The effects of guided elaboration in a CSCL programme on the learning outcomes of primary school students from Dutch and immigrant families

This study examined the effects of guided elaboration on students’ learning outcomes in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The programme provided students with feedback on their elaborations, and students reflected on this feedback. It was expected that students in the experimental (elaboration) programme would show better learning gains and that students from immigrant families would especially benefit. Two hundred primary school students of 9 different schools participated. The research can be characterized as a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, control group design. In a multilevel regression analysis, no main effect of the intervention was found. However, there was a significant differential effect of the intervention; students from immigrant families in the experimental programme outperformed their counterparts in the control group. It can be concluded that guided elaboration in a CSCL programme through feedback and reflection is a promising approach. Keywords: CSCL; outcomes; participatio

Beheersing van valse meeldauw in Impatiens

De éénjarige zomerbloeier Impatiens walleriana vormt een belangrijk onderdeel in het assortiment van perkgoed. Ondermeer in 2007 waren er door de natte weersomstandigheden grote problemen met uitval door valse meeldauw in de consumentfase. Hierdoor kwam de vraag of er tijdens de opkweek niet meer preventieve maatregelen genomen kunnen worden om infectie door valse meeldauw onder vochtige omstandigheden te verminderen of te voorkomen. Daarnaast was het onbekend of de besmetting met valse meeldauw op Nederlandse locaties veroorzaakt wordt door één soort of meerdere soorten. In een literatuurstudie is alle beschikbare informatie over valse meeldauw en mogelijkheden voor beheersen/ bestrijding samengeva

Nieuwe middelen tegen valse meeldauw in Impatiens walleriana

Abstract Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture, together with Syngenta Seeds tested various combinations of agents for their effects to increase plant defense against infection of downy mildew in the consumer phase. All means were dosed 2-3 times during the growers phase. There are three new products, which were found to strengthen Impatiens plants against infection by downy mildew. It is still unclear how these products can be combined with other agents that also control pathogenic soil fungi so that failure occurs less rapidly under field conditions at high disease pressure. In 2011, this research will be continued at two field locations

The diagnosis of fungal neglected tropical diseases (fungal NTDs) and the role of investigation and laboratory tests: An expert consensus report

The diagnosis of fungal Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) is primarily based on initial visual recognition of a suspected case followed by confirmatory laboratory testing, which is often limited to specialized facilities. Although molecular and serodiagnostic tools have advanced, a substantial gap remains between the desirable and the practical in endemic settings. To explore this issue further, we conducted a survey of subject matter experts on the optimal diagnostic methods sufficient to initiate treatment in well-equipped versus basic healthcare settings, as well as optimal sampling methods, for three fungal NTDs: mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and sporotrichosis. A survey of 23 centres found consensus on the key role of semi-invasive sampling methods such as biopsy diagnosis as compared with swabs or impression smears, and on the importance of histopathology, direct microscopy, and culture for mycetoma and chromoblastomycosis confirmation in well-equipped laboratories. In basic healthcare settings, direct microscopy combined with clinical signs were reported to be the most useful diagnostic indicators to prompt referral for treatment. The survey identified that the diagnosis of sporotrichosis is the most problematic with poor sensitivity across the most widely available laboratory tests except fungal culture, highlighting the need to improve mycological diagnostic capacity and to develop innovative diagnostic solutions. Fungal microscopy and culture are now recognized as WHO essential diagnostic tests and better training in their application will help improve the situation. For mycetoma and sporotrichosis, in particular, advances in identifying specific marker antigens or genomic sequences may pave the way for new laboratory-based or point-of-care tests, although this is a formidable task given the large number of different organisms that can cause fungal NTDs

Voeding en weerbaarheid bij Phalaenopsis

Gedurende de afgelopen jaren is de teelt van Phalaenopsis versneld door het toelaten van meer licht en met hogere vochtigheden tijdens de teelt. Hiermee staan ziekten en plagen zoals Fusarium, Pseudomonas, Erwinia of potworm op de loer waardoor de vraag naar weerbaarheid van het gewas groter wordt. Dit project beoogd antwoord te geven op de vraag of de weerbaarheid van Phalaenopsis verhoogd kan worden door een uitgebalanceerde voeding

An alternative approach for work redesign:experiences with the method ‘Inclusive Redesign of Work Processes’

This article introduces an alternative approach to work redesign: the method 'Inclusive Redesign of Work Processes' (Dutch abbreviation: IHW-method), aimed to make it possible to participate in the labour market for people with a large distance to the labour market. The IHW-method is based on an analysis and redesign of work processes which subsequently allows organizing work processes in such a way that jobs can be created for people with limited capabilities. The underlying principle is task differentiation from the perspective of worker's capabilities, allowing organizations to make optimal use of all the existing work capacity and talent in the labour market. This article presents the underlying ideas and background for the development of the method IHW. The redesign principles of the method IHW and the first experiences with this method in a healthcare organization are discussed. The method turned out to be effective for the creation of suitable work for a large group of people with disabilities in this organization