The Graduate and Professional Student Federation presents the

UNC-CHAPEL HILL

ACADEMIC RESEARCH CONFERENCE

March 4, 2015

PROGRAM & ABSTRACT BOOK

PROGRAM GUIDE 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Note ........................................................................................................... 1

Schedule of Events ..................................................................................................... 2

Research Talks Schedule ....................................................................................... 3-5

Poster Presentation Schedule ................................................................................. 6-9

Research Talks Abstracts ................................................................................... 10-19

Poster Abstracts ................................................................................................. 20-38

Index ........................................................................................................................ 39

Welcome to the UNC Academic Research Conference!

UNCs Graduate and Professional Student Federation welcomes you to the first annual UNC

Academic Research Conference. The conference, which was formerly known as University

Research Day, features the work of UNCs graduate, professional, and undergraduate students.

UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the top research universities in the country, and this conference is

intended to exhibit some of the contributions that graduate, professional, and undergraduate students

of the UNC- Chapel Hill community are making to their respective fields. While the University

tends to attract national attention for other achievements, our community also has a great impact on

the world through its academics, making contributions to medicine, natural sciences, social sciences,

and the arts and humanities. The papers and posters for this years conference represent the breadth

of those contributions. Represented among the projects are advancements in health and medicine,

studies of the effects of social actions and governmental policies, and literary analysis of a poet

laureate. We thank you for joining us today in celebrating the true Carolina way educating

Tarheels who are leaders in their fields! Thanks also to all who helped make this conference

possible, including presenters, volunteers, and judges.

Your 2015 UNC ARC Organizing Committee

Justin McNabb (Committee Chair / GPSF Events Chair), Marissa Cann (Scheduling / GPSF CoS), Katie Walker (Catering / VPEA),

Nicole Carlson (Publicity), Brian A. Coussens (Registration / Program), Stephanie Davis (Publicity / GPSF PR Chair), Katherine

Stember (Publicity), Denise Allard Trout (Volunteer Coordination), Dana Walsh (Acquisitions / Outreach)

UNC ACADEMIC RESEARCH CONFERENCE

PROGRAM GUIDE 2

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:00AM 9:00AM

CHECK-IN, POSTER SET-UP, AND BREAKFAST Student Union Great Hall Lobby

9:00AM 11:30AM

SESSION 1 Poster Presentations in the Union Great Hall

Research Talks in Union Rooms (see Research Talks Schedule, pp. 3-5)

11:30AM 12:00PM

LUNCH Grab your lunch and make your way into the auditorium for the keynote address

12:00PM 1:00PM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: NOBEL LAUREATE OLIVER SMITHIES FOLLOWED BY Q & A Student Union Auditorium

1:00PM 3:30PM

SESSION 2 Poster Presentations in the Union Great Hall

Research Talks in Union Rooms (see Research Talks Schedule, pp. 3-5)

3:30PM 4:00PM

POSTER TAKE DOWN

4:00PM 4:30PM

POSTER AND RESEARCH TALKS AWARDS Student Union Great Hall

4:30PM - 6:00PM

SOCIAL EVENT FOR PRESENTERS AND ATTENDEES

A Special Thanks to Sigma Xi

The UNC ARC Organizing Committee would like to extend a special thanks to Sigma Xi, the

Scientific Research Society, and the local chapter president, Dr. Michael Madden, for offering

awards for papers and posters in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

MARCH 4, 2015

PROGRAM GUIDE 3

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CHAIR: Matthew Haynes (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

PRESENTERS:

9:00 Philip Wages (Toxicology), Katelyn S. Lavrich

(Toxicology), and James M Samet (Toxicology)

Exposure to 1,2-Naphthoquinone Induces Protein Sulfenylation in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

9:20 Julia Dunn (Microbiology & Immunology), Laurel

Kartchner (Microbiology & Immunology), Corey

Jania (Surgery), Rob Maile (Surgery, Microbiology

& Immunology), and Bruce Cairns (Surgery,

Microbiology and Immunology)

Neutrophil Accumulation and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Production Characterize a Clinically

Relevant Murine Model of Woodsmoke Inhalation

9:40 Dongfen Yuan (Pharmacy), Alexander Kabanov

(Pharmacy, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State

University)

In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of Raw 264.7 Macrophages-derived Exosomes as Brain

Delivery Nanovectors

10:00 Zainab Farzal (Otolaryngology/Head & Neck

Surgery), Jonathan Walsh (Otolaryngology/Head

and Neck Surgery), Gabriella Lopes de Rezende

Barbosa (Piracicaba Dental School, University of

Campinas), Carlton J. Zdanski (Otolaryngology/

Head & Neck Surgery), Stephanie D. Davis

(Indiana University School of Medicine), Richard

Superfine (Physics & Astronomy), Luiz Andr

Pimenta (Craniofacial Center), Julia S. Kimbell

(Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery), and

Amelia Fischer Drake (Otolaryngology/Head &

Neck Surgery, Craniofacial Center)

Volumetric Analysis of the Nasal Cavity in Children with Unilateral and Bilateral Cleft Lip and

Palate

10:20 Diana Chong (Genetics and Molecular Biology)

BMP Signaling Affects Tortuous Vessel Formation and Sprouting

10:40 Jae Lee (Mathematics UNC Chapel Hill), Y. Yao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), U.

Shrestha (University of California, San Francisco),

G. T. Gullberg (Lawrence Berkeley National

Laboratory), and Y. Seo (University of California,

San Francisco)

Handling Big Data in Medical Imaging: Iterative Reconstruction with Large-Scale Automated

Parallel Computation

CHAIR: Don Holmes (English)

PRESENTERS:

9:00 Haley Smyser (Undergraduate / Communication

Studies)

Scared Straight: Propagandistic Fear Tactics in Anti-Smoking Advertisements

9:20 Adam Engel (English & Comparative Literature)

Delicate Daemon: The Tortured Hybrid in Ted Hughes' Crow

CHAIR: TBA

PRESENTERS:

9:00 Mejs Hasan (Geology)

A Story of Fluvial Geomorphology on the Indus River

9:20 John Paul Balmonte (Marine Sciences) and Carol

Arnosti (Marine Sciences)

New Insights into the Organic Matter-degrading Capabilities of Arctic Ocean Microbial

Communities

9:40 Chung-Nan Tzou (Mathematics), Roberto Camassa

(Mathematics), Zhi. Lin (Mathematics), Richard M.

McLaughlin (Mathematics), Keith Mertens

(Mathematics), James Walsh (Mathematics), and

Brian White (Marine Sciences)

Optimal Mixing of Buoyant Jets and Plumes in Stratified Fluids: Theory and Experiments

10:00 Raymond Blackwell (Undergraduate / Chemistry)

and Tessa Carducci (Chemistry)

Electron Exchanges in Films of Ferrocenated Au Nanoclusters

10:20 Kelsey Ellisq (Marine Sciences), Natalie Cohen

(Marine Sciences), and Adrian Marchetti (Marine

Sciences)

Vitamin B12 Requirements within Bloom-forming Diatoms

IC Natural Sciences I Union 3407

IB Humanities I Union 2424

SESSION I (9:00-11:30AM)

IA Biological / Health Sciences I Union 2420

UNC ACADEMIC RESEARCH CONFERENCE

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CHAIR: Taylor Livingston (Anthropology)

PRESENTERS:

9:00 Jackie Lawrence (Education)

Exploring the Relationship between Cyberbullying and Targeted Threats of Violence in our High

Schools

9:20 Jim Kuras (Geography)

Pregnant at Gezi Park: Disrupting Public Space Through Embodied Performance

9:40 Austin Rick (Undergraduate / Sociology)

Joel Osteen: A Master of Persuasion

CHAIR: Anel Jaramillo (Neurobiology)

PRESENTERS:

1:00 Myung Soo Kim (Molecular Pharmaceutics),

Matthew J. Haney (Molecular Pharmaceutics),

Yuling Zhao (Molecular Pharmaceutics), Richa

Gupta (Molecular Pharmaceutics), Zhijian He

(Molecular Pharmaceutics), Phi Phua (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Aleksandr Piroyan (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Marina Sokolsky (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Alexander v. Kabanov (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), and Elena V. Batrakova (Molecular

Pharmaceutics)

Characterization of Exosome-Encapsulated Paclitaxel for the Treatment of Neoplasms

1:20 Ariel Hanson (Biomedical Engineering), Eliane

Wauthier (Cell Biology and Physiology), Joseph

Costello (Cell Biology and Physiology), Mitsuo

Yamauchi (School of Dentistry), Jeffrey Macdonald

(Biomedical Engineering), and Lola Reid (Cell

Biology and Physiology)

Engineered Human Liver Organoid with near Physiological Metabolic Function

1:40 John Runge (Genetics and Molecular Biology),

Jesse R. Raab (Genetics), and Terry Magnuson

(Genetics)

Defining Mechanisms of Interaction between Chromatin Remodeling Complexes

2:00 Christine Kim (Oral Biology) and Robert Tarran

(Medicine)

Short Palate Lung and Nasal Epithelial Clone 1 (SPLUNC1) Dissociates and Internalizes the

Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC)

2:20 Mrinalini Ramanan (Biochemistry and

Biophysics), Peter Thompson (Biochemistry and

Biophysics), Lucia Stefanini (University of

Reading), Mihir Shah (Biochemistry and

Biophysics), Wolfgang Bergmeier (Biochemistry

and Biophysics), and Sharon Campbell

(Biochemistry and Biophysics)

Building the Foundation for a Novel Platelet Inhibitor: Targeting the C1 Domain of CalDAG-

GEFI to Inhibit Rap1b

2:40 Kathleen Mulvaney (Cell Biology & Physiology),

Jacob Matson (Biochemistry & Biophysics), Dennis

Goldfarb (Computer Science), Jean Cook

(Biochemistry & Biophysics), and Ben Major (Cell

Biology & Physiology, Lineberger Comprehensive

Cancer Center)

Elucidating the Function of MCM3 Ubiquitination by KEAP1: Crosstalk between Redox-sensing and

Cell Cycle Progression

3:00 Matthew Powers (Undergraduate / Biology),

Edgardo Sanbria-Valentin (City University of New

York), Albert Bowers (School of Pharmacy), and

Elizabeth Shank (Microbiology and Immunology)

Inhibition of Cell Differentiation in Bacillus subtilis by Pseudomonas protegens

CHAIR: Natalie Cohen (Marine Sciences)

PRESENTERS:

1:00 George Allen (Geological Sciences) and Tamlin

Pavelsky (Geological Sciences)

Estimating the Surface Area of Rivers and Streams across Continents

1:20 Nicholas Battista (Mathematics), Andrea Lane

(Biostats), John Cruickshank (Biology), and Laura

Miller (Mathematics)

Hemodynamics in Heart Morphogenesis

1:40 Evan Reynolds (Chemistry)

Superiority through Selectivity: Unnatural Cofactors and the Enzymes that bind them

2:00 Ryan Beauchemin (Undergraduate / Physics and

Astronomy),

A New Method for Measuring Kinematic Inclinations of Galaxies in the RESOLVE Survey

ID Social Sciences I Union 3201

SESSION II (1:00-3:30PM)

IIA Biological / Health Sciences II Union 2420

IIB Natural Sciences II Union 3407

MARCH 4, 2015

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2:20 Carly Moreno (Marine Sciences)

Investigating the transcriptomes of seven Southern Ocean diatoms

CHAIR: Oliver Taenzer (GSLL)

PRESENTERS:

1:00 Jen Boehm (Linguistics)

A Phonetic Analysis of S'gaw Karen Dialects Among Refugees in North Carolina

1:20 Moira Johnson (Sociology)

Personal Control Level and Change as Predictors of Inflammatory Markers

1:40 Alecia Smith (Undergraduate / Education)

Teacher Expectations and Relationship Formation Among High-Achieving Black Male Students

IIC Social Sciences II Union 3201

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POSTER PRESENTERS:

1 Myung Soo Kim (Molecular Pharmaceutics), Matthew J. Haney (Molecular Pharmaceutics),

Yuling Zhao (Molecular Pharmaceutics), Richa

Gupta (Molecular Pharmaceutics), Zhijian He

(Molecular Pharmaceutics), Phi Phua (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Aleksandr Piroyan (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Marina Sokolsky (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), Alexander v. Kabanov (Molecular

Pharmaceutics), and Elena V. Batrakova (Molecular

Pharmaceutics)

Characterization of Exosome-Encapsulated Paclitaxel for the Treatment of Neoplasms

2 Lee Hong (Microbiology and Immunology), Meng-Lei Zhu (Microbiology and Immunology), Pearl

Bakhru (Microbiology and Immunology), Imran

Khan (University of California, San Francisco),

Maria Mouchess (University of California, San

Francisco), Ajay Gulati1 (Center for

Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease), Lawrence

Fong (University of California, San Francisco),

Mark S. Anderson (University of California, San

Francisco), and Maureen A. Sul (Lineberger

Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Disrupting Central Tolerance Augments the Anti-tumor Effects of Peripheral Immune Checkpoint

Blockade

3 Ariel Hanson (Biomedical Engineering), Eliane Wauthier (Cell Biology and Physiology), Joseph

Costello (Cell Biology and Physiology), Mitsuo

Yamauchi (School of Dentistry), Jeffrey Macdonald

(Biomedical Engineering), and Lola Reid (Cell

Biology and Physiology)

Engineered Human Liver Organoid with near Physiological Metabolic Function

4 Roderick Gladney (Undergraduate / Nutrition), S. McDonell (Nutrition), J. Rebeles (Nutrition), N.

MacIver (Duke University Medical Center), J.C.

Rathmell (Duke University Medical Center) and

M.A. Beck (Nutrition)

Activated Effector T Cells from Obese Diabetics Stimulate Glucose Uptake and Induce Pro-

inflammatory Metabolic Signaling

5 Christine Kim (Oral Biology) and Robert Tarran (Medicine)

Short Palate Lung and Nasal Epithelial Clone 1 (SPLUNC1) Dissociates and Internalizes the

Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC)

6 Jeanette Reyes (Environmental Sciences and Engineering) and Marc Serre (Environmental

Sciences and Engineering)

Non-Parametric Regionalized Model Performance Evaluation of PM2.5 Chemical Transport Models

7 Mrinalini Ramanan (Biochemistry & Biophysics), Peter Thompson (Biochemistry & Biophysics),

Lucia Stefanini (University of Reading), Mihir Shah

(Biochemistry & Biophysics), Wolfgang Bergmeier

(Biochemistry & Biophysics), and Sharon Campbell

(Biochemistry & Biophysics)

Role of the CalDAG-GEFI C1 Domain in Rap1b Activation and Platelet Aggregation

8 Rachel Bleich (Pharmacy), Elizabeth Shank (Biology), Albert Bowers (Pharmacy)

Thiopeptide Antibiotics Stimulate Biofilm Formation in Co-culture

9 Karen Sheffield (Nursing) and Cheryl Woods Giscombe (Nursing)

Efficacy, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Perinatal Yoga on Womens Mental Health and Well-being: A Systematic Literature Review

10 Jessica Nesmith (Biology)

FLT1 Regulation of Blood Vessel Anastomosis

11 Kathleen Mulvaney (Cell Biology & Physiology), Jacob Matson (Biochemisty & Biophysics), Dennis

Goldfarb (Computer Science), Jean Cook

(Biochemistry & Biophysics), and Ben Major (Cell

Biology & Physiology, Lineberger Comprehensive

Cancer Center)

Elucidating the Function of MCM3 Ubiquitination by KEAP1: Crosstalk between Redox-sensing and

Cell Cycle

12 Laura Kerfoot (Public Administration)

Better Translations in Healthcare: Improving Healthcare Quality for the Limited English

Proficient Population

13 Katherine Tech (Biomedical Engineering), Tia N. Fish (Neurology), Andrew J. Crowther

(Neuroscience), Andrey Tikunov (Biomedical

Engineering), Jeffrey M. Macdonald (Biomedical

Engineering, Neuroscience, Lineberger

Comprehensive Cancer Center), and Timothy R.

Gershon (Neurology, Neuroscience, Lineberger

Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Differential Splicing of Pyruvate Kinase Regulates Progenitor Cell Cycle and

Medulloblastoma Tumorigenesis

SESSION I (9:00-11:30AM)

Biological / Health Sciences I

PROGRAM GUIDE 7

MARCH 4, 2015

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POSTER PRESENTERS:

14 Kathleen Eckert (Physics and Astronomy), Sheila J. Kannappan (Physics and Astronomy), Amanda J. Moffett, Ashley Baker, David V. Stark (Physics and

Astronomy), Andreas A. Berlind, Kate Storey-

Fisher, Adrienne L. Erickcek, Mark A. Norris (Max

Plank Institute for Astronomy), Claudia Lagos, and

the RESOLVE team

Galaxy and Group Baryonic Mass Functions for the RESOLVE Survey

15 Matthew Powers (Undergraduate / Biology), Edgardo Sanbria-Valentin (City University of New

York), Albert Bowers (School of Pharmacy), and

Elizabeth Shank (Microbiology and Immunology)

Inhibition of Cell Differentiation in Bacillus subtilis by Pseudomonas protegens

16 Ryan Beauchemin (Undergraduate / Physics & Astronomy), Sheila Kannappan (Physics and

Astronomy), Kathleen Eckert (Physics and

Astronomy), Erik Hoversten, and Kirsten Hall

A Comparison of Kinematic and Photometric Inclinations in the RESOLVE Survey

17 Elaine Snyder (Physics & Astronomy), Sheila J. Kannappan (Physics and Astronomy), Dara J.

Norman (National Optical Astronomy

Observatory), Samantha Dallas (Brown

University), Ian P. Dell'Antonio (Brown

University), Mark A. Norris (Max Plank Institute

for Astronomy), Millicent Maier (Australian

Astronomical Observatory), Kathleen D. Eckert

(Physics and Astronomy), David V. Stark (Physics

and Astronomy), and the RESOLVE team

Characterizing Compact Core Galaxies in the RESOLVE Survey

POSTER PRESENTERS:

18 Shuting Zheng (Education)

Cultural Factors in Special Education Placement and Service

19 Kimberly Shumaker (Government)

Millennials and the Church: A Comparative Case Study of Three Evangelical Protestant Churches in

Winston-Salem, NC, and their Adaptation to

Millennials

20 Megan Garrett (Government)

Economic Impact of Coal Ash Spills: An Exploratory Case Study of the Dan River Steam

Station Spill

21 Jen Boehm (Linguistics)

An Acoustic Dialectal Analysis of Sgaw Karen in North Carolina

22 Olivia Hammill (Government)

Understanding if Women between the Ages of 18 and 25 are Influenced to Run for Political Office

When They See Other Women Running for

Political Office

23 Josh Lopez (Government)

Port Cities, Greenways, and Property Values: Evaluating the Impact of the Gary Shell Cross-City

Trail

24 Millicent Robinson (Undergraduate / Psychology), Cheryl Giscombe (Nursing), and Dana Carthron

(Center for Health Equity Research)

Superwoman Schema, Stigma, Provider Characteristics, and Religion: Factors that Influence

Mental Health Service Utilization among African

American Women

25 Matthew James (Government)

The Effect of Commuter Rail on Charlotte Property Values

26 Meagan McDougall (Government)

Understanding the Racial Differences and Barriers in Womens Ability to Claim Family and Medical Leave Acts (FMLA) Maternity Leave in Local Governments of North Carolina

27 Kathryn Adair (Psychology), Nikki Barczak, Stephanie L. Tepper, and Barbara Fredrickson

Present with You: The Effects of Mindfulness Training on Interpersonal Attention and Insight

during a Behavioral Lab Task

28 Alecia Smith (Undergraduate / Education)

Teacher Expectations and Relationship Formation Among High-Achieving Black Male Students

29 Emily Wheeler (Undergraduate / Environmental Science) and Andrew George (Government)

An Analysis of Stakeholder Participation in Public Hearings for Utility-Scale Solar Projects in North

Carolina

Natural Sciences I

Social Sciences I

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30 Justin Kreft (Government)

Measuring the Impact of Policy Choices on Data Management and Record Retention in the

Implementation of Body Worn Cameras for Law

Enforcement Officers

31 John Mark Wilson (Government)

The Houses We Built: Why Owners Want the Public to Pay for Spring Training Ballparks

32 Richard Takacs (Government)

The Effect of Social Media Campaigning in 2014 U.S. Senate Races: Relationships between Social

Media Metrics and Election Results

POSTER PRESENTERS:

1 Haydee Lara (Medicine), Kyle C. Roche, Bailey Zwarycz, Ian A. Williamson, and Scott T. Magness

The Cellular Origin of Intestinal Carcinoids

2 Dongfen Yuan (Pharmacy), Alexander Kabanov (Pharmacy, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State

University)

In vitro and in vivo Characterization of Raw 264.7 Macrophages-derived Exosomes as Brain Delivery

Nanovectors

3 Nathaniel MacNell (Epidemiology)

Environmental Injustice in the Location of Greensboro's Landfills

4 Upoma Guha (Operative Denistry), Mathew Corbin (Dentistry), and Terence Donovan (Operative

Dentistry)

Dental Erosion Potential of Popular Vegetable Juice

5 Andrew Satterlee (Biomedical Engineering) and Leaf Huang (Biomedical Engineering/Molecular

Pharmaceutics)

A High Specific Activity Radio-Theranostic Nanoparticle for Cancer Therapy and Imaging

6 Cathy Anderson (Undergraduate / Biochemistry and Biophysics), Reed Jacob, James Fay, and

Nikolay Dokholyan (Biochemistry and Biophysics)

The Identification and Confirmation of Low Molecular Weight Protein Bioscavengers Against

Organophosphates

7 Mariesa Slaughter (Genetics and Molecular Biology)

Polybromo-1 bromodomains Differentially Bind Histones Based on Post-translational Modification

8 Neha Verma (Undergraduate / Nutrition), Margaret E. Bentley (Nutrition), and Heather Wasser (Center

for Women's Health Research)

The Influence of Hospital Practices on Breastfeeding Among African American Women

9 Letonia Copeland-Hardin (Pathology), Yesim Dargaud (Unit d'Hmostase Clinique, Hpital

Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France), and Alisa S.

Wolberg (Pathology)

Clot Stability Assay Does Not Distinguish Bleeders and Non-bleeders in a French Cohort of Factor XI-deficient Patients

10 Zainab Farzal (Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery), ), Jonathan Walsh (Otolaryngology/Head

and Neck Surgery), Gabriella Lopes de Rezende

Barbosa (Piracicaba Dental School, University of

Campinas), Carlton J. Zdanski (Otolaryngology/

Head & Neck Surgery), Stephanie D. Davis

(Indiana University School of Medicine), Richard

Superfine (Physics & Astronomy), Luiz Andr

Pimenta (Craniofacial Center), Julia S. Kimbell

(Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery), and

Amelia Fischer Drake (Otolaryngology/Head &

Neck Surgery, Craniofacial Center)

Volumetric Analysis of the Nasal Cavity in Children with Unilateral and Bilateral Cleft Lip and

Palate

11 Eric Trexler (Exercise and Sport Science), Erica J. Roelofs (Exercise and Sport Science), Katie R.

Hirsch (Exercise and Sport Science), and Abbie E.

Smith-Ryan (Exercise and Sport Science)

Effects of Coffee and Caffeine Anhydrous on Strength and Sprint Performance

12 Diana Chong (Genetics and Molecular Biology)

BMP Signaling Affects Tortuous Vessel Formation and Sprouting

POSTER PRESENTERS:

13 Ben Newton (Computer Science), Jay Aikat, and Kevin Jeffay

Efficient Management of a High-Capacity Airborne Network of Commercial Aircraft

Biological / Health Sciences II

SESSION II (1:00-3:30PM)

Natural Sciences II

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POSTER PRESENTERS:

14 Harper Ragin (Undergraduate / Mathematics & Communication)

Filling In The Gaps: Russian Queer History and Contemporary Implications

15 Carlee Forbes (Art History)

African [and/or] Islamic Art: A Case Study of an Islamic Prayer Board (allo) at the Ackland Museum

of Art

POSTER PRESENTERS:

16 Jackie Lawrence (Education)

Exploring the Relationship between Cyberbullying and Targeted Threats of Violence in our High

Schools

17 Cameron Settles (Government)

Social Media Use by Local Governments: Part of a Broader Conversation

18 Thomas Rhea (Government)

All Aboard: An Informational Study on the Local Public Transportation

19 Sharon Vaughn-Fair (Government)

Does the Prince Georges County Public School System Prepare Students for College Acceptance?

20 Phillip Cordeiro (Government)

The Effect of Recruiting and Training Policy on Career Retention in the Marine Corps Officer

Population

21 Caley Trujillo (Government)

North Carolina City and County Manager Career Paths

22 Joseph Eckstrom (Government)

Why Do Teachers Stay: A Look at Teacher Retention and Attrition in North Carolina Public

Schools

23 Audrey Shore (Government)

Civic Crowdfunding: Trend or Viable Option for Local Governments?

24 William Cheatham (Government)

Capturing Economic Rent from Marylands Hydro-power Sector: The Case for a Resource Rent

Tax

25 Taylor Smith (Government)

Assessing Foster Parent Training

26 Nick Peak (Government)

State Cigarette Tax Revenue Allocations Among All 50 States

27 Jordan Paschal (Government)

Eliminating North Carolina's Privilege License Tax: Distress or Delight?

28 Jennifer Orletski (Government)

Refocusing Communities Efforts: Environmental Strategies and the Development of Green

Communities

29 Cara Mazzarini (Government) and Andrew George (Government)

School Meals and Socioeconomic Status: A Case Study of the Effects of the Healthy-Hunger Free

Kids Act in Pennsylvania

Social Sciences II

Humanities II

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Abstracts are organized alphabetically under each category

Diana Chong (Genetics and Molecular Biology)

BMP Signaling Affects Tortuous Vessel Formation and Sprouting

During adulthood, vessels are quiescent, with angiogenesis

being restricted to regenerative tissues, such as healing

wounds, or pathological diseases, such as cancer. The wound

healing response mimics tumorigenesis in many ways,

including the formation of tortuous vessels. However, one

difference is that tortuous vessels in a wound environment

eventually resolve, whereas cancer vessels maintain their

tortuosity. By understanding the process of tortuous vessel

formation in environments that are similar to cancer but able

to resolve, we can dissect novel therapeutic targets towards

normalization of the tumor vasculature. Studies of

angiogenesis during wound healing have recently increased;

however, high resolution analysis in vivo is lacking. Using

multi-photon microscopy, we visualized wound healing-

associated angiogenesis in vivo and captured the

spatiotemporal dynamics of tortuous vessel formation and

sprouting. Analysis of vessel dynamics show that vessels

become tortuous and then normalize once the wound is

healed. Furthermore, tortuous vessels display sprouting events

at a higher frequency than normal vessels. This novel finding

suggests that tortuous vessels may be an important

intermediate step during wound healing. We are also

examining the effects of the bone morphogenetic protein

(BMP) pathway during wound healing using an inducible,

endothelial-specific, conditional knock-out of BMP receptor 2

to monitor in vivo tortuous vessel formation and sprouting.

Preliminary results show that loss of BMPR2 leads to

increased tortuous vessel formation and decreased vessel

sprouting. The results from these studies will provide the first

characterization of sprouting from tortuous vessels and

identify the role of the BMP pathway in modulating this

event.

Julia Dunn (Microbiology & Immunology), Laurel

Kartchner (Microbiology & Immunology), Corey Jania

(Surgery), Rob Maile (Surgery, Microbiology &

Immunology), and Bruce Cairns (Surgery, Microbiology and

Immunology)

Neutrophil Accumulation and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Production Characterize a Clinically Relevant

Murine Model of Woodsmoke Inhalation

Smoke inhalation is a major risk factor for burn patients,

causing loss of lung function, risk of pulmonary infection, and

increased mortality. Previous studies by our group and others

have identified prognostic indicators in patients; however, a

robust animal model is needed to elucidate specific

mechanisms of injury and to identify treatments. Here, we

demonstrate that inhalation of smoke generated by

combustion of particle board leads to phenotypic indicators of

acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Female C57B/6 mice were

anesthetized, shaved, given subcutaneous morphine, and

intubated prior to six minutes of exposure to smoke generated

by smoldering of particle board. Cells and supernatants from

broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed by flow

cytometry and enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay,

respectively. Our model of woodsmoke inhalation leads to an

increase in total protein and IL-10 in BALF and an increased

percentage of neutrophils infiltrating the lung. Cumulatively,

these results are consistent with ALI occurring due to

woodsmoke inhalation. We observed that our model of

woodsmoke inhalation induces characteristics of ALI that

mimic pathological changes in humans following smoke

inhalation. Early results indicate that this is a promising

model for future studies of interventions that could decrease

pathological inflammation and improve bacterial clearance in

patients suffering from moderate to severe smoke inhalational

injuries.

Zainab Farzal (Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery),

Jonathan Walsh (Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery),

Gabriella Lopes de Rezende Barbosa (Piracicaba Dental

School, University of Campinas), Carlton J. Zdanski

(Otolaryngology/ Head & Neck Surgery), Stephanie D. Davis

(Indiana University School of Medicine), Richard Superfine

(Physics & Astronomy), Luiz Andr Pimenta (Craniofacial

Center), Julia S. Kimbell (Otolaryngology/Head and Neck

Surgery), and Amelia Fischer Drake (Otolaryngology/Head &

Neck Surgery, Craniofacial Center)

Volumetric Analysis of the Nasal Cavity in Children with Unilateral and Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective: Children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) often

suffer from nasal obstruction which may be related to effects

on nasal volume. The objective of this study is to compare

nasal volume and side:side volume ratios in patients with

unilateral (UCLP) and bilateral (BCLP) clefts with age-

matched controls.

Study Design: Retrospective case-control study using three-

dimensional nasal airway reconstructions

Methods: We analyzed 20 pediatric subjects (age range: 7-12

years) with UCLP and BCLP from a regional craniofacial

center who underwent cone beam CT (CBCT) prior to

alveolar grafting. Ten multi-slice CT images from age-

matched controls were also analyzed. Mimics software (Materialise, Inc.) was used to create 3-dimensional

reconstructions of the main nasal cavity and compute total

and side-specific nasal volumes. Subjects imaged during

active nasal cycling phases were excluded.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference in

affected:unaffected side volume ratios in UCLP (p=0.48) or

left:right ratios in BCLP (p=0.25) when compared to left:right

ratios in controls. Mean overall nasal volumes (mm3) were

99321807, 69542577, and 66262135 for control, UCLP,

and BCLP patients, respectively, with statistically significant

volume decreases for both UCLP and BCLP subjects from

controls (p

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Ariel Hanson (Biomedical Engineering), Eliane Wauthier

(Cell Biology and Physiology), Joseph Costello (Cell Biology

and Physiology), Mitsuo Yamauchi (School of Dentistry),

Jeffrey Macdonald (Biomedical Engineering), and Lola Reid

(Cell Biology and Physiology)

Engineered Human Liver Organoid with near Physiological Metabolic Function

Liver transplantation is the primary method of treatment for

end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately the number of livers

available for transplantation is woefully smaller than what is

needed. In addition, academic and industrial research

investigations on human liver are severely limited by the

availability of human tissue, as well as the inability to keep

adult liver cells viable in vitro for extended periods of time.

The desire to produce a bioartificial liver to replace the

dependency on living donors for transplantation, or more

sophisticated human model systems for research has led to

investigations to examine decellularization of whole organs

that are then reseeded with human cells to create a humanized

organoid. In this study, we make use of delipidation reagents, gentle detergents and a high salt solution for

decellularization that is optimal for repopulating a biomatrix

scaffold with human fetal liver progenitor (hFLP) cells. It was

hypothesized that this biomatrix, in combination with a serum

free, hormonally defined medium (HDM) tailored to the liver

tissue, will provide a more optimal environment of native

molecular cues required by liver cells to produce an organoid

closely mimicking human liver functions. Following a 14-day

culture period in a bioreactor, quantitative RT-PCR analysis

of samples from the reseeded liver biomatrix scaffold shows a

decrease in gene expression of fetal markers and an increase

in mature hepatic markers. Functional analysis at regular time

points over 14 days in culture reveals a decrease in alpha-

fetoprotein production, increase of albumin production and

steady secretion of urea. Further metabolic data demonstrates

that cells enter the TCA cycle and are able to convert glucose

to lactate. Overall, the liver organoid that is generated using

our conditions shows potential for providing a substitution to

the gold standards for transplantation and in vitro liver

studies.

Christine Kim (Oral Biology) and Robert Tarran (Medicine)

Short Palate Lung and Nasal Epithelial Clone 1 (SPLUNC1) Dissociates and Internalizes the Epithelial

Sodium Channel (ENaC)

Objectives: The Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC) is

comprised of -, -, and -subunits and regulates sodium and water absorption across the airway epithelia. In cystic fibrosis,

hyperactive ENaC dehydrates the airway surface liquid which

results in mucus thickening and increased probability of

infection. SPLUNC1 is a negative regulator of ENaC (1).

However, the underlying mechanism of action is unknown.

Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that SPLUNC1 regulates

ENaC trafficking. Methods: HEK293 and Human bronchial

epithelial cells (HBECs) were cultured as described (1, 2).

Surface biotinylation, immunoprecipitation, and acceptor-

photobleaching fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET)

were performed as described (1, 3). Imaging was performed

using a Leica SP8 confocal microscope. p

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delivered PTX more efficiently than Taxol, and demonstrated

significantly greater cytotoxicity against 3LL-M27 cells and

MDCK WT and MDR1 as compared to Taxol. Furthermore,

incorporation of PTX into exosomes appeared to somewhat

abrogate drug efflux by Pgp; the exact mechanism behind this

phenomenon remains to be elucidated.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that this platform may

provide a novel platform for the delivery of water insoluble

chemotherapeutics to Pgp+ drug resistant cancer cells.

Jae Lee (Mathematics UNC Chapel Hill), Y. Yao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), U. Shrestha (University of

California, San Francisco), G. T. Gullberg (Lawrence

Berkeley National Laboratory), and Y. Seo (University of

California, San Francisco)

Handling Big Data in Medical Imaging: Iterative Reconstruction with Large-Scale Automated Parallel

Computation

Currently Big Data refers to datasets that are so large and

complex that it is too difficult to store, manage, analyze or

visualize within commonly available computational

architecture. For example, data produced by sequencing,

mapping, and analyzing genomes may fall into this category.

Similarly, processing and analyzing large volumes of medical

imaging data may challenge expeditious diagnosis. In

biomedical image processing using transmission or emission

tomography, a significant amount of computational time is

required in order to reconstruct a diagnostic quality image. In

myocardial imaging using radiolabeled tracers as in positron

emission tomography (PET) or single photon emitted

computed tomography (SPECT), patient motion and cardiac

motion due to cardiac beating and respiration create unwanted

artifacts in the reconstructed image. Solutions such as cardiac

and respiratory gating, dynamic acquisition techniques, list-

mode data acquisition, and reconstruction in higher

dimensions have been proposed and show significant

improvements over methods that ignore these types of

motion. However, these techniques demand unprecedented

computational time.

The primary goal of this project is to implement the iterative

statistical image reconstruction algorithm, in this case

maximum likelihood expectation maximum (MLEM) used for

dynamic cardiac single photon emission computed

tomography, on Spark/GraphX. This involves porting the

algorithm to run on large-scale parallel computing systems.

Spark is an easy-to-program software platform that can handle

large amounts of data in parallel. GraphX is a graph analytic

system running on top of Spark to handle graph and sparse

linear algebra operations in parallel. The main advantage of

implementing MLEM algorithm in Spark/GraphX is that it

allows users to parallelize such computation without any

expertise in parallel computing or prior knowledge in

computer science. In this paper we demonstrate a successful

implementation of MLEM in Spark/GraphX and present the

performance gains with the goal to eventually make it useable

in clinical setting.

Kathleen Mulvaney (Cell Biology & Physiology), Jacob

Matson (Biochemistry & Biophysics), Dennis Goldfarb

(Computer Science), Jean Cook (Biochemistry &

Biophysics), and Ben Major (Cell Biology & Physiology,

Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Elucidating the Function of MCM3 Ubiquitination by KEAP1: Crosstalk between Redox-sensing and Cell

Cycle Progression

While the KEAP1-NRF2 axis is essential for maintaining

redox homeostasis, whether KEAP1 has alternative functions

and how this pathway crosstalks with other important cellular

processes remains unknown. KEAP1 targets the NRF2

transcription factor for proteasomal degradation in a redox-

sensitive manner. KEAP1-NRF2 are frequently mutated in

cancer, most strikingly in non-small cell lung cancer, where

KEAP1 or NRF2 are mutated in 20-30% of patient tumors.

While regulation of NRF2 has long been considered the only

physiologically important role for the E3 ligase KEAP1, we

have determined that KEAP1 binds the master cell cycle

regulator, MCM3, a subunit of the hexameric DNA

replication licensing complex, MCM2-7. Strikingly, our data

establish MCM3 as a new substrate for KEAP1; however,

interestingly, KEAP1 does not regulate total cellular levels of

MCM3, rather it appears to regulate MCM3 function.

As MCM2-7 loading onto DNA is a highly coordinated

process, we tested whether KEAP1 loaded concurrently onto

DNA and indeed KEAP1 loads onto DNA in a similar cell

cycle-regulated fashion as the MCM complex, further

suggesting KEAP1 regulates the function of MCM3 on DNA.

Given the role of MCM3 in cell cycle progression, we tested

whether KEAP1 was required for normal G1 to S phase

progression and saw that loss of KEAP1 retards S phase DNA

synthesis, which is an MCM-dependent process. Intriguingly,

KEAP1 knockout cells show decreased growth and aberrant

cell cycle patterns consistent with a defect in the G1 to S

transition. Overall, these data suggest a novel function for

KEAP1 in regulating the MCM complex and cell cycle

progression. We postulate that KEAP1 promotes cell cycle

progression in a redox-sensitive manner through its

association with MCM3 and that this presents a novel

mechanism by which cells may halt cell cycle to protect DNA

from damage by reactive oxygen species. "

Matthew Powers (Undergraduate / Biology), Edgardo

Sanbria-Valentin (City University of New York), Albert

Bowers (School of Pharmacy), and Elizabeth Shank

(Microbiology and Immunology)

Inhibition of Cell Differentiation in Bacillus subtilis by Pseudomonas protegens

Interspecies interactions have been described for numerous

bacterial systems, leading to the identification of chemical

compounds that impact bacterial physiology and

differentiation such as biofilm formation. Here we identify

soil microbes that inhibit biofilm formation and sporulation in

the common soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We did so by

creating a reporter strain that fluoresces when the

transcription of a biofilm-specific gene is repressed. Using

this reporter in a co-culture screen, we identified

Pseudomonas protegens as a bacterium secreting a compound

that inhibited biofilm-formation in B. subtilis. The biofilm-

inhibiting activity produced by P. protegens was identified as

the antibiotic and antifungal molecule 2,4-

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diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG). Colonies of B. subtilis grown

adjacent to a DAPG-producing P. protegens strain had altered

colony morphologies and exhibited delayed differentiation

into biofilm-forming and sporulating cells relative to B.

subtilis colonies grown next to a DAPG-null P. protegens

strain (phlD). Using a sub-inhibitory concentration of purified

DAPG in a liquid pellicle assay, we observed similar

inhibition patterns by quantifying the gene transcription of

biofilm- and sporulation-specific genes using flow cytometry.

To confirm these transcriptional changes corresponded with

phenotypic changes, we quantified the biofilm biomass of B.

subtilis grown using crystal violet staining, and performed

spore counts to quantify the number of spores formed in

liquid cultures. B. subtilis samples that were treated with sub-

inhibitory concentrations of DAPG showed significant

reductions in both biofilm biomass and spores formed relative

to untreated samples. Our results add DAPG to the growing

list of antibiotics that have significant impacts on bacterial

development and physiology even at sub-inhibitory

concentrations. These findings also demonstrate the utility of

using co-culture as a means to uncover ecologically relevant,

chemically-mediated interspecies interactions.

Mrinalini Ramanan (Biochemistry and Biophysics), Peter

Thompson (Biochemistry and Biophysics), Lucia Stefanini

(University of Reading), Mihir Shah (Biochemistry and

Biophysics), Wolfgang Bergmeier (Biochemistry and

Biophysics), and Sharon Campbell (Biochemistry and

Biophysics)

Building the Foundation for a Novel Platelet Inhibitor: Targeting the C1 Domain of CalDAG-GEFI to Inhibit

Rap1b

The small GTPase Rap1b and and its activator, CalDAG-

GEFI, are both critical for integrin activation in platelets, a

key process in thrombosis. Consistently, deletion of CalDAG-

GEFI or Rap1B, the main Rap isoform expressed in platelets,

led to impaired platelet activation and protection from

thrombosis in mice. Importantly, thrombus formation was

also markedly impaired in mice expressing a mutant version

of CalDAG-GEFI that lacks the C1 regulatory domain. These

studies suggest the C1 regulatory domain in CalDAG-GEFI as

a novel target for antiplatelet therapy. To support the

development of this novel approach, we need a better

fundamental understanding of the contribution of the C1

domain to CalDAG-GEFI function. Hypothesis: C1 domain of

CD-GEFI critically regulates Rap1b activation through (1)

CD-GEFI membrane localization and, (2) initial Rap1b

binding for subsequent GEF activation. In Aim 1, we

investigate the role of Rap1b-C1 binding in CD-GEFI

activation. Absence of C1 domain has been shown to reduce

Rap1b activation by CD-GEFI. We propose initial recruitment

of Rap1b by C1 promotes GEF binding and activation of

Rap1b. We will delineate this mechanism by determining

nucleotide dependence of C1-Rap1b interactions, mapping

sites of interaction using protein NMR, and generating

defective C1 mutants to characterize structural changes within

each protein that ultimately promote Rap1b binding to GEF

domain. We have been able to generate HSQCs for both C1

domain and Rap1b, establishing an NMR-tractable system for

studies proposed. In parallel, we investigate the role of lipid

binding to the C1 domain for CD-GEFI membrane association

and GEF regulation in Aim 2. We propose IPL signaling to

C1 is needed for membrane localization of CD-GEFI. We

have strong preliminary data for acidic

PhosphatidylInositolPhosphates (PIP) lipids binding to the C1

domain through both dot blots as well as co-sedimentation

assays. Preliminary dot blots show C1 binds to PIP lipids, and

we were able to characterize the specificity through lipid co-

sedimentation assays using liposomes engineered to mimic

platelet membrane composition. We will confirm this in vitro

data regarding Rap1b activation through C1 binding and CD-

GEFI localization in transgenic mice that contain the mutant

forms of CD-GEFI determined by the first two aims. We

propose both C1 initial binding to Rap1b and CD-GEFI

membrane localization are physiologically relevant

phenomena. We will test the functionality and localization of

generated CD-GEFI mutants in these chimeric mice by

isolating platelets from wildtype and mutant mice for studies

comparing Rap1b and integrin activation levels, platelet

adhesion assays and subcellular localization assays to

differentiate CD-GEFI present in the cytosol vs the

membrane.

John Runge (Genetics and Molecular Biology), Jesse R.

Raab (Genetics), and Terry Magnuson (Genetics)

Defining Mechanisms of Interaction between Chromatin Remodeling Complexes

ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes

(remodelers) are highly conserved proteins that regulate

chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Recent deep-

sequencing efforts reveal that remodelers are mutated in 20%

of all human tumors. Studies show that mutation of

remodelers causes cells to undergo oncogenic transformation.

In addition, reports indicate remodelers interact throughout

the genome. This implies that mutation of a single remodeler

may initiate broad defects through the mishandling of

chromatin by other remodelers. However, the types of

interaction between remodelers have not been clearly

established. We present data describing an unstudied

functional interaction between two remodelers, SWI/SNF and

INO80, using genome-wide techniques. SWI/SNF is a well-

studied tumor suppressor and the most commonly mutated

remodeler in human cancer. In contrast, INO80 has less

defined tumorigenic roles and is not commonly mutated. By

chromatin immunoprecipitation in immortalized

hepatocellular carcinoma cells lacking remodeler mutations,

we observed a large proportion of SWI/SNF and INO80

bound sites bound by both remodelers. These co-occupied

sites occurred in the presence of subunits from both

complexes. In addition to genomic overlap between SWI/SNF

and INO80, nearly one-fifth of INO80-sites occurred in the

absence of SWI/SNF and even its own canonical subunits.

The unaffiliated INO80 peaks provide new evidence for

INO80s autonomous activities in genomic regulation. We hypothesize that SWI/SNF and INO80 cooperativity requires

the subunit BAF53A, which both complexes contain. Perhaps

BAF53A recruits both complexes in order to facilitate

combinatorial chromatin modulation. Because both SWI/SNF

and INO80 belong to a large class of ATP-Dependent

Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes, we believe our studies

serve as a proxy for interclass remodeler crosstalk, a major

topic in the field. Moreover, defining the distinct interactions

between remodelers is paramount to understanding the

consequences of remodeler mutations in cancer.

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Philip Wages (Toxicology), Katelyn S. Lavrich (Toxicology),

and James M Samet (Toxicology)

Exposure to 1,2-Naphthoquinone Induces Protein Sulfenylation in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Oxidant stress is involved in the toxicity of many xenobiotics,

including environmental electrophiles such as the diesel

exhaust component 1,2-naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ). In

addition to directly forming adducts with biomolecules, 1,2-

NQ also participates in single electron redox reactions that

generate H2O2. Sulfenylation, the H2O2-catalyzed oxidation

of cysteinyl thiols (-SH) to the sulfenic (-SOH) derivative, is a

pivotal regulatory posttranslational modification involved in

signaling. We investigated whether 1,2-NQ induced H2O2

promotes the formation of protein sulfenylation in BEAS-2B

human bronchial epithelial cells. We utilized the genetically-

encoded fluorogenic sensor HyPer to monitor H2O2 levels

and determined that a 10 min exposure to 30 uM 1,2-NQ

induced a robust increase in intracellular H2O2. Cells were

treated with 0-1000 uM 1,2-NQ for 10 min and then labeled

with dimedone, a small cell-permeable compound that

specifically and irreversibly adducts cysteinyl sulfenic groups

on proteins. Protein sulfenics were then detected in cell

protein extracts by immunoblotting using an anti-body raised

against 2-thiodimedone. BEAS-2B cells exposed to 1,2-NQ

showed a dose dependent increase in levels of sulfenylation for proteins ranging from 30 to 250 kD. Overexpression of

catalase effectively suppressed intracellular H2O2

concentrations and blunted 1,2-NQ-induced protein

sulfenylation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of

protein sulfenylation induced by exposure to an

environmentally relevant oxidant. Furthermore, this work

demonstrates the utility of protein sulfenylation as a

functional marker of xenobiotic-induced oxidative stress.

Dongfen Yuan (Pharmacy), Alexander Kabanov (Pharmacy,

M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University)

In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of Raw 264.7 Macrophages-derived Exosomes as Brain Delivery

Nanovectors

Exosomes are 40-150 nm natural membrane-bounded vesicles

that carry proteins and RNAs for intercellular communication

within an organ or at a distance. The good stability and

biocompatibility of exosomes have inspired their application

as drug delivery nanovectors. We are interested in the

potential use of exosomes derived from Raw 264.7

macrophages as brain delivery nanovectors. Herein, we report

the physical chemical properties of these exosomes, their

cellular uptake and endocytosis mechanisms within brain

endothelial cells, and brain pharmacokinetics in mice.

Raw 264.7 macrophages derived exosomes were negatively

charged spherical nanoparticles with size around 90 nm as

characterized by dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle

tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy.

Using western blot we confirmed Alix and Tsg 101, two

exosomal markers expressed in the exosomes. To study the

cellular uptake and endocytosis mechanism, exosomes were

fluorescently labeled and incubated with human brain

endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3) for flow cytometry and

confocal microscopy analysis. Exosomes were actively

internalized in a saturable manner via clathrin-/caveolin-

mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Furthermore,

exosomal internalization was associated with exosomal

surface integrin (LFA-1) and carbohydrate moieties. Upon

internalization, exosomes were sorted to endo/lysosomes and

endoplasmic reticulum. Following intravenous injection to

CD-1 mice, iodinated exosomes circulated in bloodstream as

long and stable as albumin, and entered the brain at a slow but

higher influx rate than albumin. Exosomes were mainly

distributed in liver and spleen followed by lung and kidney.

In conclusion, Raw 264.7 macrophages derived exosomes had

appropriate size and charge as drug delivery nanovectors.

They were actively internalized and interacted with brain

endothelial cells via carbohydrate and integrin associated

pathways. The long serum circulation, peripheral stability,

and permeability at the BBB present the potential of

macrophages derived exosomes as natural nanovectors to

deliver therapeutics for treatment of brain diseases.

Adam Engel (English & Comparative Literature)

Delicate Daemon: The Tortured Hybrid in Ted Hughes' Crow

Incisive claws and talons, anguished shrieks, and bodily

decay, expressed in direct, unflinching language, mark the

poetry of Ted Hughes, British laureate from 1984-98 and

infamous husband to Sylvia Plath. Hughes concern with human natures animalistic side is especially evident in Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow. For Hughes, animal

violence is bound to spirituality: using language, Hughes

endeavors not only to communicate the violent experiences in

Judeo-Christian mythology, but also to remember the

traumatic history of the twentieth century. To accomplish this,

Hughes uses non-linguistic devices such as sound, space, and

illustration to broaden his poetrys potential meaning. Hughes reimagines artist and poet William Blake's affirmation of the

need for both chaotic energy and restrained reason in artwork;

he translates this project into twentieth-century terms,

replacing Blakes separate portrayals of heaven and hell with a poetic landscape at once mythically abstract and realistically

material. Hughes fusion of forms mimics his blending of semantic language, that which logically represents specific

objects, and extra-semantic expression, that which

communicates experience that cannot be rendered using such

language. By fusing these forms and modes of expression,

Hughes draws attention to the poems role as daemonfor the Greeks, a mediator between humanity and divinity, but for

the modern poet, a conduit between the poets most intimate, troubling experiences and the reader who encounters them in

writing. For Hughes, the act of writing poetry has the

therapeutic potential to help people share violent experiences

impossible to express in everyday language.

Haley Smyser (Undergraduate / Communication Studies)

Scared Straight: Propagandistic Fear Tactics in Anti-Smoking Advertisements

Anti-Smoking advertisements have been in the public eye for

years and are known for using a variety of tactics, specifically

appeals to fear, in order to present viewers with the harms of

this addiction and scare them into stopping smoking or not starting at all. My paper focuses specifically on the FDAs The Real Cost advertising campaign and how their fear

Humanities

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tactics can be seen as an unethical, propagandistic means of

persuasion. These advertisements can be read as propaganda

because they use the assumed universality of anti-smoking

sentiments to allow for any means of persuasion including threatening, disgusting, and frightening language or images that force an audience to accept the proposed belief system.

The intended audience is teen smokers, as the commercials prevalently shown online and on popular television networks

demonstrate a dramatized immediacy of certain side effects of smoking, such as tooth decay and wrinkles. The

disgustingly shocking qualities of the commercial are

certainly effective; however, the ethics of using fear as a

persuasive tactic is questionable. While anti-smoking

advertisements are generally viewed as a universally agreed-

upon beacon of public health, the extreme fear tactics that I

examine in this campaign, as in others, can be seen as forms

of propaganda. Can fear tactics such as these be justified

because they are used in social marketing advertisements for a health benefit or greater good? Even the usage of the

phrase greater good to justify why a health-related appeal to fear is acceptable insinuates something mildly propagandistic

about this advertising campaign. Where is the line drawn?

When does persuasion using fear tactics to convince

audiences become fear tactics being used to forcibly make

others accept a common ideology? This paper argues that,

although promoting a higher societal good, social marketing

campaigns, like the FDAs anti-smoking The Real Truth commercials, are less effective and ethical due to the

propagandistic nature of fear appeals as a persuasive tactic.

George Allen (Geological Sciences) and Tamlin Pavelsky

(Geological Sciences)

Estimating the Surface Area of Rivers and Streams across Continents

Rivers are hotspots for greenhouse gas emission to the

atmosphere. The surface area of rivers is a primary control on

gaseous efflux and is used to estimate global evasion rates.

Traditional evaluations of river surface area rely on: 1)

downstream hydraulic geometry, which relates river width to

upstream drainage area; 2) extrapolation of river width and

length from large to small river basins using Horton ratios;

and 3) empirical relationships between climate and percentage

water cover. Here we present progress on the satellite-derived

Global River Width from Landsat (GRWL) data set, the first

fine-resolution global river width database. GRWL contain

over 910 million meters of North American, South American,

and African rivers wider than 30 meters at mean annual

discharge. We use GRWL to directly quantify the surface area

of all rivers wider than 100 m in three continents and then we

use the strong statistical relationship between river width and

surface area to estimate the total surface area of all rivers and

streams wider than 1.61.1 meter. We find that the surface

area of streams and rivers is greater than previous estimates,

which rely on less direct methods of applying scaling laws on

topographic data. Our estimation of river surface area

indicates that present evaluations of gaseous emissions from

rivers to the atmosphere should likely be revised upwards.

John Paul Balmonte (Marine Sciences) and Carol Arnosti

(Marine Sciences)

New Insights into the Organic Matter-degrading Capabilities of Arctic Ocean Microbial Communities

Rapid decrease in Arctic sea-ice cover is expected to alter

many aspects of Arctic ecosystems. Alterations in carbon

cycling, in part due to changes in productivity, are likely to

ensue. The central role of microbes in the global carbon cycle

as well as their sensitivity to subtle variations in

environmental conditions suggests a probable change in

microbially-driven processes as well. Despite the crucial role

of microbes in carbon cycling, however, we lack fundamental

knowledge about key processes to precisely determine how

microbial communities will respond to the shifting Arctic

ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the organic matter-

degrading capabilities of natural microbial communities from

high Arctic regions subjected to different sea-ice regimes,

from open water to fully ice-covered. We used a suite of

peptide and polysaccharide substrateswhich represent natural compounds found in marine dissolved organic matter

poolsto investigate substrate utilization patterns of bulk seawater and particle-associated microbial communities. We

find that Arctic microbial communities are capable of

utilizing a wide range of structurally-diverse peptide and

polysaccharide substrates. The spectrum of utilized

polysaccharide substrates are more similar in geographically-

near regions, indicating that biogeographical patterns in

polysaccharide degradation capabilities of microbial

communities exist. In addition, total hydrolysis rates of

peptide substrates are higher in open water and partially-ice

covered regions, and dramatically lower in the fully ice-

covered stations, suggesting a link between peptide hydrolysis

rate and sea-ice cover. These measurements of microbial

heterotrophic activity are among the first in the Central

Arctic, and provide a baseline for future comparisons in

studies of microbial activity and functionality in light of a

changing Arctic.

Nicholas Battista (Mathematics), Andrea Lane (Biostats),

John Cruickshank (Biology), and Laura Miller (Mathematics)

Hemodynamics in Heart Morphogenesis

Hematocrit first appears in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic

hearts around 25 hpf, while ventricular trabeculae form later

at 72 hpf, for Womersley Numbers (Wo) on the order of 0.1.

Effects of trabeculae and hematocrit in this flow regime is not

well understood. Dynamic processes, such as vortex

formation, are important in the generation of shear at the

endothelial surface layer and strains at the epithelial layer,

which aid in proper morphology and functionality. In this

study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to

quantify the effects of Wo, idealized trabeculation geometry,

and hematocrit on the resulting hemodynamics.

Ryan Beauchemin (Undergraduate / Physics and

Astronomy),

A New Method for Measuring Kinematic Inclinations of Galaxies in the RESOLVE Survey

A galaxy's inclination is the angle at which we view it relative

to the plane of its disk. The distribution of inclinations in any

area in the sky should be completely random in an isotropic

universe. Surprisingly, we find that this is not the case for

Natural Sciences

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photometric inclinations (those which are easily derived from

the projected shape of the galaxy). We have compared

photometric inclinations with a more accurate method,

kinematic inclinations, which are derived from the

distribution of Doppler shifted velocities in the galaxy as

measured by UNC's 4.1m SOAR telescope and Goodman

spectrograph. We also compare results from two different

codes for measuring kinematic inclinations: one of which

takes a number of points in multiple annuli and fits based on

the averages of velocities within those annuli and the other of

which uses all data points simultaneously. We quantify the

differences between the two fitting methods to determine the

success of their application as a function of galaxy size and

shape.

Raymond Blackwell (Undergraduate / Chemistry) and Tessa

Carducci (Chemistry)

Electron Exchanges in Films of Ferrocenated Au Nanoclusters

Developing a deeper understanding of nanoparticles is crucial

for understanding their application. The properties of

nanoparticles vary greatly with size. Au monolayer protected

clusters exhibit a wide range of properties. The smallest

MPCs (Au25) exhibit molecule-like HOMO-LUMO gaps,

while larger MPCs (Au144 and Au225) display other

electrochemical properties. Electron transfer (ET) in dry,

solid-state films of small ( < 2 nm), monodisperse, mixed-

valent Au monolayer protected clusters (MPCs) that contain

at least one ferrocene [Fc1+/0] redox species will be

discussed in this talk. It has been observed that electron

exchanges are charge and core size dependent over a range of

temperatures for monodisperse films of non-ferrocenated

Au144 and Au25. Below 77 K, the ET rate displays non-

Arrhenius behavior and becomes temperature-independent

signifying that the ET is almost exclusively tunneling. The

temperature independent ET rates follow the same general

trend as the ET rates at ambient temperature: Au225 > Au144

> Au25. Using a liquid nitrogen cryostat, ET rates of

AuFc1+/0 MPC films on IDA electrodes can be measured and

compare to ET rates of Au MPC films. Although the ET in

mixed-valent ferrocene materials is typically facile, the

presence of Fc1+/0 in the organothiolate shells of Au MPCs

causes a decrease in the ET between MPCs. Like non-

ferrocenated Au MPCs; the ET rate of ferrocenated Au MPCs

eventually becomes temperature independent, revealing that

the ET process is primarily tunneling. The trend in ET rates is

identical to the trend seen in non-ferrocenated Au MPCs, but

the ET rate is lower. Forcing ET to occur through the

[Fc1+/0] redox couple, as opposed to the MPCs core, appears to drive ET towards tunneling. Very little change is observed

in the activation energy barrier when ferrocenated ligands are

present, as activation energy seems to be determined by core

size.

Kelsey Ellisq (Marine Sciences), Natalie Cohen (Marine

Sciences), and Adrian Marchetti (Marine Sciences)

Vitamin B12 Requirements within Bloom-forming Diatoms

Take one breath and exhale. Believe it or not, half the oxygen

in every breath comes from marine phytoplankton. Though

you cant see these floating, single-celled organisms with the naked eye, they are crucial to life on Earth. All phytoplankton

are single-celled, but they come in shapes and sizes that range

from ridged spheres to spiny cubes. Over 100,000 species

have been discovered, begging the questionhow does such diversity flourish? Unraveling this mystery requires an

exploration of the nutrients these cells require to grow.

I research a type of phytoplankton called diatoms, and

examine why some species are able to grow without the

nutrient vitamin B12 while others are not. I look both at how

the vitamin affects their growth and how, at the DNA level,

certain diatoms have retained a gene called MetE that allow

them to survive without B12. My findings can give us insight

into how phytoplankton diversity, and subsequent changes in

biogeochemical cycling, can be altered by variations in

vitamin B12 in the ocean.

Mejs Hasan (Geology)

A Story of Fluvial Geomorphology on the Indus River

The Indus River in Pakistan has been engineered for human

needs since the Sukkur Barrage was built in 1936, followed

by dams and reservoirs along all the major channels. Since the

1980s, however, increasing water demand for agricultural

irrigation has led to small dams on narrow rivers. By

restricting water flow, dams allow vegetation to grow on

formerly submerged lands, leading to rivers narrowing

downstream. I used a series of 30 Landsat 5 TM images from

1999-2000, and then again from 2008 to 2011, to study the

downstream effects of five dams built on tributaries during

the mid-2000s just south and east of where the Indus River

begins its descent from the Hindu Kush mountains. The width

of the tributaries was approximated by measuring downstream

river surface area before and after the dams were built. River

surface area can be quantified by a ratio of green and short-

wave infrared light bands provided by Landsat imagery.

Results showed that although the emergence of the dams

themselves are clearly captured by satellite, the rivers

downstream are too narrow both pre- and post- dam to be

evident on medium-resolution imagery. Thus, changes in river

width cannot be detected. However, the images do depict

shifts in surface area of the reservoirs over the dry and rainy

seasons. Furthermore, a large flood which submerged 20% of

Pakistan in August 2010 led to a lingering elevated water

effect on three out of five dams. This raises important

questions for a country classified as amongt the most water-

scarce on Earth, and how reservoir strategy can be improved

to capture more flood and monsoon rainwater for later use.

Carly Moreno (Marine Sciences)

Investigating the transcriptomes of seven Southern Ocean diatoms

Iron and light have been identified as the two principle abiotic

factors that influence diatom growth and distribution in the

Southern Ocean. Although an understanding of the

environmental controls and physiological response of diatoms

have increased, there are few studies that have investigated

the molecular underpinnings for distinct physiological

responses of polar diatoms to iron and light limitation. The

main objective of this study is to identify the molecular

mechanisms for the physiological responses of Southern

Ocean diatoms to variable light and iron conditions using

transcriptomics. Through transcriptomics, the presence of

significant genes and metabolic pathways that are responsive

to iron and/or light in eight polar diatoms in the Western

Antarctic Peninsula region (WAP) will be elucidated. The

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WAP is particularly relevant because it is experiencing rapid

climate change and declining sea ice extent and duration,

resulting in shifting phytoplankton distribution, food web

processes, and decreased productivity.

I have recently isolated three species of polar pennate diatoms

and six centric diatoms from the WAP region for which I will

analyze their growth characteristics and transcriptomes. I am

particularly interested in protein-encoding genes and

metabolic pathways that are affected by variable iron and

light, which can provide the molecular basis for distinct iron-

limitation and photoacclimation responses. By evaluating how

iron and light regulate diatom growth and distribution in the

Southern Ocean, a better understanding of the physiological

responses to these limiting factors will be obtained which will

improve models of NCP and global ocean biogeochemistry.

Evan Reynolds (Chemistry)

Superiority through Selectivity: Unnatural Cofactors and the Enzymes that bind them

Nature uses cofactors to expand the chemical functionality of

proteins beyond that of the amino acids which make up the

polypeptide chain. Heme is an especially versatile cofactor in

nature, having functions in oxygen transport, mitochondrial

respiration, cell signaling, and oxidation catalysis. In all of

these roles, the heme cofactor supplies activity, while the

protein environment controls selectivity towards a specific

purpose. This concept has been utilized by protein engineers

to tune the protein environment towards a specific

application, while maintaining the activity provided by the

heme cofactor. In this way, heme proteins have been

engineered as catalysts for unnatural reactions such as

cyclopropanation a valuable reaction in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and also, as useful contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for detection of

neurotransmitters in the brain. Although the heme cofactor

provides the activity for these applications, it also limits how

far we can go in utilizing enzymes for these purposes. The

goal of my research is to develop unnatural heme derivatives

that expand the chemistry of these enzymes even further,

allowing us to push past the limits nature has imposed. By

engineering proteins that selectively bind and utilize unnatural

heme cofactors, we can efficiently introduce new activity to

proteins in vivo. Towards this goal I have developed a series

of synthetic heme derivatives with an altered porphyrin

scaffold and/or different metal center. These synthetic

modifications allow the properties of the cofactor to be tuned,

and also serve as a handle around which we can design the

enzyme for selective binding of the synthetic cofactor. The

synthetic cofactors I have developed display improved

activity relative to heme in unnatural cyclopropanation

reactions. In this way, we are now overcoming the barriers

imposed by nature to create more useful enzymatic catalysts

and bioimaging agents.

Chung-Nan Tzou (Mathematics), Roberto Camassa

(Mathematics), Zhi. Lin (Mathematics), Richard M.

McLaughlin (Mathematics), Keith Mertens (Mathematics),

James Walsh (Mathematics), and Brian White (Marine

Sciences)

Optimal Mixing of Buoyant Jets and Plumes in Stratified Fluids: Theory and Experiments

The influence of ambient fluid stratification on buoyant

miscible jets and plumes is studied theoretically and

experimentally. Given a fixed set of jet/plume parameters, and

an ambient fluid stratification sandwiched between top and

bottom homogenous densities, a theoretical criterion is

identified showing how step-like density profiles constitute

the most effective mixers within a broad class of stable

density transitions. This is assessed both analytically and

experimentally, respectively by establishing rigorous a priori

estimates on generalized Morton-Taylor-Turner (MTT)

(Morton et al. 1956; Fischer et al. 1979) models, and by

studying a critical phenomenon determined by the distance

between the jet/plume release height with respect to the depth

of the ambient density transition. For fluid released

sufficiently close to the background density transition, the

buoyant jet fluid escapes and rises indefinitely. For fluid

released at locations lower than a critical depth, the buoyant

fluid stops rising and is trapped indefinitely. A mathematical

formulation providing rigorous estimates on MTT models is

developed along with nonlinear jump conditions and an exact

critical-depth formula in good quantitative agreement with the

experiments. Our mathematical analysis provides rigorous

justification for the critical trapping/escaping criteria, first

presented in Caulfied and Woods (1998), within a class of

algebraic density decay rates. Further, the analysis uncovers

surprising differences between the Gaussian and Top-hat

profile closures concerning initial mixing of the jet and

ambient fluid.

Jen Boehm (Linguistics)

A Phonetic Analysis of S'gaw Karen Dialects Among Refugees in North Carolina

This study provides the first acoustic analysis of the different

varieties of Sgaw Karen, an understudied language spoken by Karen refugees from Burma. Since 2005, approximately

5,000 Burmese refugees have settled in North Carolina (U.S.

Office of Refugee Resettlement, 2012). The Karen make up

the largest group of Burmese refugees, with 1,000 Karen

people currently living in Orange County alone (Parsons,

2013). Sgaw Karen is the lingua franca of the Karen, and it has been difficult to study in the past due to the turbulent

political and social climate in Burma. Sgaw Karen is still widely understudied and faces endangerment among younger

generations within the refugee community, making its

documentation a matter of urgency. Since North Carolina has

the most Karen refugees in the U.S., this study takes

advantage of a unique opportunity to analyze data from

multiple Sgaw Karen speakers from different regions in Burma (Office of Refugee Resettlement, 2012).

Past studies of Sgaw Karen have focused on data collected from only one or two speakers. These studies paint very

different pictures of the phonetic characteristics of the

language. For example, different authors have claimed that

Sgaw Karen has anywhere from three to six tones (Jones, 1961; Lar, 2001; Fischer, 2013). This study analyzes speech

data from multiple speakers of Sgaw Karen from different areas of Burma, giving a more complete analysis of the

language as a whole as well as enabling the comparison of

different varieties of the language. Ongoing data collection

Social Sciences

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has thus far yielded results that show the presence of at least

two distinct varieties of Sgaw Karen in North Carolina. These varieties differ mainly in tone as well as their

distribution of fricatives and affricates. Results from this

study provide the first acoustic analysis of different varieties

of a previously inaccessible language.

Moira Johnson (Sociology)

Personal Control Level and Change as Predictors of Inflammatory Markers

Biological mechanisms linking individual sense of control to

physical health outcomes remain understudied. Existing

research shows that social status predicts individuals sense of personal control. Findings also show that personal control

both mediates and moderates the association between

socioeconomic status and morbidity and longevity. Current

research offers reason to expect that chronic low-grade

inflammation may account for some of the link between sense

of control and morbidity. To better understand why and how

personal control affects patterns of health disparities I will

evaluate whether level and change in the sense of control

predict three biomarkers of inflammation using data from the

Midlife in US Study.

Life expectancy and other key health outcomes vary greatly

by socioeconomic status. Greater exposure to stress-inducing

circumstances and environments heighten the risk of chronic

stress-related illness and increase the likelihood of premature

death among those with fewer socioeconomic resources.

However, psychosocial resources such as the internal sense of

control, or the belief in ones ability to exert an influence over important aspects of life, have been found to buffer against

the negative health outcomes associated with low

socioeconomic status. Yet the links between psychosocial

resources and biological processes have only just begun to be

studied in detail. Personal control likely impacts health by

altering the likelihood that people will avoid and/or

effectively cope with chronic and acute stressors. If so,

personal control should predict low-grade inflammation, a

biological symptom of immune dysregulation resulting from

repeated or enduring stress activation. This project will add to

the existing literature on personal control and health by

providing preliminary evidence on the extent to which

personal control 'gets under the skin' to affect inflammatory

response in middle age. Findings will provide a better

understanding of how personal control operates as a resource

for resilience at the biological level.

Jim Kuras (Geography)

Pregnant at Gezi Park: Disrupting Public Space Through Embodied Performance

Feminist scholars argue that pregnant bodies have the

potential to disrupt public spaces. This potential is magnified

at the site of a political protest. This paper examines how

images of pregnant protesters were used during the Gezi Park

protests in Turkey during the summer of 2013. The events

began as a small, peaceful environmental demonstration

aimed at protecting a public park. A heavy-handed police

response to this initial group was well documented on social

media. Outrage over the police violence resulted in the rapid

expansion of the movement, which would become the largest

uprising the country had seen in decades and a site for voicing

a broad spectrum of grievances. Images of pregnancy at Gezi

Park directly critiqued the pronatalist policies of the ruling

AKP government. Recep Tayyip Erdogan (prime minister at

the time of the protests and current president) had for years

famously repeated that it was the patriotic duty of every

Turkish woman to produce at least three children. The images

responding to this rhetoric, by simultaneously answering this

call to reproduce and rejecting the policies of the AKP, also

contribute to wider discourse on nationalism and identity in

contemporary Turkey.This research employs visual culture

methodologies to explore the messages and meanings of

several of these images. I use a feminist geographical lens for

discussing how the images inform viewers on embodiment,

access to public space, nationalism, and democratic

citizenship. These issues remain relevant for daily life in

Turkey, where republican history and revisionist

contemporary governance continue to complicate social and

political landscapes.

Jackie Lawrence (Education)

Exploring the Relationship between Cyberbullying and Targeted Threats of Violence in our High Schools

Technology is increasingly accessible to todays adolescents, with 95% of teens online at home, and 74% accessing the

internet right from their personal cell phones (Hinduja &

Patchin, 2014). Although the benefits of technology in

education throughout the years have been vast, some negative

side effects have been a point of discussion as well. For

instance, cyberbullying among adolescents has become a

valid concern. Cyberbullying is defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell

phones, and other electronic devices (Hinduja & Patchin, 2014) by intentionally sending or posting damaging or cruel

texts or images (Fredrick, 2009). Hinduja & Patchin (2012)

report cyberbullying rates as high as 24% in students. Of

major concern is that in 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the

1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied (U.S.

Department of Health & Human Services, 2014) and since the

devastation that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School

in Newtown, Connecticut in December, 2012, there have been

at least 86 more shootings in schools throughout the United

States (Everytown for Gun Safety, 2014). These numbers not

only underline the urgency tha