Analysis and behaviour of FRP-confined short concrete columns subjected to eccentric loading

Fibre-reinforced polymer （FRP） composites were widely utilized in civil engineering structures as the retrofit of reinforced concrete （RC） columns. To design FRP jackets safely and economically, the behaviour of such columns should be predicted first. This paper is concerned with the analysis and behaviour of FRP-confined RC circular and rectangular short columns subjected to eccentric loading. A simple design-oriented stress-strain model for FRP-confined concrete in a section analysis was first proposed. The accuracy was then proved by two test data. Following that, a parametric study including amount of FRP confinement, FRP strain capacity, unconfined concrete strength and shape of column section is provided. Some conclusions were obtained at the end of the paper. The work here will provide a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of FRP-confined concrete columns. The simplicity of the model also enables a simple equivalent stress block to be developed for direct use in practical design.     

Scaling up of Continual Professional Development for Mathematics Problem Solving in Singapore Schools

The more ambitious an educational innovation, the greater the challenge in scaling up. In this paper, we focus on the scaling up of an ambitious pedagogical practice—mathematics problem solving as a regular feature in the classroom. We adopt a long-term approach to continual professional development (CPD) that began with intensive work with one school before we broadened the programme to four other schools which span the spectrum of schools in Singapore. To evaluate this overall design, we examine the current state of each school’s capacity in sustaining mathematics problem-solving instruction. In particular, we study and report findings on these areas: the readiness of teachers, the instructional materials and supporting structures. Based on the findings, we reflect on our CPD strategies and our theory of action which guided the CPD programme.

     

Delay-dependent stochastic stability and H∞ analysis for time-delay systems with Markovian jumping parameters

This paper studies the problem of the stochastic stability and H_∞ disturbance attenuation for linear continuous-time time-delay systems that possess randomly Markovian jumping parameters. A delay-dependent sufficient condition on the stochastic stability with given H_∞ performance is proposed using the stochastic Lyapunov–Krasovskii stability theory. The conditions are formulated as a set of coupled linear matrix inequalities.     

African-American women who use crack cocaine: a comparison of mothers who live with and have been separated from their children

OBJECTIVE: This study examined factors that influenced caregiver status for African-American mothers who use crack cocaine but are not receiving drug treatment and participated in an HIV prevention study in North Carolina. METHOD: Caregiver mothers who were living with at least one of their children at intake (n = 257) were compared with non-Caregivers who were separated from all of their children (n = 378). Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to compare these mothers at intake on current drug use, risky sex practices, psychological symptoms, victimization, and aggression. RESULTS: Compared with Caregiver mothers, non-Caregivers reported higher frequencies of drug use, risky sex practices, psychological distress, and victimization experiences. Caregiver mothers were more likely than non-Caregiver mothers to have health insurance, but were less likely to have received drug treatment. Logistic regression found that non-Caregiver mothers were significantly more likely than Caregiver mothers to be older, to have been physically abused as children, to trade sex more frequently, to be homeless, and to have no health insurance. Recent crack use, psychological symptoms, and victimization were not significantly related to caregiver status. CONCLUSIONS: Findings that socio-environmental factors were more strongly associated with caregiver status than crack use underscore the importance of contextual issues such as housing, victimization history, and resources in serving maternal crack users. Community outreach and interventions that engage mothers who use drugs and live with their children may be more effective strategies than formal office-based services to link mothers who use crack and their children to needed drug treatment and family and child services.     

Providing transparency and credibility: the selection of international students for Australian universities. An examination of the relationship between scores in the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT), final year academic programs and an Australian university’s foundation program

Throughout 2003–04 five cohorts of students in their final year of school studies in various Malaysian colleges and a group of students completing an Australian university foundation year in Malaysia sat the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT). The ISAT is a multiple‐choice test of general academic abilities developed for students whose first language is not English. Both sets of scores were examined to investigate the relationship between skills measured by the academic programs and the generic reasoning skills measured by the ISAT. The data were examined by looking at correlations and patterns of the ISAT scores, and the total academic program scores and individual subject scores. As well, multiple regression was used to examine if the ISAT could act as a predictor for academic program scores. Although the ISAT and measures of achievement in the academic programs are two completely different instruments, the study showed that: (i) the scores were positively and significantly correlated; (ii) patterns of co‐variation of the ISAT and academic program scores demonstrate a positive relationship; and (iii) there is evidence that achieving a high score in the academic programs requires high reasoning skills, as measured by the ISAT. The findings of this study indicate that the ISAT is a useful predictor of student ability for use in the university selection process for international applicants.     

Analyzing the use of Facebook among university libraries in Hong Kong

In recent years, many academic libraries have started adopting social media by, for example, establishing their own Facebook pages. Our research investigates the current Facebook usage among seven university libraries in Hong Kong. Using a mixed-method research approach, we examined the characteristics of academic libraries Facebook usage and its effectiveness to engage with their patrons, based on online observations and Web content analysis from the publicly available data of the Facebook pages.Our results indicated that most libraries in Hong Kong adopted Facebook as a marketing tool, yet the user engagement level in these pages is low. In addition, we also discovered that communication-related posts and video-type posts can attract the most attention of patrons. Based on these outcomes, we provided some recommendations on the application of Facebook for academic libraries.     

Assessment for learning in Singapore: unpacking its meanings and identifying some areas for improvement

This article examines the meanings and impact of ‘Assessment for Learning’ initiatives in schools against the back drop of assessment reform in Singapore since 1997. It is argued that Assessment for Learning’ is understood in different ways, and these different meanings do not always benefit students’ learning. The different meanings of ‘Assessment for Learning’ in Singapore are unpacked, and three areas for improvement for Assessment for Learning are suggested—clear standards for effective feedback practices, assessment for sustainable learning and assessment for integrating holistic learning.     

Are success and failure experiences equally motivational? An investigation of regulatory focus and feedback

The present study extended regulatory focus theory (Idson & Higgins, 2000) to an educational setting and attempted to identify individuals with high motivation after both success and failure feedback. College students in Hong Kong (N = 180) participated in an experiment with a 2 promotion focus (high vs. low) × 2 prevention focus (high vs. low) × 2 feedback (success vs. failure) design. The results showed that after success feedback, the students with promotion focus were more motivated than their counterparts with prevention focus. This pattern was reversed after failure feedback. However, the results failed to show that students high in both regulatory focuses were motivated after success as well as failure feedback. The findings are discussed with reference to the literature on flexibility of regulatory focuses. Practical and theoretical implications of feedback are also discussed.     

Microfluidic immunoassay for detection of serological antibodies: A potential tool for rapid evaluation of immunity against SARS-CoV-2

In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 became a pandemic affecting more than 200 countries and territories. Millions of lives are still affected because of mandatory quarantines, which hamstring economies and induce panic. Immunology plays a major role in the modern field of medicine, especially against virulent infectious diseases. In this field, neutralizing antibodies are heavily studied because they reflect the level of infection and individuals'' immune status, which are essential when considering resumption of work, flight travel, and border entry control. More importantly, it also allows evaluating the antiviral vaccine efficacy as vaccines are still known for being the ultimate intervention method to inhibit the rapid spread of virulent infectious diseases. In this Review, we first introduce the host immune response after the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the latest results using conventional immunoassays. Next, as an enabling platform for detection with sufficient sensitivity while saving analysis time and sample size, the progress of microfluidic-based immunoassays is discussed and compared based on surface modification, microfluidic kinetics, signal output, signal amplification, sample matrix, and the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Based on the overall comparison, this Review concludes by proposing the future integration of visual quantitative signals on microfluidic devices as a more suitable approach for general use and large-scale surveillance.     

Students’ engagement across a typology of teacher feedback practices

Educational Research for Policy and Practice - The provision of feedback is widely practised as part of formative assessment. However, studies that examine the impact of feedback are usually from...