2020 Wiggins Memorial Library Academic Symposium

I am studying anxiety and depression in collegiate athletes, to find a way to break the stigma behind anxiety and depression issues in student athletes. Student athletes are a group that are overlooked when discussing mental health in college-aged people. This presentation will begin discussing what Sport Psychologists do to address the stigma and what a liberal arts university is doing within their athletic programs to destigmatize anxiety and depression in student athletes.

This project aids in providing African wildlife with adequate fresh water supply. Through monitoring the population of elephants in a friendly and non-violent manner, this project is improving the development and supply of clean water in southern Africa.

Amantadine is being used in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to treat symptoms of hyperactivity and irritability in children who do not respond to initial medication management. Amantadine is thought to work by preventing glutamate excitation and increasing dopamine. A 12-year-old male (36.2kg) with ADHD and ASD presented to Duke Children’s Hospital with tremulousness, altered mental status, hallucinations, increased seizure frequency and an elevated serum creatinine. This was his second admission for similar symptoms in a period of two weeks. Upon tapering off amantadine therapy, tremors and hallucinations resolved.

Thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes have been explored for their ability to produce alpha-hydroxy ketones with high levels of enantioselectivity. Less explored, however, is the ability of these enzymes to control the configuration about multiple chiral centers. This project focuses on developing an enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic substrates to produce alpha-hydroxy ketones with high enantio- and diastereoselectivity and high yield. We have successfully synthesized the substrates, with characterization of the enzymes in these reactions forthcoming. This work will provide an efficient and green approach to synthesize valuable alpha-hydroxy ketone products as precursors to pharmaceuticals and other important molecules.

A pre-filled heparin sodium intravenous (IV) product is packed in disposable plastic bags made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) using up to 30-35% Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) as plasticizer. An HPLC-MS method and LLE extraction method have been developed for determination of trace amounts of DEHP in IV solutions. Evaluation of DEHP leachable in the heparin IV product at normal storage conditions and at elevated temperature for different periods of time is ongoing to confirm that DEHP release in the heparin product does not exceed the stated 5 ppm limit, as DEHP is a chemical with severe adverse health effects.

Nanotechnology is novel drug delivery systems used for efficient and targeted delivery of drugs. Nanoparticles are colloidal in nature and in fall in the size range of 10-1000nm.Natural polymers like xyloglucan can be used for formulation of nanoparticles using ionic gelation technique. The hydrophilicity of xyloglucan decreases the opsonization of nanoparticles in systemic circulation. This technique can be used to formulate nanoparticles of BCS class III and class IV drugs and help improve their permeability and solubility. The formulated nanoparticles will be characterized by Zetasizer, X-Ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy.
Key words- Nanoparticles, Xyloglucan.

Keen on Hygiene is a project that was started by group of Campbell students in 2018 and taken over by Makayla Brewington in 2019. The program's focus was empowering the youth with oral hygiene. The program is now collecting and distributing all types of hygiene products to impoverished schools, in order to help create the best learning environment for students. KOH has served over 50 students at Dunn Middle School by providing deodorant, soap, feminine and oral hygiene products. Keen on Hygiene's mission is to help students stay focused on learning and avoid unnecessary stress surrounding cleanliness.

In the body, cells that are not required are destroyed by a highly regulated cell suicide mechanism known as apoptosis. Apoptosis is regulated via many protein kinases, including protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. We, therefore, hypothesize that activation of a novel (δ, ε, µ, θ, and ɳ) PKC family members causes apoptosis in megakaryocytic CMK11-5 cells. We will study apoptosis in CMK11-5 cells by Western blotting, flow cytometry, and the DNA ladder method. Preliminary results show there is no change in apoptosis when cells are treated with Gӧ6976 (a PKCα/PKCβ inhibitor) and suggest that PKC isoforms other than PKCα and PKCβ are responsible for apoptosis.

Though Yo-yos are believed to have been invented around 500 B.C, their manufacturing in the United States began in the 1920s. Yo-yos can be manufactured from many different materials, including woods, plastics, and metal alloys. Precision in size and weight of the parts are crucial to maintain balance and increased sleeping time. We analyzed the T5 Overlord Yo-yo manufactured by MagicYoYo