Digital Commons Network^™

Parts Of The Whole: Observing The State Of The System, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

This column draws on the approach of statistician J. Edwards Deming to analyze sources and consequences of variation in an education system. Educational systems are not immune from the effects of poor statistical control, which makes it difficult for teachers to teach effectively and for managers such as principals to improve on school performance. It is also argued that the need for statistical control in these areas is in tension, if not outright conflict, with our goals for educating students.

Two Popular Books For Quantitative Literacy: What The Numbers Say, And The Numbers Game, Robert G. Root

Numeracy

Niederman, Derrick, and Boyum, David. What the Numbers Say: A Field Guide to Mastering Our Numerical World. (New York: Broadway Books/Random House, 2003). 288 pp. Hardcover, ISBN 978-0-7679-0998-3. Paperback, 978-0-7679-0999-0. Available as an eBook.

Blastland, Michael, and Dilnot, Andrew. The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics and in Life. (New York: Gotham Books/Penguin, 2009). 192 pp. Hardcover, ISBN 978-1-5924-0423-0. Paperback, ISBN 978-1-5924-0485-8. Available as an eBook.

Popular books on quantitative literacy need to be easy to read, reasonably comprehensive in scope, and include examples that are thought-provoking and memorable. In contrast …

Numeracy: Open-Access Publishing To Reduce The Cost Of Scholarly Journals, Todd A. Chavez

Numeracy

Each fiscal year, as academic librarians throughout the United States prepare materials budgets, a national “groan” ensues. Regardless of their format (i.e. print or digital), serial subscription costs are escalating, in the process impacting the role of the library in advancing scholarly communication . This paper examines some of the economic issues concerning open-access (OA) journal publishing. The importance of quantitative literacy is suggested for librarians and academics seeking a better understanding of alternatives to traditional journal subscription models and to anyone considering ventures into OA publishing. Quantitative literacy is essential for managing alternatives to the rising cost of scholarly …

College Algebra In Context: A Project Incorporating Social Issues, Michael T. Catalano

Numeracy

This paper discusses the development of an innovative college algebra text designed for use in a data-driven, activity-oriented college algebra course, incorporating realistic problem situations emphasizing social and economic issues, including hunger and poverty, energy, and the environment. The course incorporates quantitative literacy themes, is informed by existing college algebra texts within the college algebra reform movement, and implements a collaborative pedagogical approach intended to provide future K-12 teachers an alternative model for the teaching of mathematics. The paper contains a short history of the project development phase, supported by an NSF grant (DUE #0442979), as well as the perceived …

An Activity Promoting The Practice Of Quantitative Literacy For Pre– And In–Service Teachers Of Mathematics And Science, Timothy L. Sorey, Teri Willard, Duane Sholz

Numeracy

The purpose of this article is to describe a hands-on, laboratory activity that provided pre-service teachers in mathematics and science methods courses, and also some in-service mathematics teachers, with the opportunity to exercise quantitative literacy (QL) skills. The focus of the activity is electrical resistance, more particularly the resistance (in ohms) that is painted on small resistors by the use of color-coded bands, one of which is a band for % error. The activity consists of four parts. In the first, student teams familiarize themselves with the code, measure the ohmage of resistors for which the codes are visible, and …

Are Statistics Labs Worth The Effort?--Comparison Of Introductory Statistics Courses Using Different Teaching Methods, Jose H. Guardiola, Nadina Duran-Hutchings, Hassan Elsalloukh

Numeracy

This paper compares the academic performance of students in three similar elementary statistics courses taught by the same instructor, but with the lab component differing among the three. One course is traditionally taught without a lab component; the second with a lab component using scenarios and an extensive use of technology, but without explicit coordination between lab and lecture; and the third using a lab component with an extensive use of technology that carefully coordinates the lab with the lecture. Extensive use of technology means, in this context, using Minitab software in the lab section, doing homework and quizzes using …

Envisioning A Quantitative Studies Center: A Liberal Arts Perspective, Gizem Karaali, Philip I. Choi, Sara Owsley Sood, Eric B. Grosfils

Numeracy

Several academic institutions are searching for ways to help students develop their quantitative reasoning abilities and become more adept at higher-level tasks that involve quantitative skills. In this note we study the particular way Pomona College has framed this issue within its own context and what it plans to do about it. To this end we describe our efforts as members of a campus-wide committee that was assigned the duty of investigating the feasibility of founding a quantitative studies center on our campus. These efforts involved analysis of data collected through a faculty questionnaire, discipline-specific input obtained from each departmental …

A Rubric For Assessing Quantitative Reasoning In Written Arguments, Nathan D. Grawe, Neil S. Lutsky, Christopher J. Tassava

Numeracy

This paper introduces a rubric for assessing QR in student papers and analyzes the inter-rater reliability of the instrument based on a reading session involving 11 participants. Despite the disciplinary diversity of the group (which included a faculty member from the arts and literature, two staff members, and representatives from five natural and social science departments), the rubric produced reliable measures of QR use and proficiency in a sample of student papers. Readers agreed on the relevance and extent of QR in 75.0 and 81.9 percent of cases respectively (corresponding to Cohen’s κ= 0.611 and 0.693). A four-category measure of …

Confessions Of A Weak Tie, Joel Best

Numeracy

No abstract provided.

Five Thousand Downloads, H L Vacher

Numeracy

No abstract provided.

On The Involvement Of The Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor In The Pathogenesis And Progression Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Jose Francisco Abisambra Socarras

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of age-associated dementia. Cholesterol dysregulation is linked with AD onset. Besides age, the most important risk factor associated with AD is the inheritance of the epsilon-4 allele of apolipoprotein E, a cholesterol transporter. In addition, while hypercholesterolemia has been shown to be an independent risk factor for AD, the nature of the cholesterol-AD link is still not clear. This gap in our understanding is partly due to a lack of knowledge about cholesterol metabolism in the central nervous system (CNS).

The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is the main receptor of apoE and …

Press Release : 2009 : 12 : 28 : Progress Energy Foundation Gift Funds Math Education Project, Melanie Marquez

USF St. Petersburg campus News and Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Press Release : 2009 : 12 : 23 : Art Instructor Nominated For International Award, Melanie Marquez

USF St. Petersburg campus News and Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Press Release : 2009 : 12 : 22 : Otsuki Leads Research Published In Journal Of Pediatric Psychology, Melanie Marquez

USF St. Petersburg campus News and Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Ecotourism As An Alternative To Fishing In Yucatan, Mexico, Abigail E. Bennett

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Small-scale fisheries account for a vast majority of fisheries globally. Their overexploitation threatens coastal environments, including the people living there, throughout the world (Basurto, 2008). Finding productive alternatives to unsustainable levels of fishing is a necessary part of curbing this probl em. Ecotourism has offered such an alternative to coastal communities, and there are already some successful examples of community-managed ecotourism groups in Mexico. Beyond providing a source of income for community members, these programs also facilitate environmental education, thus fostering local community involvement in conservation goals. This study focuses on ecotourism programs that have been started in three towns …

The Weekly Challenger : 2009 : 12 : 17, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Newspaper collection

No abstract provided.

The Security And Foreign Policy Of The Islamic Republic Of Iran: An Offensive Realism Perspective, Bledar Prifti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study argues that security and foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is mainly driven by the main principles of the Offensive Realism theory of international relations. While the Iranian political system is considered a theocratic system, based on the Islamic Shi'a ideology, its survival is defined as the ultimate ideology-an ideology that is paramount to any other ideology. Iran's security and foreign policy is determined and shaped by its need to survive in an anarchic international system. Iran's cooperation with "two Satans", Israel and the United States, during the Iran-Iraq war demonstrates that the ultimate ideology of …

Florida Board Of Governors, State University System (Sus) Annual Report : Usfsp/Usf System : 2009 : 12 : 16, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg., University Of South Florida. System., Florida. Board Of Governors., State University System Of Florida.

Statewide Governing Boards: Reports and Planning Documents

No abstract provided.

Florida Board Of Governors, State University System (Sus) Annual Report : Usfsp/Usf System : 2009 : 12 : 16, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg., Florida. Board Of Governors., State University System Of Florida., University Of South Florida. System.

Academic Learning Compacts

No abstract provided.

Florida Sentinel Bulletin, December 15, 2009, Gwen Hayes

Florida Sentinel Bulletin Collection

The December 15, 2009, issue of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin.

The Evolution Of The Karst Information Portal, Todd A. Chavez

Academic Resources Faculty and Staff Publications

The Karst Information Portal (KIP) is a digital library initiative linking scientists, resource managers, and explorers with quality information resources concerning karst, an understudied natural environment that is crucial to the health and well-being of one out of every four people on Earth. Beginning in 2006 as a partnership between the USF Libraries, the National Cave & Karst Research Institute, the University of New Mexico Library, and the Union Internationale de Spéléologie (UIS), KIP has expanded to include databases concerning cave minerals, speleothem dating, and coastal cave surveys. This presentation outlines the evolution of the project and describes ongoing developments …

The Evolution Of The Karst Information Portal, Todd A. Chavez

Todd A. Chavez

The Karst Information Portal (KIP) is a digital library initiative linking scientists, resource managers, and explorers with quality information resources concerning karst, an understudied natural environment that is crucial to the health and well-being of one out of every four people on Earth. Beginning in 2006 as a partnership between the USF Libraries, the National Cave & Karst Research Institute, the University of New Mexico Library, and the Union Internationale de Spéléologie (UIS), KIP has expanded to include databases concerning cave minerals, speleothem dating, and coastal cave surveys. This presentation outlines the evolution of the project and describes ongoing developments …

Commencement Convocation Program, Sarasota - Manatee Campus, December 13, 2009, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholar Award - Cheryl Ouelette; Outstanding Professor - Ross P. Alander; Golden Bull Award - Robert Johnson; Outstanding Senior - Brice Tisdale

Commencement Convocation Program, Tampa Campus, December 12, 2009, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Lena Champlin, Eva Chase, Lauren Cox, Seon Jeon, Jessica Jones, Jake Laun, Katie Laun, Michael Maiorana, Jonathan Minch, Akash Parekh, Willmarie Ramirez Vega, and Danielle Rudisill; Outstanding Senior - Christopher James Griesbach

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, December 12, 2009, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Honorary Doctor of Public Health - Samuel P. Bell III

Filtration Performance Of A Niosh-Approved N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator With Stapled Head Straps, Daniel E. Medina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Certain models of NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece air purifying respirators are manufactured with stapled head straps. Depending on the manufacturer, these head straps may be stapled to the filter media itself. This may cause leakage through the filter media of the respirator, potentially exposing the user to an unacceptable level of contaminant. In this study, monodisperse polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres were generated to challenge four replicates of a N95 single use respirator model made by the same manufacturer.

Nominal particle sizes of the PSL spheres used to challenge the respirators were 0.5, 1, and 2 micrometers in diameter. All respirators were …

Saving Energy In Network Hosts With An Application Layer Proxy: Design And Evaluation Of New Methods That Utilize Improved Bloom Filters, Miguel Jimeno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most urgent challenges of the 21st century is to investigate new technologies that can enable a transition towards a society with a reduced CO₂ footprint. Information Technology generates about 2% of the global CO₂, which is comparable to the aviation industry. Being connected to the Internet requires active participation in responding to protocol messages. Billions of dollars worth of electricity every year are used to keep network hosts fully powered-on at all times only for the purpose of maintaining network presence. Most network hosts are idle most of the time, thus presenting a huge …

General Education Committee Meeting : 2009 : 12 : 10, General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Senate Committee: General Education: Meetings

No abstract provided.

A Program Evaluation Of A Literacy Initiative For Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Carrie F. De La Cruz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recently the National Reading Panel concluded that systematic and direct instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that is informed by ongoing assessments of student progress results in positive student achievement (NICHHD, 2002). For students with moderate to severe disabilities and students with autism, reading instruction has historically focused on functional sight words. Unfortunately, very little research exists that has examined how the literacy achievement of students with moderate to severe disabilities can be impacted by a more comprehensive, data-driven instructional model.

A special education program that serves students with moderate to severe disabilities and students with autism …

Library Leadership Team Meeting : 2009 : 12 : 08, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library

Library Leadership Team Meetings

No abstract provided.