Digital Commons Network^™

Wire Ingestion By A Red-Billed Tropicbird Phaethon Aethereus Chick On San Pedro Mártir Island, Mexico, Alberto Piña-Ortiz, Vladislav Marcuk, Salvador Gómez-Hernández, José Alfredo Castillo-Guerrero, Petra Quillfeldt

Marine Ornithology

We report the ingestion of wire by a Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus chick at San Pedro Mártir Island, Gulf of California, Mexico. A scat sample collected from a four- to five-week-old chick contained a copper wire ~5.0 mm in length. Biologging revealed the previous foraging trips by one of the parents, and we ascertained the diet of birds in this colony through a molecular approach. From these data, we suggest why this individual was fed wire.

Decrypting The Breeding Biology Of The Elusive And Declining Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria Rostrata, Angelique Pagenaud, Karen Bourgeois, Léna Payandi, Wilfried Weiss, Éric Vidal, Andreas Ravache

Marine Ornithology

Among procellariids, the Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata is one of the most endangered and least known species. Its global populations are declining, yet demographic and ecological studies remain scarce. Understanding the breeding cycle and behavior of Tahiti Petrel adults and chicks is essential to develop effective protection measures. To address this knowledge gap, Tahiti Petrel colonies of various sizes were studied at three sites in New Caledonia, with extensive sampling at two main sites and limited sampling at a third. A total of 157 burrows were monitored for up to two years using endoscopic cameras and camera traps. This allowed …

Assessing The Short- And Long-Term Response Of Gulls To Non-Lethal Hazing On An Offshore Island, Pete Warzybok, Nadav Nur, Russell W. Bradley, Dan Grout, Gerard J. Mcchesney

Marine Ornithology

Non-lethal bird hazing techniques are commonly used to protect public health and safety, defend crops, and safeguard the birds themselves. Examples of their use include warding them away from airports, landfills, oil spills, and other avian toxic exposure situations. Herein we examine the efficacy of non-lethal hazing tools for minimizing impacts to Gulls Larus spp. prior to a proposed eradication of introduced House Mice Mus musculus at the South Farallon Islands, 30 km offshore of the Central California coast. Methods considered for removing mice include the aerial application of rodenticide, which poses an adverse risk to non-target wildlife, including Western …

Dynamics Of Humboldt Penguin Colonization On Port Terminal Infrastructure In Southern Peru, Carlos Zavalaga, Sebastián Lozano-Sanllehi, Ximena Velez-Zuazo, Bruno Vildoso

Marine Ornithology

The use of artificial structures by seabirds is a globally recognized phenomenon driven by escalating human coastal development. Designed as maritime infrastructure, breakwaters, jetties, and bridges inadvertently offer nesting habitat and refuge for a diverse assemblage of seabird species. The construction of a detached breakwater at the port terminal of the PERU LNG natural gas liquefaction plant in Melchorita, Peru, provided a unique opportunity to observe seabird colonization of new habitat, in this case colonization by Humboldt Penguins Spheniscus humboldti from 2008 to 2024. The penguins founded a permanent breeding site within 3.5 years after cessation of human activity at …

Updated Distribution And Population Dynamics Of Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus Magellanicus Colonies In The Strait Of Magellan, Chile, Manuel Ochoa-Sánchez, Jorge Acevedo, Claudio Moraga, Katherine Gaete, Pedro Valenzuela, Valeria Souza, Eliana Paola Acuña Gomez

Marine Ornithology

The Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus exhibits a broad latitudinal distribution in southern South America. However, the locations of many breeding colonies remain poorly known on the Pacific side, particularly in the southernmost region. Here, we provide information for six Magellanic Penguin colonies in the Strait of Magellan and adjacent waters that have been known by the local community for years but were unknown in the scientific literature until now: Rupert Islet, Tuckers Islet 1, Tuckers Islet 2, James Island 1, James Island 2, and Monmouth Island. These locations differ in population size and in vegetation coverage: most colonies are characterized …

Characterizing Diet Of The Least Tern Sternula Antillarum Using Dna Metabarcoding, Viktoria E. Bogantes, Abigail J. Darrah, Molly Folkerts Caldwell, Amy K. Fellgren, Justine M. Whitaker, Alexis M. Janosik

Marine Ornithology

A complete picture of diet composition is an essential element to understanding the ecological role of organisms. Moreover, diet studies can serve as an important tool for monitoring species and changes to the food web. One method to provide resolution when studying the diet of avian species is DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples. As such, we used DNA analysis to determine the diet of the Least Tern Sternula antillarum and compare results with diet analysis based on composition of fish dropped within breeding colonies. Comparisons between adult and chick fecal samples were also made across three years and within three …

A Regionally Significant Population Of White-Tailed Tropicbirds Phaethon Lepturus On Kurehdhoo (Lhaviyani Atoll), Republic Of The Maldives, James C. Russell, Sebastian Steibl, Guy M.W. Stevens

Marine Ornithology

Coral atoll islands are important breeding sites for tropical seabird species, but on many of these islands, disturbances from humans and introduced mammals have extirpated breeding colonies. In the Republic of the Maldives (Indian Ocean), little published information exists on the location and extent of seabird breeding colonies. Here, we document what appears to be a regionally significant breeding site for White-tailed Tropicbirds Phaethon lepturus on Kurehdhoo, the northern-most inhabited island of Lhaviyani Atoll in the central Maldives. We systematically surveyed the entire island on two separate occasions, six months apart, to count the number of White-tailed Tropicbird nests, their …

Gnsi Decision Brief: Assessing Brics Gold Holdings, William Parker

GNSI Decision Briefs

BBRICS began as a coalition of five major emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and has since evolved into a growing power bloc, often referred to as BRICS+, with ambitions to reshape global governance. Led in part by China and Russia, the group is positioning itself as an alternative to Western institutions and the dominance of the U.S. dollar. As BRICS expands its global influence, its collective gold strategy offers a valuable lens through which to examine emerging shifts in economic and geopolitical power.

U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan And Realignment Of Eurasian Rival Powers, Toghrul Seyidbayli

Journal of Strategic Security

This article explores the geopolitical ramifications of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, focusing on how it has catalyzed strategic realignments among China, Russia, and Iran in Eurasia. By examining the withdrawal’s impact on the regional power dynamics, the article analyzes how these revisionist states have exploited the resulting power vacuum to assert their influence and challenge the existing international order. China has used this moment to expand its Belt and Road Initiative, Russia has felt emboldened to escalate its military actions in Ukraine, and Iran, despite regional setbacks, remains determined in pursuing its revisionist strategy in Eurasia. The study employs …

Navigating Transit Governance: Wto Rules And Unclos With A Focus On Nepal And Afghanistan, Dr.Neeru Sidana, Disha Tiwari Ms.

Journal of Strategic Security

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Many developing, landlocked countries, such as Nepal and Afghanistan, face significant challenges in accessing international markets, which hinders their development. These issues inspired the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982, which grants landlocked states the right to navigate through coastal territories for trade. This article investigates how UNCLOS has influenced the transit and trade of Nepal and Afghanistan since the treaty's signing. The research examines the macroeconomic impacts of UNCLOS on these countries, focusing on trade trends and regional cooperation agreements. It analyzes how UNCLOS has facilitated increased trade and new economic activities …

Terrorism And Counterterrorism In The Taliban’S Afghanistan, Jonathan Schroden

Journal of Strategic Security

This article focuses on terrorist groups and efforts to counter them in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. It begins with a brief overview of the most significant international and regional terrorist groups in the country and where these groups stood when the Taliban came to power. It then discusses the efforts of the United States, Pakistan, and the Taliban to counter (or not) those terrorist groups. Specific attention is paid to real or potential cooperation between these efforts. The chapter ends with a discussion of trendlines of the past three years and what those …

From Uncertainty To Strategic Failure: U.S. Military Interventions And The Complexity Of Nation-Building In Afghanistan, Goddy Uwa Osimen, Oluwamurewa Newo

Journal of Strategic Security

The American occupation of Afghanistan from 2001-2021 is widely regarded as a strategic failure, particularly after the Taliban took over the government in 2021. This work seeks to observe the strategic flaws of the 20-year occupation from the perspective of nation-building within the state. Using the theoretical lens of strategic culture and borrowing from Huntington’s discourse on the clash of civilizations, this article notes that nation-building failure in Afghanistan can be attributed to the ideological differences between the West and the Middle East. Using a descriptive qualitative approach and secondary sources such as books and peer-reviewed articles, the study employs …

Reliance On Local Contractors And Messy Withdrawals: Lessons From Afghanistan, Guido Rossi

Journal of Strategic Security

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 highlighted both American unpreparedness for evacuating large numbers of foreign civilians as well over-reliance on local contractors that made the evacuation a task of much greater proportions. As a result, the United States were forced to renege on its promises of protection to many Afghan collaborators who were left behind exposed to Taliban retribution. However, the U.S. could not only have handled the evacuation and resettlement operation of Afghan civilians much more effectively through better contingency planning, interagency communication, and coordination, but it could also have prevented massive reliance on local contractors through …

From Nation-Building To Collapse: Analyzing Afghanistan’S 2021 Fall And The Geopolitical Entropies Of U.S. Withdrawal, Arash Beidollahkhani, Edriss Rasa

Journal of Strategic Security

The collapse of the Afghan government in 2021 and the subsequent return of the Taliban marked a significant shift in contemporary geopolitics. This paper examines the political and social dynamics surrounding the U.S. and allied forces' withdrawal, focusing on the entropic forces that contributed to the breakdown of Afghanistan’s governance system. While Afghanistan has experienced recurrent governmental collapses, the post-2021 crisis highlights deeper structural challenges within both the geopolitical and domestic spheres. The research investigates the failure of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, established through two decades of nation-building efforts, and explores how the abrupt foreign withdrawal dismantled fragile political structures, …

Capability Building And Quality Management In Higher Education: An Empirical Investigation, Kanwal Nasim, Xiaowen Tian

Journal of Global Education and Research

This paper proposes a resource-capability-based framework of quality management in Higher Education (HE) and empirically tests it against the experience of HE institutes in Pakistan. The paper posits that HE institutions face intensifying global education competition in a world of accelerated globalization, fast pace of technology development, and rapidly growing knowledge. To enhance quality and performance, they need to build higher-order dynamic capabilities of knowledge creation and transfer (KCT) undergirded by orchestrating three sets of resources they own or control: Staff, students, and facilities. The paper hypothesizes how HE institutions can orchestrate the resources to build up dynamic KCT capabilities …

Causes And Effects Of Science Tutor Attrition At The Colleges Of Education In The Northern Zone Of Ghana: A Qualitative Study, Collins D. Amadu, Rose Dognia, Solomon Boachie, Taarique-Ahmad Yahaya

Journal of Global Education and Research

The study investigated the causes and effects of science tutor attrition in the colleges of education in the Northern Zone of Ghana. Three science and mathematics colleges were used for the study. The study adopted a qualitative approach with 9 participants who volunteered to take part. The interview guide was the sole instrument for data collection. The interviews were conducted through face-to-face and phone calls. The recorded conversations were transcribed and categorized into themes. The study found that the science tutor attrition rate was caused by several factors. These factors could be grouped into unmet expectations of the tutors and …

Service Encounter Behavior (Seb) In Higher Education: The ‘Moment Of Truth’ From A Dyadic Perspective In Programme Administration, Lai Hong Ng, Lai Ling Ng

Journal of Global Education and Research

The global increase in demand for higher education has intensified competition and led to the marketisation of higher education. It is pertinent to manage service quality because students rely on the service encounter behavior (SEB) of employees when judging service encounters. This research gains insights into the SEB of student-employee in programme administration, which are influenced by situational definitions and situational roles (role expectations and role response), from a dyadic perspective. The critical incident technique is employed to elicit employees’ experiences in service encounters. The outcome of this research offers an SEB guide, identifying situational roles in a range of …

Transformative Education: Paulo Freire’S Pedagogy Of The Oppressed And Its Contemporary Resonance, James P. Takona

Journal of Global Education and Research

This study explores the importance of Freire’s critique of the ‘banking model’ of education and its implications for contemporary challenges such as digitalization, cultural inclusivity, and sustainability. By addressing systemic barriers, Freire’s concepts offer valuable strategies for fostering critical consciousness, cooperative learning, and equitable opportunities. Culturally responsive teaching and sustainability education align with Freirean principles, providing tools to address global issues like inequality and climate change. These approaches recognize students’ real-world experiences, encourage critical thinking, and inspire collective action. The findings demonstrate Freire’s educational strategy as a valuable tool for educators and policymakers. By embracing his principles of dialogue, empowerment, …

Learning From Afghanistan: The Futility Of Occupation In Nation-Building, Jithin Raveendran

Journal of Strategic Security

This article explores the challenges and failures of nation-building under occupation Amidst an active warfare, using Afghanistan as a critical case study. Over two decades, the US-led intervention sought to establish stability and democracy but ultimately faltered due to misaligned strategies and systemic flaws. Efforts to impose Western governance structures clashed with Afghanistan’s deeply rooted tribal and cultural norms, fueling resistance and eroding legitimacy. The article identifies key shortcomings, including the neglect of local agency, cultural insensitivity, over-reliance on military solutions, and the perpetuation of dependency and corruption. It argues that nation-building by occupying forces is inherently flawed without prioritizing …

Our Knowledge Of The Taliban As Guide For Us Policy, Marvin G. Weinbaum

Journal of Strategic Security

Many explanations have been offered for why after two decades of insurgency the US military mission in Afghanistan failed. Some of our judgments about what went wrong can be useful in helping us shape future US policy toward a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Even more valuable, we have the benefit of several years of observing the Taliban exercising the responsibilities of governing to guide us in engaging the regime and furthering our security and strategic objectives with Afghanistan and its region. This article identifies seven broad conclusions about the Taliban that should be instructive: Among these are the Taliban’s resistance to transactional …

Taliban 1.0 And 2.0 In Afghanistan: Same Policies, Persistent Vision, Sharif Hozoori

Journal of Strategic Security

The Taliban emerged as a movement in 1994, toppled the government of the Mujahideen, and ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. They finally recaptured power in 2021 after the US withdrawal from the region. This paper refers to the first Taliban rule as Taliban 1.0 and their second as Taliban 2.0. Taliban 1.0 imposed draconian laws and regulations on women and minorities while harboring regional and international terrorist organizations. Later, the Taliban 2.0 followed its predecessor in policies regarding women, minorities, and sheltering terrorist organizations. Considering this background, this paper addresses whether Taliban 1.0 and 2.0 maintain the same policies …

Afghanistan: Taliban’S Second Chance And Red Strategy, Oleg Golishnikov

Journal of Strategic Security

An objective evaluation of Afghanistan’s political and socioeconomic situation since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021 is crucial for understanding and addressing security issues at the national, regional, and global levels. Unlike most studies, this article provides new insights, offering a balanced assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and developing recommendations on dealing with the Taliban regime. By employing qualitative methods and a rational theory framework, this article argues that Afghanistan under Taliban rule is experiencing a mix of positive and negative trends. Major positive trends include the relative peace in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s real power and control over the …

The Synthesis Of A Photo-Affinity Probe Library For The Fatty Acid Amide Proteome And The Endocannabinoid System Within, Robert E. Feeney Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fatty acid amides are a large family of endogenous metabolites with significant biological activity, including that of the endocannabinoid system. Currently little is known about how this system of tightly regulated compounds works within humans. This work lays the foundation to explore the structure-activity relationship driving the selectivity of ligand-protein interactions involved with fatty acid amides. A library of activity-based proteomic profiling probes for fatty acid amides has been synthesized to this end. Additionally, progress towards phytocannabinoid probes has been made as well.

The Political Philosophy Of Habitude: Conservatism Analytically Explained, Kyle S. Hodge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Conservatism is both undertheorized and poorly understood in philosophical political theory; all extant theories have proven deficient. They either conflate what is contingently associated with conservatism with its essence, draw mistaken generalizations from apparently conservative behavior, or else are explanatorily incomplete.

To avoid these deficiencies, I develop a rigorous, theory-neutral groundwork for evaluating theories of conservatism. This groundwork utilizes both traditional methods of analytic philosophy and, for the first time in the field, historiometry. Philosophical analysis determines the formal requirements of a successful explanation while empirical, historiometric data determines the most salient conservative exemplars whom any such theory must explain. …

Beyond The Gray Ghost: John S. Mosby And The Power Of Legend, Kevin R. Youngberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Civil War generals are among the most celebrated figures of their time. In the post-Civil war era, many of these officers retreated to farms, and businesses and disappeared into obscurity. This was not the case with Colonel John Singleton Mosby, who quickly transformed into a figure whose legacy from the Civil war gave him a unique place in the American imagination as the legendary Gray Ghost of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. He lived until 1916, a remarkable fifty years filling those decades with a host of accomplishments in public service both at home and abroad. His legacy is complex, …

Digital Resistance And The Political Economy Of Authoritarian Decline And Economic Liberalization In Ethiopia, Anaol Dalle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to examine the impact increased consumption of digital technologies, like social media and the internet, has on the stability and autonomy of low-capacity authoritarian countries. By using Ethiopia (2015-2021) as a case study, the dissertation argues that the sudden adoption and proliferation of digital platforms serves as an exogenous shock that pushes the state into a critical juncture that unravels institutional equilibria and transforms domestic incentive structures and institutions. This creates a power vacuum, which triggers a period of intense, and often violent, competition between elite groups, significantly destabilizing the state. In the absence of a cohesive …

Teaching Word Combinations Using Matrix Training Via Serious Gaming In Minimally Verbal Children, Nataly Innamorato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the communication challenges faced by minimally verbal children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), often limited to one-word expressions. The approach used involves gamifying matrix training, an empirically supported method for teaching word combinations and promoting the generalization of language skills. Across three studies, the development of an instructional game is described and evaluated with two populations, typically developing children and children who are minimally verbal. First, it introduces a gamified application of matrix training that provides training in an interactive digital environment. Second, a proof-of-concept was obtained via a multiple baseline across participants with typically …

Applications Of Contracting Self-Similar Groups To Cryptography And Scale Groups, Arsalan Akram Malik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given their peculiar properties, self-similar groups are of great interest both from applications and theoretical standpoints. In this work we study the scope of their applications in post-quantum cryptography and in constructing scale groups via lifting maps.

We propose self-similar contracting groups as a platform for cryptographic schemes based on simultaneous conjugacy search problem (SCSP). This class of groups admits fast polynomial-time algorithms for the word problem and element multiplication that can be used for effective encryption and decryption of messages. It contains extraordinary examples like the Grigorchuk group, which is known to be non-linear, thus making some of existing …

Democracy, Expertise, And The Disinformation Problem, Richard Randall Frohock Iv

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experts are an essential part of our social epistemology. They grant us access to knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible. Because of this, experts are also typically seen as invaluable political contributors. Without expert contributions, public policy risks being ill-informed and therefore incapable of addressing society’s needs. Recently, however, the extent to which expertise should inform public policy has come into question. Fueled largely by disinformation, there is a growing movement against traditional experts. Those within this movement argue that experts have overstepped their bounds and are working against the societies they are meant to be helping. Fearing that that …

Which Adolescents Benefit Most From Positive Psychology Interventions: Examining The Common Factors Of Therapeutic Change, Nicolette Bauermeister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature has found positive psychology interventions to be effective at improving the subjective well-being of youth (Tejada-Gallardo et al., 2020). Further research is needed to identify variables such as common factors of change that could be contributing to whether youth report improved outcomes after participating in a positive psychology intervention. This study examined common factors of therapeutic change as predictors for outcomes such as positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction, which are components of subjective well-being. This dissertation aimed to fill the gap in the literature regarding common factors of change as predictors of outcomes in school-based positive …