Teacher Perceptions of Inquiry and STEM Education in Bangladesh

This dissertation reports lower secondary science teachers perceptions of current practice in Dhaka, Bangladesh concerning inquiry and STEM Education in order to establish a baseline of data for reform of science education in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been trying to incorporate inquiry-based science curricula since the 1970s. Over time, the science curricula also aligned with different international science education movements such as Science for All, Scientific Literacy, Science, Technology, and Society. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is the most recent science education movement in international science education. This study explored current practices and perceptions of lower secondary science teachers in order to establish a baseline of current practice so that future reform recommendations may be pursued and recommendations made for Bangladesh to overcome the inquiry-based challenges and to incorporate new STEM-based science education trends happening in the US and throughout the world. The study explored science teachers perceptions and readiness to transform their science classrooms based on self-reported survey. The survey utilized Likert-type scale with range 1 (very strongly disagree) to 6 (very strongly agree) among four hundred lower secondary science teachers, teacher training college faculty, and university faculty. The data is presented in four different categories: curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Results indicated that the participants understand and practice a certain level of inquiry in their science classrooms, though they do not have adequate professional development. Participants also stated that they do not have sufficient instructional materials and the curriculum is not articulated enough to support inquiry. On the other hand, the participants reported that they understand and practice a certain degree of inquiry and STEM-based science education, but they also state that the current curriculum and instructional materials are not sufficient to practice inquiry nor to integrate more than one or two disciplines with science as is required in STEM integrated teaching. Finally, this study recommends a framework for science education reform for Bangladesh based upon a combination of successful international science education reformation practices

Primary Care Management of Children and Adolescents with ADHD: An Integrated Behavioral Health Solution?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects children and adolescents. Treatment guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that stimulant medication and/or behavioral modification approaches be used in managing this chronic condition. Unfortunately, research suggests that the current standard of medical care consist largely of stimulant medication used in isolation and that behavioral modification treatments are largely inaccessible to families of children and adolescents with ADHD. This stems from the fact that the primary care clinic typically serves as the first point of contact for patients and families with behavioral health concerns, such as ADHD, and the fact that families face barriers when attempting to access behavioral health specialists (i.e., social workers, counselors, psychologists) such as stigma, transportation/location barriers, and reluctance to seek care outside of the “primary care medical home”. Fortunately, a recent systematic review (Shahidullah, Carlson, Haggerty, & Lancaster, 2018) identified models which integrate behavioral health providers into the primary care clinic to provide care in a way that side-steps many of the access barriers that families face when seeking out behavioral health care. These models demonstrate promise in increasing access to evidence-based treatments, such as behavioral modification, for ADHD. This is important as there are numerous limitations to the use of stimulant medication such as side/adverse effects, lack of long-term efficacy studies, and family reluctance to use this treatment. This commentary discusses implications for these integrated behavioral health models in providing a solution to the current standard of primary care management of children and adolescents with ADHD

Social Entrepreneurship by Community-Based Organizations: Innovations and Learning through Partnerships

This chapter examines the social entrepreneurship potentials of community-based organizations (CBOs) linked to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the implementation of development programs. The conceptual framework of the study draws on the existing literature on social entrepreneurship and cooperatives. The study highlights the social and ecological roles and significance of CBOs in the creation of social value at the local community level. The research findings reveal that NGO-CBO partnerships help to transform CBOs into social enterprises by creating revenue generation streams. Such partnerships also catalyze social innovations and social learning outcomes. In this chapter, three case studies from Bangladesh are examined, which demonstrate how the social entrepreneurial roles of these CBOs have been instrumental in the management of local natural resources and in fostering social learning. The case studies reveal that institutional support and favorable public policies are crucial in sustaining social entrepreneurship by CBOs

Using Standardized Patients for Training and Evaluating Medical Trainees in Behavioral Health

Training delivered to medical students and residents in behavioral health is widely acknowledged to be inadequate. While the use of standardized patients is common in medical training and education for physical health conditions via the adherence to clinical protocols for evaluation and treatment, this approach is infrequently used for behavioral health conditions. Used under specific circumstances, standardized patient encounters have long been considered a reliable method of training and assessing trainee performance on addressing physical health conditions, and are even comparable to ratings of directly observed encounters with real patients. This paper discusses common issues and challenges that arise in using standardized patients in behavioral health. Although current evidence of its value is modest and challenges in implementation exist, the use of standardized patients holds promise for medical training and education and as an evaluation tool in behavioral health

Investigating Movable Property in the Commercial System of Afghanistan

Whatever is useful for human and fulfills their needs is called property. Property has a special importance in human life, If the materials and spiritual needs of people are met by means of property, then it is very important for us to know it, and to know moveable property in terms of the commercial system of Afghanistan is very important, because the moveable property is condition for a commercial transaction, and in this article we have first identified the property, then we have examined the mobility of the property, and then we have examined the effects of the moveable property in the commercial system of Afghanistan

A Comparative Study of Administrative Corruption Identification in Islamic Sharia, International Documents and Afghanistan’s Legislative Documents

The aim of this research is that to compare the nature of Administrative corruption in Islamic law international documents and the Afghanistan’s legislative documents. To see if these legal systems have similar or different positions in this issue. If similar, what would be the reason? If different, what would be the reason? And for what reasons would be prefer one over the others? We used library method for research and collected materials from reliable resources, after analysis, we concluded that the nature of Administrative corruption in Islamic sharia, international documents and Afghanistan’s legislative documents have different definitions, the reason for which is the different conditions prevailing in different societies and the different reactions of peoples to them, because corruption is a social phenomenon and occurs in society It was also concluded that the nature of corruption is prevalent in Islamic legal system than the other two, because it is definition is broader and comprehensive than the other two. It is comprehensive because it includes public, private and mixed institutions, as well as every wrongdoing, whether it is large or small, is covered and cannot be left out. Time is of the essence, whether it is the accepted forms of corruption in today's advanced 7th century and if it becomes known in the future, it will cover all, and ultimately, the status of heads up whether it's superior or inferior. But the definitions of the nature of corruption in international documents and in the legislative documents of Afghanistan do not have all these advantages, but by the way have the problems, about which comprehensive information is included in the research material can be read there

Attention to Human Dignity and Its Role in Increasing Spirituality

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate about the dignity of human and its role in increasing the spirituality in light of Islam. The founding shows that spirituality has been considered as a desirable thing throughout humans’ life and lots of effort have been made to strengthen it. There are several factors that raise and cultivate spirituality, but among these factors, human dignity has essential role and basis. In this research, while explaining the concept of spirituality, the importance of human dignity in creating a spiritual personality is emphasized, and how the influence of human dignity in increasing spirituality will also be investigated, and it is proven that the source of spirituality is paying attention to inherent and deprivations, neglect and lack of attention to the position and dignity of the royal soul of man

Mechanisms of Action of Drugs Which Alter Aqueous Humour Formation

There is a great need for an in vitro model for studying aqueous humour dynamics. A large number of antiglaucoma drugs is currently in clinical use or are in various stages of development, and in some cases their underlying biochemical mechanisms of action are unclear. The present work was undertaken to find out whether the easily obtainable inexpensive bovine eye could be established as such a model to study the physiology and pharmacology of ocular hypotensive drugs. The specific objective was to try to explore the mechanism of action of the extensively used beta-blocker, timolol, to determine whether it acts through the conventional beta-adrenoceptor-adenylate cyclase mechanism, as is often assumed. The isolated arterially perfused bovine eye has been proved to be a valid model for studying aqueous humour dynamics and the pharmacology of various antiglaucoma drugs. Its usefulness has been shown by significant effects of standard and well-established ocular hypotensive agents, such as timolol and MK-927, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, on both intraocular pressure and aqueous humour formation. MK-927 produced a dose-dependent decrease in intraocular pressure and aqueous humour formation with moderate doses of 1, 10 or 100 nmol. In addition to the responses to the standard drugs, the viability and metabolic activity of the isolated perfused eye has been shown by significant consumption of O[2] and elaboration of CO[2] during the course of perfusion. This was achieved by comparing the two parameters between the perfused living and dead eyes. The bovine perfused eye has been shown to offer the opportunity to study the effect of ocular hypotensive drugs upon intracellular mechanisms, especially upon second messenger pathways. It allows rapid and convenient sampling of substantial amounts of target tissue for biochemical analysis after drug challenge. The usefulness of the perfused eye has also been shown for isolating and culturing ciliary epithelial cells. Two new methods of isolating and culturing ciliary epithelial cells have been developed. One by aseptic and consecutive perfusion of the isolated eye with DMEM, calcium-free buffer and collagenase and the other by incubating the excised ciliary processes with collagenase. The cells were successfully propagated up to 10 passages without any obvious sign of change of growth characteristics. In first passage cells cultured in this way, there occurred highly significant and concentration-dependent increases in cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in response to terbutaline and atriopeptin, respectively, indicating that these cells retain functional receptors. This will open up broad opportunities for physiological, pharmacological and biochemical studies on specific target cells responsible for aqueous humour production. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Interleukin-6: A Sensitive Parameter for the Early Detection of Neonatal Sepsis

Background: Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Though blood culture is the gold standard and has higher sensitivity and specificity over the hematological value and cytokine, it is not available in our community health situation and also in most of health care facilities. It is also time consuming. Therefore hematological value and interleukin-6 can be evaluated for the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection. Objective: This study was conducted to see the usefulness of IL-6 as an early marker of neonatal sepsis and also to compare the sensitivity in comparison with CRP, hematological value and blood culture. Study Design: It was a quasy experimental study. Setting: This study was carried out in the neonatal unit of pediatric department, BSMMU during the period of September, 2005 to February, 2006. Method: Forty five suspected septic cases were enrolled in the study and thirty healthy newborn were taken for comparison. Venous blood sample from peripheral vein was collected on the 1st day of symptoms and/or 1st day of admission and was sent for IL-6 estimation within half an hour and estimation of IL-6 was done by using immunolyte DPC USA which employed automated chemiluminescent immunoassays. Results: Out of forty five cases of suspected-neonatal sepsis, IL-6 were positive in twenty five cases. In culture proven sepsis 100% cases had raised IL-6. In control group only five babies had raised IL-6. Three cases were culture positive, of which all were also positive for IL-6 (100%). Among the cases twenty six were CRP positive, of which twenty were also positive for IL-6 (76.92%). Conclusion: In the present study IL-6 was found to be an early marker of neonatal infection. Sensitivity was more than CRP and other hematological parameter in the first twenty four hours. Key words: Interleukin-6, Neonatal Sepsis.DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v1i1.3687 BSMMU J 2008; 1(1): 1-