Digital Commons Network^™

Protection Of Polymeric/Organic Materials From Photodegradation By Encapsulation, Elias K. Stefanakos, Sesha S. Srinivasan

USF Patents

Structures of a particle containing a core and at least one shell, a metal oxide material of which is necessarily doped to ensure protection of a material of the core from photodegradation. The core can include any of a thermochromic material, a phase-change material, and a judiciously defined auxiliary material that in turn contains organic and/or polymeric material. Derivative products utilizing a plurality of such particles. Methodologies for producing such particles and derivative products.

Using Disaggregate Vehicle Data To Investigate How Ride-Hailing Services Influence Personal Vehicle Use Across A Metropolitan Region, Michael A. N. Montilla, Matthew Hui, Daniel G. Chatman

Research Reports

App-based ride-hailing has become a popular form of urban transportation. Previous research suggests that it may in some cases enable lower reliance on private vehicles, but that it is also associated with increases in congestion and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). We examined how the introduction of the Uber ride-hailing service in the Boston area related to changes in the average daily VMT of individual vehicles. This research is unique because it focuses on the use patterns of individual automobiles instead of relying on aggregate measures of auto use, or estimates based on surveys, as done in previous research. Using data …

Genealib Archive 2025-01, Genealib

GENEALIB Archive

No abstract provided.

Matching Ends With Means: Tomorrow’S Defense Budget, Frank Hoffman

GNSI Publications

In 2010, Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, quipped that “the most significant threat to our national security is our debt.” At the time, many thought he was out of line with this bold but prescient statement. Currently, most analysts take for granted that drastic action is needed to fix the deep hole that spending and deficit financing have dug in the U.S. treasury. The scale of debt limits the U.S. government from sustaining key functions such as income security and health care, as well as national security. Unfortunately, at the same time, rising competitors …

Cordon-Metering Rules For Present-Day And Future Cities, Xiaopeng Li, Yang Li, Heye Huang

Research Reports

Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) play a pivotal role in alleviating urban road network congestion. This study adopts a macroscopic approach to identify strategies for using CAVs to ease traffic congestion and reduce energy consumption. Specifically, this study proposes an Area Transmission Model (ATM) based on Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) suitable for city-level network applications. It also presents a macro-optimization control strategy that utilizes speed advisories to modulate traffic flow across the network, thereby ensuring effective congestion management and enhanced energy efficiency. By employing the city of Madison as a case study, the research examines the optimal speed advisory solution. …

Platform Dynamics And Rapid Scaling: An Empirical Examination Of Growth Drivers In Platform-Based Start-Ups, Noemi Nagy, Richard Bläse, Matthias Filser, Jan Appenzeller, Kaisu Puumalainen

Department of Leadership, Policy, and Lifelong Learning

Understanding the mechanisms that enable rapid growth in platform-based technology start-ups represents a complex yet crucial research imperative for contemporary scholarship. To develop a comprehensive taxonomy of factors that facilitate rapid growth, we conducted a narrative integrative review and thematic synthesis to identify key prerequisites for the successful scaling of platform businesses. Employing purposeful sampling, we then conducted qualitative interviews (N = 13) with founders of two-sided platform start-ups to validate our findings. Our analysis reveals a multidimensional framework of success factors, systematically categorized into entrepreneurial attitudes, organizational resources, and capabilities, strategic business practices and external environmental factors. The findings …

Identity, Familia, And Belonging: Librarians Of Latino American Heritage And Professional Associations, Alicia Long, Denice Adkins

School of Information Faculty Publications

The lack of diversity in the library and information science (LIS) field is a historical problem in a profession that strives to provide access to information for all. Many librarians of Latin American heritage are and have been members and/or leaders of the American Library Association (ALA). Some of them are also members of and participate actively in the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). The purpose of this case study is to understand how librarians of Latin American heritage (LLAH) experience a sense of belonging within librarianship based on their …

From Realism And Socio-Cognitivism To Ai Constructs: Enhancing Domain Analysis Through Artificial Intelligence?, Martin Thellefsen, Alon Friedman

School of Information Faculty Publications

Introduction. This study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within the framework of domain analysis (DA), traditionally grounded in socio-cognitive and realist perspectives. The aim is to assess AI's potential to enhance DA's focus on contextual and disciplinary knowledge, while examining possible epistemological challenges.

Method. Building on established concepts from Hjørland’s socio-cognitive DA framework, this paper employs a theoretical review to examine AI's capacity to augment DA by improving classification, retrieval and interdisciplinary mapping within knowledge organisation.

Analysis. The study critically analyses how AI may either enhance or disrupt DA’s philosophical foundations by potentially reducing domain specificity. Particular attention …

Usf Libraries’ Digital Initiatives: From Enhancement Planning To Future Proofing, Business Plan Proposal, 2025-2028, Amanda Boczar

Special Collections Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Appendix A, Anonymous

School of Public Affairs Faculty and Staff publications

No abstract provided.

Usf St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station Inventory Readme, Carolyn Mazur, Theresa G. Burress

Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) Water Refill Stations

ReadMe file supporting the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Water Refill Station dataset.

Usf Tampa Library Special Collections- Archives Business And Implementation Plan, Stephanie Mackin

Special Collections Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Impact: Enhancing Services And Resources Using Focus Groups, Matt Torrence, Allison Symulevich

USF Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

To enhance the USF Libraries Impact Services program, project leaders identified several stages to collect and examine faculty needs and resource utilization. In May 2024, librarians Matt Torrence and Allison Symulevich received an internal grant to assess faculty preferences regarding available impact services and resources through focus group interviews. This project aimed to gather assessment data and identify additional tools and options for faculty and students. The collected data will be used to update the primary LibGuide and improve the program. Participants will receive information on updated resources and services, along with a summary of the results. The interviews took …

Creating A Sustainability Libguide For Interdisciplinary Content, Matt Torrence, Christopher Sturgeon, Theresa Burress

USF Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Podcasting As Open Access: A Review And Discussion Of Potential Impact On Scholarly Communication And Promotion, Allison Symulevich, Matt Torrence, Jason Boczar, Jessica Szempruch

USF Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction: Academic podcasts are an informal way for faculty members to share their research expertise with an expanded and international audience. In this article, we argue that podcasts are a form of informal scholarly communication and that libraries can contribute to the successful dissemination of this informal scholarly communication.

Description of Service: At the University of South Florida, episodes of faculty-created academic podcasts are posted to the institutional repository, allowing the dissemination of these podcasts permanently via open access. The open-access nature of these materials makes them freely available to faculty, students, and other scholars; additionally, it helps to improve …

Arizona Bird Highlights, Fall 2024, Doug Jenness

Arizona Birds

No abstract provided.

Authoritarian Strategic Alignments In The Ukraine War: Russia, Iran, North Korea, And China, Yasin Çağlar Kaya, Yunus Emre Aydin

Journal of Strategic Security

This article explores how Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea have adapted their strategies during the Ukraine war. Rather than forming treaty-based alliances, they have turned to flexible partnerships shaped by sanctions evasion, arms transfers, and coordinated diplomacy. The framework draws on concepts such as authoritarian solidarity, hedging, norm subsidiarity, and wartime strategic learning, and the analysis focuses on four domains of cooperation: defense industries, finance, information operations, and institutional platforms. Empirical cases highlight Iran’s drone supplies, North Korea’s transfer of artillery and munitions, and China’s provision of economic lifelines, with Russia serving as the central coordinator. These relationships display …

Surveying New Battlegrounds: Ukraine And The Future Of Cognitive Warfare, Chad M. Briggs, Anita Tusor

Journal of Strategic Security

Cognitive warfare (CW) has emerged as a decisive battlespace in modern conflict, shifting the focus from physical terrain to the perceptions and resilience of societies. This article analyzes the Russian Federation's application of CW in Ukraine since 2013, contrasting it with the strategic concepts developed by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Russia's approach, rooted in Soviet-era maskirovka and reflexive control, integrates cyber operations, disinformation, and the use of non-state proxies, including private military companies, organized crime, and the Russian Orthodox Church, to destabilize adversaries and manufacture uncertainty. In response, Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable resilience through a whole-of-society mobilization, effectively …

Slava Ukraini! Solving Ukraine’S Present With The Past, Daniel Armes

Journal of Strategic Security

Ukraine desires to be a free state, drawing on over one thousand years of history to legitimize a national identity consisting of a distinct culture, language, and religion. While this is an achievable goal, the country faces challenges based on competing claims to Ukraine’s historical legacy. This article will analyze the roots of the current conflict over Ukraine’s national identity beginning with the religious divide between Eastern and Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054 and the Rus diaspora caused by the Mongol invasion of eastern Europe in 1240. A millennium of history and conflict are relevant today because …

Sacralizing Security: Orthodoxy And Securitization In Russia’S War On Ukraine, Bayram Aliyev

Journal of Strategic Security

This article analyzes Russia’s religious securitization of the Ukraine war. It argues that securitizing actors in the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate present Orthodoxy, Russian civilization, and traditional moral values as referent objects under existential threat. Using a corpus of strategy texts, speeches, and sermons, the study identifies a triad of narratives, sacred war, moral decline, and anti-Westernism, that structure public messaging. These narratives authorize extraordinary measures, from mobilization and legal restrictions to symbolic acts involving icons and clergy. The article proposes a layered framework that connects soft power instruments to sharper techniques in crisis, showing how religious language reshapes …

Front Cover, The Delaware Ornithological Society

Delaware Ornithologist

No abstract provided.

A Delaware Bay Field Season; Shorebirds And Scientists, Sally O'Byrne

Delaware Ornithologist

No abstract provided.

Delaware Bird Records Committee 2025 Annual Report, Bruce Peterjohn

Delaware Ornithologist

No abstract provided.

Foraging Substrates Of Insect-Eating Birds In The Delaware Piedmont During The Fall, Ian Stewart, Jim White

Delaware Ornithologist

No abstract provided.

Improving Organizational Workflows & Communication Between Departments At The University Of South Florida Libraries, John Abresch, Matt Torrence

USF Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Ukraine’S Proxy War Against Russia And Its Lessons For Europe, David M. Sip

Journal of Strategic Security

Much focus in the research on the topic of proxies and Ukraine is on the Russian proxies in the Donbas. But Ukraine itself is fielding several proxy groups formed from Russian exiles and minorities such as Chechen's fighting for the freedom of their home. By interpreting Ukraine’s proxy war against Russia as a means of inter-war deterrence this article proposes that Ukraine aims at deterring Russia from a general mobilization and an all-out escalation of the war. The effectiveness of this approach, its limits, and problems are analyzed, as well as the mistakes Ukraine has made in taking this approach. …

Ukrainian Studies On Terrorism: Contemporary Overview And Thematic Classification, Lesia Horodenko, Yevhen Tsymbalenko

Journal of Strategic Security

This article presents the first systematic and reproducible map of Ukrainian academic scholarship on terrorism (2000–2024). It addresses three questions: what directions the field has developed, which methods prevail across periods and disciplines, and where the gaps lie. The central argument is that clarifying the boundary between media terrorism—amplification via media logics—and information terrorism—manipulative information operations—reorients the field under conditions of hybrid warfare. Methods: systematic search of national repositories and journals; mixed-methods content analysis with iterative thematic coding and periodization (pre-2014; 2014–2021; post-2022). Corpus: n=896 publications. Results: a post-2014 surge and a post-2022 consolidation around hybrid warfare strategies, information operations, …

Strengthening Disaster Workforce Communication: A Focus On The Latino Community In Hillsborough County, Florida, Ariana S. Albaladejo-Barreto, Ann Dai, Jude Ogden, Ratna Dougherty, Elizabeth A. Dunn

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• Vulnerable populations, particularly non-English speakers, face disproportionate challenges during disasters. In Hillsborough County, Florida, 30% of residents speak a language other than English, with approximately 19% being proficient in Spanish.
• Latino communities, the largest group of Spanish speakers in the county, have experienced significant disparities in risk communication during life-threatening weather events (Trujillo-Falcón et al., 2022).
• Although the Hillsborough County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan identifies non-English- speaking households as vulnerable populations, it lacks specific provisions for bilingual training for first responders.
• At the state level, the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 prohibits discrimination based on national origin, while Chapter …

Hot Spots Of Harm: Spatial Analysis Of Respiratory Health And Pollution Exposure In Palm Beach County Agricultural Workers, Makayla Devalia, Christopher Bernabe, Robin Ersing

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

The association between respiratory disease and agricultural work has been documented since the 1500s. This research still has gaps in the demographics and occupational hazards, including:

• Socially vulnerable groups of agricultural workers, such as migrant workers and women
• The occupational hazards investigated are usually pesticides, rather than non-pesticide chemicals and PM 2.5 that still impact health

Strengthening The Hillsborough County Coad: A Conversation-Informed Framework For An Improved Disaster Response Network, Jude Ogden, Ariana Albaladejo-Barreto, Ann Dai, Ratna Dougherty, Elizabeth Dunn

Weather, Climate, and Society REU

• Coordination by local government is key to implementing and monitoring effective disaster response plans.
• Efficient response plans arise when open communication exists between network members and governmental powers, rather than government exercising one-dimensional authority.
• Studies have connected both diverse core network members and pre-existing ‘chains of command’ to higher disaster response effectiveness.