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By leveraging the strengths and commitments of each of the partners, a university, a private nonprofit, and a middle-sized urban school district, collaborated to impact student learning of key concepts in middle-grade mathematics and to change mathematics teaching. The project targeted middle grades mathematics because success in it is the greatest predictor of later school achievement. In well-researched learning modules, students visualize, interact with, and analyze mathematical representations connected to dynamic simulations of real-life phenomena in a curricular learning system comprising dynamic technologies, curriculum replacement units, and professional development. Through planned professional development, teachers have the technological skills, pedagogical skills and mathematical content knowledge required to engage their students in an interaction between the software, the curriculum materials, and the mathematics. Student learning gains and changes in teacher pedagogical, technological, and mathematical content knowledge provide evidence of the project's continued success after three years. Concomitant institutional changes in each of the partnering organizations attest to the project's sustainable impact.

Mrs. Fisher's class was learning about arithmetic functions by pretending to operate real-world "function machines" (Reeves 2006). Functions are a unifying mathematics topic, and a great deal of emphasis is placed on understanding them in prekindergarten through grade 12 (Kilpatrick and Izsák 2008). In its Algebra Content Standard, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommends that instructional programs enable all students to "understand patterns, relations, and functions" (NCTM 2000, p. 158). More specifically, students in grades 3-5 should be able to investigate and express functions using various representations, including words, tables, and graphs. Elementary-school-age children are typically introduced to functions as "input-output" machines drawn on paper. When using these "machines," the teacher gives students several input numbers and their corresponding output numbers, and the students are to conjecture what the machine is doing to the input numbers to produce the output numbers. Students then check their conjectures against all the number pairs they have and, if valid to that point, use one or two more input/output pairs as reinforcement of the relationship that they have discovered. Another way that elementary-school-age students may investigate functions is by assuming the role of a "robot" that asks classmates to identify the relationship between two sets of data by identifying numeric patterns as a rule (Moss et al. 2008). Both Reeves (2006) and Willoughby (1997) recommended using a physical model of a function machine with an operator who pretends to input numbers into the machine and pretends to receive output numbers, all the time calculating the output numbers mentally. When given their turn to control the machine, some students invariably get into the play-acting role required of the operator and turn the whole experience into one of mathematical learning through play. Students are encouraged to discover and then couch the input-output relationship as a function, using more and more sophisticated language as they move up the grades, eventually using such algebraic terminology as f(x)=x[superscript 2]-1 in the middle grades. The personal transformation of students from compliant observers to take-charge facilitators of their classmates' mathematical learning appears quite dramatic at times. Such was the case with Sydney, a quiet child in Fisher's third-grade accelerated mathematics class at Maximo Elementary School, a Title I school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Sydney often went about her work unobtrusively, content to let others take the lead in whatever mathematics topic the class was discussing. However, a change came over her at one point in the school year. This is the story of that change. The authors tell her success story because the more opportunities elementary school children have to blossom, the more chances that teachers have of helping them achieve to their fullest capacity. A bibliography is included.

Middle school teachers' use of digital curricula incorporating dynamic technology has been found to support student learning of complex algebraic concepts. This article reports on pilot research involving collaboration among faculty from a public university's college of education, educational researchers from a nonprofit research organization, and school district leadership from a large, urban school district. The purpose of this paper is to document a series of inquiry-based professional development sessions provided to middle school teachers on the implementation of a digitally based mathematics replacement unit emphasizing algebraic concepts. The professional development experiences allowed the participating teachers to implement the digital unit successfully using a variety of instructional approaches. (Contains 8 figures and 1 table.)

The transition from classroom instruction to e-learning raises pedagogical challenges for university instructors. A controlled integration of e-learning tools into classroom instruction may offer learners tangible benefits and improved effectiveness. This design-based research (DBR) study engaged students in e-learning activities integrated into classroom instruction utilizing a Social Annotation Modeling Learning System (SAM-LS). SAM-LS employs Web 2.0 software called "HyLighter" that allows instructors to implement text-dependent socio-intellectual interactions among students. Twenty students engaged in a "HyLighter" activity, individually or in groups, analyzed an article by annotating text, providing elaborate answers, and responding to peers' opinions. Their motivation, technical competency, and attitudes toward "HyLighter's" technical and pedagogical usability were evaluated. Students reported positive perceptions of "HyLighter's" technical usability but neutral attitudes toward its pedagogical usefulness and future usage. Favorable technical usability perceptions correlated with high computer and assignment self-efficacy, while negative attitudes correlated with high computer anxiety. Groups reported positive collaborative experiences. Finally, students' motivation was high and did not change as a result of the activity. These findings are discussed in relation to future DBR iterations of designing and implementing "HyLighter" activities within SAM-LS. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

River Run High School, located in rural west central Florida, was the site for a case study of student conflict precipitated by the wearing and display of Confederate flags on campus. Following a series of tense student encounters over Confederate and other racist symbols, a conflict resolution team was invited to intervene. Team members created a series of student dialogues involving the principal disputants. Conversations revealed the basis of the conflict emanated from misunderstandings over history, stereotypical views of different ethnic groups, and inadequate lines of communication. While acknowledging the role for creating a climate of respect among students on campus, legal precedents have established students' rights to freedom of speech and expression that protect unpopular ideas. Tension and conflict on campus over free speech can be mitigated through ongoing dialogues among diverse segments of the student population.

School districts are increasingly initiating random drug-testing (RDT) programs in an effort to curb substance-use rates among students, yet little is known about student attitudes toward RDT and potential obstacles to program acceptance and effectiveness. The authors surveyed 1011 9th through 11th grade students in 2 rural high schools in North Florida regarding the pending implementation of one of the most aggressive RDT programs in the nation. A significant majority of students predicted that RDT would be effective, yet students were more clearly divided in their perceptions of the fairness and the accuracy of testing. Student perceptions of whether there is a drug problem at their school proved to be a robust predictor of perceptions of policy fairness. Student substance-use rates were more limited predictors of policy effectiveness and fairness. These results may prove useful to school administrators, health professionals, and policy makers seeking to build acceptance for RDT in their schools.

Variable platyfish, Xiphophorus variatus (Meek, 1904) (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) and eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859 (Poeciliidae) from earthen ponds in west central Florida were examined for parasitic infections. At necropsy, we observed myriad nematodes (adults and eggs), which we identified as Huffmanela cf. huffmani, infecting the swim bladder, gonad, and visceral peritoneum. Nucleotide sequences (small subunit ribosomal DNA, 18S) of H. cf. huffmani from variable platyfish and eastern mosquitofish were identical; likewise for newly obtained 18S sequences of Huffmanela huffmani Moravec, 1987 from the swim bladder of red breast sunfish, Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Centrarchiformes: Centrarchidae) and warmouth, Lepomis gulosus (Cuvier, 1829) from the San Marcos River (type locality for Huffmanela huffmani Moravec, 1987), Texas. The sequences of H. huffmani and H. cf. huffmani differed by 7 (1%) nucleotides. Pathological changes comprised proliferation of the tunica externa of the swim bladder in low-intensity infections in addition to inflammation, proliferation, and tissue necrosis of swim bladder, peritoneum, and gonad in high-intensity infections. The lesion was severe, affecting the cellular constituents of the swim bladder wall and reducing the size of the swim bladder lumen; potentially reducing swim bladder physiological efficiency. The present study is the first record of a freshwater species of Huffmanela Moravec, 1987 from beyond the San Marcos River, first record of a species of Huffmanela from a livebearer, first nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analysis for Huffmanela, and first evidence that an infection by a species of Huffmanela causes pathological changes that could impact organ function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the Web site, "A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust," created to assist Florida teachers in educating students about the Holocaust. Describes each section of the Web site (Timeline, People, Arts, Student Activities, and Teacher Resources) and also discusses the responses of teachers and others about the Web site. (CMK)

Surveys Florida high school newspaper advisors' knowledge of and attitudes about district publication policies to investigate whether the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruling caused a change in school district publication policies. Finds that school district publications policies are not more restrictive than before the Hazelwood decision. (SR)

Reviews assessment efforts in Florida's postsecondary institutions, which emphasize assessing achievement periodically, improving guidance and placement, increasing college readiness among secondary students, and measuring college-level skills after the second college year. Looks at the positive contributions of these changes and the potential for negative impact on minority access. (DMM)

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution remains a pressing environmental problem despite decades of policy and environmental initiatives. Cooperative local actions are a crucial element of effective multilevel governance solutions to such problems, but securing farmer participation for water quality protection remains challenging. Social capital—relations of trust, reciprocity, and shared social norms within and between key stakeholder groups—has been found to enable cooperation for environmentally desirable outcomes. However, the downsides of social capital remain under-examined in multilevel governance, where cooperation within one stakeholder group (bonding social capital) may undermine cooperation with other stakeholders (bridging social capital). Given this important gap, researchers need to examine how bonding and bridging social capital may be formed, maintained, or undermined through stakeholder interactions, and the corresponding environmental consequences. In this paper, we address these gaps through a case study of south Florida’s sugar-producing region, whose drainage water flows south into the Florida Everglades. In contrast to persistent water quality impairment elsewhere, Everglades water quality has improved steadily over the past 20 years. These improvements have taken place under a complex set of governance arrangements that established a mandatory long-term numeric water quality target but which relies on shared compliance among farms. These dynamics encouraged interactions among three key groups of stakeholders—farmers, agricultural extension agents, and state regulators—to implement management changes. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, we find that bonding social capital among farmers encourages them to improve their management through a sense of shared responsibility, while also potentially limiting restoration by maintaining perceptions that the regulations are unfair. Bridging social capital helps to legitimize new management efforts, while court-mandated water quality targets incentivize farmers to draw on multiple forms of social capital. We also discuss the relevance of this case for governing agricultural nonpoint source pollution in similar settings elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Zoning impact is measured using cellular automata. [•] The most accurate measurements are made in high pressure growth areas. [•] Land use zoning is a strong predictor of urban growth in our study site. [•] Evidence indicates that urban growth models should use zoning information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the United States, electronic monitoring home detention programs were officially started in Palm Beach County, Florida, in 1984. Researchers have been assessing these programs since late 1980s. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of these programs on convicted drunk drivers. This study focuses on drunk drivers sentenced to electronic monitoring home detention program in a southwestern Indiana county from January 2002 to December 2003. Specifically, the objective of this study is to examine the characteristics of program participants and their exit status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1960s, only the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system has continually supported a naturally reproducing population of striped bass Morone saxatilis of Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) lineage. Striped bass fry and fingerlings of Atlantic ancestry (from the Santee-Cooper system) were introduced into the ACF from the late 1960s to 1977. Genotypes were previously identified that were unique to fish from the ACF and that confirmed the continued natural reproduction of striped bass of Gulf ancestry within that population. Also, no significant difference in haplotype frequencies between "pure" archived ACF and extant ACF samples was found at an Xba I mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction site that is diagnostic in distinguishing extant ACF from extant Atlantic specimens. This suggested that significant maternally mediated introgression of Atlantic mtDNA genomes has not occurred. However, because mtDNA is maternally inherited, the introgression of paternally derived nuclear DNA alleles into the ACF gene pool was not evaluated. In this study, five microsatellite loci were identified that were diagnostic in distinguishing between extant Atlantic and ACF fish. The frequencies of diagnostic alleles at three of these loci were determined in archived scale samples of Gulf striped bass from the ACF and Atlantic fish from the St. Johns River along the Atlantic coast of Florida. Fixed differences in allelic identity were found between the archived collections at two loci and significant frequency differences at the third. Significant allelic frequency differences at all three loci were found between extant ACF samples collected over 8 years and the archived ACF collection. These were used to estimate that the degree of introgression of alleles of Santee-Cooper origin with the extant ACF population is 0.515. Despite the introgression of Atlantic alleles, management efforts to restore the ACF population are warranted because of continued successful natural reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes efforts by the University of Georgia's Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science and the South Florida Natural Resources Center at the Everglades National Park to develop a detailed vegetation map of the Everglades. Data sets needed to build the vegetation database; Database and map products; Construction of database and map products for off-road vehicle trails in Big Cypress National Preserve.

Discusses a collaborative effort to create a complete geographic information system vegetation database of the southern Everglades in Florida using color-infrared aerial photographs and a single vegetation classification system. Characteristics of the Everglades study area; Previous maps of the Everglades; Applications of the database for Everglades research and restoration.

The article offers information on the speech of guest speaker Ron Saint Germain, a legendary producer, mixer, engineer, at Southern Florida Section meeting of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) on February 22, 2016.

Piscine francisellosis is one of the most important bacterial diseases affecting various fish species worldwide. Francisella orientalis, F. noatunensis, and F. salimarina (F. marina) have been reported as etiological agents of disease in fish. A Francisella sp. was isolated from several diseased red drum Sciaenops ocellatus experiencing morbidity in Florida, USA, in 2008. In this study, molecular and phenotypic characterization of the recovered isolate was conducted. Phenotypically, the isolate showed a biochemical reaction profile distinct from that of F. orientalis and F. salimarina. Although the 16S rRNA sequence of this isolate shared 99.61% identity to the type strain of F. philomiragia O#319LT, whole genome analysis (average nucleotide identity <95%; digital DNA-DNA hybridization <70%) and a multilocus sequence analysis of 8 concatenated housekeeping genes in comparison with other Francisella spp. indicated that this isolate was a novel Francisella species, more closely related to F. orientalis. Immersion, intracoelomic injection, and co-habitation challenges using a Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerling model of infection were done to investigate virulence in a piscine model. Variably pigmented granulomas and pigmented macrophage aggregates were observed in the kidneys and spleens of the challenged fish, but no mortality was recorded during the 15 d challenge period, suggesting that this novel Francisella sp. might be an opportunistic pathogen of fish. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic differences from other Francisella spp. observed in this study, we propose the name Francisella sciaenopsi sp. nov. for this novel isolate.

Infections with Entamoeba spp. are recognized as a cause of clinical disease in many species including humans and reptiles; however, cases in amphibians are under-reported. Investigation of a mortality event among a captive population of Cranwell's horned frogs Ceratophrys cranwelli at a production facility in Florida, USA, revealed that deaths were due to the newly described Entamoeba species CT1. Infection caused severe necroulcerative gastroenterocolitis with a predilection for the colon. To date, this Entamoeba species has only been described in invasive cane toads Rhinella marina in Australia. Retrospective screening of archived anuran cases from a zoological pathology service identified 8 cases from captive populations that had histological evidence of gastrointestinal entamoebiasis. Molecular characterization was positive in 3 cases. Two cases, 1 in a Puerto Rican crested toad Peltophryne lemur and 1 in an Amazon milk frog Trachycephalus resinifictrix, showed 100% homology to E. ranarum and 1 case in a White's tree frog Litoria caerulea showed 100% homology to Entamoeba sp. CT1. This is the first report of novel Entamoeba sp. CT1 being associated with clinical disease in anurans within North America and also the first report of this Entamoeba species causing disease within managed collections as far back as 2003.

The hemocoel of 26 of 30 (86%) eastern grass shrimps, Palaemon paludosus (Gibbes, 1850) (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), captured during June 2017 from several freshwater lakes near Leesburg and Lake Kissimmee, Florida, was infected by juveniles of a nematode species (Mermithidae sp.). Some infected eastern grass shrimps were preserved whole for histopathology, whereas others were dissected to excise parasitic juvenile nematodes, and still others were kept alive in glass aquaria such that post-parasitic (emerged) juvenile nematodes could be opportunistically observed alive and ultimately preserved. Parasitic and post-parasitic juvenile nematodes had cuticle cross-fibers, cephalic papillae, cup-shaped amphids, a horn-shaped vagina, a trophosome, and a caudal appendage, which collectively diagnosed them as Mermithidae sp. They differed from those of nematomorphs (Nematomorpha) by lacking 4 giant cells anteriorly, tegumental bristles, scale or plate-like areoles, a bifurcate or trifurcate posterior end, and an anus. A phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit rDNA (18S) that included all of the available mermithid sequences corresponding to morphologically diagnosed specimens recovered Mermithidae sp. within the clade of mermithids and sister to Ovomermis sinensis Chen, Jian, and Ren, 1991 . This is the first record of a mermithid infection in a decapod and first report of a mermithid infection in an aquatic crustacean from North America (another mermithid infects a terrestrial isopod there). The high prevalence of infection and the multiple geographic localities harboring infected eastern grass shrimps indicated that these infections were not spurious. Because no other decapod is confirmed as a mermithid host, we suspect that these specimens likely represent a new species with a life cycle worth studying, since none for a mermithid involving a decapod nor a crustacean has been elucidated to date. We also provide a table of all mermithid and nematomorph infections in crustaceans.