Digital Commons Network^™

Hope: A Vital Sign In Behavioral Health, Isaac Uehling, Alexis Lykins, Jade Gordon, Kelsey Messer

Liberty University Research Week

Hope at its core is the key motivating factor for patient’s pursual of behavioral health interventions, and is a critical upstream factor in the success of behavioral health treatments. The current understanding of hope is centered around goal-making and pathway engagement (Snyder et al., 1991). Although these concepts contribute to hope’s definition, they don’t fully encapsulate the multifaceted nature of hope. Our current study is a continuation of a previous study that expanded the definition of hope through an explorative lens by developing a multi-dimensional instrument – the Powers of Hope Scale. This scale assesses an individual’s level of hope …

Non-Isothermal Phase-Field Model Of Pa6 Crystallization, Joshua Tozer, Ephraim Zegeye, Hayoon Kim

Liberty University Research Week

Syntactic foams are high-performance materials consisting of a material matrix embedded with hollow particles. This study investigates the crystallization behavior of a nylon 6 material with hollow glass micro balloons for the purpose of elucidating the microstructure and optimizing the properties of the composite through phase-field simulations. This work expands on existing literature by synthesizing material relationships to account for the variation of the interfacial energy with temperature, where the interfacial energy refers to not only that between the amorphous and crystalline phases of nylon 6 but that between any phase of the nylon and the glass micro balloons. Such …

National Trends And State-Level Correlates Of Medications For Opioid Use Disorder Utilization Among Treatment Admissions In The United States, 2014-2023, Prince Osei Sarpong, Emmanuel Owusu, Manasvi Shiyani, Michael Ago Tetteh, Naa Komley Commey

Liberty University Research Week

Background: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduce overdose risk and improve retention in care, yet implementation at treatment entry remains uneven across the United States. Study objectives and hypotheses: To examine national and state-level patterns in MOUD use at treatment admission from 2014 through 2023 and to identify state-year characteristics associated with higher utilization. We hypothesized that MOUD use would vary substantially across states and would be lower in state years with greater structural disadvantage.

Methods: A repeated cross-sectional ecological study was conducted using the Treatment Episode Data Set-Admissions public use file. The analytic sample included adult admissions from …

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 …

Sensing Volatile Organic Compounds Via Photonic Crystals Of The Morpho Zephyritis Butterfly, Parker Abila

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Molecular Basis Of 24-Methyl Cholesterol As An Anti-Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma Agent In The Context Of Altered Cellular Glucose Metabolism, Josiah Chung, Merritt Smith, Zachary Wang

Liberty University Research Week

Cancer remains a major global cause of mortality, with kidney cancer representing a significant portion of newly diagnosed cases each year worldwide and in the United States. In Virginia alone, more than one thousand new kidney cancer cases are reported annually. The majority of these cancers are classified as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounting for roughly 70% of diagnoses. ccRCC tumors exhibit substantial metabolic reprogramming that supports rapid proliferation and survival under fluctuating nutrient conditions. Because of this metabolic dependence, targeting pathways involved in glucose uptake and cellular energy production has emerged as …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of A Sensory Reduction Room, Wyatt Price

Liberty University Research Week

Stress is a significant issue amongst university students, and many interventions are being developed to decrease stress to increase the general well-being of students. The Office of Disability and Accommodation Support (ODAS) has developed a sensory room open to all residential students as an intervention to decrease stress. Methods: A quasi- experimental, non-equivalent group design was used with a convenience sample of university students (N = 58) recruited through the Office of Disability and Accommodation Support (ODAS). The experimental group sat in a sensory room for 20 minutes, while the control group engaged in routine ODAS activities while connected to …

Association Between Preexisting Chronic Conditions And Hospital Outcomes Among Pediatric Trauma Patients In The United States, 2000-2019, Grace Sibert

Liberty University Research Week

The prevalence of chronic disease among children in the United States has increased substantially over the past two decades. Children with chronic disease experience higher morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization, disparities that may be amplified following traumatic injury. However, nationally representative longitudinal data examining these associations remains limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database (HCUP-KID) from 2000 to 2019. Pediatric patients (=18 years) hospitalized for traumatic injury were identified using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes. Chronic conditions were classified using the HCUP Chronic Condition Indicator and grouped into major diagnostic categories. …

When The Algorithm Disciples: Recentering Discipleship In An Ai Saturated Age, Laronda Perrien-Massey

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Bilateral Accessory Plantaris Muscles With Variant Origins And Insertions: A Case Report, Kingsley Ampong, Christian Furno, Faith Ekoh, Jack Kauffman

Liberty University Research Week

The plantaris muscle typically originates at the lower portion of the lateral supracondylar line of the femur and oblique popliteal ligament of the knee joint and inserts medial to the Achilles tendon at the calcaneal tuberosity. The function is unclear as it may be absent in some individuals. If present, the tendon is often mistaken for the tibial nerve, which is why it is known as the “fool’s nerve.” This case study involves the discovery of a bilateral plantaris muscle duplication in an 88-year-old Japanese woman during a routine cadaveric dissection. This deviates from the more common unilateral presence of …

Understanding Factors Associated With Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes, Kaidin S. Barnes, Paige Christianson, Kylie Buck, Kyra Nelson

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Understanding factors associated with mental health among collegiate athletes may help inform targeted support and reduce barriers to care. This study examined relationships among athletic identity, perceived stigma, psychological distress, and sport participation in college students. Participants (N = 312) reported varsity or club sport involvement, with 28.2% identifying as varsity or club athletes. Variables measured included athletic identity, perceived stigma, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. A subset of participants also reported injury history. Data were analyzed using correlations and independent samples t-tests. Athletic identity was moderately and positively associated with stigma, indicating that students who identified more …

Exploring How Virtual Reality Affects The Client-Recreational Therapist Relationship, Ellie Barker, Sophia M. Young, Natalia C. Miller, Lindsay J. Bergan

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Virtual Reality (VR) is an electronic recreation of reality, depicting environments, and enabling clients to interact with instantaneous simulations that provide an immersive experience (Guttentag, 2010;  McGovern, 1994). Adopting VR as an intervention could be a breakthrough innovation to overcome obstacles while connecting with clients. Current research on VR used in Recreational Therapy (RT) holds inconsistencies in its findings, specifically across various populations and VR tools. The purpose of this study was to gain insights from professionals about the therapeutic relationship between clients and therapists when using VR as an intervention. This study examined how the relationship between the therapist …

Scrolling Tiktok, Like It’S My Job… Because It Is, Lauren Larson

Research & Creative Achievement Day

I work as a social media and admissions intern at Winona State University's admissions office. Located in Winona, MN, in Maxwell Hall on the WSU campus. For this internship, I was tasked with creating content for the WSU admission platform, typically on TikTok and Instagram.  To go along with creation, I was also involved in the behind-the-scenes, looking at analytics. Another responsibility was giving the welcome speech before tours to prospective students and their families. I also gave tours during the larger events held by the admission office, such as Warrior Way Day and OGVs.  I can apply what I …

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 …

Co-Precipitation Synthesis Of Magnetic Nanoparticles (Mnps) Fe3o4 And Their Photocatalytic Performance, Leo Doan, Natalie R. Chouinard, Kahun N. Vue

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared and evaluated for their photocatalytic activity in degrading methylene blue (MB). MB is widely used in different industries and is difficult to remove from waste due to the benzene groups, so the removal of MB becomes an emergency problem. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), Fe3O4, were successfully synthesized using a co-precipitation method between FeCl3.6H2O and FeCl2.4H2O. The point of zero charge (PZC) was determined to be approximately at pH 6.37. The NPs were examined under UV light irradiation, and their catalytic activity was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The λmax of MB was determined to be approximately …

Growing Alum Crystals, Todd Carroll, Daniela Gutierrez Rubio, Kevin Dang, Samuel J. Whempner

Research & Creative Achievement Day

One of the easiest crystal growth experiments uses Alum powder to dissolve in water. The dissolved material slowly forms with seed crystals to create larger crystals. As the dissolved material is depleted, more is added to continue the crystal growth. Four different concentrations were used for seed crystal growth. Those crystals were attached to a string and hung in a bath of Alum solution. Different strategies were used to grow crystals and in some cases dissolve crystals.

Comparison Of Total Distance And Sprint Distance Between Positions Of Division Ii Female Soccer Players, Tamas Sebestyen, Jonathan P. Bayer

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Introduction: To manage player health, minimize injury, and optimize performance in NCAA Division II soccer, this study analyzed positional demands using GPS technology. The findings provide insights into enhancing training plans and recovery based on specific positions. Methods: NCAA Division II female soccer players were tracked during sixteen in-season competitions using 10 Hz GPS wearable technology. Players were grouped into tactical roles including Wing Backs (WB), Center Backs (CB), Defensive Midfielders (6), Attacking Midfielders (10), and Forwards (9). Key metrics analyzed included Total Distance (TD), Total Sprint Distance (TSD), and Distance per Minute (D/M). Results: Forwards (9) and attacking midfielders …

Care, Capitalism, And Croissants: Interprofessional Students Take On Business Of Healthcare In Paris, Beth A. Komay, Phoebe S. Enebechi, Selma Dzamalija, Nicole A. Sharp

Research & Creative Achievement Day

The Business of Healthcare in Paris is a faculty-led study-away program that unites business, nursing, and other healthcare students in an immersive experience of global healthcare systems. The primary design of this course is around interprofessional learning that integrates coursework and cultural experiences from within the Midwest United States (US) and France. Students begin the course by visiting healthcare facilities and small alternative-therapy businesses in the US, gaining initial exposure to diverse care environments. They then travel to Paris and surrounding areas to explore comparable sites, including hospitals, an art therapy center, a residential rehabilitation facility, and small businesses providing …

Weatherwise Bench, Ella R. Carr, Beckett Malaise, Dominic Perez, Matt Wooden

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Current outdoor seating concepts seem to be either heavy and bulky yet durable or light and easy to move, but lacking durability. How about combining the best of both worlds to create a seat that is light and easy to move, but also durable. WeatherWise is a sleek, carbon fiber bench that incorporates a honeycomb core to ensure a lightweight product that is also durable. The carbon fiber provides a sleek look and added strength. The design allows the bench to be outdoors in all types of weather from hot, sunny summer days to cold, snowy winter nights. The design …

Organizational Agility And Performance: A Case Study On Road And Transport Authority - Dubai, Fatma Tarish Saeed Butubair Almheiri

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Agile methods have become greatly popular because of their ability to help organizations, especially service-oriented ones, to react quickly to changing environmental conditions. This responsiveness enables the meeting of customer requirements and the improvement of customer satisfaction and makes Agility a determining factor in the modern-day high-intensity competitive business environment characterized by a dynamic and unpredictable environment. The application of the agile principles simultaneously enhances the capability of an organization to adapt quickly to the changes in the market, which includes the changes in the preferences of the consumers, the competition and technology changes. As a result, the agility framework …

A Heart's Home, Kayla Santos

Liberty University Research Week

A Heart’s Home is a collection of creative poems exploring themes of belonging and grief. The poem “Lunchtime” is a snapshot of the school lunch experience of a child of immigrants. “Of Belonging and Of Not” outlines the personal journey of finding a place to belong and sometimes even having to make that space. “Quiet Life” explores living life with a partner and being a home for that person. “Beautiful People” tells about the beauty of belonging with the right people. “Cleaning House” transitions to exploring grief through cleaning a house caked with years of memories. Lastly, the collection concludes …

Birth Order’S Impact On Conscientiousness & Personality In Adults: Mixed-Method Insights On The Firstborn Profile, Liliana Mejia

Liberty University Research Week

The impact of birth order on personality, particularly the trait of conscientiousness in firstborns, remains a controversial topic due to methodological inconsistencies and differing theoretical perspectives. This study examines whether firstborns exhibit significantly higher scores on measures of conscientiousness than laterborns or only children, and how adults perceive the impact of birth order on their personality development in childhood and adulthood. Utilizing a convergent mixed-method design, this study assesses the impact of birth order on personality among 300 U.S.-residing adults. Participants were divided into three groups (firstborns, laterborns, and only children), and all took the HEXACO-100 Personality Inventory. A subset …

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 …

Where You Live Determines How You Heal: Transportation Barriers And Healthcare Access Across Lynchburg Census Tracts, Shaira Neupane, Alexandra Mixan, Claire Rau

Liberty University Research Week

Background: As a local priority in Centra Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment, transportation in Lynchburg revealed limitations disproportionately affecting low-income, uninsured, and low-vehicle-availability households, contributing to widening health disparities. To understand how these vulnerabilities compound spatially, we examined how income, insurance status, and vehicle availability intersect at the census-tract level to identify where transportation-related barriers to healthcare access are most concentrated.

Methods: We measured socioeconomic indicators, health outcomes, and transportation barriers of 23 census tracts in Lynchburg, Virginia, using ACS 2019-2023 (2024) and CDC PLACES 2019-2023 (2025) data. Composite tract-level vulnerability scores were generated using SAS and classified into high, …

When Microbiology Meets Public Health: Exploring Metabolites From Dictyostelium Discoideum For Infection Control, Rebekah Figuereo

Liberty University Research Week

Background: The social amoeba, slime mold, formally known as Dictyostelium discoideum, produces novel chlorine-containing antimicrobial compounds that can be used to improve antimicrobial resistance by targeting and preventing bacterial spread by inhibiting bacterial growth. This bridges microbiological discoveries with public health applications, thereby strengthening infection control strategies. Current research connects the slime mold to infection recovery/intervention/control.1

Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles, biochemical databases, and experimental findings was conducted. Scientific databases featured PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Chemical Abstracts Service, ScienceDirect, and Scopus.

Results: Metabolites produced by Dictyostelium discoideum demonstrated antimicrobial activity by inhibiting bacterial growth, including …

The Effects Of Digital Restriction On Psychological And Physiological Well-Being, Rachel Anderson, Andrew Gatto, Caroline Berghuis, Kaden Randlett, Lilianna Franke

Liberty University Research Week

Past research on digital restriction has shown that limiting smartphone usage could have a significant effect on psychological well-being. We also propose that smartphone restriction could have an effect on physiological well-being. To understand these effects, we completed a mixed-methods randomized delayed intervention factorial experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to smartphone restriction immediately (1A) or delayed (1B), or social media restriction immediately (2A) or delayed (2B). During each lab visit (baseline, two weeks, and four weeks), data on perceived well-being and smartphone screentime logs were collected. To assess physiological well-being, heart rate variability (HRV) was collected using Polar-brand H10 chest …

The Inhibitory Effects Of Fluorophenol On Cytochrome P450 2a6, Andrew Hodges

Liberty University Research Week

The cytochrome P450 family is composed of several metabolic enzymes found in the liver that are responsible for the processing and excretion of many xenobiotics and toxins. Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) is of pharmacological interest because of its key role in nicotine metabolism. Because of this, it is considered a primary target for inhibition as a potential strategy for smoking cessation and curtailing cigarette addiction. However, such a pharmacological agent is still being developed as the enzyme kinetics of CYP2A6 are not fully understood. It is also the only cytochrome that converts coumarin, a substance found in many plants, to …

Neuroplasticity On The Water: Transforming Mental Habits Into Elite Performance, John Paul Fryrear, Dayne Harter, Jada Ward

Liberty University Research Week

This proof-of-concept study examined whether a brief cognitive intervention could enhance key psychological skills in collegiate athletes. Twenty-four student-athletes from a university rowing team completed three workshops targeting neuroplasticity, attentional control, and emotional intelligence. Pre-, post-, and competition-based assessments, supplemented by qualitative feedback, indicated small but meaningful improvements in growth mindset, attentional control, and reductions in adverse competitive cognitions. Although most quantitative changes were not statistically significant, qualitative findings supported positive shifts in mindset, trust, and emotional regulation under pressure. Results suggest that targeted mental skills training may benefit athletes’ psychological adaptability despite methodological limitations.

Exploration Of Preservative-Surfactant Aggregation Effects On Biologic Drug Formulations, Joseph Turmelle

Liberty University Research Week

A key challenge in the development of injectable drug formulations is the need for multi-dose administration, which increases the risk of bacterial contamination. To reduce this risk, preservatives such as phenol (PhOH) and benzyl alcohol (BzOH) are commonly added to formulations. However, preservatives can aggregate with other critical excipients, particularly surfactants such as polysorbate 20 (PS20). This aggregation leads to physical instability, often observed as turbidity or precipitation. Previous work has shown that preservatives induce the formation of large, unstable aggregates with surfactants at pharmaceutically relevant concentrations. The purpose of this study is to characterize and understand this phenomenon of …

The Effects Of Natural Products And Food Additives On Lysosome Function, Gianna Miller, Meghan Gardiner

Liberty University Research Week

Gastric disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affect at least 20% of the United States population. The most common pharmacological intervention is the use of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs). These drugs are converted into their active forms upon entry into acidic environments, and while their intended function is to inhibit parietal proton pumps in the stomach and reduce gastric acid secretion, there may be off-target effects in other areas with low pH, such as lysosomes. These organelles mediate the recycling and degradation of cellular materials. The current research seeks to examine the effect of PPIs on lysosomal function. Previous …