Digital Commons Network^™

Quantification Of Interfacial Defects In Frp-Strengthened Rc Member Using Non-Destructive Testing Methods, Yuliya Tyrak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are widely used to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, the long-term performance of these systems depends on the integrity of the FRP–concrete bond. Interfacial defects such as debonding, delamination, cracking, and voids may reduce structural capacity and are often difficult to detect using conventional inspection techniques. This study investigates the effectiveness of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for detecting interfacial defects in FRP-strengthened RC members. It explores the potential for automated defect identification using thermal imaging and machine learning.

Laboratory specimens with predefined defects were fabricated and tested using visual inspection (VI), tap testing …

Remotely Training Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners To Conduct A Repeated Latency Functional Analysis, W. Daniel Oliver-Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has established functional analyses (Iwata et al., 1982/1994) as valuable tools for ABA practitioners. Despite previous findings, behavior analysts often default to other methods when identifying the maintaining variables of problem behavior. Several studies have examined training methods and variations of traditional functional analyses to increase clinical applications. The Repeated Latency Functional Analysis (RLFA) is a newly developed adaptation to the functional analysis (Han et. al., 2023). This study used video modeling to train three ABA practitioners in RLFA procedures through online role-play scenarios. The findings suggested that online video modeling is a promising training modality for ABA …

Assessing Capability, Opportunity, And Motivation In Relation To Guideline Adherence For Inherited Cancer Risk, Cecilia L. Delisanti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Although National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines provide cancer screening or risk reduction recommendations for individuals with germline pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants (GPVs) in actionable hereditary cancer genes, guideline adherence remains inconsistent, and the behavioral contributors to this gap remain understudied. To identify behavioral factors related to adherence across inherited cancer risk genes, this study used the COM-B model, which posits that capability, opportunity, and motivation shape health behaviors.

Methods: IMPACT study participants, all with GPVs in a variety of actionable genes, completed surveys (N=575). Minimal adherence was based on gene-specific NCCN guidelines. COM-B constructs (capability, opportunity, motivation) …

The Emotional Construction Of Religious Experience: Senitmentalism And Moral Motivations, Yvonne Candelario

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper addresses the growing prevalence of reported religious experiences across diverse religious and spiritual traditions, alongside the persistent absence of such reports among many adherents within the same communities. This asymmetry poses a challenge for both supernaturalist and reductively skeptical accounts of religious experience. I develop a naturalistic constructivist framework to explain why some individuals choose to interpret and report some human experiences as religious experiences or report having religious experiences at all, while others do not. Drawing on a post-modern revision of moral theory, an account of constructive sentimentalism, I argue that religious experience is shaped by socially …

Mall For Lifelong Learning: Older Adults’ Self-Directed Language Learning Via Duolingo, Jihye Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has proliferated due to rapid technological advancements, enabling language learning anytime, anywhere. Among these technologies, commercial applications such as Duolingo have achieved global popularity across diverse age groups. Despite this, research examining efficacy and User Experience (UX) has predominantly focused on undergraduate populations or formal educational settings. While a limited number of studies have explored populations outside university contexts (e.g., Puebla et al., 2022; Rosell-Aguilar, 2018), there remains a scarcity of research regarding the MALL experiences of older adults (aged 60 and above) in informal settings.

Taking a concurrent mixed-methods approach with an emphasis on qualitative …

Analysing Numeracy Demands In Alberta Curriculum: A Focus On High School Mathematics, Asia Majeed, Kwesi Yaro

Numeracy

In recent years, numeracy has been recognized as a key educational priority across the curriculum in many international jurisdictions, including almost all Canadian provinces. In Alberta province, Canada, for example, the Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) #3 explicitly states that all teachers are responsible for fostering literacy and numeracy skills, regardless of the specific subject areas they teach. This expanded focus reflects a broader understanding of numeracy not merely as a subset of mathematical skills, but as a fundamental competency that supports informed participation in civic, economic, and personal life. This paper applies the 21st Century Numeracy Model (Goos et al., …

Construction Of Chinese Identities And Community: A Linguistic Ethnographic Study Of A Chinese Culture-Sharing Club At A Us University, Yuxuan Mu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chinese identity has been viewed as a debated and contested notion in sociolinguistics (Wong et al., 2021). Existing sociolinguistic research, which has centered on Chinese identity-related questions, such as “Who can be or cannot be Chinese?”, has been closely involved with the current political tensions between mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as well as their associated linguistic tensions between simplified Chinese writing and traditional Chinese writing, and Cantonese and Mandarin. Building on these studies, this dissertation goes beyond the scope of Sinophone contexts traditionally examined in prior research (e.g., mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong) to examine how US …

Building Trust And Credibility In Business-To-Business Relationships: The Role Of Content Marketing Formats, Janice A. Yates

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing reliance on digital channels in business-to-business (B2B) purchasing has elevated content marketing as a central mechanism for building vendor relationships and influencing buyer behavior. Grounded in Relationship Management Theory, this study examines how informational quality and interactive engagement in B2B content marketing contribute to relational outcomes—trust and credibility—and subsequent purchase intent.A quantitative survey was administered to B2B professionals to assess perceptions of common content marketing formats and their influence on vendor evaluation and purchasing decisions. A total of 76 responses were collected, with 63 usable cases retained after data screening. Established multi-item scales were used to measure informational …

They Find A Way: The Transnational Practices And Experiences Of Diaspora Conflict Journalists, Grace E. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As global tensions continue to rise, media landscapes are changing. Diaspora communities play an integral role in this shift, as they search for verifiable news with a global perspective to keep them informed on crises in their home countries. In order to keep their communities informed, diaspora journalists step up to localize coverage, creating transnational networks to bridge home and host countries. They often work through intense situations, sacrificing normalcy for information. Building on the framework from Ogunyemi’s (2018) diasporic media observations, Fraser’s (1992) counterpublics theory, and D.K. Thussu’s (2006) contra-flow in global media theory, this study explores how diaspora …

Framing The Pressure: Mental Health Representation In Olympic Athletes Through The Weight Of Gold, Daniel B. Gearin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how the HBO documentary The Weight of Gold constructs meaning around athlete mental health through narrative and visual framing. Grounded in framing theory, the purpose of this research is to identify the key themes presented in the film and analyze how cinematic techniques shape audience understanding of mental health in Olympic athletes. The rationale for this study stems from a gap in existing research, as most scholarship focuses on psychological outcomes rather than how media representations construct those meanings. Using a qualitative approach, the study applies thematic analysis to 17 scenes of the documentary, supported by a …

Fire And Ice: Partisan Media Coverage Of 2025 Ice Mass Deportations, Rachael A. Lawrence

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how partisan media outlets strategically frame U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), revealing how the same events are portrayed as fundamentally different depending on the outlet’s ideological position. Using Entman’s framing theory and qualitative frame analysis, this research analyzed 150 digital news articles from conservative-leaning (e.g., Fox News & New York Post), liberal-leaning (e.g., CNN & Associated Press) and neutral (e.g., The Hill & Newsweek) outlets over a six-month period following President Trump’s executive order expanding ICE’s operational scope.

The analysis reveals sharp partisan divides and highlights the prominence of media bias. Conservative outlets emphasized security frames …

Understanding How Single Mothers In Southwest Nigeria Navigate Mental Health Challenges And Financial Hardships: A Culture-Centered Approach, Zulykha B. Akinjobi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Single motherhood is a growing yet stigmatized family structure in Southwest Nigeria, where patriarchal norms, cultural expectations, and structural inequalities converge to produce unique mental health and financial challenges for women. This qualitative study examines how single mothers in Southwest Nigeria navigate mental health challenges and financial hardships through the lens of the Culture-Centered Approach (CCA). Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 single mothers residing in the Yoruba-speaking region of Southwest Nigeria, this study foregrounds locally situated narratives to understand how these women construct and reconstruct meanings of single motherhood within their cultural and structural contexts. Findings reveal that …

Crow's Nest, March 9, 2026, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The March 9, 2026 issue of Crow's Nest.

Growth Mindset And Practice Strategy In Expert Pianists, Yiling Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growth mindset is often theorized to support persistence, strategic learning, and reflective regulation, yet little is known about whether growth mindset differentiates how expert pianists organize and evaluate their practice strategies. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether expert pianists’ growth mindset beliefs relate to multidimensional practice strategy effectiveness and usage and to metacognitive indicators of adaptive regulation, including strategy adaptability, self-monitoring effectiveness, confidence in strategy selection, and the illusion of fluency (feeling well prepared in practice yet underperforming in performance). Participants were 90 expert pianists (piano faculty members at North American universities classified as Research 1) who …

Response Of Botovskaya Cave To Local And Regional Environmental Dynamics, Jade Margerum, Oksana Gutareva, Franziska Lechleitner, Maria Box, Stuart Umbo, Anton Vaks, Hanno Meyer, Aleksandr Kononov, Aleksander Osintsev, Dimitri Sokol'nikov, Norbert Marwan, Ola Kwiecien, Sebastian Breitenbach

International Journal of Speleology

Speleothems from caves in near-permafrost regions can provide unique insights into the climatic history of temperature-sensitive environments. These regions are often remote and only seasonally accessible, which makes cave monitoring – a requirement for speleothem-based proxy interpretation – challenging. We document ventilation, the infiltration regime, and the isotopic composition of dripwater in Botovskaya Cave in southern Siberia, a host to speleothems previously used to reconstruct Quaternary permafrost dynamics in continental Eurasia. We explore surface and cave temperature records, cave air CO₂ concentration data and stable isotopes in precipitation and dripwater and evaluate infiltration conditions and the sensitivity of speleothems …

Ice Temperature And Heat Transfer Processes In Cave Glaciers, Aurel Persoiu

International Journal of Speleology

Cave glaciers (i.e., perennial ice accumulations in caves), found throughout mountainous regions in Europe and North America are at risk of extinction due to rising air temperature and altered rainfall patterns. Their formation and subsequent preservation is the result of accumulation of ice during winter months and limited ablation in summer. These processes, in turn, are controlled by air temperature, which determines the overall mass balance of ice. One important aspect is the heat the ice mass loses in winter, which increases its resilience during summer. While ice caves’ climate has been intensively studied in the past, investigations of ice …

Youmatter: A Nursing Workforce Study, Stacy L. Pryor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sustainability and health of the nursing profession are immediate and pressing concerns. Despite decades of research, nurses continue to struggle with high levels of stress and burnout, raising concerns about patient safety and error risk. One in 10 patients is estimated to experience an adverse patient event, with half being preventable, underscoring the need to understand the factors that affect stress among nurses and the subsequent risk of adverse patient events. This dissertation has the following aims: 1) to evaluate whether cognitive failure risk that could lead to an adverse patient event was associated with subjective measures of stress, …

Targeting Cancer With T Cells: Preclinical And In Silico Insights To Improve Immunotherapies, Nina Obertopp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

T-cell–based immunotherapies are often constrained by limited trafficking and persistence in tumors and by functional exhaustion under chronic antigen exposure. This dissertation addresses these barriers through two distinct strategies: (i) preclinical studies testing how radiation therapy modulates tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy, and (ii) agent based modeling (ABM) to optimize treatment day treatment-free intervals (TFI) in T-cell engager (TCE) therapy. (i) In a human papillomavirus–positive (HPV⁺) head-and-neck cancer (HNC) model, a single local-dose of RT (8 Gy) delivered five days before tumor harvest increased the success and functional quality of ex vivo TIL outgrowth from tumor fragments, enriching polyfunctional CD8⁺ subsets. …

Development And Evaluation Of The Interdisciplinary Graduate-Level Experiential Global Aging Education Program In The United States: A Case Of The Gerontology In Japan Course, Takashi Yamashita, Flavius R W Lilly, Diane B. Martin, Mio Kamijo

Journal of Global Education and Research

The cultural competence of the workforce is increasingly important due to global population aging and the growing diversity of the older population. Experiential learning, particularly through study abroad programs, is a known strategy to enhance these competencies; yet such training remains uncommon in higher education, especially at the graduate level. While the United States is currently a relatively young country with 17% of its population aged 65 years and older, the percentage is projected to increase to more than 21% by the end of this decade. Recognizing the value of learning from a super-aged society, a two-week study abroad course …

Bullying And Discrimination Experiences Of Bhutanese College Students: Prevalence, Impacts, And Responses, Kezang Sherab, John Howard

Journal of Global Education and Research

Prior studies as well as media reports have identified bullying and discrimination amongst Bhutanese school and college students as a cause of concern, especially so for a nation with Gross National Happiness as its goal. Bullying and discrimination are associated with negative outcomes and can impact overall well-being. This quantitative study examined bullying and discrimination amongst college students (n = 16) in Bhutan through a self-administered online survey to a representative sample of 2043 (male = 40.8%; female = 55.8%). There was a non-significant decline from the 2016 survey in the reported prevalence of being bullied (from 45.2% to …

Financial Leverage And Firm Performance: An Empirical Review And Analysis, Iqbal Md. M Islam

Journal of Global Business Insights

This paper examines the dual impact of financial leverage on corporate performance by analyzing empirical data across developed and developing nations, industries, and different periods. Leverage can enhance profitability through tax benefits and improved efficiency, but it also maximizes financial risk, making its effects highly context dependent. Theoretical frameworks such as the Trade-off Theory, Modigliani-Miller Theorem, Agency Theory, and Pecking Order Theory offer diverse perspectives on how debt influences firm outcomes. Empirical findings reveal mixed results; moderate leverage may lower capital costs and boost performance, whereas unnecessary debt can lead to financial distress. Disparities emerge between developed and developing economies. …

Artificial Intelligence Capabilities, Generational Involvement, And Competitive Performance: Case Of Tunisian Family Businesses, Rim Gafsi

Journal of Global Business Insights

Anchored in Dynamic Capabilities Theory, this study examines the effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities on the competitive performance of family firms and the moderating role of generational involvement. Using survey data from 120 Tunisian family firms adopting AI between 2021 and 2024 and applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, the findings show that AI capabilities significantly enhance firm performance, while generational involvement has no moderating effect. This challenges the assumption that intergenerational transitions inherently drive innovation and provides novel evidence from Tunisia that performance gains stem primarily from the strategic integration of AI rather than generational dynamics. …

Does Ict Use As A Strategic Response To Globalization Matter For Sme Performance In Nigeria? Mediating Roles Of Entrepreneurial Orientation, Strategic Agility, And Organizational Resilience, Uzoma H. Ononye

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study examined the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) use on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) performance with a focus on the mediating roles of entrepreneurial orientation, strategic agility, and organizational resilience. Cross-sectional data were collected from 298 SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, using a questionnaire based on previously validated measurement scales. Partial least squares modelling was applied to test the hypothesized five-factor model. The results demonstrate that ICT use, in response to globalization, exerts a significant and positive effect on SME performance. However, this effect is fully mediated by entrepreneurial orientation, strategic agility, and organizational resilience. The analysis …

Does Abusive Supervision Undermine Creativity? A Buffering Role Of Absorptive Capacity, Sayma H. Shetu, Md. Sanaul Islam, Abdul G. Khan, Md. Shahed Mahmud

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study investigates the underlying processes of this relationship by examining knowledge hiding as a mediator and absorptive capacity as a moderator, within the context of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. 385 garment sector employees in Bangladesh were surveyed using a three-wave questionnaire, and the results were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study's findings demonstrate that abusive supervision negatively impacts employee creativity, in part by increasing knowledge hiding. Furthermore, higher absorptive capacity mitigates these adverse effects, reducing knowledge-hiding tendencies and enhancing creative performance. Theoretically, this study advances COR theory by identifying knowledge hiding as a …

Determinants Of U.S. Manufacturing Firms’ New Location Decisions: What Factors Shape State-Level Entry?, Ye Wana Hlaing, John Schoeneman

Journal of Global Business Insights

The location of new manufacturing facilities is a critical determinant of firm performance and long-term competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic global economy. This decision-making process is complex, shaped by economic, social, geographic, and regulatory conditions. Understanding these factors is essential for policymakers, investors, and firms seeking to design strategies that foster regional development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth. This study examines the key determinants of manufacturing firms’ new-location choices in the United States. Although factors such as land availability, workforce productivity, and regulatory stability are well recognized, the magnitude and mechanisms through which they affect location decisions remain insufficiently …

Tourists’ Perceptions Of Autonomous Vehicles: A Qualitative Approach, Nese Yilmaz, Eda Ozgul-Katlav, Ozan Atsiz

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study examines travelers’ perceptions and attitudes toward autonomous vehicles (AVs) in tourism destinations. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 travelers and analyzed using content analysis. Drawing on a cognitive–affective perspective, the findings reveal that travelers’ evaluations of AVs are shaped by both perceived advantages and disadvantages, which are closely linked to their perceptions and emotional responses. The results further indicate that cognitive (perceptions) and affective (feelings) responses are associated with behavioral intentions, including destination choice and willingness to pay for AV services. While many participants expressed positive expectations regarding convenience and novelty, concerns …

Undergraduate Health And Wellbeing Course And Study Away Program To Alaska, Lorraine S. Wallace, Steven J. Mousetes, Jennifer Bickley

Journal of Global Education and Research

High-impact practices, such as diversity/global education, have been shown to positively contribute to student development, engagement, and success. As the US is both culturally and linguistically diverse, domestic study away programs can offer students impactful multicultural educational experiences without leaving the country. The purpose of this study was to describe the design of a health and well-being academic course and accompanying study away program to Alaska for undergraduates at The Ohio State University (OSU). The authors (1) describe the application of the backward design process in guiding ELOs development, (2) provide a sample of course assignments and student responses, and …

Effects Of Peer-Assisted Reading To Enhance Reading Proficiency For Learners With Mild Hearing Impairment Included In A South African Mainstream Classroom, Gaone Molapisi, Nareadi Phasha

Journal of Global Education and Research

This paper reports on the findings of a case study investigating the effects of peer-assisted reading in relation to learners identified with mild hearing impairment included in South African general education settings. These learners are often confronted with considerable challenges in developing proficient reading skills, which are crucial for curriculum access. In this study, peers with no hearing loss assisted learners with hearing impairment in reading activities to enhance their reading proficiency. The study involved two female educators and 15 learners in Grade 8 presenting with hearing impairment. The study employed a case study design, with data gathered through direct …

Globalizing The Engineering Job Market: Optimizing Engineering Career Expos To Serve International Students, Hailey A. Hesseltine

Journal of Global Education and Research

As the United States hosts approximately one million international students annually, it becomes imperative that on-campus resources are tailored to meet the needs of this diverse student population. One on-campus resource that is crucial to student success is career services, especially considering the aspirations of many international students to secure employment post-graduation. To address this, this study aimed to understand the satisfaction levels of international engineering students with an engineering career expo in Hawaiʻi. Utilizing a combination of surveys and interviews using a neo-racism framework, international students shared their experiences from the career expo through discussion and assessment. Information given …

Impact Of Femalized Kinesthetic Learning Model On African American Middle School Girls’ Career Interest, Mercy F. Fash, Andrea Ofori-Boadu

Journal of Global Education and Research

Engaging African American middle school girls in out-of-school-time (OST) Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) programs can boost interest in male-dominated AEC careers. This study adopts Lent’s Social Cognitive Career Theory to evaluate the impact of an OST feminized AEC kinesthetic learning model (fAEC-KLM) on the career interests of this demographic. Through a qualitative research approach, fourteen (14) African American middle school girls from Guilford County, NC, completed pre- and post-interviews on how fAEC-KLM interactions influenced their AEC career interests. Inductive thematic analysis was carried out on transcribed interviews. Results show that effective components, such as lectures on AEC, bridge construction …