Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Seagrass Extent Using Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery: A Case Study In Salt River Bay, United States Virgin Islands, Chelsea O. Bryant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Seagrass beds provide important services in many coastal ecosystems. They provide habitat and food for a wide range of marine species, stabilize sediments, and prevent coastal erosion. These services support local fisheries and tourism-driven economies. Yet, seagrass ecosystems are threatened by changes in water quality, sedimentation, and other stressors. This study investigated the interannual variability in seagrass extent in Salt River Bay, United States Virgin Islands (USVI), from 2018 to 2024. The goals were to better understand temporal dynamics in seagrass extent and evaluate the influence of turbidity as a driver of seagrass health and distribution. The overarching research question …

What Controls Ice Shelf Isotopic Variability? Local And Global Processes Preserved Within Ice Cores Across The Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Orion Laurene Schomber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is one of the foremost indicators of anthropogenic global warming as it interacts with both atmospheric and oceanic processes. Although ice shelves across the AP have undergone increased rates of disintegration over the last 30 years, limited in-situ measurements have been investigated. Assessment of three short (~30 m) firn cores (J108, J208, and J409) across the Larsen C ice shelf (LCIS) provide insight into local, regional, and global processes. Average core densities and isotopic variability (δ¹⁸O and δ²H) fall within expected ranges for all cores, indicating signal preservation through firn. However, isotopic maxima in J108 and …

Oxygen Supply Capacity Of The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab,, Marty Sims

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, inhabits shallow bays and estuaries where it encounters variable oxygen levels. Moreover, each year, the biomedical industry harvests hemolymph from hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs to use in bacterial contamination testing, yet the effects of bloodletting on their physiology are relatively unknown. This study aims to determine the oxygen supply capacity of Limulus polyphemus in relation to environmental hypoxia and biomedical bloodletting. Study animals were collected from the intertidal waters of Tampa Bay, Florida. Experiments included a control group that did not undergo substantial blood-volume reduction and a treatment group from which 10% of …

Econometric Analyses Across The Continuum Of Care For Individuals With Hearing Loss, Teresa I. Anthony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing loss affects individuals across the age span and, if left untreated, can lead to developmental delays and health and well-being concerns. This dissertation applies econometric analyses to investigate factors influencing diagnostic outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), intervention enrollment rates among babies with permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL), and utilization and hospitalization outcomes among adults with sensory impairment (SI). The first study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of automated auditory brainstem response (aABR) versus transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) for newborn hearing screenings in a Thailand hospital NICU. Decision tree modeling and economic evaluation suggested that although aABR is …

Connectedness And Belonging: An Autoethnography About Military Veteran Transition, Benjamin A. Smet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Military veterans often face profound challenges transitioning to civilian life, yet prevailing narratives focus narrowly on PTSD and combat trauma. This dissertation uses autoethnography to broaden that view, blending personal narrative with theory to explore seven interrelated transition stressors: grief and bereavement, loss of military identity, autobiographical memory, service-connected nostalgia, moral injury, stereotype threat, and socialized masculinity and stoicism. These layered stories illuminate the cultural, emotional, and relational dimensions of transition, showing how isolation, disconnection, and loss of belonging shape veteran experiences as deeply as trauma. The analysis demonstrates that healing emerges not from prescriptive programs but from relational practices …

Using Behavioral Skills Training And In Situ Training To Teach Game-Related Social Skills, Sumeyye Erdem

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social skills are important for individuals to be successful, therefore programs that seek to improve social skills of individuals with autism and other disabilities are important (e.g., Agran et al., 2016; Miltenberger et al., 2017). The context of playing games has been used to teach children specific skills and may be a valuable way to promote generalization of social skills (e.g., Amadi et al., 2022; Radley et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) for teaching social skills to children and adolescents using a game format and assess whether these …

Microclimatic Conditions In Shulgan-Tash Cave (Southern Ural, Russia): Implications For The Preservation Of Eastern Europe’S Largest Paleolithic Art Collection, Olga Chervyatsova, Rayan Akhmedyanovb, Nailya Saifullina, Ludmila Kuzmina, Mihael Kotov, Yuri Dublyansky

International Journal of Speleology

This study presents the results of a long-term investigation of the microclimatic conditions in Shulgan-Tash Cave (Southern Urals, Russia), which hosts the largest assemblage of Upper Paleolithic paintings (ca. 16.3–19.6 ka) in Eastern Europe. The cave exhibits two distinct seasonal ventilation regimes – winter and summer – differentially influence its two levels of galleries. In the Lower Level, which contains 83% of the images, near-atmospheric CO₂ concentrations persist year-round, and temperature variations associated with seasonal infiltration events are minimal (1.0–1.3°C). By contrast, the Upper Level, including the decorated Hall of Paintings, is affected by downdrafts of CO₂-rich …

An Integrated Pcb-Based Heating And Auto-Ranging Platform For Volatile Organic Compound (Voc) Detection Using Carbon Nanotube Based Sensors, Thomas Kalach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development, characterization, and integration of a novel low-cost, high-dynamic-range sensor platform for the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), leveraging the unique electrical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films. The platform introduces a fully integrated auto-ranging analog front-end circuit capable of real-time resistance measurement spanning over eight orders of magnitude ranging from tens of ohms to hundreds of megaohms, without compromising signal resolution or precision. This was achieved through a digitally controlled, multi-path feedback architecture and controllable current source.

To further enhance sensor performance, the system incorporates a copper trace heater beneath the sensor array, …

Commentary: The Psychology Of Misidentification, David A. Welch

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists (Ofo)

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Ontario Bird Records Committee Report For 2020, Daniel J. Riley, Barbara N. Charlton, Mike V.A. Burrell, Kenneth G.D. Burrell, Amanda C. Guercio, Reuven D. Martin, Mark D. Read, Adam P. Timpf

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Editors: Comments On Aberrant Colouration Articles In Ontario Birds, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Ontario Bird Records Committee Report For 2019, Daniel J. Riley, Barbara N. Charlton, Mike V.A. Burrell, Kenneth G.D. Burrell, Amanda C. Guercio, William G. Lamond, Blake A. Mann, Reuven D. Martin, Donald A. Sutherland

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Molecular Imaging Of The Cochlea, Parveen Bazard, Mikalai Budzevich, Xiaoxia Zhu, Bo Ding, Robert Dana Frisina

USF Patents

A novel method of measuring endocochlear potential and cochlear function in a patient is presented. The method uses nuclear imaging, such as PET or SPECT, with a radiotracer such as 201Tl to visualize any potassium ion loss in the cochlea of the patient which can contribute to auditory disorders such as hearing loss. This non-invasive technique represents a new method for auditory diagnoses by measurement of cochlear properties which can aid in the development of new therapeutics for auditory disorders.

Investigating Factors Influencing Organic Chemistry Learners' Explanation Sophistication And Representational Competence, Caroline J. Crowder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation has two themes: organic chemistry learners’ written explanations and representational competence. Chapters 3 and 4 explore how organic chemistry learners construct explanations of reaction mechanisms, specifically focusing on electrophile and nucleophile components. Chapter 5 investigates organic chemistry learners’ representational competence skills and the relationship between these skills and their performance in the course.

Understanding reaction mechanisms is critical for success in organic chemistry, yet learners often struggle to reason beyond explicit, surface-level features. Constructed-response prompts that ask learners to explain what is happening in a reaction mechanism and why it occurs can provide insight …

The Taxonomy And Origins Of Folia: A Brief Review, Donald G. Davis, Louise D. Hose, Harvey R. Duchene

International Journal of Speleology

All folia demonstrate a few common elements: folia (singular, folium) are planar or sub-planar speleothems, slanting downward and away from cave walls and ceilings, and genetically associated with fluctuating environmental interfaces. They were first identified and named from examples in western USA hypogenic caves but have since been identified elsewhere in the world. Folia shelves are typically composed of calcite and interweave smoothly along sub-horizontal contours. Calcite accretion, both chemical and mechanical from suspended particles, follows water-surface fluctuations to form protrusions in arrays along walls and ceilings where new accretion tends to follow the water-surface downward during descending phases, gradually …

The Cost Of Quantum Wars: Small State Standpoint, Gayane Harutyunyan

Journal of Strategic Security

As an emerging technology, quantum technology claims to have a tremendous impact on all spheres of social activity, as well as to significantly change the perception of war and peace, diversify the nature of security threats, opening up new, previously unknown layers in them. The development of quantum technologies is of exceptional importance for small states in terms of defense and security, because due to some important features (efficiency, speed, accuracy, dataflow security) it can offset the scarcity of resources (financial, material and human) typical of small countries, enabling the opportunity to address the issues of low efficiency due to …

Trickle-Down Coordination: The National Security Advisor’S Role As The Strategic And Operational Planner Of The Dod-Dos Interagency Relationship, Fabio S. Van Loon

Journal of Strategic Security

Forging a coherent U.S. foreign policy requires the competent management of the inter-agency framework. Defining strategy at the cabinet level and ensuring its implementation at the operational level, the National Security Advisor must act as an honest broker of the inter-agency process. This article will examine the role of three National Security Advisors from the Nixon, Carter and George W. Bush administrations, and study two examples of operational success and failure, highlighting the importance of the strategic-operational link. The author concludes by recommending a National Security Council (NSC)-led inter-agency framework that drives consensus-based strategic planning and mandates operational coordination through …

India’S Policy Shift Towards Afghanistan Under De Facto Taliban Government, Neha Manhas, Sitakanta Mishra

Journal of Strategic Security

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is no longer at the forefront of the global agenda, though after four years of its rule, the Islamic Emirate strives for global legitimacy. India, one of the major partners in the reconstruction of Afghanistan since 2001, has drastically minimized its role, and no major attempt was made to deal with the Taliban until the withdrawal of US/NATO forces in 2021. Similarly, the Taliban regime in turn has not made any breakthrough with India in its diplomatic pursuits. However, sporadic meetings between the Indian and Taliban government officials have taken place, leading to speculation …

The Element Of Surprise: Highly Maneuverable Satellites And Ssa, Simone L. Montandon

Journal of Strategic Security

Military, commercial, and civil space missions rely on accurate space situational awareness (SSA) to avoid collisions and inform the analysis of the threat environment. Historically, man-made objects in space have been highly predictable because their trajectories were mostly constrained within the orbit they occupied. However, fast-paced progress in engine/thruster technology, energy efficiency, and on-orbit servicing and refueling have allowed satellites to maneuver often and quickly within their lifespan. This added an element of unpredictability that adds further uncertainty to an operational environment that is already highly uncertain. This paper argues that solving this issue will require pursuing continued custody of …

Subterranean Warfare’S Strategic Coming Of Age: The Israel-Hamas War Of 2023-Present, Nadav Morag

Journal of Strategic Security

This article posits the question as to whether subterranean warfare, which has been a tactic used in warfare since ancient times, has evolved to being an operational tactic in some contexts (such as in the Vietnam War and some Israeli-Hamas clashes in Gaza prior to 2023) and has now, for the first time, has “come of age” to the strategic level in the Israel-Hamas war that broke out in October 2023. The article argues that the current war in Gaza is one in which subterranean warfare has become strategic because the outcomes of this form of warfare in this context …

The Combination Of All Forms Of Struggle: Insurgent Legitimation And State Response To Farc. By Alexandra Rachel Phelan. Columbia Studies In Terrorism And Irregular Warfare. New York: Columbia University Press, 2024., Thomas A. Marks

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Crow's Nest, September 29, 2025, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The September 29, 2025 issue of the Crow's Nest.

Government Expenditure On Education And Its Impact On Access To Higher Education In The U.S. And Germany, Miguel Barrero Garcia, Minh Anh Nguyen

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

On the surface level there seems to be a discrepancy between access to higher education in the U.S. and Germany, so we would like to explore its connection with government expenditure on education. How does government spending on education in Germany and the U.S. differ and how does it shape access to higher education? The research is being conducted by going over different studies on how each country’s government treats education and spends on it. Research will also be done on access to higher education in both countries and what other factors, aside from government expenditure on education, could affect …

Assessing The Effectiveness And Implementation Of Artificial Intelligence In Detecting And Preventing International Financial Crimes: A Case Study Of The United Kingdom, Robert J. Dalton

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Financial crime has been an issue that has plagued the world for as long as the concept of trade has existed. With the rise of the digital age and globalization, financial crime has continuously and significantly evolved, with increasingly complex and intricate methods of financial crime and fraud being committed each year. Government organizations and financial institutions are having to constantly overcome new barriers and challenges to monitor financial crimes due to their evolving nature. Artificial intelligence, a new technology that is being constantly researched and explored, has the potential to innovate current and new technologies within the financial intelligence …

Harnessing Molecular Docking For Drug Discovery In The Galectin-3 Protein, Attallah Mariam Dean Innis

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Molecular docking is a fundamental technique in drug discovery, used to predict how a ligand interacts with a target protein or enzyme. This research focuses on the Galectin-3 (G-3) protein, a key factor in excessive scar tissue formation, which is prevalent in pulmonary fibrosis patients. One of the greatest challenges in drug discovery is accurately calculating the binding energy between a potential drug candidate and its target. By constructing drug-protein complexes, binding affinities can be determined using Amber. The selection of the best drug binding affinity corrects the malfunction of the G-3 protein.

Stem Cell And Regenerative Therapies For Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Restoring Ciliary Function With Ipscderived Airway Cells, Riya Hirani, Sriharshini Vasireddy, Dedeepya Kutha, Stuti Dibbur

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic disorder that impairs ciliary function, leading to respiratory and fertility issues. While genetic mutations and stem cell-derived airway cells have been explored, effective regenerative therapies are still lacking. This study examines the potential of iPSCs in restoring ciliary function and advancing PCD treatments. Furthermore, it aims to evaluate the effectiveness of iPSC-derived airway cells in replicating functional cilia for potential regenerative therapies in PCD. Additionally, it seeks to identify genetic targets that may enhance treatment strategies. This study reviews existing literature to examine the role of stem cell-derived airway cells on restoring ciliary …

Gnsi Decision Brief: American Shipbuilding: From Crisis To Made-In-America Opportunity, Guido Rossi, Randall Gentry

GNSI Decision Briefs

Among the most pressing national security issues the new Trump administration has committed to tackle is revitalizing American shipbuilding. In April 2025, the president issued an Executive Order for that purpose of restoring U.S. shipbuilding and providing a maritime action plan for cross-agency coordination. Many historians view the industrial shipbuilding during World War II as the pinnacle of American enterprise to address national defense needs. While in World War II the United States was able to produce around 7,100 large vessels, current reality is much different since that industrial capacity was reduced during the post-war years due to overproduction and …