A novel, cellulose synthesis inhibitory action of ancymidol impairs plant cell expansion

The co-ordination of cell wall synthesis with plant cell expansion is an important topic of contemporary plant biology research. In studies of cell wall synthesis pathways, cellulose synthesis inhibitors are broadly used. It is demonstrated here that ancymidol, known as a plant growth retardant primarily affecting gibberellin biosynthesis, is also capable of inhibiting cellulose synthesis. Its ability to inhibit cellulose synthesis is not related to its anti-gibberellin action and possesses some unique features never previously observed when conventional cellulose synthesis inhibitors were used. It is suggested that ancymidol targets the cell wall synthesis pathway at a regulatory step where cell wall synthesis and cell expansion are coupled. The elucidation of the ancymidol target in plant cells could potentially contribute to our understanding of cell wall synthesis and cell expansion control

"Real world" problems

We consider it important that pre-service teachers master both mathematical problem solving and the choice and analysis of problems, together with the way of posing them in the classroom, so that pupils’ thinking processes may be better stimulated. The teacher must make several decisions about the organisation of their own teaching: these relate to the choice and systematisation of ‘good’ problems, the management of pupils’ personal solutions in the sharing phases (discussion), the possible ways for making these personal solutions evolve towards expert solutions, which are the main goal. In this context, a priori analysis becomes one of the professional tools helping teachers to formulate their choices and decisions (Charnay, 2003). The “Real world” problems proposal sits within a set of activities that stimulate work with problems starting from a suitable a priori analysis, in order to identify the mathematical concepts at stake and to determine whether, how and with what aims they can be used in teaching

A world of information at their fingertips: College students\u27 motivations and practices in their self-determined information seeking

People frequently engage in the process of “heutagogy” (i.e., self-determined learning). Unlike pedagogy and andragogy, heutagogy occurs without a structure or leader setting the context and directing the learning toward a specific goal. The lack of structure and the possible self-determination of topic, value, source, and trust in information led us to wonder about the motivations, goals, and processes considered by college students as they engage in self-determined learning. We conducted a survey with 83 American college students regarding their information-seeking preferences and behaviors. Some students reported accessing different media depending on what information they were seeking, while others sought multiple forms of information from the same media. Family and community influenced their trust in media, yet they also recognized experts and data as important justifications for credibility of media. We exposed some relationships among personal characteristics, perceptions of information, and self-determined learning activities. We conclude with implications and directions for future research