Exploring the Process of Decision Making on the Use of Pensions for Financing Old Age:Muslim Workers Living in England

This study explores the role of religion in decision-making of the Muslim working communities for the use of interest-bearing pensions. In the absence of any theoretical framework on this topic, the paper explores the multiple socioeconomic factors that may influence the attitude, perception, motivation, and action of Muslim workers towards joining pension schemes for old age protection, by proposing the Muslim Workers’ Acceptance of Pension Model. The paper takes an exploratory `community-based participatory research’ (CBPR) methodology with an interpretivist approach in line with the social constructivist paradigm. It contributes to the broader debate on the effect of cultural, religious, and social values of marginalised communities on the inclusion and widening access for old age protection. It also provides insight into the factors and reasons of divergence from the available pension models. The findings emphasise that people sharing the same location do not necessarily share the same level of opportunities due to the intersectionality of race, religion, gender, and class

Buckling of Nonprismatic Column on Varying Elastic Foundation with Arbitrary Boundary Conditions

Citation: Ahmad A. Ghadban, Ahmed H. Al-Rahmani, Hayder A. Rasheed, and Mohammed T. Albahttiti, “Buckling of Nonprismatic Column on Varying Elastic Foundation with Arbitrary Boundary Conditions,” Mathematical Problems in Engineering, vol. 2017, Article ID 5976098, 14 pages, 2017. doi:10.1155/2017/5976098Buckling of nonprismatic single columns with arbitrary boundary conditions resting on a nonuniform elastic foundation may be considered as the most generalized treatment of the subject. The buckling differential equation for such columns is extremely difficult to solve analytically. Thus, the authors propose a numerical approach by discretizing the column into a finite number of segments. Each segment has constants  (modulus of elasticity),  (moment of inertia), and  (subgrade stiffness). Next, an exact analytical solution is derived for each prismatic segment resting on uniform elastic foundation. These segments are then assembled in a matrix from which the critical buckling load is obtained. The derived formulation accounts for different end boundary conditions. Validation is performed by benchmarking the present results against analytical solutions found in the literature, showing excellent agreement. After validation, more examples are solved to illustrate the power and flexibility of the proposed method. Overall, the proposed method provides reasonable results, and the examples solved demonstrate the versatility of the developed approach and some of its many possible applications

The role of citizenship values and civic education for the development of social skills at secondary schools

This paper seeks to empirically investigate the question of citizenship values and civic education in Moroccan secondary schools. It undertakes a comparative study based on an interdisciplinary approach in order to measure the presence of these values in Physics and English educational practices. The study is realized via a questionnaire administered to and interviews conducted with practicing teachers of Physics and English throughout different schools in Morocco. Data collection and analysis were performed by adopting a statistical descriptive method. The study is accomplished by targeting a number that reached 84 teachers in both disciplines. Our results demonstrate that teachers have different conceptions concerning values and they show less interest in implementing those values in the teaching/learning operation. Physics teachers believe that Physics as a purely scientific discipline cannot lead itself to integrating citizenship values and they can be integrated only in Humanities disciplines. Furthermore, we find that teachers not only never benefited from a basic or in-service training but also professional interaction among them about those values is very lacking. Besides, a considerable number of respondents agree that citizenship values are decreasing among learners. In this sense, majority of respondents suggest that training, motivation and well-prepared institutional strategies are fundamental prerequisites to overcome those difficulties.

Shear-flexure-axial load interaction in rectangular concrete bridge piers with or without FRP wrapping

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Civil EngineeringHayder RasheedRecent applications in reinforced concrete columns, including strengthening and extreme loading events, necessitate the development of specialized nonlinear analysis methods to predict the confined interaction domain of axial force, shear, and bending moment in square and slightly rectangular concrete columns. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials are commonly used in strengthening applications due to their superior properties such as high strength-to-weight ratio, high energy absorption and excellent corrosion resistance. FRP wrapping of concrete columns is done to enhance the ultimate strength due to the confinement effect, which is normally induced by steel ties. The existence of the two confinement systems changes the nature of the problem. Existing research focused on a single confinement system. Also, very limited research on rectangular sections was found in the literature. In this research, a model to estimate the combined behavior of the two systems in rectangular columns is proposed. The calculation of the effective lateral pressure is based on Lam and Teng model and Mander model for FRP wraps and steel ties, respectively. The proposed model introduces load eccentricity as a parameter that affects the compression zone size, and in turn the level of confinement engagement. Full confinement corresponds to zero eccentricity, while unconfined behavior corresponds to infinite eccentricity. The model then generates curves for eccentricities within these boundaries. The numerical approach developed has then been extended to account for shear interaction using the simplified modified compression field theory adopted by AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications 2014. Comparisons were then performed against experimental data and Response-2000, an analytical analysis tool based on AASHTO 1999 in order to validate the interaction domain generated. Finally, the developed models were implemented in the confined analysis software “KDOT Column Expert” to add FRP confinement effect and shear interaction

Studija helminta u ovaca u Laghouat regiji u južnom Alžiru

The objective of this study was to detect helminths in sheep on farms in three different zones of the Laghouat region, and to examine relationships between the prevalence of these parasites and the factors of age, sex, and area. The study was carried out over a period of four months (March to June 2019) on 77 faecal samples taken from 77 sheep. For this purpose, we used both a qualitative technique (flotation) and a quantitative technique (Mac Master). These two techniques allowed us to isolate helminths and determine the degree of infestation of sheep in the steppe region, specifically the Laghouat region. The results showed that the sheep flock studied overall was negative, with the exception of eight subjects infected with Nematodirus or Strongyloides at a rate of 7.49% each. The helminth parasite prevalence was 10.40%. Statistical analysis of the influence of specific factors revealed no significant effect (P˃0.05) for sex, though the effects of age and area were significant (P<0.05). This parasite prevalence must be taken seriously to avoid its detrimental effect on animal health and the zootechnical performance of sheep flocks.Cilj ovoga rada je bio istražiti helminte na farmama ovaca u tri različite zone Laghouat regije, kao i proučiti vezu između prevalencije tih parazita i određenih čimbenika poput dobi, spola i područja. Naša studija provedena je tijekom razdoblja od 4 mjeseca (od ožujka do lipnja 2019. godine) na 77 uzoraka fecesa uzetih od 77 ovaca. U ove smo svrhe rabili kvalitativnu tehniku flotacije i drugu, kvantitativnu tehniku - Mac Master. Ove dvije tehnike omogućile su nam izdvojiti helminte i odrediti stupanj infestacije ovaca u stepskoj regiji, ili preciznije u regiji Laghouat. Podatci su pokazali da je proučavano stado ovaca pretežito bilo negativno uz izuzetak 8 jedinki u kojih je otkrivena prisutnost parazita Nematodirus i Strongyloides u postotku od 7,49 % za svaku vrstu. Prevalencija parazita helminta bila je 10,40 %. Statistička analiza utjecaja određenih čimbenika otkrila je da spol nije imao značajnijeg učinka (P˃0,05). Međutim, učinak dobi i područja uzorkovanja bio je značajan (P<0,05). Zaključno, zabilježenu prevalenciju parazita potrebno je ozbiljno razmotriti da bi se izbjegao negativni učinak na zdravlje životinja i zootehničke pokazatelje stada ovaca