Long-Term Cost of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009; As Passed by the Senate Finance Committee

Estimates the impact of the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform bill on health insurance coverage rates and net spending by federal, state, and local government with offsets; private employers; and families of various ages from 2010 through 2019

Mullite Whiskers and Mullite-whisker Felt

The Naval Surface Warfare Center has developed processes for the preparation of mullite (3(Al2O3)(dot)2(SiO2)) whiskers and mullite-whisker felt. Three patents on the technology were issued in 1990. The processes are based on chemical reactions between AlF3, Al2O3, and SiO2. The felt is formed in-situ during the processing of shaped powdered precursors. It consists of randomly oriented whiskers which are mutually intergrown forming a rigid structure. The microstructure and properties of the felt and size of the whiskers can be modified by varying the amount of Al2O3 in the starting mixture. Loose mullite whiskers can be used as a reinforcement for polymer-, metal-, and ceramic-matrix composites. The felt can be used as preforms for fabricating composite materials as well as for thermal insulation and high temperature, chemically stable filters for liquids (melts) and gases

Direct methane conversion to methanol by ionic liquid-dissolved platinum catalysts

Ternary systems of inorganic Pt salts and oxides, ionic liquids and concentrated sulfuric acid are effective at catalyzing the direct, selective oxidation of methane to methanol and appear to be more water tolerant than the Catalytica reaction

Habitat connectivity in coastal environments: patterns and movements of Caribbean coral reef fishes with emphasis on Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon sciurus

Habitat connectivity within tropical marine seascapes may be greatly dependent on the movement of large organisms, particularly fishes. Using visual and trap sampling within two small bays in Virgin Islands National Park/Biosphere Reserve, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, we documented that large coral reef fishes, particularly large adult grunts, which shelter by day on coral reefs and make nocturnal feeding migrations into seagrass beds, accounted for the greatest biomass and abundance of fishes sampled in seagrass habitat. Using passive tags and sonic telemetry, we documented the nocturnal migration patterns of large adult grunts (bluestriped grunts, Haemulon sciurus), which are similar to the well-documented migration patterns of juvenile grunts. Large grunts showed high site fidelity to nocturnal foraging sites in seagrass beds. Sonictagged grunts demonstrated little movement in their diurnal shelter sites in the boulder-coral zone, with most individuals making nocturnal migrations into the adjacent seagrass bed. These results provide evidence for strong linkage among adjacent habitats at a small spatial scale and emphasize the importance of inclusion of a diversity of habitats in Marine Protected Areas

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Pre-Algebra 1 Mini-Camp Summer Intervention Program For Rising Seventh-Grade Algebra 1 Honors Students

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a summer intervention program for middle school Algebra 1 Honors students. The intervention program, Pre-Algebra 1 Mini-Camp, was offered for rising seventh grade students at a middle school prior to them entering Algebra 1 in the Fall semester. The literature review and analysis of data from school districts in Central Florida showed that the increase in middle grade students enrollment in Algebra 1 has coincided with a decrease in the passing rate among those students on the Florida Algebra 1 End of Course exam and the course. The intervention program and this study were premised on the assumption that the decreased pass rate was the result of these students missing critical mathematics skills and concepts from the seventh grade curriculum. This study describes a design framework and other details of the intervention program. The evaluation study used a quasi-experimental design, comparing the 18 students who took part in the intervention with a comparison group composed of 21 other seventh grade students taking Algebra 1 Honors from the same school district. The matching sample was created using case-control matching based on student demographic data and sixth grade standardized test scores. Dependent variables were school district-administered, standardized test scores and grades collected during the first and second quarters of the school year. The main effect was tested using a within-between repeated measures MANOVA. Data analysis revealed that participants in the intervention group had slightly better performance on both standardized tests and grades versus the comparison sample (partial η2 = .06). The intervention groups also showed marginally better performance over time (partial η2 = .02). However, neither the between-group difference (F(2,32) = 1.04, p = .06) nor the greater improvement of the intervention group over time (F(2, 32) = 80.28, p = .83) were statistically significant. These findings of statistically non-significant differences must be interpreted cautiously due to the low power of the research design (Power = .22, between groups; Power = .10, between groups x time). A larger sample would be needed to achieve sufficient power in the research design. This study added to a small pool of research on seventh grade students enrolled in algebra courses. It briefly described some of the gaps in mathematical concepts and skills that likely led to students struggling for success in algebra. Implications of this study include revisiting policies supporting the enrollment of middle grade students in Algebra 1 Honors. This study also presents the design of a summer intervention program that may support student success in an algebra course and suggestions for creating a longer program which would provide more opportunity to support to the students\u27 pre-algebra concepts, skills and practices

UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter Summer 2011

This is the Summer 2011 edition of the UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter which celebrates the accomplishments and community activity of the faculty, staff, and students from the University of Central Florida Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses. The Palm Bay campus hosted the 3rd Annual SPC 3513 Debate Tournament Palm Bay Early Childhood Development and Education hosted a Teacher Appreciation reception for local teachers who supervised student teaching Four Nursing students were recognized for Honors in the Major Cocoa campus chapter of National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association held a children’s festival in honor of Better Speech and Hearing Monthhttps://stars.library.ucf.edu/cpb-newsletter/1014/thumbnail.jp