Co-operative learning and adaptive instruction in a mathematics curriculum

The AGO 12 to 16 Project (the acronym AGO stands for the Dutch equivalent of 'Adaptive Instruction and Co-operative Learning') seeks to develop and evaluate a mathematics curriculum which is suitable for mixed-ability groups in secondary education. The research questions we will address here are, first, whether this curriculum is feasible and effective, and, second, what effects, if any, the context variables time and mean cognitive level of the class have on learning. Many mathematics programmes make insufficient allowance for the differences in intellectual ability that exist in mixed-ability classes. In order to change this situation we developed a mathematics curriculum with adaptive qualities. The evaluation of the experimental curriculum was carried out in two stages. During the first stage the curriculum was used at two schools with the aim of investigating the feasibility of the programme. Experience with the implementation of the programme led to some improvements in the experimental materials. By and large the AGO model appeared to be feasible in secondary classrooms. In the second stage, which was on a large scale, the focus was on the effectiveness of the programme. Six hundred students, 13 teachers and six schools were involved in the research. Teachers in the experimental group were trained in AGO methods and in implementing the new AGO curriculum. Teachers in the control groups worked with the existing programme following their usual methods of teaching. The main conclusion of the study is positive. The AGO model as a whole proved to be practical and effective in learning mathematics. The AGO model has a positive effect on the intercept, which means that the mean scores of AGO classes are higher than the mean scores of non-AGO classes. It may be concluded that, on the average, students benefit from learning in AGO classes as compared with non-AGO classes. AGO does not increase or decrease the differences between students in the same class. As expected, positive effects of two context variables were found: (1) the total amount of time spent in class covering the mathematical content and (2) class composition as indicated by the mean pretest score (aptitude) of the class

ER stress protein AGR2 precedes and is involved in the regulation of pancreatic cancer initiation

The work was supported by a grant A12008 from CR-UK (L. Dumartin, N.R. Lemoine and T. Crnogorac-Jurcevic)

Identification and manipulation of tumor associated macrophages in human cancers

Evading immune destruction and tumor promoting inflammation are important hallmarks in the development of cancer. Macrophages are present in most human tumors and are often associated with bad prognosis. Tumor associated macrophages come in many functional flavors ranging from what is known as classically activated macrophages (M1) associated with acute inflammation and T-cell immunity to immune suppressive macrophages (M2) associated with the promotion of tumor growth. The role of these functionally different myeloid cells is extensively studied in mice tumor models but dissimilarities in markers and receptors make the direct translation to human cancer difficult. This review focuses on recent reports discriminating the type of infiltrating macrophages in human tumors and the environmental cues present that steer their differentiation. Finally, immunotherapeutic approaches to interfere in this process are discussed

Wettbewerbsvorteile im Werkzeugmaschinenbau: Effiziente Auftragsabwicklung durch Kombination von Produktionslinien-Ansatz und modellbasierter Entwicklung

Im Exzellenzcluster 'Integrative Produktionstechnik für Hochlohnländer' werden im Forschungsfeld Individualisierte Produktion Konzepte entwickelt, welche darauf abzielen, die Erfüllung individueller Kundenforderungen mit Kostenvorteilen der Serienproduktion zu verbinden. Auf Grund der steigenden Komplexität von Werkzeugmaschinen stoßen die heute etablierten Entwicklungsmethodiken an ihre Grenzen. Die vorgeschlagene Lösung basiert auf dem Einsatz der disziplinübergreifenden Modellierungssprache SysML in Verbindung mit dezentralen, CAx-internen Konfiguratoren, die mit Hilfe automatisch extrahierter Feature-Modelle an ein übergeordnetes Konfigurationswerkzeug gekoppelt werden. Die Anwendung des Software-Produkt-Linien-Ansatzes auf die disziplinübergreifende Entwicklung von Werkzeugmaschinen bietet eine vielversprechende Alternative zu bestehenden Ansätzen im Bereich der Mechatronik-Entwicklung. Durch die klare Trennung der Verantwortlichkeiten werden Systembeschreibung, Merkmalsmodellierung und Variantengenerierung getrennt voneinander betrachtet, was die Komplexität des Konfigurationsproblems erheblich reduziert. Zudem bleibt die Zuständigkeit für die Definition und Erstellung technischer Varianten innerhalb der einzelnen Fachabteilungen, was sich positiv auf die Akzeptanz im Unternehmen bzw. im Entwicklungsprozess auswirkt

La coopération internationale en Afrique. Compte rendu des journées d'études tenues à Mogadiscio du 14 au 16 janvier 1960

Questo volume contiene gli atti del Convegno di Studi su "La cooperazione internazionale in Africa", che ha avuto luogo a Mogadiscio dal 14 al 16 gennaio 1960, in occasione dell'inaugurazione della sede dell'Istituto Universitario della Somalia.Buuggan waxaa ku urursan qoraalladii sherweynha daraasaadka ku saabsan "Iskaashiga Caalamiga ee Afrika" oo lagu qabtay Moqdisho 14-16 Jennayo 1960, munaasabada daahfurka Machadka Jaamacadda. Soomaaliya.This volume contains the proceedings of the Congress of Studies on "International cooperation in Africa"​​, which took place in Mogadishu on 14th-16th January 1960 on the occasion of the inauguration of the headquarters of the University of Somalia