Distance higher education for women in Saudi Arabia: Present and proposed

This paper describes the recent history of distance higher education in Saudi Arabia with particular reference to the education of women. It compares the contribution to external study for women of the General Presidency of Girls' Education (GPGE) with the introduction of intisab (a system which allows individuals to pursue higher education without attending lectures) in three universities founded for men. It records the growing numbers of women wishing to enter higher education and the withdrawal of intisab from two universities in Riyadh. It identifies the limitations placed on women's higher education as compared with men's and notes the generally conservative attitudes to the role of women found in Saudi Arabia. It oudines discussions over the last 15 years, concerning an Arab open university, which have yet to result in action. Finally, it reports a recent survey which reveals strong support for an open university for women in Saudi Arabia. Such an institution would gready increase access for women to higher education while, at the same time, be compatible with Islamic custom concerning the segregation of the sexes and a woman's primary role as wife and mother.     

Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety among Gaza Strip adolescents in the wake of the second Uprising (Intifada)

OBJECTIVE: Children and adolescents of the Gaza Strip have been subjected to continuous violence since the eruption of the second Intifada (Uprising). Little is known, however, about the psychological effects of this violence on children and adolescents of Gaza. Thus, the purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate and describe the psychological effects of exposure of war-like circumstances on this population. METHOD: Participants for this study were 229 Palestinian adolescents living in the Gaza Strip who were administered measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and coping. RESULTS: Of the 229 participants, 68.9% were classified as having developed PTSD, 40.0% reported moderate or severe levels of depression, 94.9% were classified as having severe anxiety levels, and 69.9% demonstrated undesirable coping responses. A canonical discriminant analysis revealed that adolescents diagnosed with PTSD tended to be those who reported the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and positive reappraisal coping, and the lowest levels of seeking guidance and support coping. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a significant proportion of Palestinian adolescents living in the Gaza Strip are experiencing serious psychological distress.     

Effect of (-)epicatechin in modulating calicum-atpase activity in normal and diabetic human erythrocytes

Aqueous extract of the wood ofPterocarpus marsupium, commonly known as ‘bijasar’, is used in Indian Ayurveda system of medicine for treatment of diabetes. The active anti-diabetic principle in its aqueous extract has been found to be (-)epicatechin, a flavonoid. The present work was undertaken to study the effect of (-)epicatechin on erythrocyte membrane Ca⁺⁺-ATPase from type 2 diabetic patients. The activity of erythrocyte Ca⁺⁺-ATPase was significantly lower in type 2 diabetics.In vitro insulin treatment of erythrocyte ghosts, resulted in the increase of Ca⁺⁺-ATPase activity in diabetic patients. Treatment with (-)epicatechin (1mM) resulted in an increase in the activity of erythrocyte Ca⁺⁺-ATPase in both normal individuals and type 2 diabetic patients. The insulin like effect of (-)epicatechin on erythrocyte membrane Ca⁺⁺-ATPase in type 2 diabetics is an interesting finding. Further work is needed to elucidate the mechanism of action of (-)epicatechin on modulation of erythrocyte membrane bound enzymes.     

Television news in Bangladesh: intersection of market-oriented journalism and perceived credibility

The television medium has occupied a dominant place in Bangladesh. With the unprecedented expansion of the television industry, questions are being raised about a palpable rise in market-oriented journalism (MOJ) in the country. This article examines the theoretical and empirical relationship between MOJ and credibility of TV news. Three surrogate factors of MOJ including independence, social role, and objectivity, along with TV news credibility are analyzed for insights. The findings suggest that there is a complex relationship between the two constructs. To improve the perception of credibility of TV news, our findings suggest an important role of public journalism as an alternative to MOJ.     

Shared Cultural Characteristics Similarities in Malaysia’s Multi-ethnic Society*

The dimension of cultural characteristics is essentially ignored by the growing literature on organizational diversity, focusing on demographic diversity and general perceived similarity instead. This study aims to identify the similarities in cultural characteristics among ethnic groups in Malaysia. Ergo, conducted within the context of interethnic relations in Malaysia based on a phenomenographic approach; thence, found four categories namely the community embeddedness, the survival culture, the conformity culture and the respect culture. These exemplify the interethnic relations based on cultural characteristics and norms similarities. The cultural characteristics similarities between major ethnics in Malaysia in this study are indications of dynamic and interactive exchange occurring between ethnics. The consequences of these findings are discussed and elaborated in this article.     

Indirect estimation of injected mortar volume in historical walls using the electrical resistivity tomography

The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) represents one of the widely used geophysical techniques for the exploration of the subsurface. In the last few years, this method has been demonstrated to be an efficient reconnaissance tool not only for monitoring degradation status of walls and foundations of historical buildings, but also for imaging the spatial distribution of injected mortar, commonly employed for consolidation purposes. A 3D resistivity tomography survey was carried out on four selected wall portions of the historical church of Montepetriolo, Perugia, Central Italy. The obtained 3D resistivity distribution models before and after grouting provided suggestive images of the internal structure of the studied walls. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the zones being filled with mortar was determined quantitatively by scaling the post- to the preinjection resistivity values. Using a well known correlation between resistivity and porosity, established in the geophysical community, a further step towards a more quantitative assessment was attempted to indirectly determine the unit volumes of the injected mortar The obtained results were satisfactory and in some cases almost similar to the yard data. Furthermore, two flat-jack tests confirmed the local increment of the mechanical resistance of the studied left front (2) and right lateral (3) wall portions.     

The dispersion of technology and income in Europe: Evolution and mutual relationship across regions

The first part of this article explores whether convergence has occurred in technology and income across EU regions during the period 1990-2002. The second part evaluates whether these two processes of convergence are related to each other. With respect to the first question, we find that all R&D indicators and patents have converged among regions during the 1990s and this has ran parallel to a real convergence in income per capita levels. Regarding the second question, we have identified a strong relationship between the distribution of technology indicators and the distribution of regional income in Europe. Our main result is that convergence in business R&D leads to convergence in patents, which in turn leads to convergence in income per capita. Although, we identify a role for government R&D and higher education spending in this process, the policy implications for these two variables are less clear.