Strength properties of polymer mortar panels using methyl methacrylate solution of waste expanded polystyrene as binder

The present study examines the applicability of polymermortarpanels using a methylmethacrylate (MMA) solution of wasteexpandedpolystyrene (EPS) to develop effective recycling processes for the EPS, referring to the strengthproperties of a polymer-impregnated mortarpanel with almost the same performance as commercial products. An MMA solution of EPS is prepared by dissolving EPS in MMA, and unreinforced and steel fiber-reinforced polymermortars are mixed using the EPS-MMA-based solution as a liquid resin or binder. Polymermortarpanels (PMPs) using the EPS-MMA-based polymermortars without and with steel fiber and crimped wire cloth reinforcements and steel fiber-reinforced polymer-impregnated mortarpanel (PIMP) are prepared on trial, and tested for flexural behavior under four-point loading. The EPS-MMA-based PMPs are more ductile than the PIMP, and have a high load-bearing capacity. Consequently, they can replace PIMP in practical applications

Supplier Selection Problem: Methodology Literature Review

Supplier selection and evaluation has attracted serious research attention at both the academic and the practitioner levels. In this paper, an attempt is made to review the status of methodology literature in supplier selection. A total of 154 papers from 68 refereed journals were selected and reviewed. This paper provides insights to the literature by considering the breakdown of journals that have published research in this area, by classifying the literature into various categories and considering the various methods/techniques suggested in the literature. Eased on the review, avenues for further research are also discussed

The 2009 HMDA data: the mortgage market in a time of low interest rates and economic distress

Mortgages ; Home Mortgage Disclosure Act

Enhancing content knowledge of in-service science teachers through model and modeling

The guiding question for this paper is; how does model and modeling enable student-teachers to develop a conceptual understanding of the cell as a structural and functional unit of living things? A teaching unit ‘The Cell’ was designed in view that models are a major teaching and learning tool for developing scientific thinking, whereas modeling means a process of forming representation. The teaching and learning strategies reported here encapsulated four modeling phases. Firstly, student-teachers modeled historical development of cell through a time line and role play and discussed the evolutionary and tentative nature of science. Secondly, the candy factory analogy provided a reference point to relate functional similarities between the units of a factory and cell organelles. Thirdly, students-teachers developed a 2D model to express their interpretation of the mental model. Fourthly, they critiqued their 2D model to develop a 3D model. Overall, a progression of conceptual understanding with distinct phases of enacting, building and rebuilding helped student teacher to conceptualize the structure and function of cell. Pre-post tests results show marked improvement in student-teachers’ content knowledge on various aspects of structure and function of cell. Furthermore, teachers appreciated the effectiveness of the modeling process in enhancing their content knowledge and helping them develop understanding of the nature of model and modeling. Teachers also acknowledged the model as an effective teaching tool, which they could use in their classroom

Assessing impact of Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s (AKA, M) outreach programme on Students’ Learning Outcomes – an example of English language classrooms

AKA, M has been offering professional development programmes to English teachers and headteachers as part of its outreach activities since 2009. The Academy invited AKU-IED to develop AKA, M capacity in the area of monitoring and evaluation with a specific focus on outreach programmes. In response to this invitation, a small scale study was carried out to pilot teachers’ and students’ assessment tools developed as part of the capacity building workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya. The evaluation study aimed to examine the impact of AKA, M outreach programmes on students’ (grades 4 to 6) learning outcomes in English language in intervention areas of Mombasa. Three tools were administered to assess students’ cognitive (English Achievement Tests) and non-cognitive (English Language Attitude Scale, Student-Teacher Relationship Questionnaire) outcomes. A quasi-experiment was employed for the small-scale study to compare outreach (n=3) and non-outreach (n=3) classes. A sample of 367 students was recruited from the target classes. This paper focuses on pilot results of students’ learning outcomes. In general, students’ assessment tools have demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. However, a few extremely difficult items can be reviewed before launching the main study. Results of group comparison have revealed that outreach classes have scored higher in achievement tests than their non-outreach counterparts in grade 4 and 6 with a significant difference in the latter (p0.05). The study has begun the process of accumulating evidence that the outreach programme evaluated can serve as a model of teacher development within professional development activities of AKA, M. It also provides a modest foundation for a larger and more representative sample study to produce generalizable data

A review of external assistance and aid effectiveness for maternal and child health: Challenges and opportunities

This paper primarily focuses on how global funding has supported interventions that have proven to be successful in reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality around the world. The growth rate of development assistance targeted towards these specific interventions has varied greatly over the past years, and we highlight the channels through which funds reach their target recipients. An important conclusion to note is the need for donors to align their programmes with government-defined priorities in order to ensure the achievement of national development objectives, long-term sustainability, and success

Promoting curiosity through students’ questioning

Asking questions is central to intellectual effort; it is instrumental in bridging the gap between the known and the unknown. Questioning existed even before the time of Greek philosopher Socrates and still prevails in classrooms. Questioning is a major teaching and learning strategy for teachers in Pakistan. Unfortunately, teachers’ questioning overrules students’ questioning, leaving neither space nor time to create an interactive environment that promotes curiosity and meaningful learning. Using an innovative approach, we attempted to implement students’ questioning in an upper primary science classroom. The encouraging findings of our study and their implications are discussed in this article