Empowering Women for Economic Growth: A Measurement of Social and Demographic Impacts on Afghan Women in Business

Non-governmental organizations working in conflict-prone, resource-deprived developing countries face a very unique set of challenges. Like with other non-profits, program dollars and other resources must be allocated carefully and thoughtfully so the maximum output is achieved with the inputs allotted. Unlike other non-profits, however, the political, social, and economic environment is constantly changing in developing countries like Afghanistan. Basic human needs are not being met, leaving the path to NGO program success fraught with seemingly impossible challenges. This is the case for Peace Through Business, a training and development program serving women entrepreneurs in Kabul, Afghanistan. Peace Through Business seeks to play a key role in the transformation of Afghanistan into a nation with the capacity for peace by supporting its economy. Specifically, the program targets women entrepreneurs to help diversify and strengthen the small business sector of the Afghan economy. In an effort to support the Peace Through Business program, this research project evaluates 2016 data from The Asia Foundation’s Survey of the Afghan People to gain an understanding of Afghan women who work in the market in exchange for payment, versus those who work solely in the home without pay. Specifically, the data analysis measures what characteristics impact the Afghan woman’s propensity to work in the market, then looks at what characteristics impact the propensity of the same woman to own her own business. With an understanding of these characteristics, PTB can adjust its program’s sails to support women who are interested in owning their own business and to target women who are shown by this analysis as having a greater propensity to won their own businesses. The findings presented are significant. Through a multivariate regression analysis using the Ordinary Least Squares method, I uncover several traits that correlate, and in some cases appear to positively influence, the Afghan woman’s likelihood to work and be a business owner. A few variables were found to have a significant impact on both of the dependent variables, which are: (1) work in the market and (2) own business. The significant variables include: region, access to a mobile phone for Internet usage, and motorcycle ownership as a means for transportation. The extent to which these variables impact a woman’s likelihood to work or own her own business is useful but not to be highlighted as the main point. Instead, it is most valuable for the Peace Through Business program, as well as organizations doing similar work in Afghanistan, to identify the characteristics that are found to be significant, recognize the direction of the impact, and understand the data as opportunities to influence the intended outcome for the program’s participants

Gifted Students: Perceptions and Practices of Regular Class Teachers

The purpose of this research was to examine provision of differentiated learning experiences for gifted students in regular classes in Western Australian primary schools. Specifically, it was intended to explore differentiation strategies used with gifted students, issues faced by teachers in their efforts to provide for their gifted students, and teachers’ suggestions on solutions for these issues. Presently reality in Western Australia is that gifted primary students spend at least 90% of their time at school in regular classes. Therefore, the regular class teacher’s role in implementing appropriate learning opportunities for these students is critical. Relevant literature clearly identifies the need for gifted students to engage in educational experiences commensurate with their abilities, and raises concerns that gifted students are not receiving appropriate differentiation in their educational programs. The lack of local research in this area makes it difficult to reach informed decisions about the appropriateness of current provisions for gifted students in regular classes, or to identify potential issues and solutions for teachers who try to do so. A state-wide survey of Year 5 teachers provided information about regular class practices for gifted students, and issues for teachers in providing for their gifted students. Responses suggested that little differentiation takes place for gifted students, and that issues for teachers included time, resources, range of students, and knowledge in differentiating curricula effectively. Focus groups discussions with regular class teachers, and interviews with gifted education specialists, provided in-depth information about teachers’ issues, as well as possible solutions to these issues. Analysis of teacher education courses from 35 universities across Australia showed that there is a distinct lack of teacher education in this area, both in undergraduate and post-graduate courses. This study found that teachers are concerned about a range of class management issues, and have limited knowledge about giftedness and teaching gifted students. Recommendations from this research include providing teachers with appropriate professional development regarding gifted students, and direct support to implement differentiation in their regular classes

The Long Wavelength Array Software Library

The Long Wavelength Array Software Library (LSL) is a Python module that provides a collection of utilities to analyze and export data collected at the first station of the Long Wavelength Array, LWA1. Due to the nature of the data format and large-N ($\gtrsim$100 inputs) challenges faced by the LWA, currently available software packages are not suited to process the data. Using tools provided by LSL, observers can read in the raw LWA1 data, synthesize a filter bank, and apply incoherent de-dispersion to the data. The extensible nature of LSL also makes it an ideal tool for building data analysis pipelines and applying the methods to other low frequency arrays.Comment: accepted to the Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation; 24 pages, 4 figure

Aide-memoire diaries in longitudinal research

Background: Diaries can be used as contemporaneous tools for gathering data, frequently in combination with interviews. However, diaries can also be used by study participants as personal records to improve their recall during interviews, without having to be collected for analysis. Aim: To discuss the use of diaries as aide-memoires by participants in a study exploring women’s views and experiences of the quality of maternity care they received in community maternity units in Scotland. Discussion: The use of aide-memoire diaries was an effective way to enhance the quality of data collected during interviews. Conclusion: This use of diaries would help longitudinal research in different contexts, including long-term care, as an aide-memoire to help participants recall their experiences throughout their care. Implications for practice: Aide-memoire diaries provide a private platform for contemporaneously and honestly recording participants’ reflective accounts throughout their experiences of care

Diffuse LEED intensities of disordered crystal surfaces : III. LEED investigation of the disordered (110) surface of gold

The LEED pattern of clean (101) surfaces of Au show a characteristic (1 × 2) superstructure. The diffuseness of reflections in the reciprocal [010] direction is caused by one-dimensional disorder of chains, strictly ordered into spatial [10 ] direction. There is a transition from this disordered superstructure to the normal (1 × 1) structure at 420 + 15°C. The angular profiles of the and (01) beam are measured at various temperatures and with constant energy and angles of incidence of the primary beam. The beam profiles are deconvoluted approximately with the instrument response function

Experiencing Psycholoy: AP/IB Psychology for High School Students

We developed a series of experiential activities to increase students’ analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of psychology concepts. These application activities can enhance existing curriculum units on Personality, States of Consciousness, and Dysfunctional Behavior. Three lessons are presented. The first is a lecture and partner application activity that can serve as a bridge between a curriculum unit on States of Consciousness and a curriculum unit on Personality. In this partner application activity, students record their dreams, then work with partners to analyze those dreams from the perspectives of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and the modern psychologist Clara Hill. The second activity is a discussion and debate exercise to encourage students to explore issues surrounding controversial changes to the new DSM-5. The third activity is a DSM-5 psychological disorder role-playing activity, in which students learn about criteria for various mental disorders and do small-group role-plays from the perspective of each disorder

Teaching Body Awareness to Students with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities

Body awareness, spatial awareness, and positional language, are essential elements of orientation and mobility (O&M). Typically developing students usually learn these concepts and skills incidentally as they interact with various environments. Students with visual impairments and/or multiple disabilities must be deliberately taught these concepts using research-based strategies. Routine-based learning, integration of music, picture and tactile communication, and physical and verbal guidance have been shown to enhance learning by students with visual impairments and/or multiple disabilities. When these strategies are incorporated into individually designed structured movement routines (SMRs), students are more likely to anticipate movements and connect language to corresponding O&M concepts. This session presents an App in development that incorporates universal design for learning principles to improve O&M for these children. The session will provide information on a single subject study currently being designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the App when used by itinerant teachers with this population. Teachers of students with visual impairments and O&M specialists are finding more of their caseloads consisting of students with visual impairments and/or multiple disabilities. The study will show that individualized SMRs can be used to successfully improve students\u27 O&M skills

Governing Human Interactions with Migratory Animals, with a Focus on Humans Interacting with Fish in Lake Erie: Then, Now, and in the Future

Lake Erie fisherie