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An Immobilized Enzyme Approach to Anti-Microbial Peptide Production
No full textThe rise in resistance to common antifungal agents has highlighted the need for alternative therapeutic options. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have gained attention due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and low toxicity. Among these, Histatin-5 has shown potent activity against Candida albicans, including strains resistant to standard treatments. This research focuses on synthesizing and isolating bioactive Histatin peptides via protein overexpression in E. coli. Rather than using the full-length peptide, P113 was employed, a 12-amino acid fragment of Histatin-5 that retains strong antifungal activity due to its increased stability and ease of production. Our immobilized protease method has proven effective in expressing and isolating small quantities of P113. Current efforts, in collaboration with East Carolina University’s School of Dental Medicine, are aimed at scaling up Histatin-5 production and exploring the antimicrobial properties of recombinant P113 peptides. Future work will characterize the antimicrobial activity of these peptides and investigate gel-based formulations for oral delivery, potentially establishing a novel approach to oral health treatments
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA HARM REDUCTION: EXPLORING SERVICES OFFERED USING THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION HARM REDUCTION GUIDING PRINCIPLES
No full textThe United States (US) is experiencing an opioid epidemic. In order to address drug-related harm, the US federal government has identified harm reduction as policy priority. Harm reduction is a public health approach that focuses on interventions to decrease substance-related harm. SAMHSA, in 2023, published a harm reduction framework that identifies key harm reduction pillars and practices. This research examines the opioid epidemic in the United States and in eastern North Carolina (NC), explores the history of harm reduction programs and the evidence of their effects on opioid-related harm, and explores harm reduction best practices and principles as identified by SAMHSA. Then, using analysis of interviews with harm reduction programs in rural eastern North Carolina, we evaluate harm reduction programs to determine the presence of SAMHSA harm reduction pillars. Our analysis finds all pillars present except lived-experiences. This research contributes to understand whether and how harm reduction programs in our study embrace SAMHSA harm reduction best practices and principles, with a goal of contributing to understanding of how to improve harm reduction services in rural areas
Painting Perfection
No full textIn our modern society there is increased pressure to be perfect. This idea is perpetuated by conversations with our peers, familial expectations and/or images seen on social media. At an age where their self identity is simultaneously being discovered along with new found responsibility for oneself, those in their late teens and early twenties are arguably the most affected by this. Some challenges faced by those in this age range include, but are not limited to: academic success, financial support, addiction, mental health standing, body dysmorphia, material culture, etc. This population can be afflicted by one, some or all of these issues at once. Despite the greater majority experiencing one or more ailments, these issues are swept under the rug. In this new era of social media, young adults today should be made aware that everyone projects an image of perfection. What we see online is not reality. Through realization that we as a society apply pressure to achieve excellence at a young age, dialogue can begin on how to restructure our mindsets to embrace the more challenging areas of our lives as well. I have completed a creative endeavor with ambition to begin this discussion amongst young adults - consisting of eleven mixed media pieces
Nutrient effects on soil fungal communities in a coastal plain wetland ecosystem
No full textAnthropogenic influences such as urbanization and intensive agriculture practices modify nutrient and water cycles in significant ways. These activities can cause disruptions to microbial mutualisms, especially in low-nutrient wetland ecosystems. Due to ongoing alterations to nutrient and moisture variations, the composition of fungal microbe communities may be shifting in unexpected ways. In this study, I investigated how long-term fertilization, and hydrologic alterations affect soil fungal microbial communities in a historically low-nutrient coastal plain wetland. I hypothesized that long-term fertilization and varying water conditions through ditching influenced patterns in fungal communities to different degrees. I tested this hypothesis at a long term nutrient addition (N-P-K fertilizers) and disturbance (mowing) experiment (established in 2003) located at East Carolina University's West Research Campus in Greenville, North Carolina. I specifically examined fungal microbe communities (based on amplicon sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region between the small and large subunits of the ribosomal RNA gene) in mowed plots undergoing and not undergoing nutrient enrichment. Results revealed that nutrient enrichment and ditch effects influenced fungal community composition, with community evenness being higher in wetter, unfertilized soils than drier fertilized soils over time. Additionally, soil treatments were more strongly associated with specific subsets of less abundant fungal families
Physical Characterization and Cellular Testing of Polymeric Micelle Formulations for Intravenous Delivery of Hydrophobic Anticancer Drugs
No full textThe compound 15-deoxy, Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2-ethanolamide (15d-PMJ2) is a novel anti-cancer agent identified by our laboratory. It is currently being developed as an intralesional injection for melanoma skin cancer. Tumors of animals treated with 15d-PMJ2 exhibited significantly reduced growth and mean weights compared with vehicle and untreated animals. Although the focus of 15d-PMJ2 has been on melanoma, experimental data from our lab has demonstrated activity against several different cancer cell lines, including colorectal cancer. However, use of 15d-PMJ2 against these cancers, especially in the form of intravenous delivery, has been limited as 15d-PMJ2 has poor water solubility and its lipophilic profile may lead to adipose tissue sequestration. To test its efficacy targeting multiple forms of cancer in vivo, we have developed a micellar approach to achieve intravenous delivery to cancer. Micelle formulations generally improve drug delivery to the tumor sites and allow for the tailoring of the pharmacokinetic profile of hydrophobic drugs, such as 15d-PMJ2. Through the enhanced permeation and retention effect, we expect PMJ loaded micelles to accumulate at the tumor site, releasing the drug and treating the cancer cells. Mixed micelles composed of DSPE-PEG2000:TPGS (1:5 mol:mol) were made and characterized in this study. Five characteristics were tested for the micelles, each of which are characteristics associated with effective drug/nanoparticle delivery systems. The first characteristic looked at for this study was critical micelle concentration, which tells you at above what concentration polymers will form micelles. This was a low value of 0.006 ± 0.002 mg/mL (0.0035 mM), suggesting high levels of stability for the empty micelles. Size and morphology were tested through transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, suggesting an average diameter of approximately 15 nm when prepared in PBS and 5 nm when in water, values which do not change when loaded with drug, and a roughly spherical shape. The encapsulation efficiency for PMJ loaded micelles was calculated to be 85.58 ± 6.57% for PMJ, which means only a small amount of drug is not taken up by the micelles. Stability over time data shows that only a very small percentage (3-7%) of the micelles disassemble over 30 days. Lastly, rate of drug release data suggests over 70% of the drug is released from the micelles after 24 hours in environments where the concentration is beneath its critical micelle concentration. Overall, these values indicate that DSPE-PEG2000:TPGS micelles are in line with several of the major characteristics associated with effective drug/nanoparticle delivery systems
Executive Summary: The Effect of Social Media on Contraceptive Decision-Making
Get PDFBackground: Historically, unintended pregnancies have been a persistent, costly problem for women, families, and the healthcare industry. Social media (SM) is a popular, accessible self-educational tool. Health professionals are encouraged to use SM as an education platform to combat misinformation. Local Problem: The teen birth rate in eastern North Carolina counties is above the national average. Methods: An educational intervention implemented over 12 weeks with three cycles of the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) framework. Data collection included SM activity, Likert-scale patient surveys, post-implementation Likert-scale provider surveys, and the number of contraceptive appointments. Interventions: Weekly posting of an educational series of contraceptives on Facebook (FB) and Instagram (IG). Results: SM educational series received 101 cumulative likes, 23 cumulative comments, and five cumulative shares of the posts. Both FB and IG had an increase following on both accounts. Most respondents agree to using SM for educational purposes. Eight respondents reported following the clinic’s SM and agreed that the content influenced them to either make an appointment or choose a form of contraceptive. 100% of providers reported a positive effect on their efficiency. Conclusion: SM is an easily accessible tool that may be a solution to receiving reliable health education asynchronously, especially for minorities who may face barriers to care.D.N.P
IMPLEMENTING A SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PERIOD: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SCHOOL CLIMATE
Get PDFIncreased absenteeism, discipline issues, and a decline in school climate and culture have increased the need to implement social and emotional learning periods in our schools. This mixed-methods inquiry focused on the effect of implementing a social and emotional learning period using the Second Steps curriculum on students' social and emotional intelligence, school leadership, and school climate. The Second Steps research-based curriculum was implemented in twenty-minute daily lessons over twelve weeks. This inquiry used an explanatory mixed-methods sequential design organized through Action Research Cycles that involved the Plan-Do-Study-Act model. This inquiry used pre- and post-study teacher interviews and meeting notes as qualitative data sources. The inquiry used the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (short) and the Panorama Education Teacher and Staff Survey as qualitative sources of data that were given pre- and post-study. The data from the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (short) was then broken down into the domains of overall social and emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, stress management, and adaptability. The results indicated a positive trend in overall social and emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and stress management. The quantitative data indicated a statistically significant increase in
adaptability for students. A negative trend in intrapersonal skills is indicated by the data. Qualitative data indicated a positive increase in school climate and an important role of school leadership in the implementation of social and emotional learning
AI-Driven Innovation for Next-Generation Vision Healthcare: A First Step Toward Intelligent and Proactive Eye Care Solutions
No full textAbstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable blindness, and deep learning has shown promise in automating its diagnosis. However, most models treat retinal images as static inputs, overlooking the temporal nature of disease progression. In this work, we propose a Temporal Vision Recurrent Transformer (TVRT): a hybrid architecture combining a fine-tuned ViT-Tiny backbone with a bidirectional LSTM, to capture both spatial features and temporal evolution from fundus image sequences.
To address the lack of temporal data in the APTOS 2019 dataset, we introduce two synthetic sequence generation methods: (1) stage-based augmentation using contrast and geometric transformations to mimic progressive DR stages, and (2) neural style transfer to simulate intra-stage variability using higher-stage fundus images as style references.
Experimental results show that while ViT and ResNet perform well on static classification, TVRT significantly outperforms them on progression modeling, achieving an F1-score of 0.86 on synthetic sequences with 5+ timesteps. Furthermore, soft attention maps derived from the ViT encoder provide interpretable visualizations that highlight clinically relevant features like hemorrhages and exudates. Our findings suggest that temporal modeling not only enhances predictive accuracy but also improves interpretability, offering a promising direction for intelligent, progression-aware eye care systems
Physical Fables: Exploring Personal Narrative Through Ceramic Sculpture
No full textI have always enjoyed getting lost in a story: either reading a book, watching a movie or television story, or constructing ceramic physical fables. Throughout my creative research I have explored the transition from the grotesque to narrative based sculpture. I delved into personal experiences, reflecting on childhood memories through an adult’s mindset. Studio exploration coincided with researching the history of narrative based ceramics and prolific ceramicists to see how my artistic predecessors navigate their personal myths. I used tents, toys, and fish to evoke my personal narratives. I juxtapose reality with the surreal, reflecting on personal experiences. I blur the lines between truth and fantasy, creating a new narrative with new nuances thus creating physical fables
NO VET LEFT BEHIND: CAREER READINESS FOR VETERANS IN COLLEGE COURSES AND THE IMPACT OF 1:1 PROGRAMMING ON RETENTION AND EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
Get PDFThis dissertation examines the perceived career readiness of transitioning veterans attending a federally funded certification program as non-degree seeking students. All students are currently enrolled in the Cybersecurity Workforce Certification Program, funded by the National Security Agency’s National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. Currently, cybersecurity is a growing field, both in the private sector, public area, and within the defense industry. The need for more qualified cybersecurity professionals is continuing to grow, and though veterans often make suitable candidates, there is a need for more research on newer programming, such as non-degree, virtual certification programs.
Incorporating evidence from the literature, this study sought to collect data on participants’ perceived career readiness, in addition to their experience in a peer mentoring program that was developed as an intervention. This study demonstrates that there are potential benefits from incorporating similar career readiness programing into non-degree, virtual programs. It also argues that there will continue to be an increase in availability of similar programs, and more research may be needed in this area to further prepare those entering the cybersecurity workforce, especially regarding non-traditional students