TAstV-2 infection

induces severe watery diarrhea and growth

depression. However, these clinical signs are

associated with only mild histological changes.

Although there was no evidence of inflammation

or immune response to infection, RNA

expression analysis suggests an increase in the

expression of constituents of the innate immune

system, specifically inducible nitric oxide

synthase (iNOS). Subsequent studies suggest

that expression of iNOS and its virucidal product

(NO) can inhibit TAstV-2 replication. To

further understand the role iNOS plays in the

anti-TAstV-2 response, we sequenced the full-

length turkey iNOS (tkiNOS) cDNA, compared

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -30-

it to known iNOS genes, and produced goat-

anti-tkiNOS peptide anti-sera. The results of

this work are the first, to our knowledge, to

describe the full cDNA sequence of the tkiNOS

gene and develop tkiNOS specific reagents.

These new reagents and assays will play a key

role in our ability to determine the effect of

iNOS and NO on TAstV-2-mediated enteritis as

well as other enteric infections.

Session I, B-5

The Cellular Role of Pitx2 in Left-Right

Asymmetric Gut Morphogenesis

Xiao J. Ni and Stephanie Bloom

Biochemistry

Molecular Biomedical Sciences

Mentor: Mike Dush/Molecular Biomedical

Sciences; Nanette Nascone-Yoder/Molecular

Biomedical Sciences

Left-right asymmetric looping and rotation of

the primitive embryonic gut tube is critical for

the development of normal digestive system

anatomy and function. Intestinal malrotation

anomalies, resulting from reversed or

incomplete gut looping and rotation, occur in as

many as 1 in 500 live births and pose life-

threatening complications to neonates, yet the

normal mechanisms of left-right asymmetric gut

morphogenesis are poorly understood. The

Pitx2c transcription factor is expressed

exclusively in the left lateral plate mesoderm of

the prospective gut tube and is required for the

development of left-right asymmetry during gut

looping and rotation. Although Pitx2 isoforms

have been shown to coordinate cell migration,

cell-cell adhesion, and the activation of Rho

GTPases in vitro, the cellular role of Pitx2 in the

developing gut tube has not been elucidated. By

microinjecting gain- and loss-of-function

reagents into the prospective left or right side of

Xenopus laevis frog embryos, we show that

abnormal gut looping and rotation is associated

with abnormal gut cell shape and epithelial

morphogenesis. Ectopic expression of Pitx2c

mRNA on the right side of the gut tube

elongates gut cell shapes and accelerates

epithelialization. In contrast, when an antisense

morpholino olgionucleotide is used to ―knock

down‖ the translation of Pitx2c expression in the

left side of the gut tube, gut cell shapes appear

more rounded and epithelial morphogenesis is

delayed. These results provide insight into the

cellular role of Pitx2 in left-right asymmetric gut

morphogenesis and the cellular etiology of

intestinal malrotation.

Session II, B-9

Characterization of the Murine Immune

Response against Red clover necrotic mosaic

virus

Matthew H. Overton

Microbiology, Biochemistry

Mentor: Steven A. Lommel/Plant Pathology;

Richard H. Guenther/Plant Pathology; Tim L.

Sit/Plant Pathology; and Stefan

Franzen/Chemistry

Selective and specific delivery of cytotoxic

compounds to cancerous cells is the goal for

next generation cancer treatment. One way to

selectively deliver cytotoxic compounds is to

load them in a plant virus nanoparticle that has

been engineered to target only cancerous cells.

Previous studies have shown that the Red clover

necrotic mosaic virus is an effective delivery

platform for cancer treatment drugs. A critical

component of developing this delivery method

comes from understanding the role of the

immune response against RCNMV. A key tool

in advancing this research is obtaining a

validated Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent

Assay, also called ELISA. This research used

monoclonal antibodies as controls to optimize

the performance of the assay using purified virus

as substrate. This research seeks to characterize

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -31-

the response of three mouse monoclonal

antibodies, 7H11, 4C6, and 2F10, against

RCNMV as well as the antigenicity of RCNMV

in mice. Characterization studies of these

antibodies show that the 4C6 is a non-specific

antibody, the 7H11 antibody is 25 times more

selective for wtRCNMV binding, whereas 2F10

is 5 times more selective for disrupted coat

protein binding, suggesting that these three

antibodies were produced against different

portions of the viral capsid. Blood experiments

were performed to show that these monoclonal

antibodies can be introduced into and efficiently

extracted from mouse blood—a critical

component for further antibody studies in mice

undergoing treatment with RCNMV. Assays

performed on mouse serum drawn from a mouse

exposed to RCNMV showed that a mild titer of

1:8000 was elicited by day 21 which proves that

wtRCNMV is weakly antigenic in mice with the

first response occurring by day 3. Throughout

testing, a more robust understanding of the

ELISA was developed including aspects such as

microtiter plate suitability, identifying

appropriate substrate and primary antibody

concentrations, and developing familiarity with

protocol.

Session II, B-10

Modification of Enzymes for Use in Organic

Solvents by the Amide Linkage of

Succinimidyl Carbonate Poly(ethylene)glycol

Rashid P. Riboul

Biochemistry

Mentor: Reza Ghiladi/Chemistry

Enzymes are biological catalysts that are

extremely efficient and selective. However,

most enzymes will work only at non-

physiological conditions, i.e. near pH 7.0 and

using water as the solvent, so using the enzyme

at any other pH or in any other media such as an

organic solvent will render the enzyme useless.

However, polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been

known to increase protein solubility in organic

solvents and, in some cases, retain some

catalytic activity when covalently linked to the

protein. The purpose of this research is to

modify enzymes by linking succinimidyl

carbonate polyethylene glycol (SC-PEG) to

primary amines within the protein to retain their

activity in organic solvents. The protein that

will be experimented on is dehaloperoxidase,

which is a hemoglobin (heme-containing

globular protein) that can convert trihalogenated

phenols into dihalogenated quinones. The

experiment called for the production of SC-PEG

from starting materials, testing the content of the

SC-PEG as well as the ―PEGylated‖

dehaloperioxidase using matrix-assisted laser

desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass

spectroscopy, and checking the activity of the

―PEGylated‖ protein in both water and organic

solvents through the use of activity assays, using

the original protein as a control.

Session I, B-6

Determination of the Effect Genetic

Polymorphisms Have on Subcellular

Localization of the Chicken Mx Protein

Whitney L. Richardson

Biological Sciences

Mentors: Matthew D. Koci/Poultry Science;

Rizwanna A. Ali/Poultry Science; and

Chris M. Ashwell/Poultry Science

Acute viral infections are one of the leading

causes of illness and death in humans and

animals worldwide. Identifying and

understanding how host proteins are involved in

protecting cells from viral infection is critical to

our ability to develop novel antiviral therapies.

One host protein known to be directly involved

in inhibiting viral replication is known as Mx;

however the mechanism by which it blocks virus

replication is not well characterized. In

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mammals there are typically two Mx genes, with

the product of one gene found in the nucleus and

the other in the cytoplasm. In mice the nuclear

localized Mx (MxA) has been demonstrated to

inhibit influenza virus. Further analysis of MxA

demonstrated differences in mouse strain

susceptibility to influenza virus were associated

with specific Mx alleles. Mx genes have also

been discovered in non-mammalian species.

Recent reports have identified numerous Mx

alleles in various lines of chickens and related

these to differences in their antiviral activity.

However, it is not currently known how the

different polymorphisms in Mx affects its

function. To characterize how these

polymorphisms affect Mx biology, we have

developed a system to examine the affect amino

acid changes have on the cellular localization of

the Mx protein. One allele of the chicken Mx

gene was cloned into the pEGFP-N1 expression

system to generate a construct which produces

an Mx-enhanced green fluorescent protein

(EGFP) fusion protein. This initial expression

construct provides the platform from which all

other alleles of chicken Mx can be derived.

Through a series of site directed mutagenesis,

transfection, and UV-microscopy assays, we will

determine how changes in the Mx amino acid

sequence affects its subcellular localization.

This system will lead to a better understanding

of how genetic variation in Mx is related to its

function in cells and how these differences are

related antiviral activity.

Session I, B-7

The Effect of Munc18/nSec1 on Syntaxin's

Open/Closed States

Joseph W. Rose III

Physics

Mentor: Keith Weninger/Physics; Biochemistry

The effect of Munc18 on the kinetics of

syntaxin's open/closed transitions outside of the

SNARE complex is still an open question. My

research seeks to measure these kinetics. For the

purposes of this experiment, encapsulated

samples of syntaxin and syntaxin bound to

Munc18 were analyzed using fluorescent

resonance energy transfer (FRET). By placing

dye sites on syntaxin at opposite ends of the

molecule FRET analysis can reveal dynamical

motions of the proteins transitions in and

between open and closed states. Testing showed

that lone syntaxin produced both an open and

closed state while syntaxin bound to Munc18

enhanced the closed state syntaxin. While this

test showed that Munc18 does induce a closed

state in syntaxin, further testing is required to

quantify the kinetics.

Session I, B-8

Construction and Validation of Mutant

Superoxide Reductase to Serve as a Negative

Control in Genetically Modified Tomato

Research

Johanna M. Schafer

Microbiology

Mentor: Amy Grunden/Microbiology

Pyrococcus furious is an anaerobic

hyperthermophilic archaeon that lives in

hydrothermal vent systems at the bottom of the

ocean where it grows at an optimal temperature

of 100°C. In order to deal with any oxygen

exposure, P. furiosus has the ability to utilize a

novel enzyme called superoxide reductase

(SOR). Previous work in the Boss and Grunden

laboratories led to the transformation of the P.

furiosus SOR gene into tomato plants. The

transgenic tomato plants are currently being

evaluated for SOR gene expression and studies

will be done to determine whether the transgenic

tomato plants have the ability to withstand

higher temperatures, excess UV exposure, and

drought conditions as has been shown to be the

case for SOR transformed Arabidopsis plants.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -33-

In order to prove that SOR is the gene

responsible for the enhanced stress resistance in

tomato plants, research had to be conducted to

provide a true negative control for the planned

studies. This was done by introducing an

inactivating mutation by changing the cysteine

at amino acid position 111 to an alanine in the

original SOR gene in the expression plasmid

(SOR in vector plasmid pTrc99A). Mutant SOR

was transformed into Escherichia coli strain

JM105, subjected to a western analysis and

checked for heat stability. A complementation

growth study and a direct SOD/SOR activity

assay of the mutant SOR plasmid were also

conducted. The Cys111Ala-mutation of P.

furiosus SOR was shown to have rendered the

SOR enzyme inactive. The Cys111Ala-SOR

protein can still be expressed properly as well as

retain its characteristic heat stability. Since the

mutagenized SOR gene has been successfully

expressed as an inactive protein, it will be

transformed into tomato plants in order to

provide a valid negative control that will enable

appropriate interpretation of results from the

planned stress tests.

Session I, B-9

Inhibition of Equine Infectious Anemia on

Feline Cells Treated with Peptide in vitro

Caroline A. Schroeder

Biology

Mentor: Fred J. Fuller/Population Health and

Pathobiology

Retroviruses, specifically those belonging to the

lentivirinae genus, are of great interest due to the

large number of people (estimated 35 million)

and animals affected worldwide. Such viruses

include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

that causes acquired immunodeficiency

syndrome (AIDS), which are currently

incurable. The purpose of the project was to

explore an alternative method to inhibit viral

replication specifically of an HIV-related

lentivirus, equine infectious anemia (EIA).

Inhibitors of EIA virus replication are likely to

inhibit HIV replication as well. We were

interested in determining whether a peptide that

binds to a cellular component required for virus

replication would have anti-viral properties.

Factors tested include toxicity of the peptide,

varying concentrations of added peptide, the

effect of a binding versus non-binding peptide,

and testing the use of syringe loading. The

peptide did not appear toxic to the feline

embryonic adenocarcinoma (FEA) cells;

however, the amount of reverse transcriptase

produced by the cells (indication of virus

replication) did appear sensitive to peptide. Our

results suggest that FEA cells treated with 5uL

of a binding peptide compared to 5uL of a non-

binding peptide yielded the lowest amount of

virus replication of EIA virus in vitro.

Session II, B-11

Characterization of Serum and

Glucocorticoid Induced Kinases (SGK) in a

Teleost Fish during Salinity Adapatation

Elizabeth R. Sommerville

Biomedical Engineering

Mentors: Russell J. Borski/Biology

William M. Johnstone/Biology

Serum and glucocorticoid kinase (SGK) is a

Serine/Threonine kinase belonging to the AGC

[cAMP-dependant protein kinase (PKA), protein

kinase G, protein kinase C (PKC)] kinase

family. SGK is an immediate early response

gene inducible by a plethora of stimuli

including, but not limited to glucocorticoids,

mineralcorticoids, cell shrinkage, cell swelling,

various growth factors, DNA damage, stress,

and p53. Euryhaline fish, including Mozambique

tilapia, have the remarkable ability to adapt to

changes in environmental salinity. The role of

the ―stress‖ SGK system in mediating salinity

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -34-

adaptation or osmotic challenge in fish is poorly

understood, despite fish being an excellent

model for study of epithelial transport

mechanisms. We hypothesize that SGK1 plays a

role in acute salinity adaptation through

regulation of the gill, the key osmoregualtory

organ of fish. Male freshwater (FW) or seawater

(SW, 2/3rd or 24 ppt) tilapia were transferred to

SW or FW for various time periods and gill were

removed for SGK1 mRNA analyses by real-time

quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) using SYBR

Green. We found that plasma osmolality

significantly decreases within 30 minutes

following transfer of fish from SW to FW and

increases during SW transfer. SGK1 mRNA

levels significantly increase within 30 minutes

of SW-to-FW transfer, returning to baseline

levels of sham transferred fish (SW to SW

transfer) by 3 hours. By contrast, we found that

transfer to SW led to a biphasic response,

whereby SGK1 mRNA levels spiked at 30

minutes and then increased again at 24 hours.

The mechanism for this biphasic rise is

uncertain. These data are the first to show that

SGK1 mRNA is upregulated during the initial

phases of both FW and SW challenge, and may

have a prolonged action in controlling SW

adaptation in fish. Collectively these studies

show that SGK may respond to osmotic stress

and osmoregulatory hormones to play a role, in

part, in regulating salt and water balance in fish.

Session I, B-10

Characterization of Mutants for Protein

Trafficking Pathways

Briana Taylor

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Marcela Rojas-Pierce/Plant Biology

The plant vacuole is a vital organ in most plant

cells. It stores chemicals including enzymes,

sugars, storage proteins, and many secondary

chemical metabolites. Proteins in the membrane

surrounding the vacuole, called the tonoplast,

transport most of these compounds in and out of

the vacuole. How are membrane proteins

transported to the tonoplast remains unknown.

Gravacin was identified as an inhibitor of

protein trafficking in the tonoplast using a

chemical genomic approach. Gravacin-

hypersensitive (hs1) mutants show two

important phenotypes when a small

concentration of gravacin is applied: they have

short roots and they exhibit abnormal

localization of a tonoplast marker. The goal of

this research was to identify the mutation

responsible for the hypersensitivity in the hs1

plants. Determining the mutation will inevitably

lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms

and machinery involved in protein trafficking.

Several smaller projects were involved in

achieving the overall goal of the project. The

first was to select and genotype recombinants

from mapping populations that were already

underway, which had placed the mutation

between markers FCA11 and g4539 in

Chromosome 4. The second was to sequence

candidate genes within the mapping region.

Thirty-eight new mutants were selected and

genotyped from the mapping population, but no

recombinants between the two markers were

identified. Three out of eight candidate genes

were sequenced, but no mutations were found.

Therefore, more recombinants must be selected

to increase the chance of finding recombinants,

which will ultimately lead to more information

on the location of the gene involved with

hypersensitivity to gravacin.

Session I, B-11

Activation Tagging of Gravacin

Hypersensitivity Mutants

Allison A. Vestal

Plant Biology

Mentor: Marcela Rojas-Pierce/Plant Biology

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -35-

Plant genes that encode for the endomembrane

system are also essential for survival. In order to

study the loss of function for these genes

without having problems with lethality and

redundancy, a chemical genomic approach can

be used. Chemical genomics uses small

molecules to modify the activity of a protein or

pathway that can be tunable and reversible.

Through this method, Gravacin was identified as

an inhibitor of protein trafficking in Arabidopsis.

The Weigel collection of T-DNA lines in

Arabidopsis thaliana is currently being screened

for hypersensitivity to Gravacin and two mutants

have been identified. The goal of this research is

to characterize the mutations that induce this

hypersensitivity. TAIL-PCR was used to recover

genomic sequences flanking the T-DNA

insertions from transgenic lines. The purified

tertiary TAIL-PCR reaction was ligated into a

vector and transformed into E. coli. The bacteria

were plated and the colonies positive for the

DNA insert were identified by digestion with

EcoRI. Plasmids containing an insert were

purified and sequenced. Insertions in three genes

have been identified in the Gravacin

hypersensitive line 894-1A through sequencing:

AT4G25600, AT5G06820 and AT4G1170. The

presence of T-DNA insertions in these genes is

currently being confirmed by PCR.

Session I, B-12

Drosophila as a Model for GxE Iteractions

behind Metabolic Syndrome

Stephanie N. Williams

Genetics

Mentors: Laura K. Reed/Genetics; Greg

Gibson/Genetics

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) represents a largely

unexplored complex disease that has been

steadily increasing in prevalence in Westernized

societies. Characterized by insulin resistance,

high blood pressure, and central obesity, MetS

stems from a complex genotype by environment

interaction, as proven by background data

already collected in our study. Common-

Disease Common-Variant, Rare Alleles of

Major Effect, and the Infintesimal model

represent three prevailing theories of the genetic

origin of complex disease. However, in order to

one day achieve proper treatment/diagnosis

methods, it is important to distinguish which of

these theories best explains the development of

MetS because each basis requires a different

approach. In order to elucidate the underlying

genetic architecture, we decided to perform

complete diallele crosses. Because genotype and

environment are hard to control for and

distinguish between in humans and because of

conserved metabolic pathways between the two

species, Drosophila melanogaster was chosen to

perform two crosses. These crosses each

contained 4 genetically-distinct isogenic lines

that were chosen based on extreme phenotypes

exhibited consistently in two previous

screenings. The results of these crosses

predominately indicate additive effects at work,

as well as maternal effects and overdominance.

These results support the infinitesimal model,

which visualizes complex disease a continuum

through the accumulation of deleterious alleles,

each of which contributes a small portion to the

diseased-state.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -36-

Biological Sciences:

Zoology, Physiology, Behavior,

Neurobiology

Session I, B-13

Does ATP, Glutamate or NAAG Affect Glial

Cell Number in Rat Sciatic Nerve?

William C. Andrew

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Robert Grossfeld/Biology

The primary aim of this study is to determine

whether ATP, glutamate or the glutamate-

containing dipeptide N-acetylaspartylglutamate

(NAAG) affects peripheral nerve development

in mammals. They are abundant

neurotransmitters found throughout the

mammalian nervous system. ATP and glutamate

are known intercellular signaling agents that

affect the function, production and

differentiation of neurons and glia in brain.

NAAG released from nerve axons may be a

signaling agent at synapses in brain or a

potential source of glutamate upon hydrolysis to

form glutamate and N-acetylaspartate (NAA);

this reaction is catalyzed by the glial enzyme

glutamate carboxypeptidase II. At high

extracellular concentrations, such as might occur

during pathological conditions when cells are

compromised or die, ATP and glutamate have

toxic effects, but at physiological concentrations

they are essential for normal brain structure and

function. To determine whether ATP, glutamate

or NAAG affects the development of peripheral

nerve fibers in mammals, sciatic nerves of one

week-old rats were exposed in vivo to one of

these substances by implantation of a small

piece of gelfoam soaked in sterile saline

containing the test substance while the other

sciatic nerve was treated with gelfoam soaked

only in saline. Myelination of the nerve fibers

begins at about postnatal day six and continues

for a couple of weeks. One characteristic of that

process is the production of Schwann cells, the

peripheral glia that form myelin around axons.

Therefore, one week after surgery, the nerves

were examined histologically by staining

sections with Hematoxylin, which colors nuclei

blue. Since only the glia have nuclei in the

nerve, the number of nuclei is a measure of the

number of glial cells. Currently, Image Pro

software is being used to quantify the results.

Session I, B-4

Creating an Alternative to Venom Gland

Excision in Agkistrodon Contortrix

Samantha R. Avery

Zoology

Mentors: Harold F. Heatwole/Zoology;

Michael K. Stoskopf/Clinical Sciences

Research into the role of venom in digestion

requires comparing the efficiency with which

envenomated and non-envenomated prey are

digested. One technique for doing this involves

excision of the venom glands. John Tait (1938),

however, found this procedure to be extremely

painful and damaging to snakes and that it could

lead to major complications affecting the

validity of the research. Consequently, the

present study sought an alternative that would be

less invasive and, unlike excision of the gland,

would be reversible. Agkistrodon contortrix

(copperheads) are being used to test whether

occlusion of the fangs satisfies these criteria.

Snakes were anesthetized and dental composites

used to occlude their fangs. They were

monitored post-surgically for any adverse side

effects, such as abnormal behavior and swelling

or injury of the fang sheath. The effects of two

composites, glasionomer and Permaflo Purple,

were compared. No adverse side effects were

observed and each snake had very little, or no,

swelling. Snakes whose fangs were occluded

with glasionomer shed the occluded fang and

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -37-

replaced it with a new fang but those treated

with Permaflo Purple retained the original fang.

Further work is needed on the natural rate of

fang replacement in order to determine whether

shedding of the fangs was coincidental or a

response to the treatment. Both dental

composites effectively blocked venom passage,

except for one that leaked a minute amount of

venom. Therefore, the technique used is

effective in occluding the fang and subsequently

blocking the release of venom.

Session I, B-15

Assessment of First Year College Students'

Nutrition Knowledge and Eating Behaviors

Ashton L. Ayers

Nutrition Science

Mentor: Stephanie Sobol/Health Promotion

The 2008 Statistical Fact Sheet released by the

American Heart Association revealed that in

Americans, age 20 and older, 67-75% of men

and 57-80% of women are currently overweight

or obese (American Heart Association 2008).

With obesity reaching such epidemic

proportions and at such a young age all over the

nation, the need for nutrition-related educational

programs has increased dramatically. The

purpose of this study was to survey and evaluate

the current nutrition-related knowledge and

eating behaviors of a select group of First-Year

College students at North Carolina State

University. In collaboration with the Student

Health Services Department of Health

Promotions, a one-hour long Eating Well Made

Simple program was presented to three

consecutive First Year College seminar classes.

A pre-program and post-program survey was

administered to each of 52 students. The survey

assessed a variety of topics including: their

current eating behaviors (where they dine and

what they eat), their knowledge of the different

macro-nutrients and the amount consumed, and

other questions related to the students’ self-

efficacy to determine their comfort-level in

making healthier choices. The hypothesis was

that comparison of the pre-program survey

(administered 2 weeks before the Eating Well

Made Simple presentation) to the post-program

survey (administered 3 weeks after) would

reveal a positive change in the

students’knowledge of nutrition and/or their

eating behaviors. Final analysis of the surveys

revealed small percentages of change in the

students’choices when filling their plates and in

their understanding of the importance of eating

related to their overall health and well-being.

Although the percentages of change were low,

the data obtained is a very valuable resource for

understanding the eating habits of students on

campus and finding ways to reach them more

effectively.

Session II, B-12

Predation Hazard Influences Nocturnal

Feeding Activity of Guppies (Poecilia

reticulata)

Katherine L. Gleason and Samantha L. Frady

Biology

Mentors: James F. Gilliam/Biology; Bradley A.

Lamphere/Biology

Animals constantly make decisions that involve

fitness tradeoffs. For example, time spent

foraging can expose an animal to increased

predation risk. Traditional thought holds that

guppies, Poecilia reticulata, forage only

diurnally and hide or rest at night because of the

threat from nocturnal predators. We examined

this tradeoff in wild-caught Trinidadian guppies

subjected to differing levels of predation in their

native stream habitats. To assay for flexibility in

daily rhythms of foraging activity, we measured

the growth rates of guppies allowed to forage in

artificial, predator-free pools. Four treatments

were used, with guppies allowed to forage only

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -38-

at night, only during the day, during both day

and night, or not at all. The guppies showed

different feeding strategies that correlated with

the level of predation in their natural habitat.

Guppies collected from low-predation sites fed

readily at night. Guppies from high-predation

sites had less flexibility in their foraging

activity, taking less advantage of night foraging

on average, although the population as a whole

had a wider range of night foraging activity than

the low-predation guppies. These data are

consistent with flexibility in the circadian

foraging activity of guppies; further work is

necessary to characterize the degree to which

circadian rhythms in foraging activity have been

fixed by natural selection.

Session II, B-13

The Effect of Size on the Utility of Circulating

Insulin-like Growth Factor I as a Biomarker

for Growth in a Teleost Fish, the Hybrid

Striped Bass

David A. Hurt

Zoology; Biochemistry

Mentor: Russell J. Borski/Biology

Developing biomarkers that reflect recent

growth rates in fishes is critical for assessing the

status of natural fish populations as well as

aquatic ecosystem health, since growth is

indicative of variable environmental conditions.

Further, growth biomarkers have potential for

optimizing rearing protocols of aquacultured

fishes. Studies in our laboratory have

demonstrated that circulating levels of insulin-

like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a peptide hormone

directly responsible for cell proliferation and

somatic growth, are correlated to growth rates of

several fishes after prolonged (3 week) feeding

treatments. However, it is unknown when

changes in growth first correspond to changes in

IGF-I, and whether body size alters this

relationship. To assess this, two size groups of

hybrid striped bass (HSB; 146 and 251g) were

subjected to three experimental feed regimens:

complete satiation, moderate feed, and complete

starvation for a period of 41 days followed by an

8 day re-feed period. Blood plasma was

sampled for IGF-I at days 0, 7, 14, 27, 41, and

49. The experimental regime rendered graded

levels of catabolism and anabolism by day 7 in

both groups of fish. However, corresponding

changes in plasma IGF-I were not detected until

day 14 in the smaller group and by day 27 in the

large group. Further, although the specific

growth rates of previously starved HSB in both

size groups increased dramatically upon re-

feeding, only in the small fish did circulating

IGF-I mimic the growth response. These results

indicate plasma IGF-I can be used as a growth

biomarker in both small and large HSB, but that

earlier detection and stronger relationships will

be achieved using juvenile rather than adult fish.

This is likely because smaller fish experience

faster rates of growth and are also more sensitive

to temporal restrictions in feed, the latter due to

less total energy stores.

Session I, B-16

The Effect of Size on the Utility of Circulating

Insulin-like Growth Factor I as a Biomarker

for Growth in a Teleost Fish, the Hybrid

Striped Bass

Mangala S. Iyengar

Zoology

Mentors: Robert Grossfeld/Biology; Jane L.

Lubischer/Biology

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glutamate are

considered to be major neurotransmitters by

which neurons and glia, the two main cell types,

communicate with each other in the central and

peripheral nervous systems. The current

consensus is that glutamate acts on glial cells by

stimulating the release of ATP, which then binds

to the relevant receptors to create its effect. We,

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -39-

therefore, would expect that the neural responses

to ATP and glutamate should be similar and that

both should be blocked by antagonists of ATP

receptors. Most glial cells do not generate the

types of electrical responses that characterize

neurons but they do respond to stimulation with

changes in cytoplasmic calcium. We used

optical imaging of calcium responses to study

and quantify the responses of glia to ATP and

glutamate in the developing rat sciatic nerve, a

model peripheral nerve. Sciatic nerves from

neonatal Wistar rats were isolated and incubated

in vitro with the calcium-sensitive dye Fluo3

AM, which is taken up by the glial cells. Light

emission by the cells was measured

microscopically and analyzed as a function of

time with Image Pro software. ATP produced a

consistent and robust response, but application

of glutamate produced little or no response. In

rat optic nerve, a model central nerve studied in

our laboratory, ATP and glutamate also

produced qualitatively different responses.

These results suggest the need to reevaluate the

means by which these substances may mediate

intercellular chemical communication between

neurons and glia in intact nerves.

Session I, B-17

Responses of Adult Human Adipose-Derived

Stem Cells to ATP and Electrical Stimulation

John P. McQuilling and Seth D. McCullen

Biomedical Engineering; Zoology

Mentors: Robert Grossfeld/Biology;

Jane Lubischer/Biology; and

Elizabeth Loboa/Biomedical Engineering

Human Adipose derived Stem Cells (hADSC)

can be induced to differentiate into cartilage or

bone cells with mechanical and/or electrical

stimulation, offering the possibility of repairing

bone or cartilage without concern for immune

rejection. Mesenchymal stem cells are known to

respond to mechanical and electrical stimulation,

in part through release of ATP. Knowing the

precise conditions that are most effective and the

mechanisms that affect the physiology or

differentiation of hADSC will bring us closer to

clinical treatments. The question that is being

addressed is whether the effects of mechanical

shear stress and electric fields on hADSC are

mediated by diffusible signaling agents such as

ATP or glutamate. Previously, these compounds

have been shown to increase intracellular

calcium in hADSC. The cells were loaded with

Red Cell Tracker dye, a vital dye that allows

fluorescence imaging of the cell morphology,

and Fluo-4 AM, a Ca-sensitive dye that emits

light when cytoplasmic Ca levels increase.

Cells were imaged microscopically for changes

in Ca levels in response to ATP, mechanical

shear and electric fields in the absence or

presence of inhibitors of receptors for ATP.

Experiments completed this far indicate that

activation of the hADSC by ATP is dependent

on cell density, number of passages, and

duration in culture, that the response to ATP is

partially blocked by the broad spectrum

purinergic receptor antagonist suramin, and that

the cells are activated by electrical stimulation of

appropriate intensity and frequency. Current

studies are testing whether the response to

electrical stimulation is mediated by ATP.

Session I, B-18

Candidate Axon-Glia Signaling Agents in Rat

Optic Nerve

Hamish S. Patel and Chandni P. Patel

Zoology

Mentors: Robert Grossfeld/Biology; Jane

Lubischer/Biology

Neuroglia supply neurons with nutrients and

regulate nerve development and function. In

brain, ATP and glutamate are diffusible

chemicals that may mediate signaling between

neurons and glia. The current consensus is that

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -40-

glutamate activates a Ca2+ increase in glia by

promoting the release of ATP from the glial

cells. In mammalian optic nerve, antagonists of

ionotropic glutamate receptors do not block the

activation of glial cells during electrical

stimulation of the nerve but antagonists of ATP

receptors do, suggesting that ATP is the primary

mediator of axon-glia signaling in that nerve.

Whether glutamate and/or a glutamate-

containing peptide (N-acetylaspartylglutamate,

NAAG), both of which are abundant in the

nerve, contribute remains uncertain. To test

whether the glia can be activated by these

compounds, optic nerves from 3-15 day old

Wistar rats were isolated, the meninges were

removed and the glia were loaded with the

calcium-sensitive dye Fluo-3AM by incubation

of the nerve. Changes in cytoplasmic calcium in

response to ATP, glutamate or NAAG were

detected microscopically by measuring light

emission from the dye; intensities were digitized

and analyzed. Glutamate and NAAG each

activated the glia. Pre-treatment of the nerve

with cyclothiazide (CTZ) and DL-threo-β-

benzyloxyaspartic acid (DL-TBOA) to block

AMPA NOTE: and DL-threo-beta-

benzyloxyaspartic acid (DL-TBOA) to block

AMPA receptor (an ionotropic glutamate

receptor) desensitization and cellular uptake of

glutamate, respectively, increased the sensitivity

of detection. Treatment with NAAG together

with 2-(phosphonomethyl) pentanedioic acid (2-

PMPA), an inhibitor of NAAG hydrolysis, did

not eliminate the glial cell Ca2+ increase. This

suggests that intact NAAG, as well as glutamate

and ATP, are potential intercellular signaling

agents for activating the glia.

Session I, B-19

The Wayne County Food Systems Initiative:

Creating Community Awareness and

Sustainable Food Systems

Natalie M. Phillips

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Sarah L. Ash/Food, Bioprocessing &

Nutrition Sciences

Wayne County has a very strong agricultural

history and many of its residents have an interest

in the production and consumption of local

sustainably produced foods. However, with

development pressure and economic uncertainty,

family farms are struggling in Wayne County

and across North Carolina. While agriculture is

a way of life in the county, residents do not have

adequate farmers’ markets to directly purchase

locally grown produce from growers. In a

response to this need, the Wayne County Food

Systems Initiative was created to promote the

development of a local, sustainable food system

through community partners and youths in

Wayne County. The initiative uses the resources

already present in the county and provides

mechanisms through which the community can

gain access to local foods, which meets the

needs of both the farmers and the residents.

Community gardens have been established and

mini famers’ markets have been held, but with

the new availability of fresh produce, a need

emerged for educational materials to inform the

community about healthy eating and encourage

the intake of these locally grown foods. Since

residents may not be accustomed to having

access to these foods, they may not be aware of

the many different ways to prepare them or the

nutritional benefits they offer. It is thought that

if the residents introduced to this new

information, they will be more likely to purchase

and consume healthy foods. To accomplish this,

information cards for different herbs in the

community garden were designed, and a poster

was assembled for a local school. It was hoped

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -41-

that the educational materials would fill a need

in the Wayne County Food Systems Initiative,

and would serve the residents of Wayne County

by informing them about healthy eating and by

encouraging them to purchase more foods from

local farmers. Ultimately, the educational

materials provided much-needed nutrition

information to individuals and influenced them

to consume more produce.

Session I, B-20

Utility of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I and

RNA:DNA Ratios as Growth Biomarkers in

Fishes

Jordan S. Pung

Biomedical Engineering; Biological Sciences

Mentor: Russell J. Borski/Biological Sciences

The ability to rapidly and accurately assess

growth rate in vertebrates through reliable

physiological biomarkers has broad scientific,

medical, and commercial appeal. The

development of these biomarkers in fishes not

only provides basic scientific information

regarding vertebrate growth, but can also be

used to optimize rearing parameters for

aquacultured species and to assess population

and aquatic ecosystem health. Plasma levels of

insulin-like growth factor-I, a mitogenic peptide

directly responsible for cell proliferation and

ultimately body growth, has been used as a

growth biomarker in several species of juvenile

and adult fish, while RNA:DNA ratios are a

common means of assessing growth rate in

larval, juvenile and some adult fishes.

Nevertheless, no study has simultaneously

assessed both biomarkers for direct comparison

of their effectiveness. The present study utilized

both feeding and water temperature

manipulations to achieve a broad range of

growth rates (negative, normal and

accelerated/compensatory growth) in juvenile

hybrid striped bass (HSB), a temperate species

of both recreational and commercial importance.

Specifically, treatment groups of HSB were feed

restricted prior to (24º days 0-23) and/or during

(14º days 24-114) a simulated period of cold-

banking and then refed when temperatures were

returned to optimum (24º, days 115-148).

Control fish were fed throughout the entire

experiment. We found that plasma IGF-I levels

changed in concordance with growth rate (R2 =

0.40) in all groups of fish throughout the entire

experiment, whereas no correlation was found

between RNA:DNA and specific growth rate

(R2 = .041). These results suggest that

concentrations of plasma IGF-I have a causal

relationship with growth and that circulating

levels are a more reliable and accurate

biomarker than RNA:DNA ratios in juvenile and

perhaps other fishes.

Session I, B-21

Sleeve Gastrectomy in an Obese Rat Model to

Elucidate the Hormonal Mechanisms behind

Obesity

Lindsey M. Wright

Biological Sciences

Mentor: Dana Portenier/Duke University

Medical Center, Department of Surgery

In the United States today, 1 out of every 3

adults is obese, and approximately 30% of these

adults will develop type 2 diabetes mellitus. At

present, there are multiple bariatric surgeries

used to maintain weight loss and halt or resolve

the co morbidities of obesity. Though, there are

several different types of bariatric surgeries,

little is known about the hormonal mechanisms

behind the weight loss post-surgery. This study

is currently being conducted in order to develop

a successful animal model for sleeve

gastrectomy, a restrictive bariatric surgery, and

also to elucidate the hormonal mechanism

behind obesity and diabetes. Ten Zucker rats

were placed into three experimental groups: the

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -42-

sleeve-gastrectomy operated group (SG,

control), sham-operated ad-lib fed (AL, control),

and the sham-operated pair-fed groups (PF,

control). All the rats underwent surgery, but the

sleeve-gastrectomy group was the only group to

undergo bariatric surgery. The animals’ weight

and glucose levels were monitored on a weekly

basis. In this study it was possible to obtain a

sleeve gastrectomy experimental model and

monitor the effects on the obese rat. As

expected, the SG rats had a lower caloric intake

than both controls. The SG and PF groups both

had similar and sustained weight loss; however,

the SG group had a significantly lower average

glucose level than the PF group. This study is

continuing to be performed in order to elucidate

the hormonal mechanisms behind obesity and

diabetes.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -43-

Design

Session I, B-22

Designing Performative Science Materials for

Centennial Campus Middle School

Rachael M. Huston

Graphic Design

Mentor: Meredith Davis/Graphic Design

Instructional print materials can physically

model thought processes, promoting more active

learning. In conjunction with classmates'

projects, I am producing a booklet that models

cognitive processes for use in 8th grade science

classes at Centennial Campus Middle School.

This design project will illustrate how utilizing

an experiential metaphor for graphic design

impacts the function of print design. The project

will also illustrate how specific instructional

objectives can be accomplished through print

design. While there is no substitute for a good

teacher, I hope to improve the ability of print

materials to encourage interaction by working

systematically with an experiential conception of

design and using schema theory and dual coding

theory to inform my design process. The study

synthesizes theories of design, psychology and

education and will provide rare insight into how

a particular design of my making affects the

people who use it. A major foundation for our

method of making is an understanding of text

and image relationships: how they are perceived

and constructed by the reader. I have outlined a

type/image typology that explores both the

formal and functional aspects of such

relationships. It gives us insight into how a

reader interacts with printed artifacts and thus

informs our design process, enhancing our

ability to physically model thought processes in

printed materials.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -44-

Engineering and Technology

Session II, B-14

Residential Green Design and Development

in Cary, NC

Elizabeth L. Allen, Paul H. Cameron, David A.

Stewart, and Veronica Mbaneme

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Mentor: William F. Hunt, III/Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

Poor water quality and watershed contamination

are effects of rising urbanization and exponential

population growth. In efforts to reduce

stormwater surface runoff and treat point source

pollution, stormwater engineering techniques

have been developed to reduce runoff and allow

for contaminant filtration. This project required

various stormwater BMPs to be researched and

designed for a green contractor’s newly

renovated home that will double as a

demonstration home for her business. The

stormwater features were required to account for

the first flush depth of precipitation that falls

onto the property, while correcting ponding and

erosion issues occurring on the property and

fitting the client’s specifications. Permeable

pavement, cisterns, and rain gardens are some of

the most prevailing stormwater treatment

systems that may be utilized in residential areas

and were mainly researched. Numerous site

visits were made to assess design constraints

such as soil type, topography, area, existing

pipes and water/electrical lines, precipitation,

roof size and shape, amount of sunlight, and tree

root location. Client specifications such as

aesthetics, cost, and maintenance requirements

were also taken into consideration. The

components of each BMP were chosen based on

these design constraints and research conducted.

A permeable pavement system, three optional

rain gardens, and two cisterns were designed to

account for the first flush depth of precipitation

that falls onto the property. A cost analysis will

be performed for each design to treat the 75%-

95% storms, which were calculated to range

from approximately 1.0" to 3.1" respectively.

The final design will be discussed and presented

to the client to possess for future installation

plans for the remodeling of her yard. This

project aims to provide the groundwork for a

landscape that will spark community interest in

environmentally conscious residential design.

Session I, B-23

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on the

Osteogenic Differentiation of Human

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

Rachel M. Beard and Seth D. McCullen

Biomedical Engineering

Mentors: Laura I. Clarke/Physics; Elizabeth G.

Loboa/Biology

Electrical stimulation is being investigated as an

alternate therapy for bone regeneration at bone

non-union fracture sites. The applications of low

frequency AC electric fields have been shown to

enhance the differentiation of both mesenchymal

and neuronal stem cells by upregulation of

specific tissue markers. Human adipose-derived

adult stem cells (hASCs) are an alternative stem

cell recognized for their multilineage potential

and relative ease of retrieval. The goal of this

study was to evaluate the effect of electrical

stimulation as hASCs underwent osteogenic

differentiation. Human ASCs were seeded

directly onto interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) and

exposed to AC electric fields of 0, 1, 3, 5 V/cm

at 1 Hz for 4 hours per day up to 14 days.

Human ASCs were analyzed on day 7 and day

14 for cellular viability, proliferation, and matrix

mineralization. For all treatments, hASCs were

largely viable as determined through

fluorescence imaging using a live/dead cell

viability kit. Cell proliferation was determined

by quantifying the DNA of the hASCs on the

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IDEs using Hoescht 33258 DNA binding dye.

Cell proliferation did not significantly vary

between treatment groups or between time

points. Matrix mineralization was determined by

quantifying accreted Ca2+ using the Stanbio

calcium kit. It was determined that the 1 V/cm

electric field significantly increased the amount

of mineralized matrix, suggesting that specific

electric field treatments can enhance the

osteogenic process of hASCs compared to static

controls. As hASCs underwent osteogenic

differentiation under electrical stimulation of 1

V/cm at 1 Hz, they produced significant

amounts of bone tissue markers needed for bone

regeneration at non-union fracture sites.

Session I, B-24

Assessment of Miscanthus Grass for

Optimized Bioethanol Production

Aria M. Behrouzi

Chemical Engineering

Mentors: Steven Peretti/Chemical Engineering;

Ratna Sharma/Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

The price volatility of crude oil and our nation’s

dependence on foreign oil are key reasons for

optimizing biofuel production from renewable

sources such as miscanthus, a perennial grass.

Current methods for converting miscanthus into

ethanol can yield approximately 2.5x the amount

produced from corn or switchgrass on a per unit

weight basis. Widely used chemical

pretreatments need to be optimized for

individual feedstocks to maximize lignin and

hemicelluloses solubilization and enhance

subsequent conversion of cellulose to

fermentable glucose. Lignin, which accounts for

a significant portion of the miscanthus

composition, is unusable for the production of

ethanol and is often burned as an energy source.

This study investigated pretreatment methods to

prepare miscanthus for improved enzymatic

digestibility and higher fermentable sugar yields.

Assessed pretreatment methods included NaOH

(0.5%, 1 %, 1.5% w/w) and H2SO4 (0.5%, 1%,

1.5% w/w). All trials were carried out using

feedstock comprised of miscanthus species

grown at the NCSU research farm in

Williamsdale, NC, including Miscanthus

giganteus, a sterile hybrid of M. sinensis, and M.

sacchariflorus, which is commonly found in

Europe. Based on analysis of data for lignin

reduction, solid recovery and sugar availability

in pretreated samples, it was observed that 30

min/0.5% and 60 min/1.5% acid and alkali

pretreatments are promising, however hydrolysis

by enzymatic digestion is necessary to identify

optimal conditions. Further investigation will

focus on employing cellulolytic enzymes such as

cellulase and β-glucosidase to analyze

breakdown of polymeric cellulose chains to

glucose followed by fermentation of sugars to

bioethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae or

Zymomonas mobilis. Pretreatments combining

NaOH and H2SO4 for improved conversion will

also be evaluated. The results of this study can

help in establishing a process for sustainable

biofuel production that lessens our dependence

on foreign crude oil.

Session II, B-15

Feasibility of Hydrogen Production with

Nuclear Energy

Ashley G. Brannan, Mark Sugimoto, Jeremy

Nobles, Collen Madzivanyika, and Riley

Cumberland

Nuclear Engineering

Mentors: Jacob Eapen/Nuclear Engineering;

K. L. Murty/Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear energy is considered as a viable source

for the production of hydrogen. There are

several ways of producing hydrogen such as

electrolysis, nuclear-assisted methane cracking

and thermochemical water cracking. It remains a

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challenge however, to optimize the performance

of nuclear reactors while taking into

consideration environmental impact,

sustainability, and safety of hydrogen

production. This project aims to prove the

feasibility by examination of conditions at which

such a system will be able to meet these

challenges. The project will entail a

comparative analysis of current and future

energy needs,water resources and constraints,

hydrogen production techniques, reactor types,

coolant and material selection, thermal-hydraulic

design of core (to meet Generation IV passive

safety requirements), and economics of energy

and hydrogen production. The end result is a

feasibility study followed by design

recommendations.

Session I, B-25

Camless Variable Valve Timing

Andrew B. Butler

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Mentor: M. K. Ramasubramanian / Mechanical

& Aerospace Engineering

Camless variable valve timing is a relatively

new technology so the amount of research and

information pertaining to this topic is fairly

limited. However, from the advancing

technology of Honda’s Variable Valve Timing

and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) and other

mechanical variable valve timing (VVT)

systems, the knowledge needed for camless

VVT can be adapted from these discrete VVT

principles. Honda’s latest variable valve timing

and electronic lift control mechanism, the

iVTEC, has the ability to switch between three

cam profiles depending on the rpm and load on

the engine. This system changes cam profiles

from the use of synchronized pins controlled and

powered by electro-hydraulic pressure.

However, the iVTEC design has limited fuel

economy and experiences optimum engine

performance at only three different engine

speeds. On the other hand, camless VVT allows

an engine to experience maximum engine

performance and fuel efficiency at each and

every rpm while following the same principles

of the iVTEC. Instead of using multiple cam

shafts with synchronizing pins, we have

designed a camless VVT that is electronically

operated by a microcontroller which will control

the electro-mechanical solenoid actuators. In

theory, the greater the speed or loading on an

engine, the more an engine needs to be supplied

with air. To test this theory, we will connect one

solenoid to each intake and exhaust valve that

controls the flow of air through the engine.

Depending on the load and rpm of the engine,

the microcontroller will process the information

given and uses pulse width modulation (PWM)

to actuate the solenoid valves. Various

simulation tools were used to compare the

advantages of this design (camless VVT) versus

VTEC. Through these simulations, we will

determine the PWMs that will be best for each

loading and engine speed pairs to achieve

maximum engine performance and fuel

efficiency for the system. Based on the

simulation results, we will build a simple design

in the future.

Session I, B-26

Effect of Varying Surfactant Concentrations

on Drop Diameter in Small-Scale Micro

Array Printing

Jacqueline Byrne

Biomedical Engineering

Mentor: Roger Narayan/Biomedical Engineering

Micro arrays are a medical technology that

utilizes biological material, such as antibodies or

DNA, to detect certain substances in blood

exposed to the array. Printing protein solution

onto a surface often requires a surfactant to

enable flow from the printer to the surface. The

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size of the drop formed on the surface dictates

the size of the micro arrays. The benefit of

smaller sized micro arrays is increased accuracy

of the reading through elimination of excess

variables. Though previous studies have

researched the affect of glycerol surfactant

concentration on drop diameter on large-scale

drops, small-scales have not been examined. The

goal of this experiment is to study the affect of

glycerol concentration on a pico-liter scale to see

if the governing principles of surfactant apply

for both large and small-scale drops. This study

utilizes the Bioforce NanoEnabler System to

print drops of 5 to 20 micrometers in diameter,

of Donkey Anti-Goat antibodies onto silane

slides. The Donkey Anti-Goat antibodies are in a

solution of 0.15M NaCl, 10mg/mL BSA and

0.01% NaN3. The glycerol concentrations tested

are 0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, and 5%. Analysis of the

results is done by AFM, as this device has the

ability to operate in fluids, label-free detection,

single molecule detection capability, and

nanometer spatial resolution.

Session II, B-16

Production of Microfibrillar Cellulose for Use

in High Strength Biocomposites

Kevin M. Daniel

Wood and Paper Science

Mentor: Richard Venditti/Wood and Paper

Science

Cellulose is the most abundant polymer on Earth

and can be utilized to make high strength

biocomposites. These biocomposites can

potentially reduce the amount of non-sustainable

materials used in the U.S. such as polyethylene

and polypropylene, also reducing the US

dependence on foreign oil. Microfibrillated

cellulose has exponentially more surface area

than regular wood pulp fibers, resulting in more

bonding area and higher strength properties. The

production of microfibrillar cellulose using

energy intensive methods can be improved by

selecting specific plant materials that are

advantageous. These materials can then be

subjected to pretreatments to further reduce the

amount of energy required to produce

microfibrillar cellulose. The energy intensive

production of microfibrillar cellulose for use in

high strength biocomposites has not been

examined for pulp types other than fully

delignified fibers. This project examines various

pulp types including bleached and unbleached

fibers, hardwood and softwood fibers, high

lignin mechanical fibers, and fibers that have

been through a harsh drying process. Examining

various pulp types will potentially reveal new

properties of microfibrillar cellulose and aid in

the development of innovative high strength

biocomposites.

Session I, B-16

Inclusion Analysis for Calcium Treated

Grades of Steel

Roger E. Daniel, Eric J. Jones, and Jessica L.

Sievers

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentors: Mike Rigsbee/Materials Engineering;

Keith Dawes/Materials Science and

Engineering; Lew Reynolds/Materials Science

and Engineering

In the manufacturing of steel, cleanliness of the

molten steel is vital to controlling physical

properties. Inclusions in the steel can lead to a

number of problems in every stage of the

manufacturing process. Solid inclusions in the

molten steel can lead to clogging during casting

and can adversely affect physical properties.

Inclusions that form after solidification due to

micro-segregation can lead to problems during

rolling of steel plate due to their often lower

melting temperatures. Clogging during casting

creates several problems and defects. Some of

the major issues related to clogging are loss of

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production for the plant, degraded product

quality, and safety concerns. The goal of this

project is to determine how sulfur levels in the

steel change throughout the process, it will be

important to take many samples over the life of a

heat from melting to casting. This will show

how the inclusions in the steel are affected by

the various cleaning processes or where in the

line of production inclusions are being created.

Six samples have been collected from each run

throughout the melting and casting process.

Samples are characterized using optical and

scanning electron microscopy and electron

dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Control of

inclusion formation may lead to improved

control of chemistry, improved production

process, and most importantly improved final

properties. Nucor’s desulfurization process

appears to be effective, but the stir process

responsible for elimination of hard inclusions

may require improvement.

Session II, B-17

Incorporation of Copper

Phthalocyanine Nanoparticles into

Poly(styrene-(ethylene-co-butylene)-styrene)

(SEBS)

Raleigh L. Davis

Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Richard Spontak/Chemical Engineering

A variety of technological challenges may be

overcome through the creation and study of

thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and their

resulting nanocomposites. TPEs are versatile

co-polymers which possess rubber-like (elastic)

properties, as well as thermoplastic properties,

which allow the polymer to be melted, molded,

and recycled. The focus of this study is on a

particular TPE, poly(styrene-(ethylene-co-

butylene)-styrene) (SEBS) and attempts to

incorporate nanoparticles into the polymer via

electrospinning and polymer casting techniques.

Electrospinning is a technique which utilizes an

electric field to produce a randomly oriented,

fibrous mat of dried polymer, with fiber

diameters ranging from the nanometer to micron

scale. Nanoparticles such as carbon black and

copper phthalocyanine can be dispersed into a

polymer during electrospinning, thus altering the

mechanical and conductive properties of the

polymer and creating a wealth of potentially

advantageous properties in a polymer fiber

system. This study shows that thus far, success

in electrospinning SEBS has been limited due to

the absence of a strong co-solvent candidate, but

through other nanoparticle dispersion

techniques, particularly melt mixing,

nanoparticles can be successfully dispersed in

SEBS. This study discusses the observed affects

of incorporated copper phthalocyanine

nanoparticles on SEBS’s dielectric and

mechanical properties, as well as methods to

improve the electrospinnability of SEBS.

Session I, B-28

Artificial Antenna Tactile Sensor

Mark T. Draelos

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mentor: Edward Grant/Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Antennae are a common type of sensory

apparatus seen in nature. Insects such as

cockroaches are able to use antennae to infer

much information about their surroundings,

including wind direction and characteristics of

the surface that their antennae contact.

Biomimetic sensors based upon insect antennae

have potential for use in a wide range of

applications and can be built inexpensively.

Following similar techniques described in

literature, antenna tactile sensors were

constructed by gluing a single fiber-optic cable

strand onto the diaphragm of electret

microphones. This construction causes any

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -49-

stimulus applied to the antenna to be transmitted

to the diaphragm of the microphone. The

resultant electrical signal produced by the

microphone was then analyzed to extract

encoded information about the antenna stimulus.

Signal features as determined using the discrete

Fourier transform could then be matched to

characteristics of the original stimuli, such as the

stimulus angle in the plane of the diaphragm and

the stimulus force or strength. Asymmetry

inherent in the microphone or introduced by the

gluing of the fiber-optic cable strand gave rise to

signal features from which stimulus angle could

be deduced whereas the power of the signal was

related to the stimulus strength. This

presentation explains the success achieved in

inferring the angle and force characteristics of an

unknown stimulus from the signal produced by

the microphone by matching signal features

against library of signal patterns from known

stimuli.

Session II, B-18

Determination of a Collimated Beam Design

for Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes (UV

LEDs)

Susan Dunn

Civil, Construction, and Environmental

Engineering

Mentor: Joel Ducoste/Civil, Construction, and

Environmental Engineering

Disinfection is an important process in drinking

water treatment for the removal of harmful

microorganisms. Ultraviolet (UV) light is

becoming a popular replacement for the standard

method of chlorine disinfection, as UV is not

known to produce harmful disinfection by-

products and can inactivate chlorine-resistant

organisms. Ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV

LEDs) that emit UV radiation in the required

wavelength for inactivation of microorganisms

have become available. UV LEDs are thought to

have a longer lifespan and consume less energy

than low pressure mercury lamps, the typical

UV disinfection lamp technology. The objective

of this project was to design a bench scale

collimated beam apparatus to determine the

response of microorganisms to UV LEDs. The

collimated beam apparatus was designed for

optimal microbial inactivation by determining

the spatial layout of UV LEDs, distance from

UV LEDs to sample, and number of UV LEDs.

COMSOL Multiphysics, a computer modeling

program, was used to predict the results of a

collimated beam study. Computer simulated

Layouts with four and eight UV LEDs were

analyzed for Petri factor and peak irradiance.

The results show that 6 cm is the minimum

distance that will meet the desired Petri factor of

0.900 for the majority of UV LED layouts. For

a four UV LED system, UV LEDs placed in a

diagonal array in the center of the plane

produced a Petri factor of 0.909 and a peak

irradiance of 0.012 mW/cm2. For an eight UV

LED system, UV LEDs placed in a 4x2 array in

the center of the plane produced a Petri factor of

0.903 and a peak irradiance of 0.025 mW/cm2.

The results of this numerical study will be used

to build a collimated beam and full scale UV

LED reactor for point source disinfection.

Session I, B-29

Electrospinning Nanostructured

Organometallic Polymer Systems Containing

Magnetically-Active Nanoparticles or

Poly(ferrocenylsilanes)

Kathryn E. Early and Kristen E. Roskov

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Mentor: Richard J. Spontak/Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

Electrospinning is a useful production method

used to create continuous polymer fibers with

controllable diameters for applications in tissue

engineering, protective clothing, and sensors.

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Once inorganic additives (i.e. carbon nanotubes,

micelles, and nanoparticles) are added to the

polymer system, qualities such as functional

strength, biofunctionality, conductivity, or

magnetism can be enhanced. Organometallic

polymer systems used in this research contained

either magnetically-active nanoparticles or

poly(ferrocenylsilanes) (PFS). These materials

were electrospun in order to investigate the

relationship between solution and processing

parameters on fiber morphology. This research

was intended to provide a better understanding

of how inorganic additives affect fiber

properties. Poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) was

tested for its electrospinability in several

solvents (i.e. dimethylformamide (DMF) and

chloroform) at different concentrations. PFS-

containing block copolymers have been shown

to produce micellar morphologies such as

cylinders, tubes, fibers, and tapes. By utilizing a

corona-selective solvent, the micelles can form

morphologies with an iron-rich core of PFS. In

these experiments cylindrical micelles of lengths

greater than one micron were found to form.

These micelles were then blended with P2VP

homopolymer and electrospun. Scanning

electron microscopy (SEM) images supported

the conclusion that these micelles reinforced and

strengthened the polymer fibers and produced

less bead defects. Another research objective

was to expand upon the Spontak groups’

previous investigation of the inclusion of iron

oxide nanoparticles into polymer solutions.

Polymer systems included P2VP,

poly(caprolactone) (PCL), and poly(ethylene

oxide) (PEO) in addition to three different

diameters of iron oxide nanoparticles. Both the

nanoparticle size and polymer to nanoparticle

ratio were systematically varied to determine if

these parameters affect the morphology or

nanoparticle distribution. It was determined that

the distribution of nanoparticles was not

dramatically affected by the loading ratio and

that the inclusion of nanoparticles resulted in

instabilities in the jet which led to

electrospraying in addition to electrospinning.

Session II, C-1

Magnetic Separation in Zero Gravity

Kathryn E. Earley, Farshid Jafarpour, and

Corinne E. Rose

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering;

Nuclear Engineering

Mentors: Mohamed Bourham/Nuclear

Engineering; Lisa Bullard/Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

Interest in space exploration and related

technologies is on the rise. Long-term manned

space missions are on the horizon, and as the

range of activities in microgravity diversifies as

expected within the next few decades, engineers

will be faced with new technological challenges.

Virtually hand-in-hand with any manufacturing

process is the need to continuously separate

mixed fluids in pipes, yet all conventional

separation processes depend upon separation by

fluid density whereby lighter fluids separate out

from heavier fluids due to gravity.

Centrifugation is a viable separation solution in

some cases, but this batch process has the

drawback of low throughput and the

development of an angular momentum that can

affect spacecraft trajectory. The NCSU CHE

Zero-G team designed a continuously operating

phase separation process that can function in

reduced gravity or in normal gravitational

environments through the application of a

magnetic field. Initially, the team planned to

test the design in microgravity through NASA’s

Microgravity University program; however, due

to decreased funding, the design was modified

and will be tested on the ground. Two-phase

separation will be accomplished in the magnetic

chamber, a clear pipe surrounded by two copper

coils. The design implements a magnetized

magnetohydrodynamic fluid that is attracted to

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -51-

areas where the magnetic field gradient is the

largest within the constructed magnetic mirror.

Thus, the air in the system is forced to the

annular space within the pipe. Collection tubes

are strategically placed around the chamber to

physically separate the immiscible phases.

Optimal process parameters are controlled and

maintained by an air-syringe system through

which air content in the system can be increased

and an iron microparticle trap that will allow

variance in iron microparticle concentration.

Session I, C-1

Characterization of Starch Microcellular

Foam Particle Formation

Dane A. Grismer

Wood and Paper Science

Mentor: Joel J. Pawlak/Wood and Paper Science

Starch is a naturally occurring carbohydrate

made of repeating glucose sugar units. Starch

derived materials have the potential to replace

many non-sustainable materials used in a wide-

range of consumer applications. A procedure

has been developed to consistently produce

starch microcellular foam (SMCF) particles

made with native corn starch. Water was

exchanged out of cooked starch with

incremental additions of ethanol under vigorous

mixing. In order to characterize particle

formation, samples were diluted to a set

percentage of starch solids and tested for

turbidity. Turbidity is a measure of light

scattering caused by the cloudiness of a solution,

or solids suspension, and indicates the presence

of a foam. Turbidity values were plotted against

the ethanol percentage at which they were

tested. Along the curve of increasing ethanol

percentage, turbidity rapidly declined with initial

addition, leveled off around 30 percent ethanol,

and then began to increase near 70 percent

ethanol. This behavior shows that formation of

SMCF particles is not linear with the addition of

ethanol. The turbidity of ethanol-water mixtures

were tested and showed that there was no

turbidity dependence on the percentage of either

ethanol or water in the solution. No significant

time-dependence was shown for turbidity

readings for at least the first two hours after a

sample was taken, though all samples were

measured within 15 minutes of the time they

were taken.

Session I, C-2

In Vitro Biomechanical Comparison of

Internal Spinal Fixation Techniques on the

Canine Lumbosacral Vertebrae

Justin Hicks

Biomedical Engineering

Mentor: Peter Mente/Biomedical Engineering

Spinal fixation is commonly used in small

animal surgery for traumatic injuries to the

canine lumbar vertebrae. In patients with

unstable spinal injuries surgical intervention is

often promptly needed to prevent further

neurologic damage by reestablishing anatomical

alignment, addressing spinal cord compression,

providing rigid stabilization of affected

vertebrae and relieving or moderating pain.

Several surgical techniques have been described,

among those, internal and external fixation. An

optimal configuration or system of fixation has

yet to be determined. The two fixation

techniques that are mostly used and clinically

accepted utilizes: 1) positive profile threaded

pins and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) to

form an internal fixator bridging the unstable

lumbosacral spine segments or 2) bilateral

transarticular screws. A recently developed

SOP™ Locking Plate System offers many

advantages and unique abilities when compared

to the conventional approach in spinal fixation.

The SOP system is intended to allow locking

screw technology using standard orthopedic

screws but since the plate can be contoured to

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -52-

any shape, the locking screws can be positioned

in a variety of orientations. The SOP™ system

was designed to be significantly stiffer and

provide more stable fixation of fractured

fragments with compromised bone quality than

comparable compression or locking plates. The

system has a smaller footprint than standard

orthopedic plates and pins/PMMA internal

fixation. The purpose of this canine cadaver

study is to evaluate the biomechanical

characteristics of the canine lumbosacral spine

in flexion and extension via four-point bending

test using three different types of internal

fixation techniques. 1) Basic 6-pin system;

positive profile threaded pins and

polymethylmethacrylate; 2) bilateral

transarticular screws and 3) SOP™ Locking

Plate System.

Session II, C-2

High Temperature, Thin-Film

Thermocouples

David H. Hook, Ryan N. Chan, Javon Powell,

and Patrick Z. Wong

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentors: Keith Dawes/Materials Science and

Engineering; Jon-Paul Maria/Materials Science

and Engineering

This project will attempt to create a thin film

thermocouple from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) that

operates at high temperatures. A thermocouple is

a temperature sensor which bases readings on a

measured potential difference, based on the

Seebeck principle. The premise of this work is to

use the unique electrical properties of ITO to

create a junction voltage based on a stark tin

concentration difference over an interface. The

samples used for these experiments will be

generated using sol-gel deposition, which is a

wet chemistry technique for creating thin films.

Controlling deposition parameters yielded

marked differences in electrical properties of

produced ITO thin films. Resistivity values of

approximately 7x10^-3 Ω-cm to 7x10^-2 Ω-cm

have been recorded. Difference in resistivities

implies a differnce in Seebeck coefficients, and

interfacially combining two layers of ITO with

different Seebeck coefficients should

theoretically result in a robust, thin-film

thermocouple.

Session II, C-3

Reactive Ion Etch Optimization for

Polysilicon on MEMS Devices

Lauren C. Jackson, Brian F. Bender, and

Toby V. Tung

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentors: Keith Dawes/Materials Science and

Engineering; George Rozgonyi/Materials

Science and Engineering

The primary objective of this project is to

develop an etching and cleaning process that can

be used to reduce the occurrence of etch-related

defects in polysilicon microelectromechanical

(MEMS) devices. MEMS combine electrical and

mechanical components with a length scale

between 1 μm and 1 mm on an integrated circuit

platform. MEMS are incorporated into

numerous applications including biomedical

sensors, microphones in mobile technology, and

actuators for energy harvesting. The industry

standard for producing MEMS includes Reactive

Ion Ethcing (RIE), which is the selective vertical

removal of material. The primary goals of

processing MEMS device trenches are achieving

vertical sidewalls and minimizing micromasking

during etching. Non-vertical sidewalls can

inhibit the ability of subsequent layers to adhere

and limit the mechanical functionality of a

MEMS device. Micromasking from redeposition

of etched material can result in post-etching

debris that can short out MEMS devices and

inhibit mechanical motion. Optimization of the

Bosch RIE process for polysilicon substrates

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -53-

will increase the quality of sidewalls, minimize

effects of micromasking, and achieve a desirable

surface smoothness. The Bosch RIE process for

etching polysilicon has been optimized by

varying the ratio of C4F8 to SF6, source power,

and bias power. The combination of parameters

was determined using a Box-Behnkin DOE. The

Alcatel DRIE in the NCSU Nanofabrication

Facility was used to perform the etching. Each

sample was analyzed with SEM analysis for

vertical sidewalls and surface defects. The

processing problem was presented by

MEMSCAP of the Research Triangle Park.

MEMSCAP provides funding for this Materials

Science Senior Design project.

Session II, C-3

Study of Low Density, Low Temperature

Plasmas Containing Non-Maxwellian

Electron Energy Distribution Functions

Using Novel Langmuir Probe Analysis

Techniques

Chris B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Mentor: Steven Shannon/Nuclear Engineering

Understanding low temperature plasma

chemistry is a vital component for advanced

materials fabrication for energy applications,

computer technology, and other high interest

research fields. Because low temperature

plasmas behave differently from the assumed

Maxwellian electron temperature distribution

and because these distributions determine

plasma chemistry, improved measurement of

these distributions is desirable. Current methods

for resolving the electron energy distribution

function (EEDF) involve taking the second

derivative of raw data with the assumed

Maxwellian shape function. Using novel

Langmuir probe analysis techniques by means of

a generic step function combined with Tikhonov

regularization, an alternative method to the

inverse problem is achievable that greatly

improves the accuracy and range of energies

over which an EEDF can be measured.

Collaboration with the University of Kansas

(KU) provides our theoretical experiment with

raw data from multiple plasma runs for BCl3,

SF6, N2, and He for plasma processes under

development for advanced microelectronic

fabrication technology. The provided data

consists of power and pressure sweeps in BCl3,

and concentration comparisons between BCl3

and both SF6 and N2. The extracted electron

current is run through the developed MATLAB

algorithm to extract EEDF. The resolved EEDF

curves are processed in two manners, first by

comparing the EEDF to the EEDF obtained by

KU, and second by performing a sensitivity

study of the algorithm to changes in the plasma

potential, pressure, and power. Results of the

methodology suggest relative immunity to noise,

sensitivity to the number of raw data points, and

sensitivity to the parameter, a. Future work and

goals would be to reduce method sensitivity and

to convert the algorithm to an automated web-

based application.

Session II, C-4

Improving Tracking and Erosion Resistance

Performance of Raysulate Formula T277

Carissa L. Lada, Jonathan R. Pierce, and

Joshua S. Harris

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentors: C. Maurice Balik/Materials Science

and Engineering; Keith Dawes/Materials

Science and Engineering

The objective of this research was to improve

the performance of a polymer formulation in

high-voltage Tracking and Erosion Resistance

Testing (TERT). The base resins for this

compound are linear low density polyethylene

(LLDPE) and EPDM rubber, which are

combined with additives that improve TERT

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -54-

performance, promote radiation crosslinking,

and prevent UV damage. Variations of this

polymer formulation are used as insulating

covers for switchgears, busbars, overhead lines,

substations, etc. The predominant failure

mechanism for these products in the field is

tracking due to dry band arcing. Important

properties considered were thermal conductivity

and hydrophobicity. To control these properties,

additive compositions were manipulated,

including aluminum trihydrate, alumina, and

silicone oil. It was shown that adding 2%

alumina to the current formulation improved

TERT performance, and decreasing the current

composition of aluminum trihydrate from 42%

to 25% improved TERT performance in samples

of the LLDPE and EPDM rubber resin. Due to

the nature of the test, the results for silicone oil

were not considered conclusive.

Session II, C-5

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Detection

and Characterization Using Surface

Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

John A. Leotaud

Biomedical Engineering

Mentor: Gregory S. McCarty/Biomedical

Engineering

All our genetic information is contained in

sequences of DNA nucleotides. Mutation of this

DNA sequence, no matter how small, can cause

very harmful diseases. These diseases include

sickle-cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and

hemophilia. There are current detection schemes

for DNA mutations but these can be extremely

costly, as well as inefficient. Because of this,

scientists all over the world are attempting to

find a novel alternative. Surface Enhanced

Raman Spectroscopy has been used here for the

detection and characterization of single

nucleotide polymorphisms and polymorphic

regions within DNA oligonucleotides. Raman

spectra were collected, analyzed and compared

for differences between DNA helices formed

from complimentary oligonucleotides, those

with 1 mismatched base pair, those with 3

mismatched localized base pairs, and those with

3 mismatched base pairs which are delocalized.

Raman spectra obtained in these experiments

showed differences for the four cases. The

results were assessed in terms of DNA helix or

duplex formation based on the theory that base

mismatches will interfere with proper helix

formation and will result in a decreased

hybridization and decreased Raman intensity.

These spectra differed mostly in intensity but

also in Raman shift. The spectra obtained for the

1 mismatch was significantly higher in intensity

than those for the 3 mismatched. The spectra for

the polymorphic regions with three localized

mismatches were much higher in intensity than

those gotten for the delocalized. The localized

mismatches can form a tighter helix at all other

regions along the chain besides this region of

mismatches known as the polymorphic region

(PR). The delocalized mismatches however have

more points at which the helix or duplex will not

be able to form.

Session I, C-4

Development of an In-situ Video-Based

Monitoring System for Stent Deformation

and Migration Mechanisms

Nicole M. Lewis

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Mentor: Stefan Seelecke/Mechanical and

Aerospace Engineering

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an

extremely dangerous condition that is usually

treated by a stent inserted into the aneurysm

during surgery. Although most of these

operations are initially successful, there are

several problems that may occur post operation,

including leaks, stent migration, and fatigue

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -55-

failure (as detected by a CT scan). Doctors are

unsure about the nature of the stent failures since

they cannot be observed on a daily basis. To

determine the mechanism(s) of failure of these

stents, an experimental set up was designed to

continuously study the behavior of a stent inside

an aneurysm over an extended period of time.

The system is built around a transparent AAA

replica made from silicone material with life-

like mechanical properties (collaboration with

Dr. Harrysson, ISE). It contains a pump system

that--using a water/glycerine solution--produces

realistic blood pressure waveforms and stroke

volume for a number of scenarios, e.g, regular

blood pressure or hypertension under rest

conditions or accelerated rates. It is also

equipped with video recording devices that

monitor and record the behavior of the stent

inside the aneurysm. This system will enable

testing of synthetic aneurysms constructed from

actual patient scans as well as a systematic study

of migration mechanisms for varying

geometries, e.g., neck angles and healthy artery

neck length, to establish quantitative failure

criteria. The results from this research project

will help explain to doctors why the stents in the

abdominal aorta shift and fail over time as well

as assist them in their choice of the most suitable

stent type prior to surgery. In the future, reliable

quantitative computer prediction models can be

generated from the results of these experiments.

With such capabilities, it is envisioned that

someday custom-built stents, optimally designed

for a specific patient, will be manufactured just-

in-time.

Session II, C-6

New Method for Calculating Skin Friction at

Transition from Laminar to Turbulent

Boundary Layers

Whitney Lohmeyer

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Mentor: Fred R. DeJarnette/Aerospace

Engineering

Through the analysis of skin friction on a flat

plate in incompressible flow, hot spots are found

to occur when the skin friction at the transition

from laminar to turbulent boundary layers is

calculated to be higher than the value of the

traditional method of calculating skin friction of

the turbulent boundary layer at transition.

Prandtl introduced the traditional method by

assuming the virtual origin of the turbulent

boundary layer existed at the leading edge.

Several authors later introduced a modern

method, which assumes the boundary layer

thickness to be continuous at the transition point

and obtains a virtual origin between the leading

edge and the transition point. By integrating the

integral form of the momentum equation a new

method is formed, and proves that the

momentum thickness of the laminar boundary

layer should be equal to the momentum

thickness of the turbulent boundary at the

transition point, and a new virtual origin for the

turbulent boundary layer is found. Compared to

the modern method, the use of the new method

more accurately predicts heating rates, reducing

the number of hot spots, and therefore eliminates

unwanted cost and weight to in turn improve the

overall performance of the spacecraft.

Session I, C-5

Permeability of PET and Recycled PET

Nanocomposites

Jacob Majikes

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Mentor: Richard J. Spontak/Chemical and

Biomedical Engineering

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is common

in industry due to its desirable mechanical and

barrier properties. These properties allow it to

be used for many applications ranging from

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -56-

plastic bottles, to packaging and various

adhesive tapes. While PET is also one of the

easier thermoplastics to recycle, it's properties

are greatly reduced after moving through the

recycling process, due to accumulated impurities

and defects. Of the properties affected, the

surface chemistry, mechanical properties and

permeation have the most impact on the use of

recycled PET in the bottling industry.

Improving these properties during the recycling

process would increase the cost efficiency of

PET recycling as a whole. To this end, we

created PET/Clay nanocomposites. In the

nanocomposite, the clay should help act as a

barrier for gases, and increase the mechanical

strength of the PET. Virgin PET, recycled PET,

and nanocomposites of both containing 5% by

weight clay were ball milled for time periods

ranging from 2-15hrs, pressed using a hot press,

and tested in a permeation cell for their

permeability values. Helium gas was used at

100 PSI in the permeation cell. We predict that

the permeability will decrease when the clay

nanoparticles are introduced, and that the PET

will have a lower permeability than the recycled

PET.

Session I, C-6

Production of Cellulase Enzymes in Solid

Substrate Cultivation for the Conversion of a

Paper Based Cellulosic Substrate to

Fermentable Sugars

Veronica Mbaneme

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Mentor: Mari S. Chinn/Biological &

Agricultural Engineering

The production of fuels and high value

chemicals from renewable resources is a

significant research area with efforts focused on

reducing US dependency on fossil fuels and

enhancing environmental and economic

sustainability. This project contributes to this

effort through the examination of a paper-based

cellulosic substrate. The substrate in

combination with the solid substrate

fermentation (SSF) technology has the potential

to provide high activity cellulases at low cost,

relative to commercially available enzymes, for

the conversion of biomass to simple sugars and

subsequent fermentation to high value products

like ethanol and amino acids. The objectives of

this research project were to 1) investigate the

extent of digestibility of the substrate at various

substrate (1%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% w/v) and

commercial cellulase enzyme loading rates (7.5,

15, 30, and 60 FPU/g air dry substrate of endo,

exo-glucanase, with corresponding beta-

glucosidase at 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 CBU/g air

dry substrate), and time intervals; and 2)

evaluate salt supplementation in SSF of a paper

based substrate on cellulases produced by two

Trichoderma reesei strains. The 60/100

FBU/CBU per gram enzyme loading rate

performed the highest in producing a change in

reducing sugars, giving a range of 61 to 199 mg

glucose/g substrate for 1%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5%

w/v substrate loading rates at 48 hours.

However, amongst all treatments, more than half

of the available substrate was not converted to

reducing sugars, which may be a result of

inhibition effects. SSF experiments were

conducted utilizing T. reesei MCG77 and T.

reesei QM9414. The need for additional

nutrient sources were evaluated by looking at

differences in cellulase and product formation

between experimental samples with and without

salts included for 9 days. Growth of the fungi

species seemed to improve with the addition of

salts. The enzymes produced in SSF were

extracted and measured using a filter paper

assay. It is anticipated that the activity of

cellulase will be associated with growth.

Moving forward, the effectiveness of SSF

produced enzymes will be compared to the

current commercially available enzymes.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -57-

Session II, C-7

Fabrication of a Middle Ear Conductance

Testing Apparatus

Suman Medda

Biomedical Engineering

Mentors: Roger Narayan/Biomedical

Engineering; Shuan Gittard/Biomedical

Engineering

A testing apparatus was developed to measure

sound conductance in middle ear prostheses.

Dimensions of the apparatus were chosen to

model those of the inner ear canal. Two

membranes compress the prostheses. An audio

speaker provides the stimulation and a touch

microphone combined with an FFT analyzer

were used to obtain conductance data. The

apparatus will be used to compare commercially

and non-commercially available middle ear

prostheses. The device will aid in the

development of novel middle ear prothesis

designs with features to improve function.

Potential future uses of this device are to test

novel patient specific middle ear protheses

fabricated by laser-based rapid prototyping.

Session I, C-7

Solar Powered Water Heater

Tenea M. Miller, Britany P. Alston, Steven M.

Badawi, and Ruth E. Brim

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Mentor: Ratna Sharma-Shivappa/Biological and

Agricultural Engineering

In an effort to use natural resources more

efficiently, solar powered instrumentation

devices are being developed in many different

disciplines. Ideally, solar power is likely to assist

with powering large amounts of the world’s

electrical needs in the future. Additionally, water

from a solar powered heater is generally used in

household applications such as laundering

linens, bathing, washing dishes and cooking. To

address the need of solar water heating using

indigenous materials, an inexpensive and easily

constructed water heating device was designed

and fabricated. The system is expected to

provide domestic low income families with a

cleaner, more efficient and less expensive

heating method to improve the quality of life.

The heating system consists of a solar collector

and a water reservoir. It uses a polypropylene

glycol-water mixture as a means to transfer solar

heat to the water. The solar water collector has

an aluminum case with aluminum c-channel rod

baffles to provide enough residence time for the

water-glycol mix to absorb heat. The system

uses a car radiator as a heat exchanger in the

water reservoir. It is anticipated that this

system, will provide 40-70 percent of a

household’s annual hot water need. Testing the

water heating capacity of the system at various

fluid flow rates can help assess this goal and

evaluate efficiency. The designed system is

expected to be of use not only locally, as a pre-

heater or heater, but as in developing countries

where electricity is not an easily accessible

resource.

Session I, C-8

Design of an Interrogation System for

Nuclear Proliferation Detection

Kenneth F. Rooks, Christopher B. Dodd, Alec S.

Happel, and Christopher B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Mentors: Hany Abdel-Khalik/Nuclear

Engineering; Robin Gardner/Nuclear

Engineering

In the post-9/11 world, the proliferation and

smuggling of weapons of mass destruction,

particularly nuclear weapons and special nuclear

material (SNM), is of vital importance to the

national security of the United States of

America. As over 80 percent of cargo entering

the United States arrives via seaports, shipped in

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -58-

standardized cargo containers, the potential for

smuggling is always a possibility. A detection

system capable of detecting SNM in such

containers would at worst provide an effective

deterrent to weapons proliferation, and at best

interdict and severely impede the flow of

weapons-grade nuclear material into the country.

The main problem with such a detection system

arises from the capability to shield all radiation

from the isotope to be smuggled to the extent

that any detector is useless. Therefore, a layered

approach is proposed: first, the container is

scanned as it moves through an X-ray booth,

then interrogated by nuclear methods in a

nuclear detection booth and finally by physical

inspection if the system detects a questionable

trace. The nuclear interrogation component

utilizes a 14-MeV pulsed neutron source

underneath the container to induce fission of any

fissile material in the cargo. An array of neutron

and gamma sensitive detectors is employed

above the container as the container travels

through the device. Fission events are detected

primarily through delayed neutrons and prompt

gamma rays. The presence of any delayed

neutrons positively identifies the presence of

SNM, while gamma spectroscopy is used in

order to identify the particular nuclide. Design

constraints of the system include dose limits to

the container contents, cost of the system, and

time required to complete the scan. Analysis of

the method indicate there is a level beyond

which no SNM can be detected, however the

system will provide an effective deterrent,

making smuggling prohibitively difficult and

expensive.

Session II, C-8

Behavioral Analysis of Oligonucleotides in

DNA Multilayer Films

Garik C. Sadovy

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentor: Yaroslava Yingling/Materials Science

and Engineering

DNA thin films are applicable to a variety of

uses, including bio-functionalized sensor

surfaces, diagnostics, and drug delivery vectors.

The stability and formations of these thin films

is a critical part of the development of these

applications, and has been extensively studied1,

though quantitative analysis of the behavior of

these films was previously inaccessible to

examination. Using molecular modeling

simulations, we assessed the probability of

oligonucleotide crossovers and self-

conformation occurring in thin films

incorporating homopolymeric oligonucleotide

diblocks of varying lengths (10, 20, 30, 40, 50,

and 60 mers). It was found that 10mer films

show no crossover behavior, while 60mer films

have a high probability of crossovers. The

behavior of oligonucleotide diblocks in varying

positions relative to other strands (either

Thymine and Thymine or Thymine and Adenine

interactions) was also inspected for probability

of crosslinking and self conformation. This work

holds implications in the formation of these

films for the aforementioned uses as well as in

the stability of these films upon formation of

advanced layers and their exposure to varying

environments. (1) Lillian Lee, Angus P. R.

Johnson, Frank Caruso. Biomacromolecules.

2008, 9, 3070-3078

Session I, C-9

Electrospun Nanofibers of Aliginates for

Tissue Scaffolds

Kimberly L. Shearer

Chemical Engineering

Mentor: Saad Khan/Chemical Engineering

Tissue Scaffolds are used in biochemical

engineering to provide a structure for cells to

adhere to and regenerate damaged tissue.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -59-

Nanofiber based tissue scaffolds, obtained via

electrospinning, are getting prominence because

of their inherently small size scale that are

conducive to increased cell migration and

accessibility to nutrients. In this project, we are

examining fundamental and technological issues

related to electrospinning alginate, a natural and

biodegradable polymer. Despite the desirable

attributes of alginate, it canot be electrospun into

nanofibers on its own. We are therefore

examining how addition of surfactants and a

second polymer, polyethylene oxide can be used

to modulate to the viscoelasticity, conductivity

and surface tension of the solution to obtain

nanofibers with controlled properties. The

effects of these parameters on fiber morphology

and size, and the underlying mechanisms will be

discussed.

Session I, C-10

Microfluidic Device for Trapping and

Studying Yeast

John C. Sigmon, Jr.

Biomedical Engineering

Mentor: Glenn Walker/Biomedical Engineering

The particle trapping mechanism is located

within a multi-layered microfluidic device made

of a silicon-based polymer, polydimethyl-

siloxane (PDMS). The bottom layer is a glass

cover slip, which is bonded to and lies

underneath a PDMS layer containing the

microfluidic channel. The channel is 100

micrometers wide and approximately 6

micrometers high. Located in the middle of the

device along the channel is the particle trapping

region. Bonded directly above this region is a

thin membrane of PDMS, which is to be

actuated by a pneumatic valve. The top layer is

bonded to this membrane, which contains a

valve that lies congruent with the trapping

region. The particle trapping mechanism is an

effective means of keeping particles stagnant

while simultaneously applying fluidic stimuli.

Thus far, the device works very well with but is

not limited to yeast cells. The means of holding

cells this way and keeping most of their surface

area exposed to stimuli is applicable to a wide

variety of biological experiments. This allows

for close monitoring of individual cells or

particles over a given time period of imaging.

The dimensions for the trapping mechanism can

be modified for trapping particles of various

sizes. The device will trap yeast cells and expose

them to a specific concentration of a synthetic

pheromone called alpha-factor. This will be

administered over varying amounts of time to

promote a morphological mating process called

shmooing. When the yeast cell detects the

pheromone and begins to shmoo, the cell is

theoretically supposed to continue to switch

permanently. Controlling the duration of alpha-

factor impulse injections will allow for defining

how long at what concentration it must take to

cause a cell to switch and if the cell is capable of

switching back when the pheromone is taken

away.

Session II, C-9

Predicting the Phase Behavior of Solvated

Triblock Copolymers

Justin Smith

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Mentors: Richard Spontak/Chemical

Engineering; Kim Rasmussen/Theoretical

Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Block copolymers are one of the most

ubiquitous classes of polymers due to their

inherent multifunctionality. These materials

consist of two or more homopolymers

covalently linked together and, because of the

covalent linkage, spontaneously microphase-

separate to form nanoscale domains in the same

fashion as small-molecule surfactants. More

specifically, ABA triblock copolymers with

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -60-

glassy A endblocks and a rubbery B midblock

are classified as thermoplastic elastomers due to

their ability to form an elastomeric network

stabilized by physical crosslinks. Addition of a

midblock-selective solvent to such copolymers

induces swelling and, under favorable

conditions, phase transitions. Solvated triblock

copolymers are of commercial interest as

vibration-dampening and shape-memory media,

and have recently been identified as high-

performance electroactive polymers. An

important question that must be addressed

relates to the basic phase behavior of such

multicomponent systems. Due to the large

parameter space available for designing such

systems, we have elected to develop a predictive

methodology for elucidating the role of several

important parameters on the phase behavior of

solvated triblock copolymers: (1) the

thermodynamic incompatibility of the

copolymer, (2) the concentration of solvent, and

(3) the solvent quality. For this purpose, we have

employed a self-consistent field (SCF) model,

which is capable of yielding energy-minimized

morphologies, to discern the order-order

transition from a lamellar to cylindrical

morphology under systematically varied

molecular conditions.

Session I, C-11

Encapsulation of Iron Pyrophosphate

Colloids in a Cellulose Microparticle Matrix

Garrett R. Swindlehurst

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Mentor: Orlin D. Velev/Chemical and

Biomolecular Engineering

Nutraceuticals recently have become a key area

of research interest at the intersection of colloid

and food science. The combination of chemical

nutrients and foods in an effective and appealing

package for consumers is a research priority in

this field. The encapsulation of iron

pyrophosphate nanoparticles in a hypromellose

phthalate (HP-55) matrix using a pH-controlled

precipitation process was investigated. Iron

pyrophosphate colloids and HP-55 solution were

premixed in a dilute aqueous solution and

sheared at 1000 rpm. Dilute HCl solution was

then added to the mixture to bring the pH below

4, and HP-55 precipitated in amorphous

microparticle form to entrap suspended colloids.

The colloids present in the supernatant were then

dissolved in a concentrated acid and

ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

solution at pH 1, and the concentration of iron

was quantified using UV-vis spectrophotometry.

The calculated total percentage of iron in the

supernatant was 8.6% by mass, indicating that

89.9% of colloids were encapsulated. Scanning

electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission

electron microscopy (TEM) imaging confirmed

that colloids were entrapped within the HP-55

matrix. Initial energy dispersive x-ray

spectroscopy (EDX) analysis suggested that

encapsulation, by elemental composition, was

100% efficient. These initial results show the

technique to be very promising for efficient

creation of composite nutraceutical delivery

particles. However, further characterization is

required for conclusive results on encapsulation

efficiency. Several theories are currently being

investigated for the formation of ―core-shell‖

colloids consisting of iron pyrophosphate

particles coated in a layer of HP-55. It is hoped

that these core-shell particles will then serve as

nucleation sites for further HP-55 growth in

solution, increasing encapsulation efficiency.

Once fully characterized, these composite

nutraceutical particles will be tailored for

gastrointestinal tract delivery. Their smaller

particle size will increase iron bioavailability for

consumers.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -61-

Session I, C-12

Use of Magnetorheological Fluid for Use as a

Tunable Mold for Polymer Processing

Jacob M. Vestal

Chemical Engineering; Nuclear Engineering

Mentor: Mohamed Bourham/Nuclear

Engineering

Magnetorheological Fluid (MR Fluid) is an

engineered, thermodynamically stable

suspension of paramagnetic microparticles in a

carrier fluid. When subjected to a magnetic

field, the paramagnetic particles form chainlike

structures that result in a dramatic increase in

viscosity. The phase immiscibility between a

glycol-based MR fluid with PDMS precursor is

exploited in this study in a system that utilizes

the MR fluid in conjunction with an applied

magnetic field to change the shape of a drop of

PDMS precursor containing catalyst in a new

kind of dynamic molding process. The Process

is being studied for the continuous production of

six-pointed 'caltrop' shapes, as well as uniformly

hollow fibers. Implications on the fields of

antifouling, membrane-based gas separation, and

airplane wing icing are discussed.

Session II, C-10

Rail Shippable Natural Circulation Boiling

Water Reactor

Brandon S. Womack, Thomas W. Holmes, and

Brandon S. Brown

Nuclear Engineering

Mentors: Paul J. Turinsky/Nuclear Engineering;

J. Michael Doster/Nuclear Engineering

This project is looking into a new reactor design

type that is based off of the current design of the

General Electric-Hitachi Economic Simplified

Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) Nuclear Steam

Supply System (NSSS) and its containment.

This entails a design based upon using passive

safety for the NSSS. The innovation of this

design is that the reactor will be in a modular

style and be small enough to fit on a rail car for

shipping purposes. The package that will be

included on the rail car will consist of the reactor

pressure vessel and drywell. This design concept

will mainly be constrained by the weight and

length that a rail car can support. In the design of

the core, various computer codes will be used

for simulations to determine the maximum

reactor power output as constrained by thermal

hydraulic limitations. To determine the core's

power distribution, the Monte Carlo N-Particle

Transport Code (MCNP) will be used to

simulate nuclear processes. The output from

MCNP is then coupled with Cobra-EN to

complete the thermal hydraulic analysis of the

core. Iterations between the two programs will

then give an accurate power distribution and

void faction of the core. To evaluate the passive

safety performance we will use a program,

calculated in MathCAD, which takes into

account the flow loses throughout the NSSS, i.e.

core and the internal packages, which will give

the necessary fuel and reactor vessel heights to

assure an adequate mass flow rate through the

core.

Session II, C-11

Monte Carlo Modeling and Burnup

Assessment for the NCSU PULSTAR

Jonathan L. Wormald

Nuclear Engineering

Mentor: Ayman Hawari/Nuclear Engineering

This project involves performing coupled

MCNP-MONTEBURNS-ORIGEN simulations

of the PULSTAR reactor at NCSU.

MONTEBURNS-ORIGEN simulates the

"burnup" of nuclear fuel. When joined with the

3-D Monte Carlo capabilities of the MCNP

code, accurate simulations can be performed of

nuclear reactor cores during a certain level and

length of operation of the reactor. During

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -62-

operation nuclear fuel (U-235) is used up, which

makes the reactor less reactive. Reactivity is a

measure of how much a reactor differs from the

critical state. The excess reactivity is a measure

of the reactivity in a reactor beyond that needed

to make it critical. This project aims at

producing the proper description of reactivity

history for the PULSTAR reactor model so that

simulations result in more accurate results

including the prediction of fuel needs.

Session I, C-13

Nitrogen Inductively-coupled Plasma Source

Abdullah Zafar, Curt Anderson, Maria Mallner,

Chad Morris, and Nick Stehle

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentors: Steven C. Shannon/Plasma

Engineering; Mohamed A. Bourham/Plasma &

Fusion Engineering

This project focuses on the design of a compact

nitrogen-ion plasma source for material

deposition, coupled to a diamond-like carbon

(DLC) Pulsed Laser Ablation Deposition

(PLAD) system to provide a uniform and robust

carbon-nitrogen (CN) coating of the neutron

guide duct of the NCSU Ultra Cold Neutron

(UCN) source. The neutron guide duct is very

important for the UCN system to allow for

neutron guidance without leaking through the

duct walls. In this design, the deposition of DLC

increases extraction efficiency based on the

assumption that depositing a CN films can

increases the efficiency of the guide duct by

20% as opposed to deposition of a pure DLC

film. This design focuses on the construction of

an efficient nitrogen ions plasma independent

from the DLC deposition system. The system

generates a continuous plasma stream using

inductively coupled RF plasma generated inside

of a quartz tube. A pressure differential system

allows for ejection of the atomic nitrogen [N]

onto the target. A matching network couples the

RF source to the plasma and the entire system is

modeled using the Hybrid Plasma Equipment

Model (HPEM) modeling software developed by

Mark Kushner. Actinometry was employed to

characterize the generated plasma, and plasma

was fine tuned by comparing the measurements

to the HPEM and adjusting the necessary input

parameters. It was concluded that it is possible

to generate plasma that would combine with

carbon to provide the CN film needed for

coating the ultra cold neutrons guide duct.

Design features, parameters and results of

measurements will be discussed.

Session I, C-14

Microstructural Control of 7085-T7452

Forgings

Katrina L. Zmithrovitch, Ryan McClellan, and

Raphael Clearfield

Materials Science and Engineering

Mentor: Hans Conrad/Materials Science and

Engineering

Seven-thousand series aluminum alloys have,

for many years, been used in the aircraft

industry. Because an increased solute content in

an aluminum alloy has a strengthening effect,

less material can be used for the same stress load

on a given part. This is an extremely favorable

quality in aerospace applications because the

overall weight and cost of building is reduced.

Aluminum alloy 7085 is a 7000 series alloy that

is used in both the Airbus A-380 and the F-35

fighter. For added strength Mg, Cu, Zn, and Zr

are added to AA7085. The rejection rate of

Alcoa’s AA7085 forgings is unacceptably high.

During solution heat treatment, AA7085

recrystallizes when forged at a temperature

below 730 F. This leads to the rejection of the

alloy by Alcoa because of unacceptably low

fracture toughness. When the forging

temperature is increased to 730 F--830 F voids

form, which also causes the forging to be

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -63-

rejected. The current Alcoa manufacturing

practice consists of homogenizing the AA7085

billet, an initial forging, and a final forging to

the final shape of the product, a solution heat

treatment, and an aging process. A solution heat

treatment and a precipitation heat treatment will

be added between the first and second forging

operations below 730 F to eliminate

recrystallization in the finished AA7085

product.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -64-

Humanities, Social Sciences,

Psychology

Session I, C-15

A Study of Meta-Analysis

Sarah Bauer-Nilsen

Psychology

Mentor: Sharolyn Lane/Psychology

Meta-analysis, a process of combining findings

from studies that explore similar topics or test-

related hypotheses, can provide a more accurate

view of a research hypothesis than a literature

review alone. Studies are found through related-

keyword searches on scholarly journal databases

and the decision for inclusion in the meta-

analysis is based upon how the study conforms

to a coding scheme designed by the researchers.

The coding scheme is designed to create an

inclusion criterion that pinpoints characteristics

within the study that may affect the results of the

meta-analysis. Once studies are found that meet

this criterion, relevant statistics are extracted and

an effect size (the measure of strength of the

relationship between two variables) is

calculated. A meta-analysis incorporates steps of

a traditional literature review, but allows for a

refining of inclusion criteria and the statistical

results gathered from the included studies can be

computed into one larger result. Using a meta-

analysis can also be labor intensive and time

consuming, especially when there are many

databases and thousands of studies to be

searched. In describing meta-analysis, examples

from a pending feedback meta-analysis will be

used to further illustrate the main points of this

article. There are many types of feedback and

many factors can influence its utility, which

makes creating a coding scheme for this topic

difficult. However, feedback within a task can

either help or harm performance, so the

paradoxical nature of feedback makes it an ideal

topic for a meta-analysis. The feedback meta-

analysis should help to identify factors that

determine whether feedback is helpful or

harmful to mastery of a specific type of task.

Session I, C-16

Collegiate Sport Fans: The Impact of

Socialization on Sport Consumption

Jordan E. Buck

Sport Management

Mentor: Jonathan M. Casper/Sport Management

The purpose of this study was to analyze and

determine the influence of various social factors

on sport participation and sport spectatorship

with collegiate sport fans. Comparatively,

current behavior and the perception of

adolescent behavior of respondents were

analyzed. The sample included 141 adults, with

a mean age of 40 (75% male and 25% female).

General findings indicated adolescents to be

more heavily influenced by social factors than

adults. Additionally, sport participation as

adolescents does not always lead to adult

participation in those same sports. For

adolescent participation, the most influential

social factors were peers and father. For adults,

peers and athlete role models were the highest

rated factors. In regards to viewership and

attendance, as well as the number of collegiate

sporting events attended annually, the most

influential factors were school affiliation and

peers. Results from this study may assist in

marketing of sport based on important

influences in adulthood and adolescence.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -65-

Session I, C-17

The Population Stalemate: Searching for a

Solution after Forty Years of Discourse

Communication

John D. Coggin

Mentor: William J. Kinsella/Communication

For four decades a debate has unfolded in the

United States between some advocates of world

population control and conservative Christians.

The fortieth anniversary of the publication of

Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb and Pope

Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae marks an

opportunity to examine the evolution of the

public discourse on this topic. This study

analyzes the current state of the debate over

population control and how it has transformed

since 1968. Specifically, the study applies

Pearce and Littlejohn’s theory of moral conflict

and transcendent discourse as a means of

identifying possible areas of reconciliation

between the opposing groups.

Session II, C-12

Effects of Secondary Tasks on Adaptation

Acquisition, Retention, and Transfer

Caitlin R. Daniels

Psychology; Biology

Mentor: Sharolyn A. Lane/Psychology

This research examines whether allocation of a

finite amount of cognitive resources influences

people’s ability to adapt. This experiment

explored the effects of a secondary task on the

acquisition, retention and transfer of

sensorimotor skill under novel circumstances to

which participants must adapt. Participants

performed two types of tasks while wearing

vision-shifting glasses: a pointing task and a

typing task. In the pointing task, participants

pointed to a small rod mounted to a platform,

while in the typing task participants entered

auditorily-presented equations into a computer.

Participants were assigned to either a single or a

dual-task condition. Participants in the single-

task condition completed the pointing task

before or after the typing task. In the dual-task

condition, participants performed both tasks

simultaneously. Retention was measured by

having participants repeat the task condition

they were originally exposed to after completing

a spatial abilities test. Finally, the transfer of the

adaptation was evaluated by having the

participants switch task conditions. For

example, participants previously in the single

task condition performed the dual task. It is

hypothesized that acquisition will occur faster

without the secondary task, and that retention of

the adaptation will be affected by the presence

or absence of a secondary task. It is expected

that adaptation transfers more efficiently and

more accurately from a dual task to two separate

tasks. Preliminary results reveal that means for

the initial task are similar for the dual and

single-task conditions, that retention is higher

for the single-task condition, and that adaptation

transfers better from a dual task to a single task.

This suggests that secondary tasks do not affect

adaptation acquisition, but do affect retention

and transfer. These findings have implications

for strategies used to teach motor skills and for

therapies requiring sensorimotor adaptation,

including stroke rehabilitation and prosthesis

therapy.

Session I, C-18

Sport Consumption Interest and Behaviors of

African-American NASCAR Fans

Brittney Eustache

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

Mentor: Michelle Harrolle/Parks, Recreation

and Tourism Management

The National Association of Stock Car Auto

Racing (NASCAR) is the largest body of stock

cars in the United States. Due to a race

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -66-

discrimination lawsuit brought against

NASCAR in July of 2008 by a former technical

inspector, NASCAR has sought out to launch

several efforts to change the perception of the

industry. Specifically, NASCAR has sought to

recognize the African American population as a

potential market segment. The purpose of my

study was to examine how media promotions,

types of corporate sponsorships, and geographic

location of events influences consumer interest

and consumption behaviors of potential African-

American NASCAR fans. The participants of

this study were attendees of professional

basketball games and one professional football

game in the Southeast and were comprised of

African Americans (N = 95). The sample

consisted of 38.1% females and 61.9% males.

One Multivariate Analysis of Variance

(MANOVA) test was conducted to compare the

Points of Attachment Indexes and Motivation

Scales on the responses between those

participants who watched NASCAR and those

participants who did not watch NASCAR. A

significant difference [Wilks’ Λ = .788, F (9,

85) = 2.535, .013 = .001, η 2 = .212] existed

between those participants that watched

NASCAR and those participants that did not

watch NASCAR on the factors that influenced

their NASCAR interest and race attendance.

From a practical standpoint, NASCAR

marketing departments should be aware that

many of the African American participants of

this study had a negative perception of

NASCAR and often times associated the sport

with racism and exclusivity. Many of the

participants also saw NASCAR races as boring,

too hard to understand, and too dangerous.

These results indicated that in order for

NASCAR to attract a more African-American

race fans, they need to make the races easier to

understand and include more minority drivers

and sponsors.

Session II, C-13

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Different

Advising Strategies

Joseph P. Gaglione

College of Management

Mentor: Al Chen/Accounting

In today’s college environment moving students

to graduation as quickly as possible is highly

advantageous for both the students and the

college. By making college academic advising

more efficient the college can use its resources

in different ways to improve the quality of the

college. Students gain the benefit of college

costing them less, which is important to the

student themselves and the lending institutions.

The lending institutions can make loans to more

students when students graduate more quickly.

This is especially important with today’s

economy, as it is necessary for people to have a

college degree to get a good job. Time to

graduation is also important as a benchmark

among colleges. This research looks into how

many students believe that academic advising is

largely to blame for increased time spent in

college. How academic advising departments

can reallocate their time spent on certain

activities to improve the ease of information

transfer. By reallocating resources, academic

advising departments can improve the quality of

service they deliver to students. Secondly by

reallocating both time spent on certain advising

activities and funds academic advising

departments can raise their benchmarks to help

them compete with other colleges. I found that

by surveying student’s opinions after an

advising session they can ascertain what

activities the college advising department is

doing well and what they can improve upon.

This will allow the college advising department

to get rid of activities that are ineffective to

move towards activities the students would

value more. Secondly, I found that by moving

information largely online you can reduce costs

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -67-

while providing a more useful medium for

information transfer. Third, by using online

registration you can reduce lost paperwork,

reduce confusion about how credits transfer and

cut advising costs.

Session II, C-14

Professional Development and the

Application of Visual Graphics

Rashay M. Griggs

Psychology

Mentors: Eric N. Wiebe/Math, Science and

Technology Education; John Bedward/Math,

Science and Technology Education; and Lauren

Madden/Math, Science and Technology

Education

Professional development in the Graphic-

Enhanced Elementary Science project is used to

train teachers how to incorporate and encourage

graphics in their teaching plan across pre,

during, and post inquiry stages. Through the use

of graphics, teachers are able to assess students’

conceptual understanding and development

across inquiry stages. This gives the teachers

the opportunity to provide students’ with

feedback in order to allow student growth.

Graphics vary depending on the inquiry stage

that the students are involved in, reflecting how

much they have learned. Visual graphics allow

the students to interact with concepts presented

so that learning material is more easily grasped

and retained. The number of entries before

professional development (n=158) are compared

to those entries after professional development

(n=202). Numbers are then neutralized by

taking the ratio of number of graphics over total

number of entries. It is expected that after

professional development there should be an

increase in more visual graphics in science

notebooks.

Session I, C-19

Sustainability, Energy and Engineering

Summer REU: Increasing the Number of

Underrepresented Groups in STEM Fields

Samantha L. Hiscock

Psychology

Mentors: Pamela Martin/Psychology; Avril

Smart/Psychology

In recent years many universities across the

United States have implemented summer

research programs to enhance undergraduate

education in science, technology, engineering

and mathematics fields respectively. For

example, Hirsch et al (2005) highlight the

importance of practical application and research

experience, noting ―that students can make

meaningful, measurable strides in core

competency mastery by participating actively in

a community of practice without taking formal

classes‖ such as a summer research program.

Most existing programs attempt to increase the

number of women and people of color through

various recruitment mechanisms (i.e.

―geographical, ethnic and gender diversity‖

(Norbet, 2004)) however, statistics consistently

reflect a gap in representation of these groups in

STEM fields. Lopatto (2004) found that ―men

are the majority in the physical sciences, math,

computer science, and engineering‖ but also

14.9% were Asian American, 10% African

American and 4.9% Hispanic, with Caucasian

students still being the ethnic majority in this

undergraduate research program. Despite growth

in the number of summer research programs

from year to year; there are still relatively few

programs that successfully funnel

underrepresented groups through the pipeline

into graduate school in STEM fields. The

Sustainability, Energy and Engineering (SEE)

summer REU takes a unique approach to the

REU experience with its focus on sustainability

and green engineering research. Undergraduates

in SEE are involved in many different important

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -68-

aspects of engineering including ethics

education, faculty-student mentorship and

various aspects of conducting research. By

incorporating these components into the

program, SEE motivates high achieving students

from underrepresented groups to undertake and

successfully complete graduate education and to

engage in future research in sustainable

engineering. This presentation provides an

overview of the progress the SEE REU program

over three summers and discusses each

component of the program’s contribution to

overall success.

Session II, C-15

Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Productions of

Individuals in an ESL Pronunciation

Program

Sara S. Hughes

Communication

Mentor: Daniel A. DeJoy/Communication

In this study, spectrographic and formant history

analyses were used to assess changes in vowel

productions of two individuals who participated

in individual instruction for learning English as a

second language. The analysis demonstrated that

changes in participants’ first (F1) and second

(F2) vowel formant frequencies of /I/, /ӕ/, /e/,

/ɛ/, /i/, /a/, /ɔ/, /ʊ/, and /o/ occurred over the

course of six-weeks of instruction. Analyses of

native English speakers’ productions of the same

vowels were also completed and then compared

to those of the non-native speakers. The analysis

of F1 and F2 frequencies revealed that following

individual instruction, some but not all of the

non-native speakers’ vowels had formant

patterns that more closely approximated the

native-speakers’ patterns relative to pre-

instruction measurements. Furthermore, the

male and female participant differed in the

specific vowels that shifted closer towards

native productions. Overall the study

demonstrates that spectrographic and formant

history analyses can be effective tools to

measure changes in speech production

associated with clinical instruction.

Session I, C-20

Consumption Behavior of Professional

Football Fans in Fan Clubs

Nicole A. Jameson

Parks Recreation and Tourism Management

Mentor: Michelle Gacio Harrolle/Parks

Recreation and Tourism Management

Previous sport management researchers (e.g.,

Trail, Anderson, & Fink, 2005) have found that

if fans BIRG (Bask in Reflected Glory) for their

favorite sports teams and do not CORF (Cut off

Reflected Failure), they will consume (i.e.,

watch games on television, attend games, buy

merchandise) more sport products. There is a

plethora of research on sport fandom, but little to

no research on those fans in unofficial and

official sport clubs (e.g., Patriot Fan Clubs) who

live hundreds of miles away from their favorite

team and the actual sport product (i.e., Patriot

football games). The purpose of our study was to

examine fans who are members of official and

―unofficial‖ fan clubs on how they became fans,

the motives that influence them to watch the

Patriots and their BIRGing and CORFing

behaviors. The participants were comprised of

Official fan clubs members (n= 16) and

Unofficial fan club members (n=4). Using SPSS,

descriptive statistics were conducted on the data.

The average distance to the Patriots’ stadium

was 696 miles. All of the means for the motives

for watching football games were well above the

mid-point (ranging from 5.1 to 6.2). These fans

wanted to BIRG (M = 5.4) and did not want to

CORF (M = 1.4). Overall, the participants’

family members (i.e., spouse, mother, brother,

etc.) were also Patriot fans. Moreover, these fans

were born in the New England area thus

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -69-

contributing to their need to be Patriot’s fans.

Sport managers need to make sure that fans are

given BIRGing opportunities (i.e., signed

autographs by players) in an effort to increase

their identification for the team whether they are

in close proximity to their sport product or not.

Session II, C-16

Latino and Non-Latino Consumption

Patterns at a Professional Baseball Game

Nicole A. Jameson

Sport Management

Mentor: Michelle Gacio Harrolle/Sport

Management

Professional sport organizations have recognized

the Latino population as a potential market

segment and have been actively marketing to

this segment. However, Harrolle and Trail

(2007) have shown that one’s level of ethnic

identity does not necessarily influence sport

consumption behaviors. The purpose of our

study was to compare Latino and Non-Latino

spectators on the factors influencing attendance

(i.e., family, children, friends, spouse, television

advertisements, newspaper, radio, billboards,

promotions, and an Hispanic Heritage

promotion) and sport consumption behaviors

(i.e., attending games, attending away games,

watching games on television, and listening to

games on the radio).The participants were

attendees of a Major League Baseball game in

Florida and were comprised of Latinos (n = 127)

and Non-Latinos (n = 186) and consisted of 54%

males and 46% females. Two separate

Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA)

tests were conducted to compare Latinos and

Non-Latinos. There were no significant

differences [Wilks’ Λ = .991, F(4, 324) = .725, p

= .576, η2 = .009] between Latinos and Non-

Latinos on consumption behaviors. However, a

significant difference [Wilks’ Λ= .892, F(10,

363) = 4.417, p < .001, η2 = .108] existed

between Latinos and Non-Latinos on the factors

that influenced professional baseball game

attendance. Differences existed between Latinos

and Non-Latinos on the opportunity to spend

time with their children (Latinos, M=6.4; Non-

Latinos, M=5.2) and their family (Latinos,

M=6.1; Non-Latinos, M=5.2). Latinos also

indicated that various promotions had more of

an influence on the decision to attend than Non-

Latinos. From a practical stand point, marketing

departments should be aware that family

promotions and children promotions influenced

both Latinos and Non-Latinos. Moreover, sport

managers need to make sure that fans are given

BIRGing opportunities (i.e., signing autographs

by players) in an effort to increase their

identification for the team once they enter into

the stadium.

Session I, C-21

The Impacts of Consumers’ Internet

Information Search Patterns on Their

Purchase Decisions and Welfare

Janine Largen

College of Management

Mentor: Sangkil Moon/College of Management

Ordinary consumers expect to have better deals

from Internet retailers rather than traditional

bricks-and-mortar retailers because they can

access more purchase related information,

including price information, without strenuous

efforts. One can search travel websites (e.g.,

travelocity.com, orbitz.com) to access a number

of alternatives in multiple product categories

(i.e., airline tickets, hotel, rental car, travel

activities). Compared to traditional offline

travel agents, this online approach provides

enormous information available to consumers. A

number of recent research studies found that the

online approach helps consumers find better

deals in terms of product, price, and quality in

most cases. By contrast, some studies

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -70-

(Clemons, Hann and Hitt 2002, Management

Science) reported that too much information can

hinder consumers making the right purchase

decisions and lead them to sub-optimal choices.

This research identifies consumers’ differences

in information search patterns on the Internet.

Internet retailers can provide various types of

product information (e.g., price, flight arrival

and departure times, consumers’ hotel reviews)

differently, which influences the way consumers

search the information. Consumers also search

such information differently in terms of search

time and amount due to their different search

abilities and experiences. Secondly, this

research examines what impacts different search

patterns have on consumers’ choices. I found

that over 90% of participants go directly to an

online travel service website when they have a

travel need and approximately 72% of

participants are extremely price driven above

any other influential factor. The average

consumer does not take any time to read fine

print and trusts the corresponding online service

to a certain degree. The average consumer also

likes to be able to book an entire trip all on one

web page in order to save time and prevent

frustration.

Session II, C-17

Qualitative Analysis of Religious Symbolism

in Hip Hop Album Covers

Maria McDuffie, Latavia Mason,

Curtis Gray, and Gerard Breaux

Psychology

Mentor: Pamela P. Martin/Psychology in the

Public Interest

Throughout history, music has been an

instrumental part of the religious experience in

the lives of African Americans. The Church has

been the primary conduit through which African

Americans have received religious instruction,

guidance and affirmation of religious beliefs.

Through the use of sacred song, religious beliefs

have been confirmed by inclusion of scriptural

references into the musical composition.

Today’s African American youth and young

adults no longer find solace in the sacred song as

it was traditionally developed and delivered. The

music genre in the African American

community has evolved from the Negro spiritual

to the latest genre of rap. The infusion of rap

into the daily living experiences of African

American youth and young adults has created a

distinctly different era of musical variety in

which sacred scriptural references have been

included among lyrics that some religious

leaders and scholars would call blasphemy and

thereby creating a dichotomy within the church

(Powe & Johnson, 1997; West, 1992). The

purpose of this study is to explore, compare, and

distinguish the influence of sacred and secular

rap on mental health outcomes among African

Americans. Using qualitative methodologies,

this research examined the possible religious

themes conveyed on the sacred and secular rap

CD covers. Current research indicates that

sacred and secular music has been associated

with several positive outcomes (e.g.,

achievement and happiness) and encourage

positive psycho-development outcomes such as

gender identity development, self-esteem, and

feelings of competence and independence (Hays

& Minichiello, 2005; Hays, Bright, &

Minichiello, 2002; Hills & Argyle, 1998;

Martin, Adkins, Bowles, Robinson, & Butler-

Barnes, in press). For example, Martin and

colleagues (in press) found that religiously-

engaged adolescents used the messages

conveyed in secular rap music to differentiate

between appropriate religious socialization

messages and activities which they described as

―worldly‖ from the content analysis; several

themes emerged such as persecution,

resurrection/rebirth, and reformation.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -71-

Session I, C-22

University Responses to Campus Incidents

Justine Nomina

Psychology; Business Management-Marketing

Mentor: Rupert W. Nacoste/Psychology

What factors influence how college students

evaluate a university’s response to a campus

incident? In this study, an incident that occurred

on our college campus and the university’s

response to that incident were described for

participants. Participants read about an incident

connected to flyers indicating there would be a

KKK rally, about and incident connected to the

discovery of a paper noose on campus, or an

incident at an Abortion Rally. For each incident

participants also read about the university’s

response; no-response, a letter from the

Chancellor, or a letter from the Chancellor and a

meeting with students. The hypothesis was that

participants would react more negatively to a

university’s response to a campus disturbance

depending on whether the disturbance is race or

gender related, and the level of the university

administrations responses. There were 166

participants; the average age of the participants

was 18.94. Participants responded to the

Positive and Negative Affective Schedule

(PANAS) and response items designed to assess

their evaluations of the incident and the

university’s response. These data have been

collected and are currently being analyzed using

Pearson correlations and analysis of variance.

Session II, C-18

The Unfair Lady: Lessons about Identity and

Rhetoric in My Fair Lady

Emily B. Reass

Communication

Mentor: Christina L. Moss/Communication

The everlasting popularity of the 1964 musical

My Fair Lady is evident from the multiple

adaptations created from the original play

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Through

conversation and song, the film emphasizes the

importance of voice, especially with the main

character Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey

Hepburn. Eliza Doolittle’s struggle with words

is indicative of women’s struggle with

traditional rhetoric and voice. As Eliza’s voice

changes and evolves, her identity changes as

well. With an upcoming remake of My Fair

Lady rumored for 2010, it seems appropriate to

revisit the celebrated film not only because of its

popularity, but because the film negotiates

connections of identity, gender and rhetoric. In

order to discuss My Fair Lady’s demonstration

of identity and rhetoric, the connection to voice

is explained by examining Eliza’s

transformation by giving a view of her original

identity and her training in rhetorical style, the

role of class, and the relationship to gender

roles. Eliza’s transformation progresses

through her use of voice, often demonstrating

the difference in men’s and women’s rhetoric.

With her transformation underway, the role of

class is examined through Higgins’ social

experiments and the repercussions they have on

Eliza’s voice. Gender roles become influential

to voice as well, often causing trouble for Eliza

and the reason she seeks Higgins’ help to begin

with. The scholarly works of Cambell, Di Mare,

and Tong showcase the thesis as connections

between identity, rhetoric, and feminism are

made.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -72-

Session II, D-1

The Growing Inconsistencies of Cost-Benefit

Analysis and the Impeding Regulatory Crisis

Rohil V. Shah

Agricultural & Resource Economics

Mentor: Theodore A. Feitshans/Agricultural &

Resource Economics

Increased interest in evaluating the payback

from costs of proposed environmental

improvements has lead to increased use of cost-

benefit analysis (CBA). CBA is the process of

estimating the total benefits versus total costs to

determine if a proposed project is feasible. This

research focused on three federal agencies: the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the

United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),

and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

The hypothesis of this research is that these

three agencies use differing forms of CBAs

producing contradictory results because there are

no universal guidelines for CBAs. Examination

of the applicable environmental statutes revealed

that these statutes do not state the procedures for

CBAs. These statutes provide only general

guidance. This research includes an exhaustive

list of variables that agencies use to prepare

CBAs. Variables included in CBAs were

compared and contrasted, both between CBAs of

a single agency and across agencies. The most

important cause of inconsistencies is whether or

not the agency follows their own guideline or

more general federal guidelines, such as those of

the Office of Management and Budget or

Executive Orders. Other sources of

inconsistency include how costs, non-

quantifiable and quantifiable benefits,

alternatives, risk, uncertainty, assumptions,

discounting and compliance are all taken into

account in each of the CBAs. For example, if

the EPA and the Corps conduct CBAs on a

project their results will be different even though

the project is identical. Differing methodologies

will usually result in different results. A prime

example is accounting for risk and uncertainty

where one agency quantifies and another agency

excludes that same risk. Therefore, the

hypothesis of this research is valid and correct,

both for different CBAs within an agency as

well as across agencies.

Session II, D-2

Parents' Socialization of Children's Gendered

Language: Does the Presence of People in

Conversation Matter?

Ho Yan Tsuen and Ashley B.Craig

Psychology

Mentors: Amy Halberstadt/Psychology;

Julie Thompson/School of Nursing (Duke

University)

Based on the belief that gendered language is a

socialized phenomenon and that parents teach

their children about gender through their

language, this study evaluates whether mothers’

use of gendered language with their children

directly influences their children’s use of

gendered language. Although significant

correlations do suggest that maternal use

predicts child use of gendered language, an

alternative hypothesis is that dyads differentially

discuss topics related to people. Thus, the

relationship between maternal and child use of

gendered terms may be the result of the amount

of time talking about people, rather than valid

evidence that children's gendered language is

socialized by parents. To test this alternative

hypothesis, two coders have established

reliability and are independently coding

transcripts for the presence of people-related

conversation. A detailed description of the

coding protocol will be discussed.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -73-

Session II, D-3

Speech Perception and Speech Production

Accuracy Pre- and Post-Activation of Adult

Cochlear Implant Recipients

Sarah E. Williamson

Communication

Mentor: Beth Barnes/Communication

The aim of this study was to analyze speech

perception and production accuracy of post-

lingually deaf adult cochlear implant recipients

pre- and post-operatively to determine (1) how

long post-operatively different phoneme classes

are acquired and (2) what variables may impact

phoneme acquisition. Speech production

accuracy was measured in 12 post-lingually deaf

adults (ages 30-73 years) prior to activation and

at specific time intervals post-activation using

the consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC)

words/phonemes test. From this data, we

calculated the mean percentages at which speech

production accuracy increased from pre-

activation to post-activation and the time

required for specific phonemes to become

acquired. Before activation, recipients produced

a mean of 1.6% of words correctly and 4.2% of

phonemes correctly. Results one year post-

activation showed improvement, with 54% of

words correct and 64.33% of phonemes correct.

Overall speech perception was significantly

improved one year after activation with most

difficulty perceiving phonemes of higher

frequencies such as stops, fricatives, and

affricates. Participants with the longest duration

of hearing impairment (>30years) showed the

most improvement initially with 50.67% of

words correct at one-month post-activation, but

by one-year post-activation each group averaged

around 54% of words correct. By one-year post-

activation the youngest group of participants

demonstrated the best results on the CNC test.

Session II, D-4

The Decisional Balance, Commitment, and

Self-Efficacy of Past and Current Exercise

Patterns

James Z. Zuravle

Sport Management

Mentor: Jonathan Casper/Sport Management

The purpose of this study was to examine

current and adolescent exercise behavior based

on perceived benefits and costs, commitment

levels, and reported self-efficacy toward

engaging in exercise. The sample included 265

adults (140 female, 125 male) ranging from 18

to 65 years of age, randomly selected from a

health club and a grocery store located in Wake

County, North Carolina. Participants completed

a questionnaire asking how often they currently

exercise, and how frequently they used to

exercise as adolescents. The participants also

rated their levels of commitment, self-efficacy,

benefits, and costs with respect to exercise

behavior. The results found that as exercise

frequency (days per week, duration of exercise,

and years of exercising consistently) increased

both currently and in adolescents, so did the

participant's level of commitment, self-efficacy,

and the benefits associated with exercise. The

study also found a high correlation between

current as past exercise behavior. This research

displays the positive impact past participation in

exercise has on increasing current participation

based on psychological correlates. Exercise has

many health benefits, but a large percentage of

the population is inactive. These findings

support the importance of exercise for

adolescents and may lead to future research

related to prior participation.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -74-

Physical & Mathematical Sciences

Session I, C-23

Nanoscale-defined, In-plane Oriented

Molecular Deposition

Evan R. Adamek

Physics

Mentor: Hans D. Hallen/Physics

The goal of this project is to determine the

efficacy of the use of an NSOM device with a

split-tip probe in the creation of circuits based

upon molecules that oriented in the plane of the

surface and defined to nanoscale dimensions.

To accomplish this, a sample consisting of a thin

film of Poly p-Xylene Tetrahydrothiophenium

Chloride (PPTC) will be created using spin

coating techniques with a thickness of 10 to 20

nm. Then, the near field scanning optical

microscope (NSOM) will be used to orient and

deposit the molecules from the solution. This

will allow for electrical measurements to be

made to ascertain the properties of the molecular

device, particularly the resolution of the

electrical pathways. In this presentation, I will

describe the method of preparation for the

samples that will be used in the NSOM. The

important variables to consider are the dilution

of the PPTC, which determines the thickness of

the film upon spinning, and the lifetime of the

sample as well as what measures must be taken

to extend this lifetime.

Session I, C-24

Analysis of Water Quality Tests

Erika E. Burger, Ashley N. Myers, and Steven

G. Somers

Statistics

Mentor: William F. Hunt, Jr./Statistics

Water quality is currently analyzed through a

serious of benthic tests. These tests report a

stream’s specific conductance, bio-classification

as well as the total and relative numbers of EPT

species living in and around that sample area; a

biotic index that is based on the total and relative

number of EPT species and individuals is also

recorded. EPT species is an acronym for three

pollution sensitive families of insects that live in

the benthic zone. We are testing to see whether

or not toxicity tests done on the water and

sediment of a stream can produce equally valid

results compared to benthic tests. Toxicity tests

are used to determine the toxicity of discharges

to sensitive aquatic species. With our database,

we have divided the data into two sections:

analyses with a numerical result, or analyses

with a qualitative result. We have also mapped

the locations for these tests and divided them

into two regions of North Carolina: Mountains

and Piedmont. Through statistical regression and

histogram analysis we were able to label each

test as ―good,‖ ―okay,‖ ―bad,‖ ―undecided,‖ or

―non-significant.‖ We based these conclusions

on whether the toxicity test results (numerical)

corresponded to the correct benthic results for

that location. If the toxicity test showed a bad

result, we looked at the benthic tests to see if the

water had high specific conductance, low

number of EPT species as well as low EPT

relative abundance. Our conclusions show

varying degrees of usefulness for different

toxicity tests. A few limiting factors, such as

small samples, impeded further in-depth

analysis, but overall some toxicity tests show

great promise as true, reliable indicators of water

quality.

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Session II, D-5

Analysis of Summit Plateaus in Western

Mongolia: Uplifted and Preserved

Paleoerosion Surfaces or the Intersection of

Topography with the Glacial Buzzsaw?

Jennifer L. Cessna

Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences

Mentor: Karl W. Wegmann/Marine, Earth, and

Atmospheric Sciences

Many tectonically active mountain ranges in

western Mongolia have high elevation, low-

relief summit plateaus (LRSP). These surfaces

have classically and recently been interpreted as

fragments of a preserved low-elevation erosion

surface dating to the Mesozoic that has been

elevated by more recent mountain uplift (Jolivet

et al., 2007). The goal of this research is to test

the hypothesis that these surfaces represent an

ancient erosion surface. Alternatively, these flat

surfaces may represent the intersection of

growing mountain topography with the

latitudinally-controlled average Quaternary

glacial equilibrium line altitude (ELA), also

known as the glacial-periglacial buzzsaw. A

SRTM 90 m digital elevation model (DEM) was

used to extract topographic metrics, such as

relief, slope, and surface area along latitude and

longitude transects. A total of 25 individual

ranges were clipped from the DEM between

43.5° N to 51° N latitude and 88.5° E to 103.5°

E longitude. From these, low-relief summit

surfaces were defined by extracting contiguous

areas with slopes ≤ 7° occurring above the mean

elevation of an individual range. The mean

Quaternary ELA decreases from 3350 m at 45°

N to 2250 m at 51.5° N. Across the same north

to south transect the lower periglacial limit

elevation (PLE) decreases from circa 2900 m to

<1000 m. We find a slight northward decrease in

the mean plateau elevation with latitude

(r2=0.18) concomitant with slight south-to-north

increases in maximum summit elevations (r2=

0.10) Ranges with a maximum elevation below

the PLE do not have LRSP. Ranges with a

maximum elevation between the PLE and ELA

contain larger LRSP areas; however the summit

surface size decreases for ranges above the ELA.

Ranges significantly above the Quaternary ELA

experience effective glacial erosion and

subsequent reduction in LRSP areas.

Preliminary results may reflect the interplay of

climate and topography rather than preservation

and uplift of a >100 Ma erosion surface.

Session II, D-6

A Case Study on Tropical Cyclone

Intensification

Rebecca V. Cumbie

Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences

Mentor: Gary M. Lackmann/Marine, Earth, and

Atmospheric Sciences

It is not fully understood how the environmental

variables that interact with a tropical cyclone

(TC) affect its intensification. A case study was

performed analyzing Hurricane (H) Humberto

and Tropical Storm (TS) Grace, two TCs that

occurred in similar environmental conditions.

The purpose of the study was to determine the

environmental factors most important in TC

intensification by determining the cause of the

storms' intensity difference. Emphasis was

placed on the environmental variables sea

surface temperature (SST), ocean heat content

(OHC), and wind shear in the study. Results

indicate that wind shear was responsible for the

difference in intensity. SSTs for TS Grace were

on average 1oC greater than they were for H

Humberto, but SSTs for both storms were

several degrees above the 26.5o threshold

necessary for TC development and

intensification. Before genesis, TS Grace

traveled over waters with significantly more

OHC than H Humberto traveled over. From

genesis to landfall, OHC was greater for TS

Grace than for H Humberto by an average of 10

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -76-

KJ/cm2. Shear under 20 knots is considered

favorable for intensification. Wind shear

directly over both storms ranged from

approximately 5 to 14 knots. Shear in excess of

20 knots was present to the immediate east and

west of TS Grace while shear near H Humberto

remained under 20 knots. Wind shear was the

only environmental variable found in the study

to favor intensification of H Humberto over TS

Grace. It was enough to outweigh favorable

SSTs and OHC and limit TS Grace's

intensification. Placing a large emphasis on the

role of wind shear when predicting future TC

intensification may significantly improve

intensity forecasts and help hurricane-prone

areas better prepare.

Session I, C-25

Catalase and Peroxidase Studies of the KatG

Mutants H270C and H270Y

Laura K. Gardner

Chemistry

Mentor: Reza Ghiladi/Chemistry

Treatment of tuberculosis (TB), an infection

caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium

tuberculosis (Mtb), is done with various

antibiotics, the most common being isoniazid

(INH). INH is a pro-drug which is activated

within Mtb by the hemoprotein KatG. Isoniazid

resistant strains of Mtb have become more

widespread in recent years, and though the cause

of antibiotic resistance is not completely clear, it

is thought to be related to the mechanism of

activation of INH. Isoniazid undergoes a series

of significant intermediates before it can form an

adduct with NADH, termed the INH-NADH

adduct, which is believed to be the in vivo

―activated‖ mycobactericidal agent. How the

bifunctional KatG, possessing both catalase and

peroxidase activities, is involved in this reaction

pathway is unclear. Thus, to further understand

how this enzyme is related to drug activation

and possibly drug resistance, comparative

studies of both wild type KatG and mutated

KatGs have been performed. In particular,

spectroscopic studies of the KatG mutants

H270Y and H270C have been undertaken to

determine how mutations located close to the

iron active site affect the catalase and peroxidase

activities of the enzyme. UV-Visible

spectroscopy revealed that the mutation at this

location does change the position of the Soret

peak of the protein as well as its kinetic activity.

Further study of the affect of mutations in this

enzyme will help to elucidate the steps INH

undergoes to form the INH-NADH adduct and

possibly indicators of INH resistance.

Session II, D-7

Meteorologically-Adjusted Particulate Matter

Trend Analysis

Kristen L. Gore, Nicole J. Bader, and Marshall

G. Gaddis

Statistics

Mentor: William F. Hunt, Jr./Statistics

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a complex

mixture of tiny solid and particles suspended in

the air that have an effective aerodynamic

diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. These

particles can impose a variety of harmful health

effects due to their ability to enter the respiratory

and cardiovascular systems. A national ambient

air monitoring program was initiated in 1999 to

monitor PM2.5. In 2001, the EPA implemented

the Nitrogen Oxides State Implementation Call

(NOx-SIP Call) in an effort to mitigate ozone

formation. However, the ability to measure the

true effectiveness of emission control legislation

is complicated by the impact of meteorological

factors on ambient air quality. By creating an

autoregressive linear model which accounted for

meteorological variables, it was determined that

the NOx-SIP Call was successful in reducing

ozone in North Carolina, Maryland, and New

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -77-

Jersey [―Meteorologically Adjusted Ozone

Trend Analysis.‖ Antczek, Brown, Gore, et al.

(NCSU) 2007]. Did the NOx-SIP Call reduce

North Carolina’s PM-fine concentrations, as

well? The purpose of this project was to

evaluate the effectiveness of the NOx-SIP Call

in curbing PM concentrations. Exploratory

statistical methods were applied to continuous

hourly PM2.5 and meteorological data, which

were collected at the Raleigh Spring Forest Road

site from November 1998 to January 2007. No

significant change was found in PM2.5 levels

after meteorological factors were removed using

an autoregressive statistical method, despite the

reduction in utility-related NOx emissions.

Session I, C-26

Synthesis of G2 Dendrimer

Jodie Greene

Chemistry

Mentor: Chris Gorman/Chemistry

Iron sulfur proteins are vital to maintaining

homeostasis in the human body, transportation

of electrons in various electron transport chains,

regulation of gene expression, and facilitation of

substrate binding and enzyme activity. The

redox potential of the iron sulfur proteins are

very dependent on the protein environment

around the cluster. Understanding the structural

features of these proteins will provide a better

understanding how environment controls the

redox potential of the iron sulfur cluster. Using

dendrimers, we can isolate the iron sulfur

cluster, which allows us to eliminate the effect

of the solvent environment on the redox

potential of the iron-sulfur cluster. The half

hydrophobic, half hydrophilic nature of these

particular dendrimers is envisioned to

encapsulate the cluster by exhibiting lipid-like

properties and wrapping around the iron sulfur

cluster. The hydrophilic end will allow the iron

sulfur cluster to facilitate electron transport and

dissolve in polar solvents. Thus, it is

hypothesized that this structure will have the

dual role of core protection and water solubility.

Dendrimers are being prepared in different

generations (the number of layers of

hyperbranching). The second generation

dendrimer has been explored to see if the

branching of the dendrimer will protect the iron

sulfur cluster and still allow electron transport to

and from the cluster core. The dendrimer is

synthesized through a series of multistep organic

reactions, and then the electronic properties of

the dendrimer are invested through

electrochemistry.

Session I, C-27

Layered Organic Photovoltaics

Lewis B. Guignard

Physics

Mentor: Harald Ade/Physics

Organic polymers and their applications to

electronics is an exponentially growing field,

showing the promise of cheaper, lighter and

more flexible hardware. The particular focus in

this research is with solar cells, and the

fabrication techniques of polymer layers. The

chemicals used to produce an electrical

difference are P3HT and PCBM, which can

respectively yield a positive and negative

charge. These two don't give up electrons as

easily as a silicone substrate however; the

electrons and 'holes' don't differentiate from

photoexcitons with out a favorable potential

energy difference. The threshhold between

P3HT and PCBM will provide this energy

difference, allowing the electron to escape and

current to be created. Problems arise when

adding these layers of substrate to each other. To

reach the required thickness, they are spun-cast

in a solvent solution. The solvent of any new

layer will dissolve a 'set' layer below it. In at

least three publications, successful methods have

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -78-

been described where the researchers have used

certain temporary buffers and certain solvents to

produce the requisite layers of polymer in the

laboratory. My research focused mainly on

trying to replicate these methods here at NC

State. Although successful in laying layers of the

same material on top of each other, I found that

different materials layered with this technique

proves much less effective and reliable. This

presentation will outline the general usefulness,

operations of, and techniques for synthesizing

organic solar cells, as well as my specific results

in attempting bilayer spin-coating with different

buffers.

Session II, D-8

Measuring Aerosol Optical Thickness via

Diode Laser Extinction

Max M. Hampson

Physics

Mentors: Hans D. Hallen/Physics

C. Russell Philbrick/Physics; MEAS

Detecting the presence of small particulate

matter is vital to quantifying their effect on

health and ecosystems. In this research, an

attempt is made to design and construct a cost

effective method of detecting local aerosol

scatterers. The main contribution to Aerosol

Optical Thickness (AOT) is from scattering by

particles whose size is close to the wavelength

of incident light. Diode lasers transmitting at

three wavelengths are selected: 407.5, 532, and

655 nanometers. These lasers are made collinear

via a system of dichromatic mirrors. The beam is

then expanded in a beam expander and

transmitted onto a distant photodiode detector.

By measuring the intensity at each wavelength

before and after transmission, the extinction can

be quantified and a AOT determined as function

of Rayleigh optical thickness and air mass.

Session II, D-9

Electronic Spectroscopy of Organic

Semiconductors in Planar Magnetic

Junctions

Andrew Hewitt

Physics

Mentor: Daniel Dougherty/Physics

The developmental field of spintronics envisions

the generation, transport, and detection of spin

polarized electrical currents for low power, high

speed device applications. Maintaining spin

polarization allows the intrinsic spin of electrical

carriers to be used as the physically relevant

device parameter rather than their charge as in

traditional devices. This innovation could result

in higher performance devices and also novel

device applications (e.g. quantum computing)

but first new materials must be developed and

characterized for the purpose of coherent spin

transport. Organic semiconductors are promising

candidate materials for spintronic applications.

In order to characterize these materials in solid

state environments, we have designed and

commissioned an apparatus to measure

electronic spectra of organic semiconductors

sandwiched inside ultrathin metal-insulator-

metal tunnel junctions.

Session II, D-10

Crustal Matter: Exploring the Differences

between Ambient Air Samples and Emissions

Inventory

Jennifer J. James, Camille A. Clark, and William

J. Rice

Statistics

Mentor: William F. Hunt, Jr./Statistics

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a complex

mixture of tiny particles in the air. PM2.5

consists of particles that measure 2.5

micrometers in diameter or less, and is

composed of sulfates, metals, crustal matter, and

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -79-

other elements. Crustal matter is simply fugitive

dust or soil originating from the earth’s surface.

This project is concerned with the ratio of

crustal matter to PM2.5. Actual ambient air

samples from 2002 suggest the ratio of crustal to

PM2.5 is 5% to 10% where as the 2002 emission

inventory estimate of the ratio is 27.5%. This

study is being conducted to better understand

this disagreement. Current findings have found

a large source of the discrepancy as a simple

miscommunication. The PM2.5 measured by

ambient monitors is total PM2.5, which includes

both primary and secondary PM2.5, whereas the

emission inventory reports only primary PM2.5.

However, after computing the ratio of crustal

matter to primary PM2.5 for the ambient data, a

discrepancy, although smaller, still exists. This

work will result in recommendations that will

encourage a closer agreement between ambient

samples and the emission inventory, which may

improve the air quality management process. It

is critical to explore this incongruity so the US

EPA, along with other environmental agencies,

will take necessary action to use the most

accurate and useful ratio for their specific

purposes.

Session II, D-11

Correlation of KatG Mutants to Isoniazid

Resistance in Tuberculosis (TB)

I Wei (Grace) Kan

Chemistry

Mentor: Reza Ghiladi/Chemistry

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes

of death due to a single disease, claiming about

two million people annually, primarily in

developing countries. Efforts to control TB

infection have been hampered by the rise of

multiple-drug resistant strains, which include

resistance to isoniazid (INH), the most widely

prescribed antibiotic used to treat TB. 50% of

multiple drug resistant tuberculosis are found in

China and India. While it is now generally

accepted that INH is a pro-drug which is

activated by the catalase-peroxidase KatG, the

specifics of this activation process have to-date

proven to be elusive, and further study is

necessary for rational drug design of antibiotics

to combat TB. KatG, a catalase-peroxidase, is

the protein found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

that activates INH, and it has been shown that

point mutations in KatG lead to INH-resistant

strains of TB. Most INH-resistant strains lack

the KatG gene or have mutations, deletions, or

insertions. This results in a conformational

change in the protein, preventing the perfect

―lock and key‖ fit most enzymes have with their

substrates. I have designed four KatG mutants,

L148A, L587M, D735N, and N138H, which

have been recombinantly expressed in E. coli,

purified to homogeneity. Peroxidase activity in

terms of reactivity and concentration for L587M

was measured and compared to wild-type

strains’ characterisitics. The next steps are to

characterize the all mutants for catalase and

peroxidase activities along with their INH-

NADH adduct forming ability with peroxide.

Session I, C-28

The Characterization of a Physical Model of

Accretion: SS CYG

Samuel G. Kenny

Physics

Mentor: John Blondin/Physics

For over thirty years, observational studies of SS

Cygni, in the constellation Cygnus, have shown

a pronounced periodic variability in the apparent

luminosity and relative position of the star.

Observations of its spectrum have revealed it to

be an abundant source of UV rays with

occasional outbursts of X-rays. These two

observations are indicative of the existence of a

cataclysmic variable. In this system in particular,

the donor secondary, a K type star of ~0.6 solar

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -80-

masses, transfers mass to a white dwarf primary

of ~0.4 solar masses by means of an accretion

disk. For years, these objects have been studied

according to a mathematically rigorous,

―semianalytical‖ approach. This method

assumes that the disk is in relative equilibrium

and often ignores some other aspects of the

system. In recent years with the advent of

supercomputers, many have begun testing

theories of accretion disks using hydrodynamics

simulations. However, most have neglected the

accretion stream since it was not

computationally feasible with the available

resources at the time. Now these resources are

available. We present a hydrodynamic model of

the SS Cygni binary stellar system using an

isothermic equation of state developed by Dr.

John Blondin. We characterize the system both

qualitatively and quantitatively. First, we

observe the flow out of the L1 region to confirm

Lubow & Shu’s semianalytical result (1975).

Next, we observe how material flows through

the system to understand how angular

momentum is transported through it. Finally we

quantify the aspect ratio of the accretion stream

to observe how it changes with distance from the

donor star. We use a visualization software

package called EnSight for qualitative analysis

and data gathering. We have developed multiple

codes to analyze and reduce the gathered data.

Session II, D-12

Forecasting Wildfires and Examining the

Extent of Global Climate Change

Jason T. Leone, Kristen Gore, and Jamie Pearce

Statistics

Mentor: William F. Hunt, Jr./Statistics

Extending into late November 2008, fires

continued to burn in California causing the

evacuation of homes and the destruction of

property. The western region of the continental

United States continues to see devastating fires.

The United States Environmental Protection

Agency (USEPA) is interested in this increase in

wildfires, the possible causes, and the emissions

released from these fires. One important factor

to consider in conjunction with an increase in

wildfires is an increase in temperature. The

Northern Hemisphere has shown an increase in

temperature anomalies steadily over the last

thirty to forty years. Similarly, over the last

forty years there has been a positive trend in

national temperature as well as western and

northwestern regional temperatures. At the

same time, there have been increases in the acres

burned nationally and in the acres burned per

fire on annual average. When compared over

the 24 year period 1983-2007, we have observed

an increase from approximately two million

acres burned per year (or 30 to 40 acres per fire)

in 1983 to eight million acres burned per year

(or over 100 acres per fire) in 2007. During this

period, there has been increase of about 2 to 2.5

degrees Fahrenheit. Because not all regions in

the United States have the same climatic

problems and geological make-up, it is

important to analyze trends in States to develop

more precise models using temperature, relative

humidity, lightening strikes, etc.. It is our goal

to develop a model to forecast wild fires for the

Western United Sates and predict a potential

impact from future global climate change.

Hopefully, the USEPA will be able utilize our

results to improve future State Implementation

Planning for fine particulate matter and increase

our understanding of possible impacts of global

climate change.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -81-

Session II, D-13

Surfactant Spreading on Thin Liquid Films

Adele M. Lichtenberger

Physics

Mentor: Karen Daniels/Physics

When a surfactant is placed on a thin liquid film,

it will spread radially outward and reduce the

surface tension of the underlying film, causing

the film to thin behind the surfactant front.

While the resulting surface tension gradients can

cause fingering of the spreading front, the

circumstances under which it happens are poorly

understood. Therefore, we have conducted

experiments to understand the controls on this

behavior. We study surfactant spreading on a

thin film of glycerin (~1mm thick) on an

aluminum plate. A drop of fluorescently-tagged

surfactant is placed inside a ring in the center of

the plate, and then the ring is slowly lifted to

allow both fluids to spread outward. We induce

fluorescence of the surfactant with a UV light,

and a laser line gives the height profile of the

film; a camera mounted above the plate allows

us to track both simultaneously. Two

surfactants, phospholipids of different lengths,

have been used, with similar results. We

observe that a uniform spreading front is stable,

and that induced fingers are not sustained.

Session I, C-29

UV Resonance Nano-Raman Spectroscopy

Brandon J. Long

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Mentor: Hans D. Hallen/Physics

Raman Spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for

identifying and characterizing materials, but

often suffers from both weak signal and the need

for better resolution. Nano-Raman measurement

using a Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope

(NSOM) can greatly improve the resolution

independent of the wavelength. The traditional

nano-Raman signal is very small, because of the

small volume (number of molecules) sampled,

making imaging impractical. However, UV

resonance Raman can solve the signal problem.

We have therefore begun construction of an all-

reflective nano-Raman system, that will

incorporate tunable deep UV excitation for

resonance Raman capability. We have

constructed much of the NSOM instrument,

created most of the necessary electronics, and

used micro-Raman to test the spectrometer and

determine what features can be seen in nano-

Raman scans.

Session II, D-14

AGET ATRP Polymerization in Microfluidic

Device for Biosensing

Benjamin N. Orbon

Chemistry

Mentor: Lin He/Analytical Chemistry

A handheld, easy-to-use, genetic DNA testing

device may serve doctors to quickly and

efficiently test patients for genetic diseases such

as Alzheimer’s and even provide a new, non-

invasive method to find the gender of an unborn

baby. This technology may seem complicated,

and distant; But a system built on the concept of

amplification-by-polymerization may help to

create such a device in the near future. Atom

transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has

become a common controlled-living radical

polymerization used in polymer science due to

its controlled chain growth rate and efficiency.

Our past research has shown that this industry-

based polymerization method can be used for

DNA biosensing to sense genetic mutations. In

this study, activators generated by electron

transfer (AGET) ATRP has been carried out in a

microfluidic device, which provides the first step

to creating such a DNA sensing device and

paves the way for the fabrication of future

home-care DNA biosensor kits. The

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microfluidic channels were fabricated on a

silicon surface. The results suggest channel

fabrication to be most reliable using Norland

Optical Adhesive (NOA 81), rather than a

common polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) method.

Application of (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane

(APS) prior to initiation were conducted by

submersion or reflux. Submersion in a 1%

solution of APS in Methanol provides the most

effective method. Polymer growth can be

increased or decreased by altering initiation

reaction time, or by altering polymerization

time. Together, the data produced provide

understanding in the behavior of AGET ATRP

in microfluidic channels and can give models to

apply to DNA-based reactions. The conclusions

forward our understanding of these reactions and

make handheld DNA biosensors a step closer to

reality.

Session II, D-15

Can Blood Lead Levels in Children Be

Reduced?

Steven G. Somers, Ashley N. Myers, and

Erika E. Burger

Statistics

Mentor: William F. Hunt Jr./Statistics

Lead exposure, whether acute or chronic, is a

serious public concern due to the associated

health hazards. Chronic lead poisoning is more

common among children under the age of six

and can have severe adverse effects on their

cognitive development and behavior. Even low

levels of lead intake, previously thought to be

harmless, have been shown to cause damaging

effects after prolonged exposure. Our objective

is to investigate Elevated Blood Lead Level

(EBLL) rates per 1000 children. We have

compared the 2003 California EBLL data to

another EBLL data set they submitted in 2006

and found the 2003 data to be incorrect. We

have contacted other state officials to validate

the integrity of all the data and have also

contacted states that didn’t submit data to the

CDC in hopes of gaining access to their data.

We are hoping to predict EBLLs as a function of

environmental factors and believe different

regions of the country will have different

significant factors. We have also produced a

map that depicts the concentration of EBLL

rates which highlights the rustbelt as the main

area of concern for our nation. Using

exploratory statistical methods, we hope to

better inform the US EPA of areas with high

EBLL. Our final objectives are to provide a

more accurate data base than the one currently

available for the CDC, provide

recommendations for the US EPA and at home

prevention, and attempt to determine the next

major contributor to the current high EBLL in

children. Exploratory statistical methods will be

used to determine the accuracy of the data

submitted to CDC, provide a better estimate of

the extent of the problem, and possibly highlight

environmental factors causing the problem in

each different region of the continental United

States.

Session II, D-16

Genetic Detection of Human Sex

Chromosomes Using PCR and RAFT

Polymerization Reaction

Susan M. Woody

Chemistry

Mentor: Lin He/Chemistry

Current methods of detecting small portions of

DNA such as the Polymerase Chain Reaction, or

PCR, coupled with gel electrophoresis, often

require sophisticated equipment and visual aids

for detection. However, a new method of DNA

identification known as amplification-by-

polymerization using the Reversible Addition-

Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT)

polymerization reaction has been shown to be

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -83-

able to quickly identify small segments of DNA

with high sensitivity and without the

requirement of a visual aid. The ultimate goal of

my research project was to take this idea even

further, and use RAFT polymerization for

visible detection of the sex chromosomes (X and

Y) in human genomic DNA such that it was

possible to distinguish between male and female

genders in genetic screening. This type of

identification could be used for early-stage non-

invasive pre-natal gender determination because

it only requires a small amount of blood sample

from the mother and thus would limit

disturbance to the fetus. In the first line of my

experiments, unknown samples of isolated

genetic material were amplified by PCR to

provide orthogonal gender determination of

unknown patient samples. Critical experimental

variables during PCR were optimized, including

the selection of the polymerase, the DNA ladder,

and the staining dye for gel analysis. Among 27

unknown samples tested, 7 samples were

positively identified as male, 12 as female, and 8

yielded inconclusive results due to a lack of

starting template. In parallel, the second line of

experiments was conducted to examine the

gender identification of the same samples via the

RAFT polymerization. Concept-proof

experiments to identify complementary short

oligonucleotides were demonstrated. Continuous

work on optimization of genome DNA

hybridization is underway before PCR-free

RAFT screening of gender-specific sequences

can be successfully carried out.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -84-

EnvironMentors

Advanced Placement students in

Environmental Science,

Garner Magnet High School

Thomas Easley is the program director of

the NCSU chapter of EnvironMentors.

Shaefny Grays is the Coordinator of

EnvironMentors. The NCSU chapter is the

first chapter outside of Washington, DC,

where the program began.

Session I, A-14

An Analysis of Household Carbon Footprints

in the US

Mary T. Burkey

Environmentors, Garner Magnet High School

Mentor: Terrie Litzenberger/Forestry and

Environmental Resource

An examination of carbon footprints around the

world with emphasis on the United States was

conducted using surveys on energy use and

living habits for families. The information

collected was used to calculate carbon footprints

of the family using a web-based program from

Carbonfootprint.com. The results were

compared to averages taken from the

calculations, and the US Census Bureau. Based

on these comparisons, a citizen in the United

States produces an average carbon footprint that

is ten times the value research has shown

necessary to reduce climate change. The U.S.

survey data revealed regional trends that were

complemented by census statistics. Of the six

different sources of emissions that make up the

carbon footprint (household electricity and

utilities, flights, car travel, motorbike travel,

public transportation, and secondary sources) the

major sources for US citizens were car travel,

household electricity/utilities, and secondary

sources. Other countries’ major sources of

carbon emission were secondary rather than car

travel as in the US. The United States currently

emits 21 percent of the total 28 billion metric

tons of carbon that are released each year into

the earth’s atmosphere. With new proposed

regulations on automobile energy usage, the US

could likely reduce its total carbon footprint by

at least 25 percent. Even more could be cut from

household electricity and utilities with the

conversion to renewable energy usage.

Session I, A-16

Battle of the Hybrids

Michael B. Gamble

DSA - Durham

Mentor: Matt Todd/NC DENR

We are going to measure the emissions of a gas-

electric hybrid car and compare to the emissions

of a plug-in electric hybrid car. We will look at

the ―carbon footprint‖ from the tailpipe

emissions of the Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid

vs. the resulting power-plant emissions from

charging the soon to be released Chevy Volt

plug-in hybrid. We hope to learn which

technology creates less carbon dioxide (CO2),

and as technologies progress, opportunities for

lower emissions. This project will make people

aware of certain things about the more

environmentally friendly cars. The truth will be

revealed as we present this poster and we

explain which car is the best for the environment

- either it’s the hybrid that’s been around for a

while, or the hybrid that is just getting

introduced in the market.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -85-

Session I, A-18

Carbon Storage in Urban and Rural Loblolly

Pine Trees

Devin M. Lancaster

Environmentors

Mentors: Shaenfy Greys/Environmental

Sciences; Jason Moan/N.C. Forest Service

The effect trees have on this planet as a whole is

immense. We as humans could be negatively

affecting their natural well-being. Trees take in

carbon and then release oxygen, which is one of

the necessities for life. The habitats of trees are

being changed by humans, potentially harming the

ecosystem through increasing carbon levels. Thus,

we hypothesize that carbon storage of loblolly

pine (Pinus taeda) would be higher than in an

urban environment verses a rural environment.

Carbon storage in urban and rural loblolly pine

was tracked by examining tree core samples and

calculating tree diameter at 5, 10, 15, and 20

years. Based on the literature, aboveground

carbon storage can be estimated solely from the

species and the diameter of trees. Our sample sites

in urban and rural environments were identified

by comparing different soil types, slope, and

aspect using the ESRI ArcMap GIS software, and

then located individually with a GPS. Using our

measurements, we calculated the average

aboveground carbon storage for both of the

environments. After comparing the collected data,

we concluded that the urban trees appear to store

more carbon than the rural trees at age 20, though

carbon storage was similar at ages 5, 10, and 15.

Session II, A-17

Acid Rain

Jasmine M. Molin

Mentor: Jennifer Marik/Division of Air Quality

This research targets acid rain and its affects on

plants. The background of acid rain is that it does

not only affect plants, it affects animals too. It is

simply rain with unusual acidity. It is considered

acid rain if it is under a pH of 5.6. Researching

that acid rain is already bad for the environment, it

was decided to go beyond that knowledge and

research the different acids by pH levels to

visually see the different reactions to the

solutions. By conducting an experiment using

Pansies, we mixed different acids individually to

test what pH levels do what to the plant. The

different acids were lemon juice, coffee, and

distilled water; in addition, milk which is on the

borderline of acid and base. Therefore showing

the reactions, individually, of the different pH

leveled acids in the plants. As examining the

different reactions, the lemon juice solution

affected the Pansy plant the most. Its affects came

to be drying of the leaves as well as the soil

unable to hold the solution. The plant died slowly

the more it was fed with the acid, as the others

also died but at an even slower pace. In result, it

showed that the more acidic the worse the affect

on the plant.

Session I, A-21

Land Use and Macroinvertebrates in Streams

Abbey L. Williams

Environmentors

Mentor: Ann Cutter/General Education: Biology

Macroinvertebrates are small organisms that live

in the substrate of bodies of water.

Macroinvertebrates are useful indicators of the

health or condition of wetlands and other bodies

of water. I believe the local streams have been

affected by the recent urbanization, including the

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium -86-

pollution it has contributed. Over the past twenty

years the population of Garner, NC has almost

doubled. To test the water quality, my mentor and

I collected and observed macroinvertebrates found

in Lake Benson. We also collected at streams and

creeks that drain Lake Benson. We chose Lake

Benson because it was a potential source of

drinking water last year during the drought that

the area was facing.

Session II, A-18

Vermicompost's Effects on Plant Growth

Michelle Ye

Mentor: Lauren Wellborn/Civil Engineering

Every year, millions of tons of solid waste are

dumped into landfills in the United States and

around the world. Much of the waste is organic

waste that could easily have been recycled, but

instead winds up as mixed waste, which

decomposes to produce methane and other volatile

substances, as well as leachate, all of which are

harmful to the environment. Vermiculture is one

option to reduce these problems. This method of

composting uses worms to convert organic waste

into nutrient-rich compost. The goal of this

experiment was to determine the effectiveness of

vermicompost (the product of vermiculture) when

applied to soil, to find the vermicompost-to-soil

ratio that best supports plant growth, and to

compare vermicompost with commercial

fertilizers. Two types of plants were grown--

spinach and onion--each in 0%, 15%, 20%, and

25% vermicompost (with the remainder soil), and

also in 0% compost with commercial fertilizers

added. The results were mainly inconclusive

because of time constraints. However, the 15%

vermicompost produced the best results for the

spinach, with the highest individual height (12.3

cm), highest average height (9.9 cm), earliest

sprouting time (day 7), and an overall fastest

growth rate. The onion had no one particular

soil/vermicompost combination that proved

superior. Another experiment with more time

allowed for the plants to grow is necessary to

draw a reliable conclusion.

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

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Index of Presenters

Poster # Student Presenter(s) Project Title Page

I, C-23

Evan R. Adamek

Physics

Nanoscale-defined, In-plane Oriented

Molecular Deposition

73

I, A-22

Afreen Allam Biochemistry; Microbiology

Conjugation of Water Soluble Carbon

Nanotube with Drugs like Taxol and

Gemcitabine

19

II, B-14

Elizabeth L. Allen, Paul H.

Cameron, David A. Stewart, and

Veronica Mbaneme Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

Residential Green Design and

Development in Cary, NC

43

I, B-13

William C. Andrew Biological Sciences

Does ATP, Glutamate or NAAG Affect Glial Cell Number in Rat Sciatic Nerve?

35

II, B-1

Anisha R. Anthony and Katelyn

Henderson

Plant Biology

Characterizing the Unfolded Protein Response in Arabidopsis Mutants

19

II, A-1

Britt Austin, Eric Hinson, and

Christopher Moore

Shear Mixer Homogenization in Ultra-Pasteurized Whole Milk

1

I, B-4

Samantha R. Avery

Zoology

Creating an Alternative to Venom Gland

Excision in Agkistrodon Contortrix

36

I, B-15

Ashton L. Ayers

Nutrition Science

Assessment of First Year College

Students' Nutrition Knowledge and

Eating Behaviors

36

II, A-15

Eric J. Ballard

Soil Science, Crop Science,

Agroecology

Soil Fertility Management in Organic

Cropping Systems

16

I, C-15

Sarah Bauer-Nilsen Psychology

A Study of Meta-Analysis

63

I, B-23

Rachel M. Beard and Seth D.

McCullen

Biomedical Engineering

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on the

Osteogenic Differentiation of Human

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

43

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I, B-24

Aria M. Behrouzi Chemical Engineering

Assessment of Miscanthus Grass for Optimized Bioethanol Production

44

II, B-15

Ashley G. Brannan, Mark

Sugimoto, Jeremy Nobles, Collen

Madzivanyika, and

Riley Cumberland

Nuclear Engineering

Feasibility of Hydrogen Production with Nuclear Energy

44

I, A-1

Malissa L. Braxton

Animal Science

Alkanes as Intake Digestibility Indicators

1

I, A-2

Emma Buchanan

Animal Science

Follicular Dynamics and Embryo Field

Following Subcutaneous Administration

of Follicle Stimulating Hormone in

Holstein Cows

2

I, C-16

Jordan E. Buck

Sport Management

Collegiate Sport Fans: The Impact of

Socialization on Sport Consumption

63

I, C-24

Erika E. Burger, Ashley N. Myers,

and Steven G. Somers

Statistics

Analysis of Water Quality Tests

73

I, A-14

Mary T. Burkey EnvironMentors

An Analysis of Household Carbon

Footprints in the US

83

I, B-25

Andrew B. Butler

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Camless Variable Valve Timing 45

I, B-26

Jacqueline Byrne Biomedical Engineering

Effect of Varying Surfactant Concentrations on Drop Diameter in

Small-Scale Micro Array Printing

45

II, D-5

Jennifer L. Cessna Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric

Sciences

Analysis of Summit Plateaus in Western Mongolia: Uplifted and Preserved

Paleoerosion Surfaces or the Intersection

of Topography with the Glacial

Buzzsaw?

74

I, A-23

Whitney P. Chrisco

Biological Sciences

Drug A Reduces MMP-9 Expression by

Immortalized HCE Cells

20

I, C-17

John D. Coggin

Communication

The Population Stalemate: Searching for

a Solution after Forty Years of Discourse

64

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

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I, A-24

Sara D. Cohen

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences

Purple Sweet Potato Extract Enhances

Cox-2 Expression and Prostaglandin E2 Formation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7

Cells

20

II, A-2

Ann C. Coulon-Johnson Animal Science

Use of Audio Stimulation to Increase Suckling Piglet Growth and Survival to

Weaning

2

II, A-3

Scott T. Craddock and Lissete

Betancur

Plant Biology

Analyzing Cellulose Synthase (CESA) Gene Expression and Cell Wall

Thickness in Arabidopsis Vegetative

Trichomes

3

II, D-6

Rebecca V. Cumbie

Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric

Sciences

A Case Study on Tropical Cyclone

Intensification

74

II, B-16

Kevin M. Daniel

Wood and Paper Science

Production of Microfibrillar Cellulose for

Use in High Strength Biocomposites

46

I, B-16

Roger E. Daniel, Eric J. Jones, and

Jessica L. Sievers

Materials Science and Engineering

Inclusion Analysis for Calcium Treated

Grades of Steel

46

II, C-12

Caitlin R. Daniels

Psychology; Biology

Effects of Secondary Tasks on

Adaptation Acquisition, Retention, and

Transfer

64

II, B-17

Raleigh L. Davis

Chemical Engineering

Incorporation of Copper Phthalocyanine

Nanoparticles into Poly(styrene-

(ethylene-co-butylene)-styrene) (SEBS)

47

II, B-2

Anushri V. Desai and Megan D.

Henley

Structural and Molecular Biochemistry

Regulation of FSHB Production Using

Doxycycline Gene Switch

21

I, B-28

Mark T. Draelos

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Artificial Antenna Tactile Sensor 47

II, B-18

Susan Dunn

Civil, Construction, and

Environmental Engineering

Determination of a Collimated Beam

Design for Ultraviolet Light Emitting

Diodes (UV LEDs)

48

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

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I, B-29

Kathryn E. Earley and Kristen E.

Roskov Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

Electrospinning Nanostructured

Organometallic Polymer Systems Containing Magnetically-Active

Nanoparticles or Poly(ferrocenylsilanes)

48

II, C-1

Kathryn E. Earley, Farshid

Jafarpour, and Corinne E. Rose

Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

Magnetic Separation in Zero Gravity

49

I, A-25

Ginger E. Edwardsen

Microbiology

NAD+ Salvage Pathways: NatV Activity

of Phage-Infected Vibrio parahaemolyticus & Escherichia coli

21

II, B-3

Christian S. Estes

Poultry Science

Embryo Gene Expression Profiling

during Developmental Stages Associated with the Development of Abnormal

Pigmentation in the Silkie Chicken

22

I, C-18

Brittney Eustache Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Management

Sport Consumption Interest and Behaviors of African-American

NASCAR Fans

64

I, A-15

Donta’ J. Fairey and Kevin M.

Bigsby

Forestry and Environmental Resources

Assessing the Feasibility of Using Mobile Computing Technology for Field

Data Collection

16

II, B-4

Kenda T. Freeman Genetics

The Effects of Diet on Weight in

Drosophila melanogaster: A Genetic and

Environmental Interaction

22

II, C-13

Joseph P. Gaglione

College of Management

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Different

Advising Strategies

65

I, A-16

Michael B. Gamble DSA – Durham; EnvironMentors

Battle of the Hybrids

83

I, C-25

Laura K. Gardner

Chemistry

Catalase and Peroxidase Studies of the

KatG Mutants H270C and H270Y

75

I, A-26

R. Kyle Gazdeck and Andrea L.

Dolezal

Plant Biology and Plant Pathology

Development of an Arabidopsis thaliana-

based Screening Assay for Potential

Pathogenicity Impaired Mutants in Aspergillus flavus

23

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II, B-12

Katherine L. Gleason and Samantha

L. Frady Biology

Predation Hazard Influences Nocturnal

Feeding Activity of Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

37

II, D-7

Kristen L. Gore, Nicole J. Bader, and

Marshall G. Gaddis Statistics

Meteorologically-Adjusted Particulate

Matter Trend Analysis

75

I, A-3

Stephanie L. Gorski Entomology

Evolution of Host Recognition in Pest

Moths

3

I, C-26

Jodie Greene

Chemistry

Synthesis of G2 Dendrimer

76

II, C-14

Rashay M. Griggs Psychology

Professional Development and the

Application of Visual Graphics

66

I, C-1

Dane A. Grismer Wood and Paper Science

Characterization of Starch Microcellular Foam Particle Formation

50

I, C-27

Lewis B. Guignard Physics

Layered Organic Photovoltaics 76

II, A-4

Brandon D. Hall

Animal Science

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging and

Feed Efficiency in Angus Bulls

4

II, D-8

Max M. Hampson Physics

Measuring Aerosol Optical Thickness

via Diode Laser Extinction

77

II, A-5

Nicolette M. Harris

Animal Science

Interaction of Host PIAS Protein with

Viral Nsp1 Protein of European Strain

PRRS Virus (PRRSV)

4

I, A-27

Nadia Hassounah

Zoology

The Effect of Vitamin D on Porcine

Satellite Cell Activity

24

II, B-5

Mallory A. Herbold

Biological Sciences

Inhibition of Cytokine Secretion in

Human Monocytes

24

II, D-9

Andrew Hewitt Physics

Electronic Spectroscopy of Organic Semiconductors in Planar Magnetic

Junctions

77

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I, C-2

Justin Hicks

Biomedical Engineering

In Vitro Biomechanical Comparison of

Internal Spinal Fixation Techniques on the

Canine Lumbosacral Vertebrae

50

I, A-17

Jacob L. Hilton Plant Biology

Optimization of Seed Germination in Pyxidanthera barbulata var. brevifolia

17

I, C-19

Samantha L. Hiscock

Psychology

Sustainability, Energy and Engineering

Summer REU: Increasing the Number of Underrepresented Groups in STEM Fields

66

I, A-28

Kit I. Ho

Molecular and Structural Biochemistry

Identifying siRNA that Inhibits Expression

of Mouse Follicle

25

II, C-2

David H. Hook, Ryan N. Chan,

Javon Powell, and Patrick Z. Wong Materials Science and Engineering

High Temperature, Thin-Film

Thermocouples

51

II, B-6

Joseph A. Hook

Physics; Biomedical Engineering

Exploration and Analysis of DNA-

elongation Techniques

25

II, C-15

Sara S. Hughes

Communication

Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Productions of

Individuals in an

ESL Pronunciation Program

67

II, B-7

Chad M. Hunter

Environmental and Molecular

Toxicology

Identification of Constitutive and Inducible

Response Elements in the Human

Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) Gene

26

II, B-13

David A. Hurt

Zoology; Biochemistry

The Effect of Size on the Utility of

Circulating Insulin-like Growth Factor I

as a Biomarker for Growth in a Teleost Fish, the Hybrid Striped Bass

37

I, B-22

Rachael M. Huston Graphic Design

Designing Performative Science

Materials for Centennial Campus Middle School

42

I, B-16

Mangala S. Iyengar

Zoology

Effects of ATP and Glutamate on Sciatic

Nerve Glia

38

II, C-3

Lauren C. Jackson, Brian F.

Bender, and Toby V. Tung Materials Science and Engineering

Reactive Ion Etch Optimization for

Polysilicon on MEMS Devices

51

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II, D-10

Jennifer J. James, Camille A.

Clark, and William J. Rice

Statistics

Crustal Matter: Exploring the Differences between Ambient Air Samples and

Emissions Inventory

77

I, C-20

Nicole A. Jameson Parks Recreation and Tourism

Management

Consumption Behavior of Professional Football Fans in Fan Clubs

67

II, C-16

Nicole A. Jameson

Sport Management

Latino and Non-Latino Consumption Patterns at a Professional Baseball Game

70

I, B-1

Amanda B. Jones Genetics

PAS Protein Regulation of the Midline and Tracheal System

26

II, D-11

I Wei (Grace) Kan

Chemistry

Correlation of KatG Mutants to Isoniazid

Resistance in Tuberculosis (TB)

78

II, C-3

Chris B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Study of Low Density, Low Temperature

Plasmas Containing Non-Maxwellian

Electron Energy Distribution Functions Using Novel Langmuir Probe Analysis

Techniques

52

I, C-28

Samuel G. Kenny

Physics

The Characterization of a Physical Model

of Accretion: SS CYG

78

I, B-2

Anthony Kulukulualani Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

B Lymphocyte Activation Affects the Expression of DC-SIGN and Co-

Stimulatory Molecules

27

II, C-4

Carissa L. Lada, Jonathan R.

Pierce, and Joshua S. Harris

Materials Science and Engineering

Improving Tracking and Erosion Resistance Performance of Raysulate

Formula T277

52

I, A-18

Devin M. Lancaster EnvironMentors

Carbon Storage in Urban and Rural Loblolly Pine Trees

85

I, C-21

Janine Largen

College of Management

The Impacts of Consumers’ Internet

Information Search Patterns on Their Purchase Decisions and Welfare

68

II, A-16

Andrew J. Lawrence

Forestry & Environmental Resources

Evaluation of Crossing Structures for the

Endangered Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel

17

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I, B-3

Ellen E. Lentz

Plant Biology

Increasing Inositol Lipid Signaling

Alters Starch Metabolism in Plants

27

II, D-12

Jason T. Leone, Kristen Gore, and

Jamie Pearce

Statistics

Forecasting Wildfires and Examining the

Extent of Global Climate Change

79

II, C-5

John A. Leotaud

Biomedical Engineering

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism

Detection and Characterization Using

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

53

I, C-4

Nicole M. Lewis

Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering

Development of an In-situ Video-Based

Monitoring System for Stent

Deformation and Migration Mechanisms

53

II, D-13 Adele M. Lichtenberger

Physics

Surfactant Spreading on Thin Liquid

Films

80

II, C-6

Whitney Lohmeyer Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering

New Method for Calculating Skin

Friction at Transition from Laminar to

Turbulent Boundary Layers

54

I, C-29

Brandon J. Long

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

UV Resonance Nano-Raman Spectroscopy 80

I, C-5

Jacob Majikes

Chemical and Biomedical

Engineering

Permeability of PET and Recycled PET

Nanocomposites

54

II, A-6

Madeline M. Markunas

Animal Science

The Effects of Small Grain Silage on

Lactation Performance and Milk Content as an Alternative for Traditional Corn-based

Feeds

5

I, C-6

Veronica Mbaneme Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

Production of Cellulase Enzymes in Solid Substrate Cultivation for the Conversion of a

Paper Based Cellulosic Substrate to

Fermentable Sugars

55

II, C-17

Maria McDuffie, Latavia Mason,

Curtis Gray, and Gerard Breaux

Psychology

Qualitative Analysis of Religious

Symbolism in Hip Hop Album Covers

69

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I, B-17

John P. McQuilling and Seth D.

McCullen Biomedical Engineering; Zoology

Responses of Adult Human Adipose-Derived

Stem Cells to ATP and Electrical Stimulation

38

II, C-7

Suman Medda

Biomedical Engineering

Fabrication of a Middle Ear Conductance

Testing Apparatus

56

II, B-8

Emily G. Medlin

Animal Science

Effects of Culture Media and Oxygen

Tension on Cytosine Methylation and Gene

Expression in Preimplantation Mouse Embryos

28

I, A-4

Heather N. Mendenhall

Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences

The Effects of Copper Concentration on

Whey Protein Isolate Foam Stability

6

I, B-4

Robert R. Meyerhoff Poultry Science

Characterization of Turkey iNOS and Development of Assays to Study its Role in

Acute Viral Enteritis

29

I, C-7

Tenea M. Miller, Britany P. Alston,

Steven M. Badawi, and Ruth E.

Brim

Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

Solar Powered Water Heater

56

II, A-17

Jasmine M. Molin

EnvironMentors

Acid Rain

84

I, A-19

Quinn D. Mortell

Biology The Effects of Distance from Habitat Edge

and Disturbance on the Dispersal

of the Appalachian Brown Butterfly

18

I, B-5

Xiao J. Ni and Stephanie

Bloom

Biochemistry; Molecular Biomedical Sciences

The Cellular Role of Pitx2 in Left-Right

Asymmetric Gut Morphogenesis

29

I, A-5

Jessica Nomina

Animal Science; Biological Sciences

Pet Relinquishments at Second Chance Pet

Adoptions

6

I, C-22

Justine Nomina

Psychology; Business Management-

Marketing

University Responses to Campus Incidents

70

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II, D-14

Benjamin N. Orbon Chemistry

AGET ATRP Polymerization in Microfluidic Device for Biosensing

80

II, B-9

Matthew H. Overton Microbiology; Biochemistry

Characterization of the Murine Immune Response Against Red clover necrotic

mosaic virus

30

II, A-7

Holly E. Parkins Animal Science

Effectiveness of Heifer Plus for Gender Preselection of Bovine Embryos Produced In

Vitro

7

I, B-18

Hamish S. Patel and Chandni P.

Patel

Zoology

Candidate Axon-Glia Signaling Agents in Rat Optic Nerve

39

II, A-8

Rushil V. Patel Molecular Biomedical Sciences

Zoonotic Diseases of Current Importance to

Gujarat, India

7

I, B-19

Natalie M. Phillips Biological Sciences

The Wayne County Food Systems Initiative: Creating Community Awareness and

Sustainable Food Systems

40

I, A-6

Daniel K. Porter, Isaac M. Smith,

Maureen D. Matroni-Rakes, Ben R.

Clements, and Weston K. Vipond

Biological and Agricultural

Engineering

Trailer-Mounted Mixer Design For Combining Hog Lagoon Sludge and Biomass

8

I, B-20

Jordan S. Pung

Biomedical Engineering; Biological

Sciences

Utility of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I and

RNA:DNA Ratios as Growth Biomarkers in Fishes

40

II, C-18

Emily B. Reass

Communication

The Unfair Lady: Lessons about Identity and

Rhetoric in My Fair Lady

70

I, A-7

Casey Reynolds, Renee Felice,

Heather Mendenhall, and

Catherine Meng

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition

Sciences

Coffee Flavored, Dairy Based, Probiotic

Beverage

8

I, A-8

Shahbaz A. Riaz

Biological Sciences, Food Science

The Effects of Forage Treatments on

Nitrogen Metabolism of Beef Steers

9

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

-97-

II, A-9

Shahbaz A. Riaz, Jae W. Shin, Jen

Holcomb, and Sarah A. Smathers

Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition

Sciences

Production, Analysis, and Evaluation of a Fermented Soy Beverage

10

II, B-10

Rashid P. Riboul

Biochemistry

Modification of Enzymes for Use in Organic

Solvents by the Amide Linkage of

Succinimidyl Carbonate Poly(ethylene)glycol

30

I, B-6

Whitney L. Richardson Biological Sciences

Determination of the Effect Genetic

Polymorphisms Have on Subcellular Localization of the Chicken Mx Protein

31

I, C-8

Kenneth F. Rooks, Christopher B.

Dodd, Alec S. Happel, and

Christopher B. Kennedy

Nuclear Engineering

Design of an Interrogation System for

Nuclear Proliferation Detection

56

I, B-7

Joseph W. Rose III Physics

The Effect of Munc18/nSec1 on Syntaxin's Open/Closed States

31

II, C-8

Garik C. Sadovy

Materials Science and Engineering

Behavioral Analysis of Oligonucleotides in

DNA Multilayer Films

57

I, B-8

Johanna M. Schafer Microbiology

Construction and Validation of Mutant

Superoxide Reductase to Serve as a Negative Control in Genetically Modified

Tomato Research

32

I, B-9

Caroline A. Schroeder Biology

Inhibition of Equine Infectious Anemia on Feline Cells Treated with Peptide in vitro

32

I, A-9

Nikki M. Schweizer Animal Science

Residual Feed Intake and links between the

Levels of T3, T4, IGF-I, Progesterone, and Testosterone in Beef Cattle

10

II, D-1

Rohil V. Shah

Agricultural & Resource Economics

The Growing Inconsistencies of Cost-

Benefit Analysis and the Impeding Regulatory Crisis

71

I, C-9

Kimberly L. Shearer

Chemical Engineering

Electrospun Nanofibers of Aliginates for

Tissue Scaffolds

57

I, A-10 Halli D. Sigal Coat Shedding Estimation among Angus

Cows and Establishing a Working Score

System

11

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

-98-

I, C-10

John C. Sigmon Jr. Biomedical Engineering

Microfluidic Device for Trapping and

Studying Yeast

58

II, C-9

Justin Smith Chemical & Biomolecular

Engineering

Predicting the Phase Behavior of Solvated

Triblock Copolymers

58

II, D-15

Steven G. Somers, Ashley N.

Myers, and Erika E. Burger

Statistics

Can Blood Lead Levels in Children Be

Reduced?

81

II, B-11

Elizabeth R. Sommerville

Biomedical Engineering

Characterization of Serum and

Glucocorticoid Induced Kinases (SGK) in

a Teleost Fish during Salinity Adapatation

33

II, A-10

R. Allysa Stern

Animal Science

Effect of Dietary Energy Intake on

Digestibility in Mature Horses

11

I, A-20

Tyler A. Strayhorn Wood and Paper Science

Bioconversion: Analyzing Hardwood and Softwood as Artificial Soil Matrices

18

I, C-11

Garrett R. Swindlehurst Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

Encapsulation of Iron Pyrophosphate

Colloids in a Cellulose Microparticle Matrix

59

I, B-10

Briana Taylor Biological Sciences

Characterization of Mutants for Protein Trafficking Pathways

33

II, D-2

Ho Yan Tsuen and Ashley B. Craig

Psychology

Parents' Socialization of Children's

Gendered Language: Does the Presence of People in Conversation Matter?

71

I, A-11

James M. Tyndall and M. Colter

Chitwood Animal Science

Leptin Radioimmunoassay Validation and

Correlation to Body Condition in White Tailed Deer

12

I, B-11

Allison A. Vestal

Plant Biology

Activation Tagging of Gravacin

Hypersensitivity Mutants

34

I, C-12

Jacob M. Vestal Chemical Engineering; Nuclear

Engineering

Use of Magnetorheological Fluid for Use

as a Tunable Mold for Polymer Processing

60

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

-99-

I, A-12

Andrea G. Watson Animal Science

Diet Digestibility and Efficiency in Beef Cattle

12

II, A-11

Stacey M. White

Animal Science

Influence of Sampling Method and Plant

Part on Nutritional Analysis of Corn Stover

13

II, A-12

Gregory S. Whitener Jr.

Animal Science

Effect of Wet vs. Dry Baling on

Nutritional Value of Corn Stover

14

I, A-21

Abbey L. Williams

EnvironMentors

Land Use and Macroinvertebrates in

Streams

85

II, A-13

Nicholas S. Willams Forestry and Environmental

Resources

Detecting Allometric Trends in Differing

Levels of Genetic Control in Juvenile

Loblolly Pine

14

I, B-12

Stephanie N. Williams

Genetics

Drosophila as a Model for GxE Iteractions

behind Metabolic Syndrome

34

II, D-3

Sarah E. Williamson Communication

Speech Perception and Speech Production Accuracy Pre- and Post-Activation of

Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients

72

I, A-13

Benjamin L. Winslow Animal Science

Relationships among Feed Utilization, ADG, Behavior, and Carcass Ultrasonic

Measures in Angus Heifers

14

II, C-10

Brandon S. Womack, Thomas W.

Holmes, and Brandon S. Brown

Nuclear Engineering

Rail Shippable Natural Circulation Boiling Water Reactor

60

II, D-16

Susan M. Woody Chemistry

Genetic Detection of Human Sex

Chromosomes Using PCR and RAFT

Polymerization Reaction

83

II, C-11

Jonathan L. Wormald

Nuclear Engineering

Monte Carlo Modeling and Burnup

Assessment for the NCSU PULSTAR

60

II, A-14

Shequenta L. Wray Animal Science

Impact of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Inflammation in Porcine IPECJ2 Cells

15

I, B-21

Lindsey M. Wright Biological Sciences

Sleeve Gastrectomy in an Obese Rat

Model to Elucidate the Hormonal Mechanisms behind Obesity

41

18th Undergraduate Research Symposium

-100-

II, A-18

Michelle Ye

EnvironMentors

Vermicompost's Effects on Plant Growth 86

II, C-13

Abdullah Zafar, Curt Anderson,

Maria Mallner, Chad Morris, and

Nick Stehle

Materials Science and Engineering

Nitrogen Inductively-coupled Plasma Source 61

I, C-14

Katrina L. Zmithrovitch, Ryan

McClellan, and Raphael Clearfield Materials Science and Engineering

Microstructural Control of 7085-T7452

Forgings

61

II, D-4

James Z. Zuravle

Sport Management

The Decisional Balance, Commitment, and

Self-Efficacy of Past and Current Exercise Patterns

72