Digital Commons Network^™

Determinants Of Opioid-Relevant Exposure From 7-Hydroxymitragynine Products In The Evolving U.S. Marketplace, Igor Koturbash, Scott Alsbrook, George Pro

Oxford ICSB

Kratom’s U.S. market has rapidly evolved from largely botanical powders and capsules to products enriched in 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a potent mu-opioid receptor agonist that is typically present only at trace levels in leaf material. To quantify downstream behavioral health burden and contextualize it with real-world signals of product diffusion, we analyzed National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data (2021-2023) alongside public health alert trends and systematic online product surveillance. In NSDUH, 5.8% of adults met criteria for serious mental illness (SMI). SMI increased by 150% among adults with combined opioid use disorder (OUD) and kratom use between 2021 …

Naturally Derived Kratom Extracts: Toxicological Evaluation In Humans And Rodents, Sibyl Swift

Oxford ICSB

Peer-reviewed literature provides limited toxicological data on the consumption of naturally derived kratom extracts. Given the increasing use of kratom products, understanding their safety profile is critical for public health and regulatory decision-making. To address this gap, we conducted a rodent toxicology assessment and a controlled human clinical study. Human Clinical Study: Healthy male and female participants consumed specified kratom extracts daily for 14 consecutive days under controlled conditions. Clinical observations and biochemical markers were monitored throughout the study. Rodent Toxicology Study: Equivalent extract doses were administered to rodents for 90 days to evaluate subchronic exposure. Assessments included body weight, …

Epigenetic Variation Of American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) In The Okefenokee Swamp, Mark Hoog, Kimberly M. Andrews, Aaron W. Schrey

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

An animal's survival is heavily influenced by how well adapted it is to the environment in which it lives; however, phenotypes are only able to change so quickly. Epigenetics allows for greater phenotypic plasticity through molecular mechanisms without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is the most widely studied epigenetic mechanism. It has shown the ability to alter gene expression and may even be able to compensate for a lack of genetic variation. Changes in DNA methylation are often caused by stressors that range from anthropogenic causes to natural occurrences. We sought to examine the effect of environmental factors on …

Characterization Of Bacteria In Cattle Specimens, Jacob D. Hanson, Josie M. Tieskoetter

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Cattle nasal cavities provide a favorable environment for microbial colonization and can habit a wide population of bacteria, including opportunistic and pathogenic species. The objective of this research was to isolate, characterize, and identify bacteria present is nasal swap specimen collected from multiple calves. Samples were cultured and analyzed using selective and differential media, Gram staining, spore staining, and a range of biochemical assays. Several bacterial species were identified including the genus Corynebacterium and Streptococcus while some isolates could not be identified using classical biochemical methods alone. These results demonstrate that calf nasal specimens commonly contain diverse bacterial populations, some …

A Metaphor Criticism On Disney-Pixar's Elemental, Erin O. Donovan

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Immigration is a contested topic, having a variety of opinions, both negative and positive throughout history. Films are important to study, as they can frame important topics, like immigration, and shape our understanding. Animated children's films have the ability to deliver messages and create meaning through a fun, innocent vehicle that disguises these messages. The use of metaphors in this case, are a delivery method of underlying messages, as metaphors can be strategically used to go unnoticed in a story. This study sets out to use metaphor criticism on the Disney-Pixar film, Elemental (2023), by Peter Sohn, to examine its …

Hargreaves Test On Formalin Injected Mice: A Neuropathic Pain Model, Caleb Mast

Liberty University Research Week

Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition resulting from nervous system injury or disease, commonly associated with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and diabetes. Current mouse models rely on invasive surgical techniques such as spinal nerve ligation (SNL) or chronic constriction injury (CCI), which require specialized training, increase variability, and reduced accessibility. Previous studies in rats have shown that formalin injections can induce a persistent pain state and spinal molecular changes comparable to those observed in surgical models. This study investigated whether a single subcutaneous injection of 5% formalin is sufficient to produce neuropathic pain behaviors and nervous tissue changes CCI …

Co2 Washout Performance Of Single-Prong And Dual-Prong High-Velocity Therapy, Robert Kacinski

Liberty University Research Week

Computational models were used to investigate the flow in the upper airway during high-velocity therapy delivered via a single-prong or a dual-prong cannula geometry. A temporally varying boundary condition was used to apply a realistic breathing cycle to the base of the trachea. The patient mouth was “closed” to specific percentages by modifying the cross sectional area of a plane in the patient mouth. The total amount of CO2 inhaled, which should be minimized, was collected as a measure of therapy effectiveness. The mass CO2 inhaled was calculated by subtracting the mass of CO2 present in the airway at the …

Histological Assessment Of Neuropathic Pain In Murine Nervous Tissue, Katelynn Castagnola

Liberty University Research Week

Neuropathic pain is a symptom of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS that is difficult to treat since the pain originates in the central nervous system. Current models of neuropathic pain involve mice and are difficult to use, since the methods are invasive and require extensive training; ligation of the sciatic nerve or the T4 and T5 spinal nerves are the most common procedures today. However, it has recently been suggested that formalin can potentially induce chronic pain in mice, as it has been successfully induced in rats. Therefore, our experimental goal was to establish a formalin-induced model of neuropathic pain …

Beyond Labeling: Examining Mpox As A Sexually Transmitted Infection- ¿A Literature Review¿, Rachel Williams, Ashlan Killeen, Eunice Onwuka

Liberty University Research Week

Introduction

Since 2022, Mpox outbreak trends have marked a shift in the epidemiology of the disease which has long been treated as a zoonotic infection. This is due to emerging patterns of cases of Mpox linked with sexual transmission, particularly in non-endemic regions reporting over 100,000 cases across 122 countries. This pattern has raised growing concerns regarding sexual transmission of Mpox necessitating further investigation.

Aim/Objective

This literature review examines current epidemiological, clinical/virological evidence to evaluate Mpox as an STI beyond labelling. and provides foundational context for a forthcoming systematic review examining priority populations affected during the 2022–2025 global outbreak.

Proposed …

Active Barrier Cream Against Poison Ivy (Urushiol), Amanda Witherell, Annalee Gardner, Luthien Jones

Liberty University Research Week

Urushiol is an immunotoxic compound composed of a 3-substituted catechol and an alkyl side chain that contains 0-3 degrees of unsaturation. It is the substance in poison ivy that causes a negative response when it contacts skin. Commercial barrier creams currently exist that claim to protect the skin against urushiol but only serve to form a barrier between the oil and skin. This project aims to create a barrier cream that both forms a physical layer to protect the skin and neutralizes the urushiol as it sits on the cream. To neutralize the urushiol, it is proposed that either the …

Social Dominance In Cd1 Female Mice, Hannah G. Casselman, Eli Illescas-Huerta, Nancy Padilla-Coreano

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Social rank and dominance have a profound impact on the survival of many animals. Social dominance fosters social stability and modulates neuroactivity, immune response, and endocrine function. Understanding and measuring social rank in laboratory mice is crucial when assessing social behavior. Previous research has focused primary on dominance in male mice based on measurements of aggressive and competitive behaviors. However, it remains unclear how social dominance is exhibited in female mice and which behavioral assays are most effective for measuring their rank. Males tend to be aggressive and territorial, whereas females engage in less aggressive and visibly competitive behaviors. Given …

Medicinal Plants And One Health Drug Discovery: Plectranthus Abietanes As P-Glycoprotein Modulators, Patricia Rijo

Oxford ICSB

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, with multidrug resistance (MDR)—frequently driven by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpression—significantly limiting the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Within a One Health perspective, Africa, home to five major medicinal biodiversity hotspots, represents an underexplored reservoir for natural products–based drug discovery. Among this rich flora, the genus Plectranthus (Lamiaceae) emerges as a particularly promising source of bioactive abietane diterpenes. In this work, the abietane diterpene 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (Roy), isolated from Plectranthus grandidentatus Gürke, exhibited pronounced cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. To enhance its pharmacological profile, a series of Roy ester derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their …

Mr. Meerkat, Marie Shumaker

Liberty University Research Week

"Mr. Meerkat" is a graphite drawing that explores how character and personality can be expressed through realistic yet imaginative animal imagery. The project combines accurate meerkat anatomy with human elements to create a tap-dancing performer inspired by the elegance of the 1920s. This nostalgic theme contrasts with modern minimalist trends by emphasizing craftsmanship, effort, and expressive detail. Using graphite techniques such as shading, hatching, and contouring, the drawing captures varied textures including fur, fabric, and wood, creating a cohesive and character-driven composition.

Curious Lunarfel, Kalie Baker

Liberty University Research Week

I wanted to try sculpting creatures that had a tangible realism added to the clay piece. For several pieces, I sculpted animals and added faux fur or feathers to add more life to the sculpture.

The Illusory Normativity Of Rights-Based Ai Regulation, Yiyang Mei, Matthew Sag

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Whether and how to regulate AI is now a central question of governance. Across academic, policy, and international legal circles, the European Union is widely treated as the normative leader in this space. Its regulatory framework, anchored in the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services and Markets Acts, and the AI Act, is often portrayed as a principled model grounded in fundamental rights. This Article challenges that assumption. We argue that the rights-based narrative surrounding EU AI regulation mischaracterises the logic of its institutional design. While rights language pervades EU legal instruments, its function is managerial, not foundational. These …

50 Years Of Constitutional Judicial Review In The United Arab Emirates: Key Features, Nisrine Abiad

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

On the 50th anniversary of the enshrinement of judicial review within the UAE Constitution, this paper explores its main features. The analysis of the constitutional provisions and the jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court reveals that constitutional judicial review in the UAE is intrinsically rooted in federalism as it is mainly designed as a tool preserving the adjudication of powers between federal and local authorities. It is nevertheless also destined by the Constitution for a wider purpose of constitutional justice endorsing the individuals and the courts as key players in its process.

System For An Interactive Ambient Character Using Mmwave Radar For Presence Detection And Acoustic Event Recognition, Hanumanth Godari

Defensive Publications Series

A system can use an on-screen digital character powered by an artificial intelligence framework to provide an interactive ambient display. The system may integrate a millimeter-wave radar sensor for camera-less presence detection and a far-field microphone array for acoustic event recognition of ambient household sounds. Based on data from these sensors, the digital character could, for example, acknowledge a user entering a room or react to specific sounds, such as music or a doorbell. This allows a display's idle screen on a computing device (e.g., a smart display, television, or tablet) to function as a dynamic, context-aware interface. The interface …

Perlindungan Llngkungan Hidup Dalam Perdagangan Internasional, Atifah Kusumadara

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Recognizing Metaphorical References To Sexual Assault Resistance And Represented Rape Myths In Coraline (2009), Braden Slater

Theses and Dissertations

Is there any value in children’s horror literature and film? Literary theorists have shown that children’s horror is uniquely positioned to be not only captivating and accessible, but also educational and hopeful for some young audience members. Like most fictional monsters, those presented in children’s horror can be read as metaphors for the fears and experiences people face in real life. Scholars have argued that engaging with this type of frightening media may help people confront challenging ideas and feelings from a place of safety. Building on this theoretical foundation, I perform a close reading of the 2009 film Coraline, …

“As Though You Could Never Sink”: Gender Euphoria Through Aquatic Embodiment In The Sun Also Rises, Devan Edwards

Honors Theses

Recent scholarship in disability studies and queer theory (2007-2024) reveals that Jake Barnes's war wound in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises functions as something more complex than tragic loss. This paper argues that Jake's swimming and fishing scenes constitute moments of gender euphoria, a term borrowed from contemporary transgender studies, enabled specifically by aquatic embodiment. In these scenes, water functions as the physical and symbolic medium through which Jake's war-wounded body transcends the performative demands of 1920s heteronormative masculinity. Building on Michael Anesko's provocative reading of Jake as "accidentally transgendered" (Literature and Medicine, 2015) and Martina Kübler's argument that impotence …

Spectator 2026-04-23, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Understanding Alleyways Of The Early Bronze Age Southern Levant: A View From Tell Eṣ-ṢÂfi/Gath, Israel, Haskel J. Greenfield, Jeremy A. Beller, Sarah J. Richardson, Shira Albaz, Tina L. Greenfield, Aren M. Maeir

'Atiqot

Public passageways enable people, animals and goods to navigate a built environment, allowing access to residences, shops and public buildings, and also demarcate the spheres of society: economic versus social, sacred versus profane and public versus private. Passageways also mark the arrangement of neighborhoods and typically reflect a purposeful organization for settlements. This paper explores the nature of passageways at early urban settlements in the Southern Levant, and particularly their placement and maintenance in Early Bronze Age domestic neighborhoods. To this end, it summarizes the architecture, stratigraphy and artifactual remains associated with an alleyway in the recently excavated domestic neighborhood …

Honors Voice Recital

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

Honors Voice Recital

On Belonging: A Tribute To Professor Len Rubinowitz, Shobha Mahadev

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

“Downstream People:” Lessons From The Tar Creek Superfund Site And Quapaw Nation In Pursuit Of An Environmental Justice-Informed Cercla Regime, Leah Fitter

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

In 1983, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) designated Tar Creek, a former productive zinc and lead mining zone located in northeastern Oklahoma on land predominantly owned by the Indigenous Quapaw people, as a Superfund site. Its designation came in the wake of findings in 1980 that drainage and tailings from the site’s mining days had polluted the zone’s surface water into some of the most toxic water in the country. Tar Creek was an environmental justice disaster that disproportionately exposed the historically marginalized Quapaw Nation to hazardous mining waste and resulted in detrimental health impacts. Despite numerous demonstrations …

Federalist Politics And The Elusive Original Meaning Of The Free Exercise Clause, Jack Thorlin

Catholic University Law Review

Originalism requires interpreting the Constitution by reference to a provision’s original public meaning. But there is very little evidence of original public meaning for some constitutional provisions, most notably the Free Exercise Clause. Originalists have splintered into several different methodological approaches toward the Clause. Justices Scalia and O’Connor staked out opposing originalist views on the Clause thirty years ago in Employment Division v. Smith and City of Boerne v. Flores. In the Roberts Court, some of the conservative justices have attempted to apply a simple textualist interpretation of the Clause, but those efforts have not attracted most of the …

Editorial, Yuval Baruch

'Atiqot

Editorial

Cognition In Pair-Living Owl Monkeys: The Role Of Partner Affiliation In The Willingness To Cooperate To Solve A Cognitive Task, Aaron J. Mencia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cooperative problem-solving tasks, including the loose-string paradigm, require individuals to coordinate their actions simultaneously to obtain a shared reward. These paradigms have been used extensively to assess social cognition, behavioral coordination, and partner preferences across taxa. Although the loose-string paradigm has been widely tested, it has not been applied to pair-bonded, monogamous primates such as owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae), which exhibit affiliative behaviors including food sharing and bi-parental care. Investigating cooperation in this species may offer some clarification on whether more stable social bonds are associated with cooperative and cognitive task success as compared to those observed in …

A Tale Of Trees And Turtles, Adam Drapcho

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Walking Through The Alleys Of Motza (Moẓa): Early Evidence Of Settlement Planning And Urban Organization, Dmitry Yegorov, Anna Eirikh-Rose, Hamoudi Khalaily

'Atiqot

Recent excavations at the Final Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) mega-site of Motza revealed the earliest evidence of settlement planning in the Southern Levant to date. The size of the site and the layout of its architectural units indicate that planning decisions were made throughout the settlement establishment and development, beginning with the choice of its location and extending to the organization of intra-site space. This is evident from the presence of central alleys connecting neighborhoods and open areas, alongside smaller roads and passageways linking private and communal structures, and courtyards. The high level of internal organization implies coordinated decision-making by …