Digital Commons Network^™

Ginsenoside-Based Theranostic Agents For Alzheimer's Disease: Implications For Brain Penetration, Cellular Uptake, And Anti-Aging Effects, Hak Soo Choi

Oxford ICSB

Red ginseng and its bioactive constituents, ginsenosides, have long been associated with neuroprotection and anti-aging effects, yet their limited ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and poorly characterized biodistribution have hindered therapeutic translation. To address this, we developed a library of “ginsenoprobes” by conjugating major red ginseng components (Rg1, Rg3, Rb1, Rh2, Rk1, Rg5) and red ginseng extract (RGE) to a zwitterionic near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore (ZW800-1C), enabling real-time tracking of their fate in vitro and in vivo. All ginsenoprobes were purified to >95% homogeneity via preparative HPLC and rigorously characterized for optical properties, including molar extinction coefficients and dye-to-ginsenoside …

The Power Of Cult Rhetoric, Daniel Murphy

Liberty University Research Week

What moves individuals to leave families, sell businesses, and reconstruct their identities in devotion to a charismatic leader? This study explores the communicative movement at the heart of cult recruitment, persuasion, and retention. Grounded in social identity theory, this qualitative phenomenological research investigates how cult leaders strategically mobilize identity, language, and belonging to attract and sustain followers.

Existing literature that applies social identity theory to persuasive language will be examined, alongside documentary and textual analysis, to understand how individuals interpret and internalize these communicative strategies. Drawing from existing literature and rhetorical analysis of leaders such as Marshall Applewhite, Warren Jeffs, …

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers For Sensitive And Selective Binding Of Pfoa, Nadia Costescu

Liberty University Research Week

This study aims to progress the synthesis of novel fluorinated polymers to detect poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment. PFAS are released into the atmosphere as a result of industrial processes and consumer production, and are persistent in the environment. Bioaccumulation in animals and humans occurs through exposure via air, water, and soil, and leads to toxic health effects. Due to their resistance to environmental degradation, alternate methods are needed to detect and remove PFAS from the environment. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers that are designed with regions that bind to specific molecules. They have shown …

Effects Of Morphosyntactic And Phonological Environments On Persian Ra-Marking, Alyssa Gilliland

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

The Proceedings Of Great Day Volume 17, Liam Berger, Ella Singer, Gabrielle Houde

Proceedings of GREAT Day

From welcoming our new president to the excitement of A Whale of a Time festival, this was a year of collaboration and new allies expressing the spirit of the liberal arts. This issue of The Proceedings of GREAT Day highlights that same spirit through works addressing the role of religion in dismantling inequality, exploring the exciting world of knots and integrals, and investigating the past (and present) of our very own campus. Delve deeper into the GREAT work of SUNY Geneseo’s students in this year’s issue of The Proceedings of GREAT Day.

The Role Of Black Seed Oil (Thymoquinone) On Repetitive Behavior And Neuroinflammation In Spinning Mice, Ashley Biondi

Proceedings of GREAT Day

Repetitive behavior is characterized as repetitive actions with no purpose, which is a common feature in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). What we are trying to see is if environmental interventions can reduce repetitive behaviors, such as spinning, in mice. In prior studies in mice, a ketogenic diet (KD) successfully decreased repetitive behaviors. One hypothesis is that the reduced spinning is due to the KD being an anti-inflammatory. Neuroinflammation, which refers to inflammation in the central nervous system, may offer a link between diet and ASD and other disorders. In a convergent approach, this study uses another known anti-inflammatory, Thymoquinone (TQ), …

Cholera, Community, And Commiseration: A Social Historical Look At The 1854 London Cholera Epidemic, Emily Meisenzahl

Proceedings of GREAT Day

Although people are most impacted by epidemics, a majority of the existing scholarship on Victorian London, public health, and the London cholera epidemics are based in political and economic history rather than lived, bottom-up narratives. The scholarship on the 1854 cholera epidemic, for instance, almost exclusively centers physician John Snow and largely ignores social history. Therefore, my thesis builds upon and contributes to these existing fields by focusing on the lived experience of the 1854 cholera epidemic among everyday urban residents. Through this paper, I intend to highlight how Londoners utilized letters and petitioning, Punch Magazine, and the “To the …

Direct Numerical Simulation Of Turbulent Flow In A Wavy Channel: A Validation Study, Kent Gingerich, Ryan Learn

Liberty University Research Week

Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) is an important tool in fluid mechanics as it directly solves the governing equations and resolves the turbulent structures in a flow. Surprisingly, this foundational method has not yet been validated in ANSYS Fluent, especially for separated boundary layers. This study investigated the capability of Fluent to resolve turbulent flow in a wavy channel using DNS. The results were compared with data from previous numerical studies on this canonical flow. The simulation was performed at a fixed bulk Reynolds Number of 6760 over a wavy wall with an amplitude-to-wavelength ratio of 0.05. Under these conditions, the …

Governor For A Day

Warren C. Cowen Papers

Pamphlet detailing events that will occur when celebrating Andy Rogers as acting governor of Texas for the day.

Scientific Research In Cuba: A General Analysis With A Special Focus On Energy, Agriculture And Technology, Henri Dou, Pierre Fournie

International Journal of Islands Research

An analysis of science in Cuba is carried out using data from the OpenAlex database. Examples are developed: agriculture, rice, technology in relation to the current situation: national food supply, energy and medicine. The predominance of research in biology and medicine and the low commitment in the fields of agriculture, energy, medicinal plants and technology are highlighted. Various development schemes are proposed. The conclusion is that research must be directed towards strategic areas: food and energy, must be less dispersed and that technology must be better taken into account. Three proposals are made: the development of a chemical analysis platform …

Vanadium’S Journey From Essential Trace Metal To Emerging Environmental Pollutant In The Anthropocene Era, Tanu Arora, Nivedita Agnihotri, Mohammad Azam

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Vanadium, previously considered a minor trace element, is gaining global environmental attention due to its expanding applications in metallurgy, energy storage, catalysis, and agriculture. With this rise in its industrial and technological uses, however, anthropogenic emissions of vanadium into the atmosphere, soils, and water bodies have also escalated. Unlike many heavy metals, vanadium exhibits complex redox behavior, primarily existing as V(IV) and V(V) species, which significantly impacts its environmental mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. Vanadium exhibits complex behavior that necessitates an integrated research approach to better understand its various roles in scientific fields. This review summarizes the current knowledge on vanadium’s …

Computational And Experimental Analysis Of Oleanolic Acid As An Allosteric Activator Of Sirt1, Emrah Sariyer, Eda Dokumacioğlu, Hati̇ce İskender

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a member of the sirtuin protein family and the biological effects of SIRT1 encompass various areas such as the ageing process, metabolism regulation, and cellular stress response. SIRT1 activators are compounds that enhance the activity of SIRT1 enzyme. These activators can be natural or synthetic compounds and have the potential to provide health benefits by augmenting the biological effects of SIRT1. Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid compound that has antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and glucose and lipid metabolism-regulating properties naturally found in many plants. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of OA …

Silicon-Mediated Enhancement Of Wheat Tolerance To Drought Stress: A Comparative Study Of Antioxidant Activity, Photosynthesis, Secondary Metabolites, And Yield, Abida Kausar, Rida Yasmeen, Shahid Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal Hafeez, Asif Mukhtiar, Sadia Azeem, Ali Raza, Samreen Nazeer, Muhammad Zubair Akram, Muhammad Kamran, Fahd Rasul, Noreen Zahra

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Drought stress (DS) is a major constraint on optimal plant growth and yield. Agricultural researchers have been actively exploring fertilizers that can enhance crop production under DS conditions. Silicon (Si) application has emerged as a promising strategy for managing DS in various crops. This study investigated the potential of Si soil drenching to mitigate the adverse effects of varying levels of DS (at 100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity) in wheat. Two varieties (Ujala-2016 and FSD-2008) were used to evaluate the influence of Si (2.5 mM) on antioxidant activity, oxidative burst, secondary metabolites, growth, and yield. The results indicated that …

Effects Of Animal-Assisted Therapy In Inpatient Rehabilitation: A Reflective Study And Outline For Practice​, Anna Rosenberger

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. The project aimed to collect patient feedback and preliminary qualitative data on the implementation of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) interventions within an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Project activities included a comprehensive literature review, examination of current AAT practices, collaboration with therapy dog teams regarding their work and certification processes, implementation of AAT-based occupational therapy interventions, and administration of patient surveys following sessions. Outcomes of the project included the development of a practical guidebook to support the implementation of animal-assisted therapy in clinical settings, as well as the collection of …

Iron-Based Nanoparticles As Delivery Tools, Keykavous Parang, Rajesh Vadlapatla, Ajoy Koomer, Victoria Moran, Lanie Jackson, Amir Nasrolahi Shirazi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Iron-based nanoparticles, particularly iron oxide nanostructures (IONPs), have emerged as versatile and clinically relevant platforms for drug delivery and theranostic applications. Among these, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), including magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), are the most extensively investigated due to their biocompatibility, magnetic responsiveness, and established safety profiles. Their unique superparamagnetic behavior enables external magnetic-field-guided targeting, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancement, and magnetically triggered hyperthermia, enabling simultaneous diagnosis and therapy. Surface functionalization with polymers, silica, lipids, peptides, and biomolecules further improves colloidal stability, circulation time, targeting specificity, and controlled drug …

Life Skills Workshops For Young Adults With Histories Of Trauma At Crossroads Campus, Perrin G. Shuler

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Crossroads Campus, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides career training in animal-related fields, offers affordable housing, and gives comprehensive support services to help young adults overcome housing and employment challenges. The purpose of this project was to address gaps in daily life skills among young adults with a history of trauma. Key outcomes included facilitating life skills workshops, developing a comprehensive workshop manual for future participants, and designing pre- and post-assessments to evaluate changes in life skills competency.

Flip For Function Professional Development Workshop Curriculum & Staff Education Resource, Danielle R. Olsen

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in collaboration with Flip for Function, an adaptive gymnastics program that promotes confidence, participation, and inclusion for children with diverse developmental needs. A needs assessment identified a gap in consistent, evidence-informed training resources to support instructors in understanding how various diagnoses impact movement, regulation, sensory processing, and participation. The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive professional development guidebook and staff training resource grounded in occupational therapy principles. Deliverables included diagnosis-specific content (e.g. ADHD, Autism, Down syndrome, and sensory processing differences), activity adaptations, coaching strategies, and family education handouts to support home …

Volume 104, Number 1 - Spring 2026, The Alembic

The Alembic

Cover "The Stars are Screaming in the Field Outside my Apartment" by Hale Mueller

​Functional Characterization Of Stmtpsl Terpene Synthase-Like Genes And Their Role In Pathogen Resistance In Selaginella Tamariscina, Zhijie He, Bo Bi

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The biological activity and function of microbial terpene synthase-like genes from Selaginella tamariscina (StMTPSL) were investigated using molecular and biochemical approaches. After isolating and amplifying StMTPSL genes (StMTPSL1-StMTPSL6), both native and site-directed mutant forms were expressed in tobacco via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The resulting transgenic plants had increased expression of StMTPSL genes, enhanced monoterpene production (as confirmed by GC-MS), and significantly improved resistance to Pseudomonas syringae infection compared to nontransgenic controls. These results show that StMTPSL genes are functionally active in plants and contribute to pathogen resistance through elevated terpene biosynthesis. This study provides new insights into the role of MTPSL …

Gli Weekly, April 21, 2026, Franke Global Leadership Initiative

GLI Weekly

Griz Gradfest -- Share Your Story -- Senior Highlight -- Upcoming Beyond The Classroom Experience Deadline -- GLI Celebration -- GLI Capstone Mentor Featured in Vision Magazine -- Become an Ambassador! -- Advising Information -- Wilderness and Civilization -- The Big Event -- Hiring: VolunteerUM Program Leaders -- Plant an Apple Orchard at Franklin Elementary! -- Volunteer for the GLI -- VolunteerUM -- WGSS/GERC 50th Birthday! -- International April Event -- The Long Day and Night Against Procrastination -- Spring Into Summer -- Bear Necessities -- Griz Career Closet Pop-Up -- Mansfield Dialogoue: One Year After "Liberation Day" Tariffs -- …

Censorship And Human Rights Violations: The Suppression Of Freedom Of Expression, Press, And Assembly In Cuba, Nicaragua, And Venezuela, Elisabell Laura Velázquez

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

As the days, months, and years go by, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela continue to violate the fundamental human rights of their citizens. Despite worldwide technological advancements and increased access to the digital world, these regimes continuously monitor and censor their citizens, depriving them of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, press, and assembly. This article explores how censorship can represent a systemic violation of human rights. This article argues that strengthening cooperation between different international organizations is necessary because censorship in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela is a human rights crisis that impacts civil society. Furthermore, this article explains the …

The Right Of Nature: Lessons From Panama For Mangrove Protection In Miami, Jayson Fry

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

Mangrove ecosystems are indispensable to climate resilience, yet traditional environmental governance has repeatedly failed to prevent their decline. This Note employs a comparative framework to examine Panama and Miami, two rapidly developing coastal regions facing parallel pressures of urbanization and sea-level rise, to demonstrate that mangrove loss persists not because law is absent, but because existing frameworks structurally authorize regulated degradation. Panama’s 2022 Rights of Nature Law, which grants ecosystems legal personhood and enforceable rights, represents a departure from anthropocentric environmental regulation. Its early judicial application in the Cobré Panamá mine case shows how rights-based protections can override extractive economic …

Comparative Evaluation Of Curd Enriched With Essential Oils Derived From Dill, Caraway, And Cumin, Hafize Fidan, Toncho Kolev, Denis Dervish, Ivayla Dincheva, Ira Taneva, Serkan Yilmaz, Yusuf Şavşatli, Albena Stoyanova

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Curd cheese is a traditional dairy product that, in recent years, has increasingly been supplemented with various functional additives aimed at enhancing its aroma and flavor profile, improving overall quality, and extending shelf-life. The objective of the present study was to conduct a comparative evaluation of changes in selected physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory parameters of curd cheese enriched with 0.01% essential oils derived from dill (Anethum graveolens L.), cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), and caraway (Carum carvi L.) fruits. Fatty acid profiling revealed a reduction in saturated fatty acids and an increase in oleic and linoleic acids in essential oil-enriched curds …

Using Geospatial Environmental And Income Variables As Predictors Of Diabetes In Appalachia, John Kunicki Huth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes remains disproportionately prevalent in Appalachia, and macroenvironmental contributors remain poorly understood. Guided by spatial epidemiology, this quantitative, cross-sectional ecological study examined whether county-level environmental factors including distance to mine, distance to landfill, distance to water, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, forest classification, distance to impervious surface, and median income were independently and collectively associated with diabetes cases per capita in West Virginia, used as a surrogate for Appalachia. Research questions addressed environmental predictors of diabetes cases per capita with and without controlling for median income. Publicly available county-level data from 53 West Virginia counties representing adults aged 20 …

Enhancing Inference Of Differential Gene Expression In Metatranscriptomes From Human Microbial Communities, Evan M Lee, Nathan P Mcnulty, Matthew C Hibberd, Jiye Cheng, Kazi Ahsan, Hao-Wei Chang, Barak A Cohen, Jeffrey I Gordon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Metatranscriptomic (MTX) sequencing quantifies gene expression from the collective genomes of microbial communities (microbiomes), enabling assessment of functional activity rather than functional potential. While differential expression testing is essential for RNA-sequencing analysis, current metatranscriptomic approaches have only been benchmarked on simulated data, resulting in a lack of standard practices for analysis of real datasets. Here, we use mock communities (defined mixtures of microbial cells with known properties) to quantitatively assess robustness and susceptibility of current approaches to various confounders including organisms' low relative abundance, differential abundance, low prevalence, global transcriptional output changes, and compositional effects. We show that no current …

Construction And Characterization Of Novel Mycobacterium Tuberculosis-Derived Triple And Quadruple Knockout Vaccines Against Tuberculosis, Omar Garnica, Raja Veerapandian, Kishore Das, Abhishek Mishra, Varsha Rawat, Areanna Carmona, Vivek Chauhan, Rakesh Kumar, Jessica Chacon, Shrikanth S. Gadad, Subramanian Dhandayuthapani

School of Medicine Publications

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly disease that claims the lives of over a million people each year worldwide. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine has long been used to protect against TB, but it produces variable effects across different populations and fails to protect against adult pulmonary TB. Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternative vaccines that can offer better protection. We have developed a strategy for the rational deletion of virulence-related genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to create hyperattenuation that also enhances immunogenicity. Previously, we generated both single (∆fbpA) and double knockout (DKO) (∆fbpA-∆sapM) mutants of …

Rhesus Macaques With An Opa1 Mutation Demonstrate Features Of Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy, Tracy N Jaggers, Ana Ripolles-Garcia, Ala Moshiri, Brett D Story, Jun Wang, Rui Chen, Lucy G Moore, Leandro B C Teixeira, Jaeho Shim, Ana C Raposo, Maria Isabel Casanova, Sophie M Le, Sangwan Park, Laura J Young, Soohyun Kim, Karolina P Roszak, Vanessa Ureno, Paige M Karpinen, Nayeli Echeverria, Monica Ardon, Brian C Leonard, Marguerite Knipe, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Brad Fortune, J Timothy Stout, Jeffrey Rogers, Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, Sara M Thomasy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is an inherited optic neuropathy primarily caused by mutations in OPA1. We identified and defined a spontaneous nonhuman primate (NHP) model of ADOA using rhesus macaques heterozygous for a missense mutation (OPA1A8S). With ocular examinations, ophthalmic imaging, electroretinography, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we documented retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and dysfunction, OPA1 mislocalization, and reduced axonal mitochondrial density in affected macaques. Our investigation revealed substantial phenotypic variability among affected macaques, shedding light on the pathogenesis of ADOA. The retinas were evaluated using techniques …

How Visual Art In Fatty Legs And A Stranger At Home Deepens The Understanding Of Historical Atrocities And Colonial Violence Inflicted On Indigenous Children In Residential Schools In The United States And Canada, Beth Rocco

Student Theses

“I can fix my own hair,” I protested in Inuvialuktun, but she held tight and, with the same motion a bird makes to pull a piece of flesh from a fish, clamped the jaws of the shears down on my braid and severed it” (Pokiak-Fenton 31). This scene in Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, was a deep cut into the soul of a child. The first slash was being taken away from her parents and family. Next was chopping off her hair, a symbol of identity and tribal pride for Indigenous people. The children began their residential …

The Snake, Jacqueline Lombardo

The Alembic

No abstract provided.

This Plastic, Pulkita Anand

The Alembic

No abstract provided.