Oral Sessions

The COVID-19 pandemic has continued since 2020 because of the emergence of the multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns (VOC) giving rise to different transmissibility, infectivity, and lethality. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the newly evolved Omicron as SARS-CoV-2 VOC on 26th November 2021 because of its high transmissibility, capable of evading the immunity developed from either vaccination or naturally developing from previous infections or antibody-drug therapies. Monitoring of the COVID-19 infection in the community through wastewater surveillance was reported last year in multiple articles, and recently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the USA adopted this method for monitoring the COVID-19 infection pattern throughout the country aiming to prevent outbreaks through quick administrative response. In this study, we aimed to ascertain the first appearance of the Omicron variants at the Mecklenburg County area and how these variants outcompeted other strains over time by analyzing wastewater samples collected from different residence halls from UNC Charlotte and nearby wastewater treatment plant (Mallard Creek). We applied Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) technology to detect and quantify Omicron variants using three different mutation assays targeting the S gene (N764K and N856K) as well as N gene (Del 31-33). First, we determined the specificity of the three assays to detect Omicron accurately in a controlled study containing Omicron and Delta positives. Both N764K and N856K showed specificity in detecting the Omicron variant. Using these two assays, we first detected the Omicron variant on the 19th November 2021 from the wastewater sample which is earlier than the first clinical detection on 3rd December 2021 at Mecklenburg county. After this point, we have detected this variant in multiple samples throughout December 2021. During the month of January 2022, the prevalence of the Omicron variant outcompeted all other variants. This surveillance method for the variant analysis can give a real-time transmission dynamic of the Omicron variant which can help the administration to take quick necessary public interventions such as awareness, preparedness, and control measures.

There are many air pollutants in the air such as CO2, P.M.2.5 that are harmful to human beings and cause different health issues. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are one of the pollutants that impact indoor air quality, leading to many adverse health effects such as Asthma, and other breathing issues. Most of the VOCs are harmful and carcinogenic which can cause cancer in human beings. These compounds are also one of the reasons for the generation of ground-level ozone. These compounds are usually emitted by indoor sources like disinfectants, insecticides, and building materials including wall paint, varnishes, and many more. As human beings spend 90% of their time indoors, it is necessary to maintain good indoor air quality by reducing harmful VOCs. Bad indoor air quality in the building also causes Sick Building Syndrome. Sick Building Syndrome is a situation where occupants of the building suffer from acute health and comfort issues that are linked to the time spent and off-gassing materials in a certain building. Photocatalysis is one way to remove the VOCs in the air. A photocatalytic compound TiO₂ is activated in presence of UV light and breaks down VOCs in the air. The more the surface area is covered with TiO₂ and in contact with sunlight, the more effective it removes VOCs. Therefore, we propose a photocatalytic façade system to reduce the indoor VOCs. The building façade, a building envelope between indoor and outdoor environments, is in direct contact with sunlight and interior space. Therefore, it can serve as a prime location to implement TiO₂ photocatalytic façade and remove VOCs. The façade configuration studied in this paper was chosen as a tetrahedron geometry to increase more surface area for coating TiO₂ under a unit air volume. A lab experiment was carried out to test the photocatalytic reduction of VOCs emitted by indoor sources using an air-tight chamber. This airtight chamber was made from transparent acrylic box that contained a TiO2 coated 3d printed façade panel of 1’ x 1’. The source of indoor VOCs was from commonly found products like hand sanitizer or glue in front of façade . The chamber also has a CPU fan to distribute the VOC air inside the chamber. TVOC (Total VOC) sensor recorded the VOCs intensity generated by the sources. This chamber box was kept in the sunlight and the UV sensor recorded the intensity of UV light coming from the sun. This box was first covered by black cloth to avoid any light falling on the façade panel to avoid activation of TiO2. Then after some time the black cloth was be removed for activating the TiO2 in presence of the UV spectrum of sunlight. Our result indicated that, when the TiO2 façade panel was covered with the cloth, the VOC intensity in the chamber was increasing, but when the façade panel was exposed to the UV light, the VOCs level inside of the chamber reduced.

Background: Osteomyelitis is a serious bacterial infection of bone that is associated with progressive inflammatory tissue damage. Staphylococcus aureus is the principal causative agent of osteomyelitis and can enter bone via the bloodstream or surrounding tissues following injury or surgery resulting in disease that is often refractory to therapies such as debridement or antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, the increasing incidence of infections associated with antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus has compounded this problem such that new treatment strategies are needed urgently. Osteoblasts can be invaded by S. aureus and serve as an intracellular bacterial reservoir for chronic infection. However, this infection can be perceived by osteoblasts via an array of microbial pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). As such, infected osteoblasts play an important role in the abnormal bone formation and inflammatory damage associated with S. aureus infection. IFN-β is released by leukocytes in the presence of pathogens and has been shown to negatively impact intracellular bacterial growth. However, it is unclear whether such production is beneficial or detrimental due to their complex roles in the regulation of immune and tissue homeostasis. Methods: We have used RNASeq analysis was employed to assess transcriptome expression in isolated primary murine osteoblasts. We have assessed the time and dose-dependent production of type-I interferons by murine osteoblasts following infection with S. aureus by specific capture ELISA. Furthermore, we have assessed the level of expression of various interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) in osteoblasts following S. aureus infection by immunoblot analysis. Finally, in on-going experiments we are assessing the effect of the STAT1 inhibitor, fludarabine, on interferon stimulated gene protein expression. Results: Our RNAseq analysis revealed an upregulation in the expression of the type-I interferon, IFN- β, as well as the ISGs, IFIT1, IFIT3, PLSCR1, SLFN2, IFI205, and IRGM2, that encode products that can confer protection to cells following infection, in S. aureus-challenged osteoblasts. Finally, Murine osteoblasts display elevated levels of IFN-β and IFIT1 protein expression following S. aureus infection in both a time- and dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Together, these data indicate that osteoblasts produce type-I IFNs following infection with S. aureus and demonstrate altered expression of key ISGs. In the present study, we have determined whether infected osteoblasts respond to S. aureus with the production of type-I interferons and/or their stimulated gene products. It remains to be determined whether such responses function to limit bacterial burden or, rather, exacerbate the inflammatory bone damage associated with osteomyelitis.

Software defined networking (SDN) has provided researchers and IT practitioners the ability to rethink how we architect computing infrastructure, manage computer networks, and introduce new network functionality. Advancements in packet programming, automated solvers and open networking operating systems allow for more robust and resilient computer networks that can dynamically manage traffic and resolve configuration conflicts and policy errors. Network security researchers continue to improve on the standard architecture that relies on varying firewall solutions for perimeter defense, security information and event management (SIEM) applications to aggregate network events and network access control (NAC) solutions to fill in the security gaps of internal network security. In this paper, we look at recent advancements of foundational networking paradigms and propose an alternative for deploying security functionality, traditionally seen at the edge of the networks, to network switches within the entire network. We attempt to show how this model will increase security and information gathering efficiency.

Students who do not have a sense of belonging in the classroom are more likely to become disheartened and give up when faced with new challenges. Furthermore, with the sudden growth of remote learning due to COVID-19, it may be even more difficult for students to build those necessary connections with others in the course. We propose a recommendation system to suggest solutions to students' challenges. This system aims to help foster a sense of belonging by showing students that they are not alone in their challenges. This pilot system utilizes students' reflections from previous semesters to generate recommendations for current students. Students were asked to reflect on their learning challenges and potential solutions in a course. The system uses sentence transformers, a machine learning method to convert text to vectors, and cosine similarity to calculate the similarity between the challenges of current and prior students. A current student is then recommended solutions written by previous students who had the most similar challenges. The system used a dataset of 186 previous students from the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters of a software engineering course with a total of 1,199 anonymous student responses. To evaluate the system, we ask participating students to complete a survey before and after reviewing their recommendations to measure their sense of belonging. Various belonging factors were measured, such as membership, affect, acceptance, trust, and seclusion. The post-survey also asked participants to rate the recommendations received. We performed this study in a software engineering course in the summer semester of 2021. A total of 16 students responded to both of the surveys. Results showed that participants rated 70% of the recommended solutions as useful. The comparison of students' belonging before and after use of the system suggests an increase in their sense of membership and acceptance and a decrease in the desire to withdraw. Research has shown that self-reflection in the classroom encourages students to think deeply about their learning experiences and benefit both the learners and instructors. This system can then allow reflections to help future learners by recommending solutions and increasing students' sense of belonging through sharing experiences.

Across the globe, numerous languages are in jeopardy and approximately 37% of the world’s languages are no longer sustainably passed from one generation to the next. Indigenous languages in the United States are also in jeopardy. The situation dire among the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation in western North Carolina, where less than two percent (250) of the 13,000-member Eastern Band are fluent Cherokee speakers. Efforts to revitalize Cherokee in both North Carolina and Oklahoma have included offering Cherokee language instruction at the university-level, in local community centers and churches, and in K-12 classrooms. These efforts, however, have been hampered by the lack of qualified teachers. Many Cherokee teachers are neither fluent in the language, nor trained in language teaching pedagogy. Exacerbating the challenge of finding qualified teachers is the lack of preparation programs. Only Northeastern State University (2020) in Oklahoma offers a bachelor's degree in Cherokee Education and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2020) recently launched a graduate certificate program that leads to a K-12 license to teach Cherokee. While these efforts represent significant steps in revitalizing the language, little is known about these programs and the extent they prepare teachers to teach such a unique language. In response, we are conducting a year-long case study, involving multiple data sources, to chronicle the experiences of a Cherokee teacher in North Carolina as he completes his teacher licensure program in a graduate program aimed at supporting Cherokee language renewal via the preparation of qualified teachers. This approach will help us understand the extent to which a graduate program designed to prepare teachers of a variety of different modern and widely spoken languages (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, French) is able to prepare someone to teach an endangered language spoken by very few people. The first interview occurred in Spring 2021, while the participant was completing coursework, in an effort to better understand the extent the program meets the needs of this Cherokee teacher. The second, (Fall 2021) coincided with his student teaching internship and explored the extent program coursework prepared him for this culminating student teaching experience and the high-stakes licensure assessments that come with it. The final interview will take place after completion of the licensure program and while the participant is serving as a licensed Cherokee teacher to investigate the extent the program prepared him. We are especially interested in the candidate’s view on how the program prepared him pedagogically, and how it could better support future Cherokee teachers. The interviews will be complemented by other data, such as three classroom teaching observations and candidate assessments. Specifically, we will analyze the Cherokee teacher’s performance on a performance-based assessment that is spreading across the country and required of all new teachers in North Carolina (edTPA) as well as his performance on a valid, reliable, and widely used classroom observation instrument (C-PAST).

Background: Osteomyelitis is a serious bacterial infection of bone that is associated with progressive inflammatory tissue damage. Staphylococcus aureus is the principal causative agent of osteomyelitis and can enter bone following injury or surgery resulting in disease where treatment is often refractory. The increasing incidence of infections associated with antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus has made defining the pathogenesis of staphylococcal osteomyelitis urgent. Resident bone cells, including bone-forming osteoblasts, are important for initiating and maintaining the progressive inflammation associated with osteomyelitis. Bacterially-challenged osteoblasts have been demonstrated to release inflammatory mediators that promote osteoclastogenesis and further drive inflammation through the recruitment of leukocytes such as neutrophils. Neutrophils are typically the first leukocytes recruited to sites of infection and possess various antimicrobial abilities including, phagocytosis, production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), neutrophil extracellular trap release, and synthesis of antimicrobial proteins. However, activated neutrophil accumulation can exacerbate the inflammatory bone loss associated with osteomyelitis by recruiting other leukocytes and by promoting osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, neutrophils can inadvertently mediate host tissue destruction via excessive ROS and RNS production following bacterial phagocytosis, and may even serve as an intracellular reservoir for S. aureus. In the present study, we hypothesize that osteoblasts release chemokines that activate and recruit neutrophils, which may perpetuate host-mediated inflammatory damage in staphylococcal osteomyelitis. Methodology: In this study, we have assessed the expression of the neutrophil recruiting chemokines, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL5, CCL3, and CCL7, at the level of mRNA expression via RNAseq analysis and protein production via specific capture ELISAs in isolated primary murine osteoblasts following challenge with a clinical S. aureus isolate (strain UAMS-1) and in a mouse model of staphylococcal osteomyelitis that reproduces human disease. In addition, we utilized human promyeloblast leukemia-60 cell (HL-60s) line to assess osteoblast-mediated neutrophil migration via transwell migration assays and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels were utilized as a marker for neutrophil activation. Results: We have found that protein levels of the neutrophil chemoattractants, CXCL3, CXCL5, and CCL7, are significantly elevated in infected bone tissue. Interestingly, isolated osteoblasts show marked increases in the mRNA encoding CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL5, CCL3, and CCL7 following in vitro S. aureus challenge. Consistent with previous studies, we have shown dose-dependent production of CXCL2 and CCL3 by SA-infected osteoblast. Furthermore, we have shown the first demonstration of dose and time-dependent production CXCL3, CXCL5, CCL7, and CXCL1 by osteoblasts following in vitro S. aureus challenge. Importantly, we have determined that neutrophil-like cells express CCR1, a receptor for CCL3 and CCL7 necessary for neutrophil chemotaxis, and demonstrated osteoblast-mediated neutrophil activation and migration. Conclusions: The ability of S. aureus-infected osteoblasts to produce an array of chemokines that act via neutrophil chemokine receptors including CCR1 provides another potential mechanism by which bone cells can contribute to host responses following bacterial infection. However, it remains to be determined whether osteoblast-dependent neutrophil recruitment serves to limit bacterial burden or exacerbate the inflammatory damage associated with staphylococcal osteomyelitis.