Expansion Joints Issues and Concepts PowerPoint Presentation

Expansion Joints Issues and Concepts - PowerPoint Presentation Example Some structures would not support ground movements such as earthquakes leading to destruction of buildings and bridges. This led to the idea of expansion joints that would later solve the problem (Rosignoli, 2002). Functions of expansion joints The main function of expansion joints is to safely absorb the high temperatures of various construction materials as a result of the constant expansion and contraction. As explained earlier the contraction and expansion is due to the changing weather conditions (Brown, 2001). The expansion joints therefore make structures to remain intact thereby they become safe for public use. There are many types of expansion joints and each is designed to solve a specific problem though the purpose or function still comes back to absorbing stress to avoid damage. Types of Expansion joints used in bridges in Australia Bridge expansion joints are joints that are designed to allow traffic to cross the bridge structure while at the same time permitting the mov ement of the bridge deck due to thermal effects, wind, traffic loading, seismic effects among others. The joints should provide a watertight connection for the lifetime of the bridge as the lack of it could reduce the durability of the main bridge structure that may result in the need for major remedial works. These kinds of joints are rather unique because of their relatively delicate construction and severe loading conditions and therefore need to be replaced several times during the life time of the bridge (Gottermoeller, 2004). Bridge expansion joints can be broadly classified into two types: open joints and closed joints. The open joints are not water proof. Water and debris are allowed to fall through the joints. The water erodes the soil under the structure, strains the bent cap and columns, is detrimental to adjacent steel girders, diaphragms, bearings and is a nuisance to any traffic under the structure. The closed joints on the other hand are water proof and have become an alternative to open joints due to the many advantages that they provide (Blockley, 2010). There are three most common types of open joints used in Australia. The butt joints provide an open space between adjacent edges of the deck. They are used where the movements are of a rotational nature or where the thermal movements are small. The edges are usually protected with metallic armor which is subject to corrosion (Lima, 2006). The open space frequently fills with debris making the joint less effective. Period maintenance is mandatory to clear up the joint and the debris. The second type is the plate joint which accommodate greater movements than the butt joints, usually between one and three inches. A sealant is placed in the joint that prevents some water from passing through. It also prevents the accumulation of debris that can make the joint ineffective. The third type of joint is the tooth joint or the finger joint (Gottermoeller, 2004). They are usually used on long bridges to accommodate large movements. They are usually placed in the span near the point of contra flexure. Drains are placed to prevent drainage across the joint if feasible. In some areas they are provided with a drainage system to collect the water passing through. These joints are used where water and debris passing through cannot damage anything below the bridge. The performance of these joints

Discuss the role played by morality or obligation in Antigone Essay

Discuss the role played by morality or obligation in Antigone - Essay Example Creon had passed over the instructions that forbade everybody to bury the dead body of Polyneices. Creon wanted the dead body of Polyneices to rot and get eaten up by wild animals and vultures because Polyneice had died as a traitor in an attempt to attack the city. Antigone, like many people in her time, held a belief that the souls of deceased people remain restless as long as they are not buried. Not only did Antigone take a stand against Creon’s decision of leaving Polyneices’ body unburied, she actually took practical measures that prove her sincerity. However, it was not easy to go against the consent of the powerful ruler of the time. When Antigone had decided to bury her brother’s dead body, she knew she was going to risk her life and was most likely to be assassinated for her act. However, the fear of worldly punishment could not keep her from carrying out the orders of her gods. Not only did Antigone comply with the standards of morality on burying the dead body of Polyneice, but also, she would not let Ismene take the charge for having done the job because this would put Ismene into trouble. This causes the reader to draw conclusions about Antigone that she was daring, courageous, bold, prudent and considerate. She offered so much importance to her moral values that she would happily embrace death to live up to them.

Learning Assessment Of Mentor Meetings Personal Development Essay

Learning Assessment Of Mentor Meetings Personal Development Essay 1. What did you learn from the meetings with your project mentor, including the presentation that you gave to your project mentor? First of all, I was aware that three meetings with my project mentor are very important to accomplish the whole project successfully.  Before meeting with my mentor, I  read all the topics and try to choose the topic which is relevant to my previous study. Once the topic has been chosen, I  planned and scheduled the time and place to meet with my mentor as well as organised the  data to use in our first meeting. 1.1 Meeting 1 Before the first meeting, I thoroughly research about the company I chose for my project on the internet to ensure that the sources for this company are available. After that, I prepared all the necessary documents, which contain the chosen topic, aims and objectives, ratios and methods of information gathering of my project. Then I called the mentor to take an appointment and sent the documents I prepared. During the first meeting, as a first step, we discussed about the documents which I sent to her, and she suggested me to keep a diary to make our discussion up to date. She also pointed out my weakness and explained me how to use business models in which situation. She also advised me to read about information gathering techniques and data collecting methods as I intended to rely on the internet so much to collect data. She recommended me to visit City business library to gather information efficiently. From the first meeting, I had learnt that I have some weakness in using business models and information gathering methods. I realised that I should use secondary data rather than primary data as they would be very difficult to find and take a lot of time. I also realised that I should not rely on the internet too much as it is hard to tell that the information on the websites is reliable or not, so I decided to visit the library frequently. After the first meeting, as my mentor mentioned, I visited to the City Business Library and downloaded the business and financial information from Datamonitor, for both Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. Then I read through the reports of both companies. I also read ACCA text books and other relevant books to enhance my knowledge. With the use of Microsoft Excel, I drew financial ratios for three years for both companies and managed to finish Income statement and Financial Position and SWOT and Porters five forces, draft analysis of my project. During research, I noted which area I needed to improve and what question should I ask to my mentor. So I realised that how self- evaluation is very useful and effective in doing research. 1.2 Meeting 2 Prior to second meeting, I emailed my RAP to my mentor and organised documents for the meeting. At second meeting, we discussed about my draft analysis and my mentor pointed out some problems on my analysis. She also explained the importance of improving the critical analysis skill. This time, my mentor was quite pleased about the improvement of my information gathering skill. However, my mentor was critical on my referencing and citations as I had the lack of references in some parts of my project. Then, I asked her what I have to prepare for next meeting. After the second meeting, I had learned that I still needed to improve in accurate referencing and had some weakness in research skill. As my mentor had explained me the importance of critical analysis skill, I tried to read books relevant to analysing skill to improve in this area. On the other hand, I found it difficult to manage the time as I was studying for ACCA exams as well. So I was worried that I could not finish on time. 1.3 Meeting 3 I realised that third meeting was very important for me as this would be the last meeting for us. So, I edited some parts of my research which my mentor mentioned, and I had made sure to finish every section of the project by checking from the beginning to the conclusion, as well as the correct referencing. After that I started to prepare sides for the presentation with Microsoft Powerpoint and read some books to improve my presentation. Before the meeting, I sent my project and presentation slides to my mentor, and also I kept a copy of presentation slides at home to practice as my mentor suggested. Although I prepared carefully for my presentation, I was quite nervous when doing the presentation. I had experienced that good presentation skill is very crucial for my future career. And I also learned that taking feedbacks from others is also important to finish a project smoothly. 2. How well do you think that you have answered your research questions? Although I was satisfied with my whole project, I was not pleased with the depth of the answers to the research questions since I had decided to use secondary data rather than primary data due to the time and fund limitations. If I had been able to collect primary data,I would have been able to research more insightfully and acquire more balanced perspective by using both primary and secondary data. As the companys Annual report was my primary data, I had tried to approach financial position based on information presented in financial statements. Despite the limitations to gather company information, I had managed to collect all the information I needed for my financial analysis by reading news, books and using internet. For non-financial analysis, I would have been able to answer the research questions in more depth if I had to access primary data such as internal audit reports. However, I had managed to analysis the non-financial performance of the company by using secondary sources. To meet the criteria of the project, I was aware that I must answer all the research questions carefully. Answering my research question also reflected the knowledge of the work I had prepared and developed the skills to complete my project. Moreover, I had gained questioning skills during undertaking project. To write a meaningful and reasonable report, I had always tried to use reliable sources to avoid unfair judgments. Choosing Google for my RAP also offered a lot of sources to collect information. I believed that I had done productive ratio calculations to understand the situation of Google Inc comparing to Yahoo Inc. I also concentrated when analysing financial and non-financial data to ensure that they meet the purposes of RAP. After finishing my project, I was able to learn more about the organisation than before. Moreover, I believe that the topic I chose was right for me as I could apply my academic knowledge to the project and help me increase my skills and experiences. 3. How have you demonstrated your interpersonal skills and communication skill during the project work? Communication skills play vital role in our daily life, as how we interact with others can greatly affect our professional and personal lives. Hence when meeting with my mentor, I concentrated on what we were discussing and carefully listened to my mentors feedbacks and suggestions. Before each meeting, I always wrote down the questions I wanted to ask my mentor. So I was able to save a lot of time when meeting with my mentor. Also I tried to visit websites and reading books to improve my communication skills during undertaking project. When I speak to my mentor, I always tried to speak clearly and precisely and my mentor had no difficulties in understanding me. Therefore, I believe that I could communicate with my mentor effectively. Effective communication skills include active listening, praise and encouragement, paraphrasing, questioning, reflecting, and non-verbal communication.(Central TB Division, n.d). Listening skill is also essential when communicate with others. During the first meeting, sometimes, I lost my concentrating when listening to my mentor. Therefore, I had to ask my mentor to repeat what she just said and thus wasted our time. So I realised that I need to pay more attention when my mentor speaking and tried to improve listening skill by reading articles about effective listening skill. By listening to my mentor carefully and followed her useful suggestions precisely helped me gain the confidence and guided me to complete the project in time without difficulties. After all, these communication skills gained during the project period will help me in studies as well as in my future career. 4. How has undertaking the Research and Analysis Project helped you in your accountancy studies and/or current employment role? Undertaking the Research and Analysis Project (RAP) helped me improve my accounting knowledge by applying ACCA accounting concepts into real life project and enhance my interpersonal skills as well as project management skills which are essential to have as an account. First of all, I have noticed the difference between applying financial theory at exams and applying theory onto research project. For practices and exams, I have to use financial ratios to evaluate the case scenarios. However, time is limited so that I just use the significant ratios which come to my mind and which seem to be appropriate based on my study practices. In order to evaluate the financial performance of Google Inc., I need to think carefully what ratios are suitable and for what reasons I have to apply those. By doing so, my understanding on accounting ratios increases and my thinking becomes more practical. Thus, for future accountancy studies, I believe that I can justify the exam scenarios more reasonably by analysing different perspectives. Project management skill is one of the critical success factors for RAP. Without this, I will not be able to complete my project. If I did not undertake this project, I would not see how important the project management skill is. I have learnt how to plan my work and manage time to finish each workload on time through lesson learnt and with help of my mentor. Increased in planning and time management skills would help not only to my study but also to my work. All my work performance has been significantly increased through planning in advance. Another skill I have gained from carrying out this project is communication skill. As a volunteer accountant, I have to deal with my supervisor and colleague two days a week. I feel that my communication skill has been improved and I am now able to discuss the topics and debate all possible solutions with confidence at the meetings. Moreover, utilising presentation idea, I can illustrate things better and persuade them to accept my idea. Eventually I have learnt how to develop a formal report efficiently and effectively using Microsoft Office Word and Excel. Reporting and accountant cannot be separable as an accountant is a key person to interpret all financial data into manageable information via management reports. This project highlights my weakness in reporting skills and gives me a chance to improve those areas. Thus, I would be able to write a good report for my future ACCA exams and all the way through to my career. Writing a report also boost the research and analytical skills. In conclusion, I have achieved a variety of skills by performing this research and analysis project such as project management skill, communication skill and reporting skill. Those skills are useful for both academic and working life. In addition, I have clear understanding on the financial techniques of how to analyse the position of individual organisations. Reference and Bibliography Central TB Division, (n.d). Improving Interpersonal Communication Skills in RNTCP Training[Online]. Retrieved from: [Accessed 19 April 2010]

The Interview :: essays papers

The Interview I never thought I would have to go as far as Australia to write a story on a fellow High School alumnus, Monica Confides. I was of course always familiar with her track breaking record all through school, but I never had the opportunity to talk with her one on one. Now here I am in beautiful Sydney, waiting patiently with pen and paper in hand for Monica to finish her interview with NBC. It’s a delightful day with a temperature of about 85 degrees, and the sun shimmering down brightly. I can almost feel the same excitement in the air as Monica must have felt when winning the gold metal. Nearly an hour and an half after arriving to the Olympic tent I spot Monica trying to escape a gaggle of anxious reporters. Eventually I get her attention and she calls me over to where she is sitting, the infield grass of the track. After all the congratulations and formalities our interview begins. She is friendly and open so I enjoy her company Immediately. She starts off by telling me of her Uncle who was in the 1976 Olympics running for Poland. â€Å"He was my mentor, whenever I felt my practices were becoming to intense and wanted to quit he was always there to encourage me to thrive for success.† Unfortunately, Monica’s Uncle Peter passed away in 1996, but Monica says that despite the pain she felt she knows her Uncle is smiling down on her today: â€Å"I used to fear the death of a loved one the most, but I realize now that death is a part of life and that a death in this life might signify a birth in another.† Most people don’t realize the nervousness and anxiety that accompany someone to the Olympics. For Monica this plague attacked before her big day. â€Å"I went out to dinner with my teammates that evening. It wasn’t until 2 o’clock that morning when it starting feeling as if the kangaroo steaks I had for dinner were shill hopping around in my stomach.† Monica thought that she wouldn’t even be able to compete in, let win the race the next day. But the key break came when she was awarded the inside position, which saves the runner some advantage at the beginning of the race. What are your plans for the immediate future?

Peer and Self Assessment

Assessing Learning Peer and Self Assessment Peer Assessment One of the ways in which students internalize the characteristics of quality work is by evaluating the work of their peers. However, if they are to offer helpful feedback, students must have a clear understanding of what they are to look for in their peers' work. The instructor must explain expectations clearly to them before they begin. One way to make sure students understand this type of evaluation is to give students a practice session with it. The instructor provides a sample writing or speaking assignment. As a group, students determine what should be assessed and how criteria for successful completion of the communication task should be defined. Then the instructor gives students a sample completed assignment. Students assess this using the criteria they have developed, and determine how to convey feedback clearly to the fictitious student. Students can also benefit from using rubrics or checklists to guide their assessments. At first these can be provided by the instructor; once the students have more experience, they can develop them themselves. An example of a peer editing checklist for a writing assignment is given in the popup window. Notice that the checklist asks the peer evaluator to comment primarily on the content and organization of the essay. It helps the peer evaluator focus on these areas by asking questions about specific points, such as the presence of examples to support the ideas discussed. For peer evaluation to work effectively, the learning environment in the classroom must be supportive. Students must feel comfortable and trust one another in order to provide honest and constructive feedback. Instructors who use group work and peer assessment frequently can help students develop trust by forming them into small groups early in the semester and having them work in the same groups throughout the term. This allows them to become more comfortable with each other and leads to better peer feedback. Self Assessment Students can become better language learners when they engage in deliberate thought about what they are learning and how they are learning it. In this kind of reflection, students step back from the learning process to think about their language learning strategies and their progress as language earners. Such self assessment encourages students to become independent learners and can increase their motivation. The successful use of student self assessment depends on three key elements:  ·Goal setting  ·Guided practice with assessment tools  ·Portfolios Goal setting Goal setting is essential because students can evaluate their progress more clearly when they have targets against which to measure their performance. In addition, students' motivation to learn increases when they have self-defined, and therefore relevant, learning goals. At first, students tend to create lofty long-range goals (â€Å"to speak Russian)† that do not lend themselves to self assessment. To help students develop realistic, short-term, attainable goals, instructors can use a framework like SMART goals outline shown in the popup window. One way to begin the process of introducing students to self-assessment is to create student-teacher contracts. Contracts are written agreements between students and instructors, which commonly involve determining the number and type of assignments that are required for particular grades. For example, a student may agree to work toward the grade of â€Å"B† by completing a specific number of assignments at a level of quality described by the instructor. Contracts can serve as a good way of helping students to begin to consider establishing goals for themselves as language learners. Guided practice with assessment tools Students do not learn to monitor or assess their learning on their own; they need to be taught strategies for self monitoring and self assessment. Techniques for teaching students these strategies are parallel to those used for teaching learning strategies (see Motivating Learners[->0]). The instructor models the technique (use of a checklist or rubric, for example); students then try the technique themselves; finally, students discuss whether and how well the technique worked and what to do differently next time. In addition to checklists and rubrics for specific communication tasks, students can also use broader self-assessment tools to reflect on topics they have studied, skills they have learned, their study habits, and heir sense of their overall strengths and weaknesses. An example of such a tool appears in the popup window. Students can share their self-assessments with a peer or in a small group, with instructions that they compare their impressions with other criteria such as test scores, teacher evaluations, and peers' opinions. This kind of practice helps students to be aware of their learning. It also informs the te acher about students' thoughts on their progress, and gives the teacher feedback about course content and instruction. Portfolios Portfolios are purposeful, organized, systematic collections of student work that tell the story of a student's efforts, progress, and achievement in specific areas. The student participates in the selection of portfolio content, the development of guidelines for selection, and the definition of criteria for judging merit. Portfolio assessment is a joint process for instructor and student. Portfolio assessment emphasizes evaluation of students' progress, processes, and performance over time. There are two basic types of portfolios:  ·A process portfolio serves the purpose of classroom-level assessment on the part of both the instructor and the student. It most often reflects formative assessment, although it may be assigned a grade at the end of the semester or academic year. It may also include summative types of assignments that were awarded grades.  ·A product portfolio is more summative in nature. It is intended for a major evaluation of some sort and is often accompanied by an oral presentation of its contents. For example, it may be used as a evaluation tool for graduation from a program or for the purpose of seeking employment. In both types of portfolios, emphasis is placed on including a variety of tasks that elicit spontaneous as well as planned language performance for a variety of purposes and audiences, using rubrics to assess performance, and demonstrating reflection about learning, including goal setting and self and peer assessment. Portfolio characteristics:  ·Represent an emphasis on language use and cultural understanding  ·Represent a collaborative approach to assessment Represent a student's range of performance in reading, writing, speaking, and listening as well as cultural understanding  ·Emphasize what students can do rather than what they cannot do  ·Represent a student's progress over time  ·Engage students in establishing ongoing learning goals and assessing their progress towards those goals  ·Measure each student's achievement while allowing for individu al differences between students in a class  ·Address improvement, effort, and achievement  ·Allow for assessment of process and product  ·Link teaching and assessment to learning [-;0] – http://www. nclrc. org/essentials/motivating/moindex. htm

Harry Harlow Essay

Harlow was researching the primates at the Henry Vilas Zoo, to study learning and memory in monkeys. While doing this Harlow discovered something very interesting, the monkeys were starting to develop strategies for Harlow’s tests that he set up. They were known as ‘learning sets’ but then later to be said as ‘Learning to learn’. To further this development, Harlow was in need of regular access to infant primates. He then thought breeding his own colony of Rhesus monkeys in the year 1932. To help the studies Harlow decided to hand rear the infants in a nursery setting, where he would separate the infants from their mothers 12 hours after birth and place them in wire cages on their own with a cloth on the floor. While caring for the infant monkeys, Harlow was intrigued as to why every time they took the cloth away to give them a clean one, they would cry and through a fit. In human infants we would call this behaviour a tantrum. They often cling on to the cloth with their little hands as hard as they could and while sleeping they would cuddle up to it. Most scientists didn’t pay much attention to this, they would say that it’s because of reduction of food, that if they could feed like they would of a mother, the infant would be satisfied. Harlow did not accept this answer and was rather intrigued with what he could find about this matter. The scientist learned to hand rear the infants properly, but when they were with other infants, they huddled in a corner while clinging to the cloth, the infants were unable to socialise. With this as inspiration, Harlow wanted to test the ‘bonds between mother and child’. In those days scientists were to believe that if you fussed over your child to much that it would become spoilt. It was a big thing to neglect your Child’s cries unless for feeding or changing. With the infant monkeys, Harlow wanted to prove this theory wrong, that babies do need nurturing to develop better in life, that they need the bond between mother and child. To begin the tests Harlow invented what he called a surrogate mother. Separated from their mother about 12 hours after birth, the infant monkeys were raised with a surrogate mother. Harlow tried 2 different types of ‘mother’; Wire mother who was made completely out of wire with a nipple so the infant monkeys can feed, the other was a ‘cloth mother’ made with wood wrapped with cloth. Both surrogate mothers were equipped with a light bulb to keep the infants warm by imitating the warmth from a real mother. Eventually the infant ran and clung to the ‘cloth mother’. Thinking that the infant would let go when it is hungry, the scientists observed the infant for hours to notice that when the infant became hungry it would hang on to the ‘cloth mother’ and reach over to the ‘wire mother’ to feed. It would repeat this actions several times. While Harlow was undergoing all this research, he noticed that the infants who were being raised by a wire mothers were having difficulties in digesting the milk. Although the cloth surrogate infant was gaining the same weight as the wire surrogate infant, the wire mother infants were having constant diarrhea. Harlow’s interpretation on this particular behavior was that the lack of contact and comfort was psychologically impacting on their stress levels which was effecting their digestive system.