Additions of mycobiota and myxomycetes of the Maltese Islands

The study of fungi and slime moulds in the Maltese Islands is very limited, evidenced from the the small number of scientific contributions and academic theses. In this communication, six new species of fungi (four Ascomycetes and two Basidiomycetes) will be discussed.peer-reviewe

From Kulim to Singapore: Catherine Lim's literary life

The publication in 1993 by Heinemann Asia of a volume of stories entitled The Best of Catherine Lim emphasised the significant contribution which this talented author has made to recent Singaporean fiction. The 1993 edition contains work from five of Catherine Lim's previously published collections, from Little Ironies (1978) to Deadline for Love (1992), and reflects the confidence which her publishers usually have in her capacity to draw a strong local reading audience. In fact, a Catherine Lim book is quite capable of attracting sales of 20,00O copies in a first edition

Challenging heroic masculinity: leadership myths of nineteenth century King Shaka Zulu

The Zulu of southern African have long been held as a particularly strong example of African patriarchy. Over almost two hundred years, king Shaka Zulu (b. 1787, d. 1828), has been credited with founding the great Zulu state, and he has often been described as a brilliant leader, warrior and military strategist conquering all in his path − the ‘black Napoleon’. Popular history books abound with ‘facts’ of Shaka’s life. Two books have been published in recent years that translate so called leadership secrets of king Shaka to modern leadership and management practice. Leadership lessons from Emperor Shaka Zulu the Great by Phinda Madi (2000), and Lessons on Leadership by Terror: Finding Shaka Zulu in the Attic by Manfred Kets de Vries (2004). On the basis of lessons learned from Shaka, or aspects of his psychology, Madi manages to produce 10 leadership lessons including ‘leading the charge’, while Kets de Vries provides 15 lessons. Not only is much of what is written about Shaka based on myth, but also totally ignores the leadership role of chiefly women. It is curious that these myths of Shaka still hold so strongly despite research findings to the contrary. Leadership by women was an intrinsic part of several pre-colonial systems in southern Africa, and Shaka did not rule alone. This is all very far removed from any lessons on modern management and leadership to be learned from king Shaka. Many of the points in this paper in relation to women have raised in previously published work (Weir 2006), but it is worth repeating in an effort to go some way towards limiting the impact and reproduction of Shaka myths in the modern leadership studies, and because the role of women has been left out. There’s enough evidence to show that the long enduring picture of Shaka Zulu presented by Kets de Vries, and many before him, is questionable

Ranking forestry journals using the h-index

An expert ranking of forestry journals was compared with journal impact factors and h-indices computed from the ISI Web of Science and internet-based data. Citations reported by Google Scholar appear to offer the most efficient way to rank all journals objectively, in a manner consistent with other indicators. This h-index exhibited a high correlation with the journal impact factor (r=0.92), but is not confined to journals selected by any particular commercial provider. A ranking of 180 forestry journals is presented, on the basis of this index.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables. New table added in response to reviewer comment

The comorbidity of hypertension and psychological distress: a study of nine countries in the former Soviet Union.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems in those with physical ailments are often overlooked, especially in the former Soviet Union (fSU) where this comorbidity has received little attention. Our study examines the comorbidity of psychological distress and hypertension in the fSU. METHODS: Nationally representative household survey data from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in 2001 and 2010 were analysed to compare the levels of psychological distress in people with and without self-reported hypertension. Multivariate regression analysed determinants of psychological distress in hypertensive respondents, and prevalence rate ratios were calculated to compare the change in distress between the two groups. RESULTS: There were significantly higher levels of psychological distress among hypertensive respondents (9.9%) than in the general population (4.9%), and a significant association between the two conditions [odds ratio (OR) = 2.27 (1.91; 2.70)]. Characteristics associated with distress among hypertensive respondents included residing in Armenia or Kyrgyzstan, being female, over age 50, with a poor economic situation, lower education, poor emotional support and limited access to medical drugs. Levels of distress declined between 2001 and 2010, but at a lesser rate in hypertensive respondents [rate ratio (RR) = 0.85 (0.75; 0.95)] than non-hypertensive respondents [RR = 0.65 (0.56; 0.75)]. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between psychological distress and hypertension in the region

Machine learning approach for analysing and predicting the modulus response of the structural epoxy adhesive at elevated temperatures

For bonded Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) strengthening systems in civil engineering projects, the adhesive joint performance is a key factor in the effectiveness of the strengthening; however, it is known that the material properties of structural epoxy adhesives change with temperature. This present paper examines the implied relationship between the curing regimes and the storage modulus response of the adhesive using a Machine Learning (ML) approach. A dataset containing 157 experimental data collected from the scientific papers and academic theses was used for training and testing an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the curing conditions have a significant effect on the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the adhesive, and consequently on the storage modulus response at elevated temperatures. Curing at an extremely high temperature for a long time does not, however, guarantee a better thermal performance. For the studied adhesive, curing in a warm (≥ 45°C) and dry (near 0 % RH) environment for 21 days is recommended for practical applications. A software with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was established, which can predict the storage modulus response of the adhesive, plot the corresponding response curve, and estimate the optimum curing condition.</p

Compulsory education - in schools only? : divergent developments in Germany

Germany is the focus of this paper, owing to the fact that since 1938 it has had the strictest laws on compulsory schooling worldwide. As a result, homeschooling in Germany has become virtually impossible. There are interesting divergences between policy and practice in the German setting, both in the country’s educational history and present educational problems. The Länder (federal states) have the responsibility for education, and they are taking a much stricter line against homeschoolers than a decade ago, especially by depriving parents of the custody of their homeschooled children at an early stage. The laws relied upon, however, were never intended to deal with such educational matters; they were designed to punish parents who abuse or neglect their children. The present, highly questionable legal action succeeds only because of the consent of state schools, state social welfare offices, and courts. The same laws are not used against the parents of the approximately 250,000 teens who are truant. The functioning of the legal and sociological machinery in Germany is being employed aggressively to stamp out homeschooling, while at the same time it ignores the crucial issue of parents who allow their children to skip school—thus depriving them of an adequate education at home or elsewhere. At the same time, the number of specialists in law and education, as well as politicians and governmental experts who argue in favor of homeschooling is growing, and media reports on homeschooling are much more positive than they were a decade ago