North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
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New Farmers of America Association
No full textYoung man standing in front of a wooden house.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/1953/thumbnail.jp
New Farmers of America Association
No full textOlder man and younger man standing in a field.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/1967/thumbnail.jp
New Farmers of America Association
No full textMan standing in a field of crops.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/1977/thumbnail.jp
New Farmers of America Association
No full textTwo men next to outbuilding.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/2001/thumbnail.jp
New Farmers of America Association
No full textGraveyard with \u27Johnson\u27 on the archway.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/2006/thumbnail.jp
New Farmers of America Association
No full textFour young women on a porch with a pure quinine for malaria prevention sign behind them.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/photos/2008/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Black Women’s Perceptions of the Body Positivity Movement
No full textThe Body Positivity movement was created to encourage self-acceptance and inclusivity across all body types, encouraging individuals to embrace their bodies regardless of shape, size, color, gender, or ability. Black women, in particular, have been drawn to this movement, often through the influence of celebrities. The overall study aimed to understand how social media influences and contributes to health behaviors of African American Gen Z women. This current presentation aims to understand Black women’s perceptions of the Body Positivity movement. Participants included 35 African American women, ages 18 to 25, attending a historically Black university. Interviews examined participants’ recognition of body positivity posts, demographics of the creators behind these posts, and the impact of these posts on Black Gen Z women. While most participants were aware of the Body Positivity movement, many noted that its creators are not always Black women, contradicting the movement’s commitment to inclusivity and reducing its impact on their demographic. Participants also questioned the underlying messages conveyed in these posts. The findings highlight a lack of representation of Black women within the Body Positivity movement, raising questions about its continued relevance among Black Gen Z women. A limitation of this presentation is the sample size, as all participants were from a singular HBCU. Future research should include Black women from multiple HBCUs and predominantly white institutions to explore varying experiences. Overall, these findings suggest a need for more inclusive representation and meaningful engagement within the Body Positivity movement.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/honorscollegesymposium25/1030/thumbnail.jp
Crisis Communication Role in Influencing Student Perceptions of Safety on Campus
No full textCrisis communication plays a crucial role in shaping student perceptions of safety. Universities across the nation have leveraged new digital communications to alert students in times of emergency, but there are persistent concerns about the timeliness and clarity of these messages, and discrepancies in crime reports. Previous research suggests that delayed and cryptic messages stimulate anxiety, while clear and timely communications foster trust. Building on previous research, we propose a study that inspects the influence of campus safety communication, especially the frequency, channel, and clarity of messages, on students’ perception of safety on North Carolina A&T’s campus. By using archival data, we will examine the number of emergency alerts sent each month and the reported crimes on campus to study how closely they align. Next, we will conduct a survey among A&T students to gauge their engagement with campus safety communication, whether digital or in-person, their perceptions of safety on campus, and their levels of trust in the university. Through this approach, we hope to discover whether more frequent messages through various channels correlates with heightened levels of trust and perceived levels of safety. Our findings from this research will offer new insights for the best practices for emergency and crisis communications and increasing student trust in our university’s safety measures. Our results will provide practical guidance for designing strategies for improving safety communication to cultivate an informed and secure student body.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/honorscollegesymposium25/1029/thumbnail.jp
Investigating the Role of Moringa oleifera in NF-kB Inhibition in T Cells
No full textNuclear Factor of kappa B (NF-κB) is implicated in many diseases and is a target for therapeutic interventions. Many anti-inflammatory pharmacological drugs are derived from plants. Moringa oleifera or the “miracle tree” has health benefits. Moringa extracts have been shown to inhibit inflammatory responses in macrophages through a mechanism involving NF-κB. Moringa also impacts T cell function, but whether it inhibits NF-κB activation in T cells is unknown. Our lab is interested in characterizing the impact of Moringa oleifera on T cells. To specifically investigate the impact of Moringa on NF-κB activation in T cells, we will culture Jurkat E6.1 T cells [5x10 6 cells/ml] in complete RPMI pre-treated with ethanolic Moringa extracts (MOE) [0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% w/v] for 1 hour. Cells will be stimulated with anti-CD3 and CD28 [1 mg/ml] for 15, 30, and 60 min. Nuclear and cytosolic extracts will be assayed by Western blotting to assess NF-κB activation. Data from this study will contribute to gaps in knowledge related to how Moringa impacts the function of T cells, key component of the adaptive immune responses; ultimately contributing to the growing knowledge of how Moringa oleifera serves as a promising therapeutic alternative.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/honorscollegesymposium25/1025/thumbnail.jp
Targeting Injured Cardiomyocytes with RNA Sensors
No full textCardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of mortality due to cardiomyocytes\u27 inability to proliferate and regenerate after injury. Current therapies that broadly express regenerative factors in the heart are ineffective. However, targeted expression of these factors to the injury can induce cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our research introduces an innovative technique that can deliver regenerative factors directly to the injured myocardium using a biomarker uniquely expressed by injured cardiomyocytes, Natriuretic Peptide B (Nppb). Our research utilizes the CellREADR system, an ADAR-based RNA sensor that detects Nppb expression and induces translation of regenerative cardiac factors. The overall goal of this study was to identify the most efficient sensor. In the unamplified construct, all transfected cells express BFP (blue fluorescent protein). When Nppb mRNA is present, it binds to the sensor and recruits the ADAR enzyme, allowing RNA editing and GFP (green fluorescent protein) translation. The amplified construct incorporates a tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation system to enhance GFP expression. HEK293T cells were transfected with these constructs and Nppb coding sequence, then sensor efficiency and specificity were assessed by counting GFP+ cells in experimental and control groups. The unamplified sensor successfully detected Nppb with minimal background activity. However, the amplified sensor showed unintended GFP expression in negative controls, indicating non-specific expression. Optimization efforts are underway to refine specificity by incorporating additional upstream regulatory elements. Our findings demonstrate the potential of RNA sensors in targeting injured cardiomyocytes, contributing to gene-based strategies for cardiac regeneration and repair.https://digital.library.ncat.edu/honorscollegesymposium25/1009/thumbnail.jp