The Internal Challenge to Malaysia

This paper presents an account of the activities of the major opposition parties in Malaysia. Because Indonesia has tried to utilize some opposition parties to bring about the downfall of the present government of Malaysia, special attention has been given to the impact of Indonesia on the Malaysian political scene

Springs of Florida

bulletin which documented the major and important springs in the state (Ferguson et al., 1947). This publication was revised in 1977, with many previously undocumented springs and many new water-quality analyses being added (Rosenau et al., 1977). The Florida Geological Survey's report on first magnitude springs (Scott et al., 2002) was the initial step in once again updating and revising the Springs of Florida bulletin. The new bulletin includes the spring descriptions and water-quality analyses from Scott et al. (2002). Nearly 300 springs were described in 1977. As of 2004, more than 700 springs have been recognized in the state and more are reported each year. To date, 33 first magnitude springs (with a flow greater than 100 cubic feet per second or approximately 64.6 million gallons of water per day) have been recognized in Florida, more than any other state or country (Rosenau et al., 1977). Our springs are a unique and invaluable natural resource. A comprehensive understanding of the spring systems will provide the basis for their protection and wise use. (Document pdf contains 677 pages

Protecting Spirit of Place: Reconstructing Highways, Maintaining Habitat Connectivity, and Respecting Tribal Culture

The US Highway 93 North reconstruction project on the Flathead Reservation in represents one of the most extensive wildlife-sensitive highway design efforts to date in North America. The reconstruction of the 56 mile long road section included the installation of wildlife crossing structures and wildlife exclusion fences. The mitigation measures were aimed at improving safety for the traveling public through reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, while simultaneously allowing wildlife to continue to move across the road. These measures were an integral part of the reconstruction of this highway because the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes required the reconstructed highway to be respectful of the land, the people and their culture, and wildlife. This project provided an opportunity to evaluate the extent these mitigation measures helped improve human safety through a reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions; and maintain habitat connectivity for wildlife.  Wildlife-vehicle collision data were obtained from Montana Department of Transportation.  Completed wildlife crossing structures were monitored for wildlife movements between 2010 and 2015 using wildlife cameras (Reconyx, PM35 and PC900 HyperFire).  The reconstruction of US 93 North improved human safety in general along the entire transportation corridor between Evaro and Polson. The total number of reported crashes decreased by approximately 33%.  However, the number of reported wildlife-vehicle collisions did not decrease over the entire length of the highway between Evaro and Polson. Total wildlife use of the 29 crossing structures that were monitored can be described as substantial with 95,274 successful crossings in total, and 22,648 successful crossings per year

Professional Transitions in Honors: Challenges, Opportunities, and Tips

Authors reflect on ways that honors practitioners have experienced various professional transitions and provide insights to help others successfully manage such changes. Honors transitions are inevitable. Many of us in honors, for example, have relocated from other disciplines, moving from the prescribed boundaries of our academic areas to the diverse and challenging demands of honors, quickly learning new leadership skills and approaches to navigating challenges and prospects within and outside our institutions. Some of us have relocated to different institutions; some have negotiated growth from programs to colleges; some have advanced to positions in higher administration; some have witnessed changes in directors or deans; some have needed to adjust to the rapid succession of top administrators and their assorted agendas; some have retired. With creative approaches to change, such shifts to new faces, leadership styles, program ideas, and professional priorities can become opportunities rather than obstacles in our professional development in honors. The authors of this piece represent honors professionals who have experienced various transitions, and we offer our reflections and tips to help others in our field to manage such changes successfully

Scaffolding School Pupils’ Scientific Argumentation with Evidence-Based Dialogue Maps

This chapter reports pilot work investigating the potential of Evidence-based Dialogue Mapping to scaffold young teenagers’ scientific argumentation. Our research objective is to better understand pupils’ usage of dialogue maps created in Compendium to write scientific ex-planations. The participants were 20 pupils, 12-13 years old, in a summer science course for “gifted and talented” children in the UK. Through qualitative analysis of three case studies, we investigate the value of dialogue mapping as a mediating tool in the scientific reasoning process during a set of learning activities. These activities were published in an online learning envi-ronment to foster collaborative learning. Pupils mapped their discussions in pairs, shared maps via the online forum and in plenary discussions, and wrote essays based on their dialogue maps. This study draws on these multiple data sources: pupils’ maps in Compendium, writings in science and reflective comments about the uses of mapping for writing. Our analysis highlights the diversity of ways, both successful and unsuccessful, in which dialogue mapping was used by these young teenagers

Face-to-face: Social work and evil

The concept of evil continues to feature in public discourses and has been reinvigorated in some academic disciplines and caring professions. This article navigates social workers through the controversy surrounding evil so that they are better equipped to acknowledge, reframe or repudiate attributions of evil in respect of themselves, their service users or the societal contexts impinging upon both. A tour of the landscape of evil brings us face-to-face with moral, administrative, societal and metaphysical evils, although it terminates in an exhortation to cultivate a more metaphorical language. The implications for social work ethics, practice and education are also discussed

R-h-erythropoietin counteracts the inhibition of in vitro erythropoiesis by tumour necrosis factor alpha in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) plays an important role in the development of ACD. The objective of the present study was to assess inhibition of in vitro colony-forming unit erythrocyte (CFUe) and blast-forming unit erythrocyte (BFUe) growth by TNFα and to examine whether this suppression could be counteracted by adding increasing concentrations of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) (r-h-EPO) to bone marrow cultures of RA patients with ACD and without anaemia (controls). Bone marrow cells of RA patients with ACD and control patients were cultured. The cultures were incubated with increasing concentrations of r-h-EPO (0.25; 0.5; 1; 2 U/ml), each in combination with increasing quantities of TFNα (0; 50; 100; 200; 400 U/ml). CFUe and BFUe were assessed after 7 and 14 days, respectively. Dose-dependent inhibition of BFUe and CFUc by increasing concentrations of TNFα was observed in ACD and controls. Regarding CFUe (ACD patients) incubated with 0.25 U/ml EPO, 50 U/ml TNFα caused 28% suppression compared to cultures without TNFα. Increasing the concentration of r-h-EPO from 0.25 U/ml to 2 U/ml completely restored the number of CFUe. A similar pattern was observed in BFUe growth in both groups. These data demonstrated the suppressive effects of TNFα on erythropoiesis in vitro and that the suppresed erythropoiesis could be partly corrected by the addition of excess r-h-EPO to the cultures. No significant differences were observed between ACD and control RA patients. This in vitro model may help explain the clinical response to r-h-EPO therapy as documented in RA patients with ACD