Investigating the Relationship between Washback and Curriculum Alignment: A Literature Review

Abstract: “Washback” and “curriculum alignment,” two dominant fields in education, are well researched individually but rarely are studied together. The purpose of this article is to understand the connection between these two areas and to search for an existing link between them. Scoping review has been used as a method to synthesize the existing washback and curriculum alignment studies to conduct a systematic review. This literature review illustrates that both curriculum alignment and washback studies look at classroom instruction; thus, alignment studies could be a new avenue for washback research if curriculum alignment produces the washback effect on classroom teaching and learning. This paper contributes to the existing literature of both the fields under discussion by mapping out the evidential links between them. The study concludes that by looking at the curriculum alignment and washback together we can expect richer insight of how an aligned educational system can reduce negative exam influence on classroom instruction.

Identifying the Reliability and Validity of Hard and Soft HRM Measures: A Study on the Banking Sector of Bangladesh

The effectiveness of Human Resource Management (HRM) is based on the realization of two models of HRM – the ‘Hard’ model and the ‘Soft’ model, which are now widely practiced. No study was conducted in the context of Bangladesh. Thus, a valid and reliable measurement of Hard and Soft HRM is vital for managing human resources in changing competitive businessenvironments. This study explores HRM practices in the banking sector of Bangladesh in terms of these two categories. The results indicate that the scale used in the study is valid and reliable to conduct further studies. Descriptive statistics reveals that the banking sector of Bangladesh practices a combination of both Hard and Soft HRM. It is found that most employees of the banks of Bangladesh think that HRM practices and policies can increase employee motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and welfare. Many of the employees in fact consider the HRM practices and policies as fair and facilitating towards employee development

Real-time early infectious outbreak detection systems using emerging technologies

The use of emerging technologies ( such as RFID - Radio Frequency Identification and remote sensing) can be employed to reduce health care costs and also to facilitate the automatic streamlining of infectious disease outbreak detection and monitoring processes in local health departments. It can assist medical practitioners with fast and accurate diagnosis and treatments. In this paper we outline the design and application of a real-time RFID and sensor-base Early Infectious (e.g., cholera) Outbreak Detection and Monitoring (IODM) system for health care.<br /

The Present Conditions of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury at Rehabilitation Center in Bangladesh

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is one of the major cause of disability in developing country like Bangladesh. The study aims to identify present conditions of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury at Rehabilitation Center in Bangladesh. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 61 participants (47 from rural areas and 14 from urban areas) who were recruited through purposive sampling. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20.0. There were 61 patients involved in the research: 83.6% - male, 16.4% female. Average age:&nbsp; 18-35 years. 37.7% patients were tetraplegic whereas 62.3% were paraplegic, employment of participants in this study was 77.0%. Most common complication was: pressure sore 55.70%, decrease joint range of motion 67.20%, joint stiffness 34.40%, spasticity developed 83.6%, urinary tract infection 63.9%, autonomic dysreflexia 36.1%, leg swelling 47.5%, postural hypotension 42.6%, sexual problem 34.4%, mentally and psychologically change 100.0%, respiratory complication 37.7%. Finally, the study explained their current status after SCI the maximum patient were dependent and their pattern of working is long sitting. Moreover, most of they are interested to involve in non-bed exercise like group exercise and play activities in outdoor settings. So it is necessary to raise awareness in local community about post SCI healthy lifestyle

Efficacy of the Swede score in prediction of high-grade lesions of cervix

Background: Cervical cancer is a preventable lesion that can be identified by stepwise screening methods. Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid, Lugol’s iodine, pap smear, and HPV are the primary screening methods. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Swede score in predicting high-grade lesions of the cervix among patients attending a colposcopy clinic. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was performed in a colposcopy clinic under the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at CMCH. All referral patients to the colposcopy clinic were the study population. Women aged between 25-65 years was the study subject. Results: Majority (47.5%) of the patient’s Swede score was 4 and 20.1of % of patients had scores of 5-6 and only 1.3% of patients had scores ≥7%. 63 (79%) patients had low grade/normal/ cervical intraepithelial lesion (CIN) 1, 16 (20%) patients had high grade/non-invasive cancer/CIN 2 and only 1 patient had high grade/suspected invasive cancer/CIN 3. A score of 6 had a specificity of 100% for CIN 2 with a sensitivity of 30% positive and negative predictive value (PPV=100%; NPV=90.9%). Lowering the score to 5 for predicting CIN 2 improved the sensitivity at the expense of specificity (sensitivity=60%; specificity=90%; PPV= 94%; NPV=46.2%).Conclusions: Swede scoring system is consistent and reproducible, has a simple structure, and thus contributes to preventing cervical cancer. Swede score of 6 or more has 100% specificity; this scoring method is a preferred method for the treatment of high-grade CIN.

Can we decrease recurrence of OSSN using Mitomycin C

Aim: To study the effect of topical Mitomycin C on recurrence of OSSN after surgical excision. Materials and methods: This is a Randomized prospective interventional study conducted at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital /Regional institute of Ophthalmology, Hyderabad. 54 clinically diagnosed cases of OSSN attending department of Oculoplasty between October 2012 to September 2014 were included in the study. 36 were males and 18 were females.Cases already treated were excluded from the study. These cases were randomly divided into two groups of 18 males and 9 females.Both the groups were treated by surgical excision of OSSN with 3mm margin of normal conjunctiva and cryo applied to the bare area by freeze thaw freeze technique. Group A was followed up every month for recurrence. Group B were given topical Mitomycin C 0.04% drops 4 times daily for 4days in a week with 3 days off. This constituteone cycle. Patients were kept for 4 cycles on this therapy. This group is also followed up every month for recurrence upto 2 years. Results: In group A 4 cases (14.8%) developed recurrence of tumor within one year. In group B there was no recurrence. Conclusion: Mitomycin C as adjuvant therapy after surgical excision of OSSN is effective in preventing recurrence. Key words: OSSN (Ocular surface squamous neoplasia), MMC (Mitomycin C), HIV (Human immuno-deficiency virus),HPV (Human papilloma virus).Â

Restricting calcium currents is required for correct fiber type specification in skeletal muscle

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Substantial and sustained reduction in under-5 mortality, diarrhea, and pneumonia in Oshikhandass, Pakistan : Evidence from two longitudinal cohort studies 15 years apart

Funding Information: Study 1 was funded through the Applied Diarrheal Disease Research Program at Harvard Institute for International Development with a grant from USAID (Project 936–5952, Cooperative Agreement # DPE-5952-A-00-5073-00), and the Aga Khan Health Service, Northern Areas and Chitral, Pakistan. Study 2 was funded by the Pakistan US S&T Cooperative Agreement between the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) (No.4–421/PAK-US/HEC/2010/955, grant to the Karakoram International University) and US National Academies of Science (Grant Number PGA-P211012 from NAS to the Fogarty International Center). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Test review of the English public examination at the secondary level in Bangladesh

Abstract This paper reviews the most important public English examination (matriculation exam) that students take at the end of their secondary education in Bangladesh. The examination is known as the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), which is taken at the end of Grade 10 in the mainstream education in the country. The score of SSC English examination is used as the gatekeeper at the higher secondary (2 years of higher secondary education after matriculation and before tertiary education) and university admission tests. Even though the significance of this English examination is huge from Bangladeshi social, cultural, or economic perspectives, it is highly criticized by the stakeholders and academicians alike. The exam is alleged to fall short to measure the communicative English proficiency of the test users. Accordingly, the reliability of the exam is questionable. However, there is almost no publication or academic paper evaluating the characteristics of the examination which could expand our understanding of the existing problems related to the test. Hence, this review of the SSC English examination examines and describes the features of the examination as it is used in the context from a scholarly point of view, which would constructively pave the way for future researchers

Language assessment literacy: an uncharted area for the English language teachers in Bangladesh

Abstract Language assessment literacy (LAL) is a critical field for researchers, scholars, or anyone interested in improving the language teaching environment. Understanding the basics of testing and the ability to perform testing-related activities becomes more significant in test-oriented countries. As such, in the extremely exam-oriented milieu of Bangladesh, giving tests and preparing students for high-stakes tests are the two core tasks performed by language teachers. English teachers’ readiness and ability to perform various test-related tasks determine the quality of English education in the country. In this regard, earlier studies have investigated various factors related to English language teaching. However, the assessment literacy of teachers has rarely been investigated within the context of Bangladeshi language teaching. There is no publication or broader research to understand how LAL operates in English teachers in the country. Considering the test-oriented nature of Bangladesh, it is essential to explore if the LAL of language teachers is benefitting classroom teaching and learning. Hence, this research aims to examine the nature and functionality of LAL among English teachers in Bangladesh. The study focused on two central concerns: first, whether the English teachers in the country are academically and professionally ready to perform various testing tasks; and second, how the teachers perceive LAL in their teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection method for this qualitative study. The results provided insights into how the inadequate academic and professional testing background of teachers hindered their performance in conducting assessment-related tasks and contributed to their limitations in the use of assessments to improve teaching. Based on the findings, the article concludes with suggestions that can be implemented to develop language assessment awareness of English teachers in Bangladesh