Science Teacher Learning of MBL-Supported Student-Centered Science Education in the Context of Secondary Education in Tanzania

Science teachers from secondary schools in Tanzania were offered an in-service arrangement to prepare them for the integration of technology in a student-centered approach to science teaching. The in-service arrangement consisted of workshops in which educative curriculum materials were used to prepare teachers for student-centered education and for the use and application of Microcomputer Based Laboratories (MBL)—a specific technology application for facilitating experiments in science education. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to study whether the in-service arrangement impacted teacher learning. Teacher learning was determined by three indicators: (1) the ability to conduct MBL-supported student centered science lessons, (2) teachers’ reflection on those lessons and (3) students’ perceptions of the classroom environment. The results of the research indicate that the teachers’ were able to integrate MBL in their science lessons at an acceptable level and that they were able to create a classroom environment which was appreciated by their students as more investigative and open-ended

Convergence of Participatory Guarantee Systems and Internal Control Systems in an IFOAM European pilot project

Organisation into Participatory Guarantee Systems was the main model for compliance with organic farming specifications until the beginning of the 1990s, even if it was not officially recognised as such. Control and certification by an independent body then became a requirement (standard EN NF 45011). This European project, initiated by IFOAM in 2005, showed that, among other things, an Internal Control System can provide a guarantee equivalent to that of a certification by an independent body, but on the basis of different tools: the transparency of local networks, the improvement of practices at the group level and the involvement of consumers. As a result, recognition of the Participatory Guarantee Systems by public authorities would reinforce consumer confidence while relocating production, issues of concern to a majority of the stakeholders in the sector

Optimal Distributed Power Generation Under Network-Load Constraints

In electrical power networks nowadays more and more customers are becoming power-producers, mainly because of the development of novel components for decentralized power generation (solar panels, small wind turbines and heat pumps). This gives rise to the question how many units of each type (solar panel, small wind turbine or central heating power units) can be inserted into any transmission line in the network, such that under given distributions on the typical production and consumption over time, the maximum loads on the lines and components will not be exceeded. In this paper, we present a linear programming model for maximizing the amount of decentralized power generation while respecting the load limitations of the network. We describe a prototype showing that for an example network the maximization problem can be solved efficiently. We also modeled the case were the power consumption and decentralized power generation are considered as stochastic variables, which is inherently more complex

The asymptotic structure of nearly unstable non-negative integer-valued AR(1) models

This paper considers non-negative integer-valued autoregressive processes where the autoregression parameter is close to unity. We consider the asymptotics of this `near unit root' situation. The local asymptotic structure of the likelihood ratios of the model is obtained, showing that the limit experiment is Poissonian. To illustrate the statistical consequences we discuss efficient estimation of the autoregression parameter and efficient testing for a unit root.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/08-BEJ153 the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

UnitingCare West Pathways

This evaluation report explores and reports on the effectiveness of the Pathways program, delivered by UnitingCare West (UCW) in Perth, Western Australia. UCW is a strong advocate for people who are most in need, including homeless people with complex needs and those at risk of homelessness..

Kunstmestvervangers onderzocht; Eerste ervaringen met mineralenconcentraat op 'Telen met Toekomst-bedrijf'Van den Berg gunstig

Onderzoek naar praktijkervaringen met kunstmestvervangers. In dit informatieblad staan de ervaringen op "Telen met Toekomst-bedrijf" Van den Berg centraal

"Wenn ich alle Pillen genommen habe, bin ich satt" : Multimorbidität und Multimedikation: Herausforderungen in einer alternden Gesellschaft

Mit den Krankheiten häuft sich im Alter auch die Zahl der einzunehmenden Medikamente. Das bringt viele Probleme mit sich. Das Institut für Allgemeinmedizin der Goethe-Universität untersucht in enger Kooperation mit der Universität Maastricht die Folgen der Multimedikation und entwickelt gemeinsam mit Hausärzten Strategien, um unerwünschte Wirkungen zu vermeiden