To be precise, the average national retail price for a liter of fuel will be 1.761 euro on Saturday, according to consumer collective United Consumers

Despite the struggling economy, the price of oil keeps rising, mainly due to tensions over Iran. The price of fuel reached EUR 1.757 on 13 January, exactly equal to the last record of april 2011.

That record was more spectacular: when gasoline prices reached a new peak for the first time since mid 2008, following first a low of 1.198 euros per liter.

Harskamp and Jacobse investigated the effect of new forms of instruction in arithmetic education. They examined the outcomes of 40 experimental studies aimed at improving arithmetic skills. Their findings revealed, for example, that a standardised and clearly structured programme that employs a variety of methods enables young children to learn arithmetic quicker and better than they do under the methods commonly used now, most of which do not offer a structured programme. Good methods include the use of picture books about arithmetic, group discussions, arithmetic games and songs. Short, focused board games or computer games also contribute to an improved development of young pupils’ counting skills and number comprehension.

‘Visualisation is a good method for slightly older children,’ says Egbert Harskamp, endowed professor of effective learning environments at the University of Groningen. ‘For addition and subtraction up to 100 it was found, for example, that offering rows of blocks or a string of beads in a ten structure considerably improved the arithmetic performances, as long as the teaching method used had a clear structure. The teaching methods for arithmetic currently used in Dutch schools contain some visual models for addition and subtraction but these are not usually presented in a coherent manner. This unstructured use can be confusing for pupils.’

The use of the computer in arithmetic education was also found to be effective. Dutch arithmetic teaching methods do not treat different types of calculation in a structured manner and various subjects are offered in a single lesson. Educational computer programs, however, have the advantage of a consistent structure that offers the material subject by subject. Moreover, well-designed computer programs provide instruction, testing and feedback components for pupils, and allow teachers to register how the pupils are progressing and where additional guidance is needed.

The studies were done in English-speaking countries. They covered number comprehension, basic operations, measurement and geometry, ratio calculations (percentages, fractions and ratios) or the solving of applied problems. A total of more than 6800 pupils from primary education were involved. The review of these studies has been presented in two publications: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Instructional Interventions on Students’ Mathematics Achievement and Effective arithmetic instruction with the help of computers. The second publication is mainly aimed at teachers.

The research was funded by the Dutch Programme Council for Educational Research, part of NWO. The complete research report can be downloaded from the NWO site via www.nwo.nl/proo. A Dutch version of the report for non-experts is also available there together with a practical translation of a large part of the research in the form of a leaflet.

Transferring feedstock into chemicals
BioConSepT focuses on the use of so-called 2nd generation feedstocks like lignocellulose and non-edible oils and fats, which cannot be used for the production of food. The partners have selected 7 chains for chemicals that can be made from these materials. Both bioconversions with enzymes and microorganisms and chemical reactions are used in the production chains. The introduction of continuous processes, novel reactors and selective separation technologies will generate breakthroughs in costs and sustainability. The project will deliver samples of the envisioned applications, which include green polymers, resins, plasticizers, surfactants and solvents for testing in the market. After 2 years BioConSepT will select the 2 most promising chains for demonstration at a scale of 100 to 1000 kg product.

From a fossil-based to a bio-based economy
The transition of a fossil-based to a bio-based economy will have a tremendous impact on both society as a whole and important industrial sectors like agriculture, the chemical and food industries and the energy sector. Taking a frontrunner position in the bio-based economy is essential for maintaining the leading economic position of the European process industry, the conservation of jobs, the security of energy supply and the creation of a sustainable society.

The project is an initiative to reduce the closing gap between the laboratory and the industrial practice for the production of chemicals from abundantly available biomass.

The BioConSepT consortium is coordinated by TNO and consists of 31 partners from Research and Technology Organizations, large industrial companies and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

The programme Science4Arts is a joint initiative of NWO’s Division for the Humanities and the Divisions for Chemical and Physical Sciences. The research programme focuses on studies of the physical and chemical changes in works of art, the significance and content of the artistic object concerned, and the context of the work of art. Within each of the projects scientists from various disciplines work together with experts from the world of art.

NWO’s partners in this programme include the American National Science Foundation (NSF) and the French IPANEMA, the synchrotron facility for old objects. NWO has made 3.6 million euros available for the projects (of which 600,000 euros for the collaboration with the US). One or more co-funding museums are involved in each project.

The proportion of people with a non-western background in the labour force grew marginally from 12.6 in 2010 to 13.1 percent in 2011. The increase is less substantial than in the preceding two years. The unemployment rate among people with a western ethnic background also increased somewhat, to 7.1 percent, but with 4.2 percent, the rate among native Dutch residents was slightly below the 2010 level. In the two preceding years, the rate had gone up.

The marginal unemployment growth in the population with a non-western background was most obvious among over-25s. The rate among young people with a non-western ethnic background remained stable relative to 2010 at 23.4 percent. Among young native Dutch, unemployment was reduced from 9.7 percent in 2010 to 7.7 percent in 2011.

The unemployment rate among non-western men rose marginally in 2011; from 12.2 to 13.5 percent, whereas the rate among non-western women diminished from 13.0 to 12.5 percent. This means that more men than women in the non-western population in the Netherlands were looking for jobs. The unemployment rate among native Dutch women also dropped, but the rate for remained at the same level for native Dutch men.

The overall unemployment rate in the Netherlands started to grow again in the course of 2011 after a decline at the end of 2010. As a result, the annual averages over 2010 and 2011 are still close together.

Adding Spanish in addition to the existing English and Dutch services, was prompted by the fact that around 329 million people in 21 countries speak Spanish, making it the third most widely spoken language in the world.

The new service will especially benefit Facebook and Twitter fans and followers in Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Spain, as well as Spanish speakers in the US. Facebook and Twitter have proved their worth repeatedly in recent times. Aside from responding to questions communicated by customers, these social media channels can be used to rebook, cancel and/or book extra baggage capacity on flights.

The Spanish service will also be available 24/7. Future plans include expanding the number of languages offered via social media. The response target is to answer questions within the hour and to find solutions within 24 hours.

KLM Meet & Seat, a new service from KLM Airlines lets you find out about interesting people who will be on board your KLM flight such as other passengers attending the same event as you at your destination.

KLM Meet & Seat is currently being piloted for Bookings with 1 passenger and KLM flights between Amsterdam and New York, San Francisco and Sao Paulo from 90 days until 48 hours before departure.

KLM will not use your profile details for other purposes than Meet & Seat.

Since last year Dutch Airlines KLM has been working on the new service that lets passengers choose seat partners based on social media profiles.

KLM has been experimenting with social media since the ash cloud in 2010. KLM has more than one million followers on Facebook. This makes KLM number three most followed airlines in the world of aviation.

KLM strives to integrate social media throughout its entire flight operations. That also means that passengers get quick answer to questions and complaints, and that they can easily rebook online for a later flight due to a travel disruptions.

At the headquarters in Amstelveen, KLM has setup a permanent “Social Media Hub”, where dozens of employees are active 24 hours a day.

The first snow fell in the Northern provinces this morning. The snow is slowly moving south. The snow will last approximately 3 to 4 hours. Most snow is expected in the west. At many places can have 3 to 5 inches snow fall.

Weather Online says the Netherlands will face about 10 inches of powder snow. The ANWB expects snow will cause problems on the road Friday afternoon. The weather is also bad news for ice skating fans, the snow will prevent ice growth.

After the snow front has passed, it remains preliminary dry with moderate and severe frost.

The coming weekend promises to be the coldest in years. Both tonight, tomorrow night and in the night of Sunday until Monday the minimum calculated temperature in the Netherlands will be between minus 10 and minus 17 degrees, possible even lower.

School expenses rose more rapidly than revenues over the period 2006-2010. This is predominantly due to an increase in personnel costs by 21 percent. The number of full-time job equivalents increased by 2.5 percent and many teachers were upgraded to higher salary scales. Lastly, collectively negotiated (CAO) wages in education rose by 11 percent. The CAO wage increase was above the level of inflation over this period (7 percent).

In recent years, schools tended to spend more than they could afford. As a result, the number of school with large amounts of cash in the coffers was reduced. Schools are defined as financially sound, if their liquidity ranges between the so-called signal values 0.5 and 1.5. In 2010, 73 percent of schools in primary and secondary education had a liquidity level above 1.5 versus 77 percent in 2009.

In primary and secondary schools, 80 and 47 percent respectively had a liquidity level above 1.5. The difference between the two school categories is caused by the fact that primary schools generally have fewer pupils than secondary schools. Smaller schools often keep higher financial buffers to protect them against, for example, the effects of declining pupil numbers.

Watch some very sweet videos, find the perfect gift, and go behind the scenes as your favorite supermodels talk about the L-word.

Go on set with Supermodels Doutzen Kroes, Erin Heatherton, Lindsay Ellingson, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Adriana Lima and Lais Ribeiro as they shoot Victoria’s Secret’s 2012 Valentine’s Day campaign. This video also features the Angels’ gift tips and ideas for a Gorgeous Valentine’s Day.