Digital Commons Network^™

Fort Brooke After 200 Years: A Public Heritage Approach, Alex F. Fawbush

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fort Brooke, established in 1824 at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, shaped the growth of Tampa and Florida’s west coast for nearly sixty years and served as the nucleus for the forced removal of Indigenous people. Though the Fort itself has long since vanished beneath the modern city, archaeology has preserved its legacy. Excavations since the 1970s have uncovered rich assemblages of ceramics, glass, military equipment, faunal remains, and domestic refuse. These materials reveal daily life at the post, highlighting the interactions of soldiers, Seminoles, African Americans, white settlers, and Cuban fishermen, while also uncovering the deeper prehistoric, referred …

The Orange Glow In The Sunshine State: Three Visions Of Plato In Florida (1970-1990), Ryan Mcgahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The PLATO network, a collection of mainframe computers, terminals, and educational software, has received an increasing amount of scholarly attention in the last decade as a social precursor to the modern internet. Existing histories have neglected to investigate the ways in which PLATO and its related business enterprise worked to accelerate the shift in university governance away from classical liberal ideas centering the public good and towards a more profit-centered neoliberal rationality. By tracing the rise of PLATO in Florida universities, this paper argues that PLATO aided and was aided by the shifting priorities of American universities in the 1970s …

Crow's Nest, October 20, 2025, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The October 20, 2025 issue of Crow's Nest.

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 …

Unskilled But Aware Of It: Understanding Self-Assessment By Estimating Guessing From Cognitive-Metacognitive Paired Measures, Edward Nuhfer, Steven Fleisher

Numeracy

We utilize concepts of numeracy including number sense, reading and interpreting graphs, basic probability and statistics, and reasoning to estimate guessing and verify our earlier findings on human self-assessment as replicable. Our field study employed a low-stakes paired measures assessment (11,229 scores from the validated Science Literacy Concept Inventory and postdicted global self-assessment ratings generated upon completion of the Inventory) in conjunction with a five-category taxonomy of self-assessment proficiency. We also simulated 11,229 random guessing responses, to model responses that disengaged, purely random-guessing participants should produce. At least 90% of participants sincerely engaged with the instruments of measure, self-assessed imperfectly …

The Public Parks Paradox: Look But Don't Touch, Michael Sheridan, Claire Babbott-Bryan

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

Buenos Aires, Argentina is one of the least green cities in the world, with estimates of 1.5 - 6m² of green space per person – far below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 15m². Neoliberal policies continue to fragment and privatize the city’s green spaces, posing serious threats to public health. The remaining parks in Buenos Aires employ physical barriers to preserve the park’s green elements, including metal gates (often painted green), restricted gardens and quads, and signs that prohibit stepping on the grass. These barriers deprive opportunities for sensory engagement, reducing park users’ interactions to passive visual and …

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 …

Barriers To Machine Learning Adoption In Regulated Electric Utilities, Donald R. Shiflet Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) technologies have the potential to revolutionize regulated electric utilities by improving operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and optimizing energy management. Despite these advantages, the adoption of ML in this sector lags other industries due to technical, organizational, and regulatory barriers. This research, grounded in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, explores these barriers to uncover actionable solutions for integration. The study identifies key challenges, including explainability, cybersecurity, workforce resistance, and regulatory ambiguity to ML adoption in electric utilities. Utilizing an exploratory qualitative methodology, this approach integrates insights from the literature and industry interviews to rank barriers by frequency, severity, …

Species Snapshot: Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx Californianus), Steven Gabrey

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

2024 American Field Ornithologist (Afo) And Western Bird Banding Association (Wbba) Joint Annual Meeting Scientific Abstracts, Walter H. Sakai

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Western Bird Banding Association Grant Announcement And 2024 Grant Award, Walter H. Sakai

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Ibba Conference Set For 24-26 October 2025 At Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, Mn, Peter Lowther

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Inland Flyway Review Maps 2024 Report, Steven Gabrey

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Save The Date! March 20-22, 2026 Eastern Bird Banding Association Conference And Meeting, Annie Lindsay

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Message From The President, Aaron Given

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

2025 Annual Membership Meeting Of The Eastern Bird Banding Association, Maren Gimpel

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Sedge Wren Recaptures And A Longevity Record, David A. Cimprich

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

A Summary Of Ebba's 2025 Annual Meeting, Maren Gimpel

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Recent Literature, Claire Stuyck

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Boreal Chickadee Notes From Alaska, Michael R. North

North American Bird Bander

I banded 36 Boreal Chickadees (Poecile hudsonicus) and had 27 recaptures for a total of 63 encounters in Anchorage, Alaska, from 1990-1995. Boreal Chickadees mean weight and fat accumulation did not vary between seasons; overall annual mean weight was 11.4 g. During fall and winter measured weight increased during daylight hours, but in summer birds maintained a steady weight throughout the day. Winter weight gain throughout the day was calculated to equal about 11.7% of base body weight. Wing, tail, and tarsal measurement averages and ranges are provided. Body, crown, and remige molt was heaviest in late July and August, …

Timing Of Leg Scale Molt In The Black-Capped Vireo, David A. Cimprich

North American Bird Bander

The podotheca is the scaly covering of the bare portions of bird legs. Although it is known that birds periodically replace these scales, the process has only been described in any detail for two species. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the timing of podothecal molt in the Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in relation to both date and the progress of the prebasic feather molt. I captured these birds throughout the time they were present at a site within their breeding range in central Texas. I noted the presence of leg scale molt and scored the molt of …

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Back Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

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, …

Proteomic Characterization Of The Neuronal Bin1 Interactome In Homeostatic And Alzheimer’S Disease Mouse Brains, Joseph Mcmillan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The gene BIN1 is the second-largest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). It is expressed in neurons and glia in the brain as cell-type specific and ubiquitous isoforms. BIN1 is an adaptor protein that regulates membrane dynamics in many cell types. Previously, we reported that BIN1 predominantly localizes to presynaptic terminals in neurons and regulates presynaptic vesicular release. However, the function of neuronal BIN1 in relation to LOAD is not yet fully understood. A significant gap in the field is the unbiased characterization of neuronal BIN1-interacting proteins and proximal neighbors. To address this gap and help define the …

"What's A Computer?" Exploring Insurance Agents' Role In Small Business Cyber Insurance Transactions, Dalton A. Crabtree

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined how insurance agents' role identity impacts cyber insurance transactions, addressing gaps in professional practice and academic literature. Small businesses increasingly rely on cyber insurance for protection as cyber risk continues to evolve. The study employed sequential explanatory methodology with 25 interviews across three groups: insurance agents (n=15), corporate cyber insurance professionals (n=5), and small business owners (n=5). Thematic analysis using Katz and Khan's Role Episode Model informed development of the Cyber Insurance Role Identity Scale (CIRIS), tested with 100 agents. Six themes emerged. Key findings reveal that successful cyber insurance transactions require agents to transition from …

A Discussion Of Community: An Ethnography Of Designing Asynchronous Video Discussions To Reveal Student Perceptions Of Digital Presence In Online Learning, Chad S. Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods digital ethnography investigates how video-based discussions (VBD) influence community building in asynchronous graduate education. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study looks at student experiences in a History of Higher Education class where traditional text-based discussions were replaced with video presentations and peer responses. The research explores how video discussions affect students' sense of presence, how video presence impacts engagement patterns, and which multimedia elements contribute to community development.

Data collection included semi-structured interviews with students and instructors, LMS analytics, video content analysis, and ethnographic observation throughout Spring 2024. Analysis revealed a notable disconnect between traditional …