Fostering a concept of function with combined experiments in distance and in-class learning

Hands-on experiments and simulations foster functional thinking (FT) in different ways. Both benefits can be combined effectively, when a focus is set on the difficult aspect of covariation through a qualitative approach. Self-directed learning in such settings produces significantly higher gains in FT that rather numeric consideration of experiments (Digel and Roth, 2021). Both settings were implemented as in-classroom (N=219) and distance learning environments (N=113) respectively, within the given constraints due to COVID-19. The results for distance learning Hammerstein et al. (2021) report in their meta-study are inconsistent, but with clear negative tendency. In the study reported here both learning modes show comparable results and the overall differences between covariational and numeric setting persist in both modes as well

Recent economic development and outlook in industrial countries

The upswing in Europe, North America and Japan since mid-1975 has been unsteady. It has been sufficiently modest to allow a — however slight — decline of inflation rates. Since economic policy refrained from massive reflation, the shortrun outlook remains for a moderate recovery with no rekindling of inflation. High unemployment and weak investment can partly be attributed to the abrupt change to a restrictive course in 1973/1974 which led to unintended increases of real wages and to a dramatic profit squeeze. Moreover, there have been increasing changes in the structure of demand and production techniques as well as political uncertainties which have prevented a marked improvement of the investment climate. This diagnosis calls for a steady economic policy, less aggressive wage policy, and incentives to promote innovative spirit and risk taking. Although money illusion and exchange rate illusion have largely vanished and reduced the effectiveness of short-term stimulation measures, most countries are far from pursuing a steady and pre-announced course. In strong countries — the United States, West Germany and Japan — the reduction of the share of public absorption especially through a shortfall of public investment since 1974 was a retarding factor for improving employment and growth. In weak countries — for example the United Kingdom and Italy — an easy money policy continued to produce high inflation rates and increasing external imbalances. Only after drastic exchange rate depreciations in 1976 did these countries — sometimes too drastically — turn to a restrictive policy course. Cooperation in matters of economic policy, often misunderstood as the sharing of evils, should be designed as help for self-help. International credits should be granted under the condition that the recipient country pursues a stability-oriented policy and refrains from restricting trade. --

Human insulinoma: Clinical, cellular, and molecular aspects

Insulinoma is the most frequently encountered functioning endocrine pancreatic tumor in humans. In this overview we summarize morphological and clinical features of insulinomas, report about the proinsulin-insulin conversion in normal and neoplastic B-cells, discuss the new classification, the criteria of malignancy, and the clonal composition of endocrine pancreatic tumors, and outline recent findings on the molecular pathology of these tumor