Digital Commons Network^™

Throughput Of Ascon Compared With Popular Iot Encryption Algorithms, Mitchel R. Harvey (Ryan), Andrew M. Kaiser, Garrett W. Hoiness

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Anomaly Detection Of Network Layer Attacks Against Cyber Physical Systems Using Machine Learning And Deep Learning Techniques, James Alger, Michael Tu

Military Cyber Affairs

This research paper presents the analysis of using machine learning and deep learning algorithms on detecting anomalous network traffic in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Using a real PLC CPS-based system, normal and anomalous network traffic will be captured using Wireshark. The research analyzes a DDoS attack. The focus of the research is to identify the most effective feature combinations and evaluate them on ML and DL models. The emphasis is on enhancing detection strategies rather than exploiting device vulnerabilities. The detection of network attacks often involves handling a vast array of high-level features. Previous studies (Li & Chasaki, 2022) apply machine …

Characterizing Caldera’S Cyber Attack Emulation Capabilities, Caleb Chang, Matthew Cao, Kenyou Teoh, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

Autonomous cyber attack emulation can aid cyber defenders to identify and remediate cyber risks. MITRE’s Caldera software is the state-of-the-practice for automated attack emulation. Yet, it has not been systematically analyzed, putting its performance and effectiveness into question. This paper systematically characterizes Caldera’s architecture, abilities and use cases, and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. It draws useful insights, such as: Caldera excels in stealthy access and execution tactics to pilfer data against Windows operating systems. It also discusses two directions for Caldera improvement: module-level automation and end-to-end attack emulation.

The Digital Battlefield: Safeguarding Military Drones Against Cyberattacks, Jason Ashong, Arun Venkitanarayanan, Benjamin Yankson

Military Cyber Affairs

The Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) is an advanced network of interconnected devices that significantly enhance military operations through real-time data exchange and situational awareness. While IoBT offers tactical advantages like improved surveillance, reconnaissance, and operational effectiveness, it also introduces substantial cybersecurity risks. Adversaries can exploit vulnerabilities within these networks, potentially compromising mission integrity and national security. This research examines the cybersecurity measures of commercial drone controllers and their correlation with military devices. It aims to enhance future vulnerability assessments with advanced tools and approaches to better secure critical military operations. The study highlights the need for robust security architectures …

Using Blockchain Technology To Help Secure America's Defense Critical Infrastructure, Vimal Buck, Aerin Krebs, Brynn Hillard, Jakob Gerha, Joseph Lutma, Srikar Maduposu, Ted Allen

Military Cyber Affairs

Critical water infrastructure in the United States faces increasing cybersecurity threats from state-sponsored actors, with potentially devastating consequences for national security, economic stability, and public health. (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 2025). This infrastructure supports defense critical assets and is actively being targeted by various state-sponsored hacking groups, which poses a major concern for civilians and military alike. K. Herath (personal communication, February 24, 2025) reported being aware of two attacks on Ohio water systems during his tenure as Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Water is essential to everyday life and defense and presents as a high-value …

Network And Multipath Traceroute Visualization, Cameron Makowski

Military Cyber Affairs

TraceCam introduces a new paradigm in network path analysis, leveraging GPU-accelerated WebGL visualization, advanced traceroute integrations, and AI-driven insights to transform complex routing data into actionable intelligence. Early prototypes have demonstrated significant improvements in performance, clarity, and multi-path discovery, overcoming traditional limitations in traceroute analysis. By incorporating retrieval-augmented language models and enriched metadata sources like IPinfo.io, TraceCam enables automated anomaly detection, contextual explanations, and rapid root-cause analysis, enhancing operational efficiency. The platform’s architecture ensures scalability and adaptability, supporting deeper investigations and real-time situational awareness. Future development will focus on clustering-based anomaly detection, expanded geographic visualizations, and enhanced AI-generated analysis to …

Quantifying Adversary Military Forces’ Susceptibility To Cognitive Attacks, Bonnie Rushing, Cole Nelson, Shouhuai Xu, Christofer “Raven” O’Keefe, Olga Karpoyan

Military Cyber Affairs

This paper introduces a method to quantify international populations’ susceptibility to cyber cognitive attacks using press freedom and media trust metrics. We present the Cognitive Influence Calculator, a tool that estimates susceptibility (𝑆) based on Press Freedom Scores (PFS) and media trust levels. Findings show that while authoritarian regimes are harder to reach, successful cognitive attacks have greater impacts due to higher trust in state-controlled narratives. Using U.S. wargaming data and international trust metrics, we compute susceptibility scores for the U.S., Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Results show an inverse relationship between PFS and media susceptibility, with local/allied …

Forward, Amy Hamilton

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Understanding Russia’S Cyber Policies, Strategies, And Doctrines, Bryan Hancock, Hanh Nguyen, Olga Karpoyan, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

This study analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia’s cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines through a systematic set of attributes, leading to key insights: (i) Russia has proactively adapted its cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines to its evolving environment; (ii) Russia actively conducts cognitive warfare, but remains equally vulnerable to it; and (iii) Russia’s cyber posture faces significant challenges, including a limited technological base, shortage of skilled personnel, and restrictive approach to information control, all of which undermine the effectiveness of its strategies. These insights offer valuable implications for US Cyber Command and the Department of Defense.

Characterizing Cyberattacks Against Operational Technology Infrastructures Through The Lens Of Attack Flows, Sherman Kettner, Caleb Chang, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

Operational Technology (OT) infrastructures play a critical role in modern society and economy. However, their increasing connectivity with public networks such as the Internet has made them vulnerable to cyberattacks, much like traditional Information Technology (IT) systems. In particular, cyberattacks against OT infrastructures remain relatively underexplored and little understood. In this paper, we aim to deepen our understanding of cyberattacks against OT infrastructures. For this purpose, we propose a methodology, including novel cybersecurity metrics to analyze the attack flows of these attacks in an end-to-end fashion, which allows us to draw useful insights. We demonstrate the utility of the methodology …

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 …

On Some Hypergraph Coloring Algorithms, Boyoon Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of a given bipartite graph G = (V, E), it is elementary to construct a bipartition in timeO(|V |+|E|). For a given k-graph H = H(k) with k ≥ 3 fixed, Lovász proved that deciding whether H is bipartite is NP-complete. In this thesis, we consider the average running time of this problem. For that, let B_n = (B^(k))_n be the collection (family) of all bipartite k-graphs H on the fixed vertex set [n] = {1, ...., n}. We construct, of a given H ∈ B_n, a bipartition in time averaging O(n^k) over the class B_n. We provide two proofs …

Derrida's Religious Secret, Dylan Joseph Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Derrida rethought the metaphysics of presence by deconstructing or rereading texts as literature according to the nonpresent play of différance. I present Derrida’s absolute secret as a distinct figure of nonpresence nowhere hidden and unknowable in principle. This absolute secret is reflected in the secret of literature: literature does not mean to say anything [ne pas vouloir dire]. It is also reflected in the secret of responsibility: every other (one) is every (bit) other [tout autre est tout autre]; one is absolutely responsible, in secret, to every other wholly other in secret. As figures of the nonpresent absolute secret, these …

Transatlantic Forum On Cybersecurity, Nicolas Sabouret, Julien Signoles, Marbin Pazos Revilla

GNSI Conference Reports

On June 23, 2025, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) in partnership with the University of Paris-Saclay’s Graduate School of Computer Science, the Florida Center for Cybersecurity and the University of South Florida Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing held the Transatlantic Forum on Cybersecurity. This international virtual event brought together leading academics to examine some of the most pressing cybersecurity issues of today. Thought-provoking discussions touched on formal models for cybersecurity, network security and the implications and policies for evolving cybersecurity threats.

Algorithms Of Eversion: Contemporary States And Digital Sovereigns, James Libengood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and digitization have pushed digital sovereignty to the top of the governance agenda in the 21st century. This notion is expanded upon in this work through seven chapters encompassing theoretical underpinnings, methodological frameworks, and real-world case studies. It shows how multinational corporations dominate digital coloniality, and how the merge of physical and digital reality or eversion poses challenges. The study compares contrasting governance approaches, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), geared to ethical AI and data protection, versus BRICS nations’ stance on data localization …

The Only Constant Is Change: The Role Of Genetic Diversification In Cancer And Beyond, Malgorzata Tyczynska Weh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetic diversification, the process by which genetic variation arises in a population, is fundamental to evolution by natural selection. Mutation, a central diversification process, fuels adaptation across species, including in cancer. Yet most new mutations are neutral or deleterious on cell fitness, raising the question of how mutation-driven adaptation persists. To explore this paradox, I developed a spatial agent-based model (ABM) in which population fitness emerges from individual cells acquiring mutations at varied rates and with diverse fitness effects. I evaluated model behavior across adaptive states, mutation rates, and distributions of fitness effects. The results show that high mutation rates …

Cinematic Abuse: A Critical Analysis Of Disney’S “Happily Ever After” In The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, And The Princess And The Frog, Erin Michelle Gough

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the manner in which three animated Disney princess films cultivate stereotypes and gendered behaviors consistent with domestic violence and thereby encourages viewers to accept and tolerate abuse against women. I argue that due to the dangerous, constricting, and sexist gender roles encouraged by the Walt Disney Corporation, films prime young girls and boys to react to social situations and encounters in a way that mirror the characters’ reactions. Because of the films’ entertainment value, most of the characters’ inappropriate, stereotypical, and often violent behaviors either go unnoticed or are passively accepted. The violence does not have to …

Exploring Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices In Prekindergarten: A Multimodal Approach By Teachers, Deeksha Thonta Aradhya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds are often expected to learn within different cultural contexts than those they have experienced in their families, homes, and communities. Some children are rarely exposed to the dominant culture and practices that are highly valued in schools before entering early education settings. When they start (pre)school, young children are often expected to immediately participate in cultural practices that may differ from those at home, which are considered indicative of being successful, ready, or capable. This research aimed to investigate the culturally responsive literacy practices used by teachers in a laboratory prekindergarten classroom. The …

The Epistemologization Of Scientific Knowledge: Scientific Textbooks And Education In The 18th And 19th Centuries, Brian P. Bieganski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Philosophy, despite its proclivities towards history and contextualization, often neglects to properly note various characteristics of ideas. In particular, there seems to be a kind of blindness to a key component of how ideas come into being: namely, the role of writing that leads to the preservation and transmission of ideas. Textbooks, for instance, are a key instrument for containing, disseminating, and archiving knowledge of a specific domain that can be used to introduce those complex concepts to newcomers and the unspecialized. As such, a textbook is an epistemic device used for transmitting a condensed constellation of ideas, concepts, formulas, …

First Insight On The Genesis Of Iron Oxide-Hydroxide Biospeleothems In Rancho Chico Lava Tube, Mexico, Rafael López-Martínez, Elizabeth Solleiro-Rebolledo, Rocio Alcántara-Hernández, Teresa Pi Puig, Sergey Sedov, Daisy Valera Fernández, M. Nayeli Luis-Vargas, Yasmany Lima Vera, Jesús Solé, Ramon Espinasa-Pereña

International Journal of Speleology

Iron is a common element in lava tube systems, typically observed as thin crusts or inferred from the reddish coloration of secondary mineral deposits. In this study, we describe iron oxide-hydroxide biospeleothems discovered in the Rancho Chico Lava Tube, located within the Xalapa Monogenetic Volcanic Field in Mexico. We adopt an integrative approach combining petrography, soil micromorphology, scanning electron microscopy, mineralogy, and 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. DNA sequencing reveals the presence of microorganisms such as Acidithiobacillus, Gallionella, and members of the Leptospirillaceae family, which may be involved in the oxidation of Fe²⁺ within the lava tube. The source …

Evaluating Behavioral Skills Training To Teach Salsa Dancing Skills To Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder And/Or Intellectual Disabilities, Joshua I. Nieves

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated behavioral skills training (BST) to be an effective teaching procedure for acquisition of a variety of skills among both neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals across different ages. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of BST for enhancing sports performance when training neurotypical children and adults. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of BST for enhancing sports performance, and specifically dance performance, among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID). Dance is a recreational activity that can serve as a form of physical activity for children and adults. Salsa is a Latin style …

Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (Hrl) In Multi-Goal Spatial Navigation With Autonomous Mobile Robots, Brendon Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) is hypothesized to be able to take advantage of the inherent hierarchy in robot learning tasks with sparse reward schemes, in contrast to more traditional reinforcement learning algorithms. In this research, hierarchical reinforcement learning is evaluated and contrasted with standard reinforcement learning in complex navigation tasks. We evaluate unique characteristics of HRL, including their ability to create sub-goals and the termination function. We constructed experiments to test the differences between PPO and HRL, different ways of creating sub-goals, manual vs automatic sub-goal creation, and the effects of the frequency of termination on performance. These experiments highlight …

Utilization Of Bixin-Loaded Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles To Ameliorate E-Cigarette-Induced Damage To Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells, Sophia R. Claymore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have increased in popularity and usage over the last few decades. E-cigs are generally composed of a liquid containing nicotine flavoring chemicals, a battery, a vaporization chamber, and a coil that heats the liquid upon inhalation of the mouthpiece. E-cigs were initially introduced as a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking. However, recent research has demonstrated that e-cigs elicit comparable cytotoxic and dangerous effects to conventional cigarettes. Bixin has been introduced in recent research as a candidate for therapeutic applications due to its innate anticancer, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory characteristics. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged over the past few decades …

An Application Of A Positive Psychology Intervention To Promote The Well-Being Of Children With Cancer, Jenna Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The psychological impact of pediatric cancer and cancer treatment is not well understood. Although there is evidence to suggest that pediatric cancer may negatively impact youth’s mental health and psychological functioning, other research suggests that the mental health of children with cancer is similar to that of healthy peers. Traditional psychological interventions have been used to reduce symptoms of psychopathology among children with cancer. However, less is known about the subjective well-being of children with cancer and evidence-based, positive psychology interventions to promote the subjective well-being of this population. Thus, this study sought to address this gap in the literature …

Sense Of Immortality As A Death Anxiety Buffer: An Investigation Through Awe, Sabrina J. Eisenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the emotion awe as protective against mortality salience by fulfilling sense of immortality – a proposed need created by mortality salience. Mortality salience has been shown to increase cultural worldview defense, which sometimes has detrimental social effects. This study aimed to test if inducing feelings of awe would reduce the need to rely on cultural worldview defense in response to mortality salience. The pilot study (N = 239) found evidence for a relationship between awe and sense of immortality. The primary study (N = 167) tested a main effect of mortality salience on cultural worldview defense (H1) …

Untangling The Threads Of Hope: A Qualitative Media Analysis Of Discourse Relating To Futures For Sickle Cell Disease, Amanda R. Malerba

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder worldwide, with a disproportionate burden on people of African ancestry. Life with this illness is characterized by chronic physical pain, overlapping health conditions, and often early death. In the United States, the physical symptoms of the disease are frequently compounded by experiences of racial inequality and oppression embedded in the medical system that contribute to detrimental outcomes. Because of the complex biocultural web of factors contributing to the suffering of people with SCD, much of the anthropological scholarship surrounding this illness prioritizes deconstructing systems of power, oppression, and inequality. …

Effect Of Cage Eccentricity On Moment Capacity Of Drilled Shafts, Jason Schaefer Steinbach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the construction of drilled shafts, reinforcement cages can be inadvertently placed eccentrically. Current codes, such as ACI 318 and AASHTO LRFD Bridge Specifications, assume there is little impact from such movements within the drilled shaft or that cage centering provisions are sufficiently robust. This thesis will explore the impact that reinforcement cage eccentricity has on the bending capacity of drilled shafts and propose new strength reduction and resistance factors for tension-controlled failure in drilled shafts.

A total of 208 drilled shafts across eleven counties within the state of Florida were tested using thermal integrity profiling to identify the worst …

An Evaluation Of Check-In/Check-Out For Children With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Norma E. Guillen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often display disruptive behavior that can hinder their learning and negatively affect the classroom environment. Check-in/Check-Out (CICO) is a Tier-2, evidence-based intervention designed to support children who have difficulty engaging in classroom activities and are at-risk of developing more severe challenging behavior. The primary goal of the intervention is to prevent the escalation of these behaviors and reduce the need for more intensive individualized interventions. However, limited research exists on the effectiveness of CICO for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study examined the effects of CICO on improving on-task behavior …

Sea Turtle Nesting On Nourished Beaches With Different Construction Designs: A Case Study In Southeast Florida, Usa., Lara Novalvos Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influences of different beach nourishment designs and subsequent post-nourishment profile adjustments on loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles nest survival and reproductive success. Data on time-series post-nourishment beach-profile changes, positions and elevations of turtle tracks and nest/false-crawl apices, and sea turtle nest hatch/emergence success were collected on five high density nesting beaches along the east coast of Florida: Melbourne Beach, Jensen Beach, Jupiter Island Beach, Juno Beach, and South Hutchinson Island Beach. The field data collection was conducted in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 with the main goal of documenting and comparing turtle …

Behavior And Land Use Of Eastern Gray Squirrels In Urban And Suburban Environments, Laura F. Engel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization has significantly altered natural habitats, impacting wildlife behavior and distribution. This study examines the behavior and land use of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in urban and suburban environments at the University of South Florida. Using a combination of point count surveys and time-activity budgets, squirrel presence was assessed in relation to tree genera, nest locations, human activity, and infrastructure. Results indicate a significant association between squirrel presence and tree genera, with a preference for Quercus species, as well as a strong positive correlation between human infrastructure and squirrel presence. However, no significant relationship was found between human presence …