Assessing the algebraic attainment of South African grade 9 learners: designing a test using Rasch analysis

A research report submitted to the school of Education, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg 2017South African learners perform poorly in national and international mathematics assessments (Howie, 2004). A contributing factor to this poor performance is low mathematics knowledge of mathematics teachers in South Africa (Howie, 2003). One means of addressing this is professional development programs. The Wits Maths Connect Secondary Project runs such a program. A test is required by the project in order to assess whether learners are making learning gains after being taught by teachers who participated in this program. The focus of this study is the design of a test used to assess learners’ algebraic attainment. The aim is to design an informative and fair test using Rasch analysis. A sample of 235 learners’ responses to 47 questions was analysed using the Rasch model. In this study, the mean person measure was 2,87 (SD=1,38) logits, while the mean item measure was 0,41 (SD=2,25) logits, suggesting that overall, the test was too difficult. For the learners who wrote this test the person separation index is 1,78 and the person reliability 0,76. This implies that the test may not be not sensitive enough to distinguish between learners of high attainment from learners with low attainment. Various ways of improving the test are discussed.MT 201

És possible evitar un col·lapse de la civilització global?

En el número 48 de la revista L'Espill trobaràs un dossier monogràfic sobre "Cap a un col·lapse de la civilització industrial?", amb contribucions d'Antonio Turiel, Luc Semal, Ernest Garcia, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich i Alain Gras. A més, articles d'Antoni Mora, François Rastier, Simona Škrabec, Joan Ramon Resina, Jacobo Muñoz Veiga, Faust Ripoll Domènech, Tobies Grimaltos Mascarós i Narcís Selles Rigat, així com documents del Manifest «Darrera crida», un full de dietari de Vicent Alonso i una conversa amb Tomàs Llorens

Prospectus, November 19, 1986

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1986/1030/thumbnail.jp

Genetic Evidence for a Link Between Glycolysis and DNA Replication

BACKGROUND: A challenging goal in biology is to understand how the principal cellular functions are integrated so that cells achieve viability and optimal fitness in a wide range of nutritional conditions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report here a tight link between glycolysis and DNA synthesis. The link, discovered during an analysis of suppressors of thermosensitive replication mutants in bacterium Bacillus subtilis, is very strong as some metabolic alterations fully restore viability to replication mutants in which a lethal arrest of DNA synthesis otherwise occurs at a high, restrictive, temperature. Full restoration of viability by such alterations was limited to cells with mutations in three elongation factors (the lagging strand DnaE polymerase, the primase and the helicase) out of a large set of thermosensitive mutants affected in most of the replication proteins. Restoration of viability resulted, at least in part, from maintenance of replication protein activity at high temperature. Physiological studies suggested that this restoration depended on the activity of the three-carbon part of the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway and occurred in both glycolytic and gluconeogenic regimens. Restoration took place abruptly over a narrow range of expression of genes in the three-carbon part of glycolysis. However, the absolute value of this range varied greatly with the allele in question. Finally, restoration of cell viability did not appear to be the result of a decrease in growth rate or an induction of major stress responses. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings provide the first evidence for a genetic system that connects DNA chain elongation to glycolysis. Its role may be to modulate some aspect of DNA synthesis in response to the energy provided by the environment and the underlying mechanism is discussed. It is proposed that related systems are ubiquitous

One-year functional outcomes of patients aged 80 years or more undergoing colonic cancer surgery : prospective, multicentre observational study

Background Older patients are at high risk of experiencing delayed functional recovery after surgical treatment. This study aimed to identify factors that predict changes in the level of support for activities of daily living and mobility 1 year after colonic cancer surgery. Methods This was a multicentre, observational study conforming to STROBE guidelines. The prospective data included pre-and postoperative mobility and need for support in daily activities, co-morbidities, onco-geriatric screening tool (G8), clinical frailty scale (CFS), operative data, and postoperative surgical outcomes. Results A total of 167 patients aged 80 years or more with colonic cancer were recruited. After surgery, 30 per cent and 22 per cent of all patients had increased need for support and decreased motility. Multivariableanalysis with all patients demonstrated that preoperative support in daily activities outside the home (OR 3.23, 95 per cent c.i. 1.06 to 9.80, P = 0.039) was associated with an increased support at follow-up. A history of cognitive impairment (3.15, 1.06 to 9.34, P = 0.038) haemoglobin less than 120 g/l (7.48, 1.97 to 28.4, P = 0.003) and discharge to other medical facilities (4.72, 1.39 to 16.0, P = 0.013) were independently associated with declined mobility. With functionally independent patients, haemoglobin less than 120 g/l (8.31, 1.76 to 39.2, P = 0.008) and discharge to other medical facilities (4.38, 1.20 to 16.0, P = 0.026) were associated with declined mobility. Conclusion Increased need for support before surgery, cognitive impairment, preoperative anaemia, and discharge to other medical facilities predicts an increased need for support or declined mobility 1 year after colonic cancer surgery. Preoperative assessment and optimization should focus on anaemia correction, nutritional status, and mobility with detailed rehabilitation plan. Greater increased need for support before surgery, cognitive impairment, preoperative anaemia, and discharge to other medical facilities predicted an increased need for support or declined mobility 1 year after colonic cancer surgery. Preoperative assessment and optimization should especially focus on anaemia correction, nutritional status, and mobility with a detailed rehabilitation plan.Peer reviewe

Transformational change: creating a safe operating space for humanity

Many ecologists and environmental scientists witnessing the scale of current environmental change are becoming increasingly alarmed about how humanity is pushing the boundaries of the Earth’s systems beyond sustainable levels. The world urgently needs global society to redirect itself toward a more sustainable future: one that moves intergenerational equity and environmental sustainability to the top of the political agenda, and to the core of personal and societal belief systems. Scientific and technological innovations are not enough: the global community, individuals, civil society, corporations, and governments, need to adjust their values and beliefs to one in which sustainability becomes the new global paradigm society. We argue that the solution requires transformational change, driven by a realignment of societal values, where individuals act ethically as an integral part of an interconnected society and biosphere. Transition management provides a framework for achieving transformational change, by giving special attention to reflective learning, interaction, integration, and experimentation at the level of society, thereby identifying the system conditions and type of changes necessary for enabling sustainable transformation.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by the Resilience Alliance. The published article can be found at: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/.Keywords: transformational change, transition management, societal values, connectedness, behavioral change, innovative leadershi

Process Optimization of Bismaleimide (BMI) Resin Infused Carbon Fiber Composite

Engineers today are presented with the opportunity to design and build the next generation of space vehicles out of the lightest, strongest, and most durable materials available. Composites offer excellent structural characteristics and outstanding reliability in many forms that will be utilized in future aerospace applications including the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program and the Orion space capsule. NASA's Composites for Exploration (CoEx) project researches the various methods of manufacturing composite materials of different fiber characteristics while using proven infusion methods of different resin compositions. Development and testing on these different material combinations will provide engineers the opportunity to produce optimal material compounds for multidisciplinary applications. Through the CoEx project, engineers pursue the opportunity to research and develop repair patch procedures for damaged spacecraft. Working in conjunction with Raptor Resins Inc., NASA engineers are utilizing high flow liquid infusion molding practices to manufacture high-temperature composite parts comprised of intermediate modulus 7 (IM7) carbon fiber material. IM7 is a continuous, high-tensile strength composite with outstanding structural qualities such as high shear strength, tensile strength and modulus as well as excellent corrosion, creep, and fatigue resistance. IM7 carbon fiber, combined with existing thermoset and thermoplastic resin systems, can provide improvements in material strength reinforcement and deformation-resistant properties for high-temperature applications. Void analysis of the different layups of the IM7 material discovered the largest total void composition within the [ +45 , 90 , 90 , -45 ] composite panel. Tensile and compressional testing proved the highest mechanical strength was found in the [0 4] layup. This paper further investigates the infusion procedure of a low-cost/high-performance BMI resin into an IM7 carbon fiber material and the optical, chemical, and mechanical analyses performed