Weaknesses and strenghts in assessing early childhood programmes: an assessment of an early childhood spanish trilingual priogramme in two- to three- year- old children

This article gives an account of the results from an assessment of an early childhood education programme, conducted over the course of two academic years (1999–2000 and 2000–2001), in a centre in northeastern Spain. The purpose of the assessment was to discover how a particular educational programme contributed to the short‐term competency levels of children aged from two to three years old. The programme’s curriculum encompassed different areas of development, including physical exercise and motor movement and social and linguistic development, using a unique teaching methodology that exposes the children to three different languages at the same time. The article includes a discussion of the weaknesses and strengths in implementing evaluation in early childhood education programmes, and concludes with some guiding principles that may prove useful in the evaluation of the appropriateness of any given assessment method used within an early childhood educational programme

Pengembangan Lembar Kerja Siswa (Lks) Berorientasi Model Pembelajaran Discovery Learning (Dl) untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Berfikir Kreatif Siswa pada Materi Bioteknologi Kelas XII SMA

The aim of this research was to develop discovery learning-oriented student worksheets to improve students' creative thinking skills in biotechnology topic on grade XII shs. The research held on December 2014 until March 2015. The research used Research and Development with ADDIE model as the method. Development was held in laboratory of Biology Education Riau University and limited trial was held in MAN 2 Model Pekanbaru.Validation sheet, respondent sheet and observation sheet of creative thinking skills were used as data collecting instruments. Validation sheet consist of 18 items and 4 aspects, there are didactic, construction, technique and creative thinking skills. The results of the validation of experts obtained the following data: didactic 3.43 (very valid), construction 3.62 (very valid), technique 3.75 (very valid) and creative thinking skills 3.69 (very valid). Discovery learning oriented worksheets that have been developed potentially to improve student's creative thinking skills on biotechnology topic for grade XII shs. Worksheets need to be continued until implementation and evaluation steps to make sure the quality of worksheet product developed

La evaluación como garantía de calidad en educación preescolar

Este trabajo analiza la evaluación como el modo que tiene el educador de la etapa de preescolar de garantizar la calidad en sus intervenciones. Con este propósito, en primer lugar, en este artículo se analizan las razones por las que tiene sentido evaluar las intervenciones educativas en preescolar. En segundo lugar se enuncian los beneficios que parecen estar relacionados con la calidad de sus intervenciones y los beneficios que le reporta al niño un programa educativo de calidad

Effects of copper reduction on angiogenesis-related factors in recurrent glioblastoma cases

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of copper reduction on angiogenesis-related factors in patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated by gamma knife radiosurgery. Materials and Methods: In the present block randomized, placebo-controlled trial, fifty eligible patients with a diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme who were candidates for gamma knife radiosurgery were randomly assigned into two groups to receive daily either 1gr penicillamine and a low copper diet or placebo for three months. The intervention started on the same day as gamma knife radiosurgery. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and copper levels were measured at baseline and after the intervention. The serum copper level was used as the final index of compliance with the diet. In order to control probable side effects of intervention, laboratory tests were conducted at the beginning, middle and end of the study. Results: The patients had a mean age and Karnofsky Performance Scale of 43.7 years and 75 respectively. Mean serum copper levels were significantly reduced in intervention group. Mean survival time was 18.5 months in intervention group vs. 14.9 in placebo group. VEGF and IL-6 levels in the intervention group were also significantly reduced compared to the placebo group and TNF-α increased less. Conclusions: It seems that reducing the level of copper in the diet and dosing with penicillamine leads to decline of angiogenesis-related factors such as VEGF, IL-6 and TNF-α. Approaches targeting angiogenesis may improve survival and can be used as a future therapeutic strategy

Self-assembly of a functional oligo(aniline)-based amphiphile into helical conductive nanowires

A tetra(aniline)-based cationic amphiphile, TANI-NHC(O)C5H10N(CH3)3+Br– (TANI-PTAB) was synthesized, and its emeraldine base (EB) state was found to self-assemble into nanowires in aqueous solution. The observed self-assembly is described by an isodesmic model, as shown by temperature-dependent UV–vis investigations. Linear dichroism (LD) studies, combined with computational modeling using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), suggests that TANI-PTAB molecules are ordered in an antiparallel arrangement within nanowires, with the long axis of TANI-PTAB arranged perpendicular to the nanowire long axis. Addition of either S- or R- camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) to TANI-PTAB converted TANI to the emeraldine salt (ES), which retained the ability to form nanowires. Acid doping of TANI-PTAB had a profound effect on the nanowire morphology, as the CSA counterions’ chirality translated into helical twisting of the nanowires, as observed by circular dichroism (CD). Finally, the electrical conductivity of CSA-doped helical nanowire thin films processed from aqueous solution was 2.7 mS cm–1. The conductivity, control over self-assembled 1D structure and water-solubility demonstrate these materials’ promise as processable and addressable functional materials for molecular electronics, redox-controlled materials and sensing