• Wind and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.87-109
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• 2012

A substantial part of South Africa is subject to more than one strong wind source. The effect of that on extreme winds is that higher quantiles are usually estimated with a mixed strong wind climate estimation method, compared to the traditional Gumbel approach based on a single population. The differences in the estimated quantiles between the two methods depend on the values of the Gumbel distribution parameters for the different strong wind mechanisms involved. Cluster analysis of the distribution parameters provides a characterization of the effect of the relative differences in their values, and therefore the dominance of the different strong wind mechanisms. For gusts, cold fronts tend to dominate over the coastal and high-lying areas, while other mechanisms, especially thunderstorms, are dominant over the lower-lying areas in the interior. For the hourly mean wind speeds cold fronts are dominant in the south-west, south and east of the country. On the West Coast the ridging of the Atlantic Ocean high-pressure system dominate in the south, while the presence of a deep trough or coastal low pressure system is the main strong wind mechanism in the north. In the central interior cold fronts tend to share their influence almost equally with other synoptic-scale mechanisms.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.281-287
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• 2023

The symbiotic association between fungus-gardening termites Macrotermes and its fungal symbiont has a moderate degree of specificity-although the symbiotic fungi (Termitomyces) form a monophyletic clade, there is not a one-to-one association between termite species and their fungus-garden associates. Here, we aim to determine the origin and phylogenetic relationships of Termitomyces in Oman. We used sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA, 25S) gene and analyzed these with sequences of Termitomyces from other geographic areas. We find no evidence for more than a single colonization of Oman by Termitomyces. Unexpectedly, we find Termitomyces in Oman is most closely related to the symbiont of M. subhyalinus in West Africa rather than to those of geographically closer populations in East Africa.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.536-544
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• 2019

Purpose: Proper nutrition is essential for brain development during infancy, contributing to the continued development of cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills throughout life. Considering the insufficient published data in the Middle East and North Africa, experts drafted a questionnaire to assess the opinions and knowledge of physicians on the impact of nutrition on brain development and cognition in early life. Methods: The questionnaire consisted of two parts: The first focused on the responders' demographic and professional characteristics and the second questioned the role of nutrition in brain development and cognition. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondents' characteristics and their responses to questions. Results: A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed; 994 physicians responded. The majority of the surveyed physicians (64.4%) felt that nutrition impacts brain development in early childhood (0-4 years), with almost 90% of physicians agreeing/strongly agreeing that preventing iron, zinc, and iodine deficiency would improve global intelligence quotient. The majority of physicians (83%) agreed that head circumference was the most important measure of brain development. The majority of physicians (68.9%) responded that the period from the last trimester until 18 months postdelivery was crucial for brain growth and neurodevelopment, with 76.8% believing that infants breast-fed by vegan mothers have an increased risk of impaired brain development. Conclusion: The results of this study show that practicing physicians significantly agree that nutrition plays an important role in brain and cognitive development and function in early childhood, particularly during the last trimester until 18 months postdelivery.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.181-187
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to examine empirically the short- and long-run determinants of entrepreneurial activity in a sample of 15 the Middle East and North African economies between 2006 and 2018. More specifically, four groups of determinants are considered in the analysis, namely economic, demographic, business environment, and institutional. Given the autoregressive feature of the entrepreneurial activity process, a dynamic panel data model is estimated using the system GMM estimator. Findings reveal that unemployment, trade openness, population density, and economic freedom are the main drivers of new business creation in the short-run, while the cost and number of procedures to start a new business negatively affect entrepreneurship. In the long-run, the same findings hold true. Moreover, education and political stability and the absence of violence/terrorism positively affect entrepreneurial activity. Policy recommendations are accordingly designed.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.745-760
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• 2016

The name of a place represents the social and political power relations as well as showing a certain physical space. In particular, the East Sea is not only a representative name of areas represent our country, but also the name of place being in competition with the Sea of Japan internationally. Korea is committed in many ways to spread the name of East Sea in the international community, and gradually expand its name power. The purpose of this study was to investigate the names used in the newspapers and broadcasting in Francophone countries except France by analyzing the newspaper articles and broadcasting contents, and to illuminate how the names of the East Sea produced in France, and the discussion about the names were diffused in Francophone countries and what kind of influence they had on those countries. This study selected Algeria in North Africa, Belgium and Luxembourg in West Europe, and Quebec in Canada for the research areas. As a result, while Algeria in North Africa and Luxembourg are showing inhospitality to the name East Sea, Belgium and Quebec are taking a flexible attitude toward this name. In general, most Francophone countries are provided with press releases from AFP in France. Even in same article provided by AFP, The result shows that some media stick to use the name Sea of Japan solely, and others demonstrate a will to use both name East Sea and Sea of Japan simultaneously. This study was able to show that the diffusion and spread of the place name was significantly influenced by social, political interests and powers, the mess geopolitics in pop cultural materials.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.39
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• pp.131-160
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• 2014

The radicalization of diaspora is a new phenomena that have been begun to emerge in the complex picture of terrorism. The existence of diaspora and its supports for violent terrorist activities have made the whole dynamic of terrorism more complicated and unpredictable. Therefore, this study attempts to understand the relationship between diaspora support and violent terrorist activities in the constellation of other significant correlates of violent terrorist activities discussed in the prior studies. In analyses, the author utilized a step wise regrssion analyses with a set of variable drawn from an emphatical data collected in Arab and Africa region. The data used in this study is called as "MAROB"(the Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior), which is developed by START and Minority at Risk project and contains information terrorist groups in Middle-East and Africa region. Considering the significance of this new emergence of the link between diaspora and violent terrorist activities, and the challenging nature of conducting empirical studies on this topic, this study have great contributions on the development in the field of criminal justice as well as terrorism. Other contributions of this study, policy implications, and suggestions for future studies are further discussed in the discussion.

• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.377-387
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• 2008

We consider associative ring R (not necessarily commutative). In this paper the concepts: zero square ring of type-1/type-2, zero square ideal of type-1/type-2, zero square dimension of a ring R were introduced and obtained several important results. Finally, some relations between the zero square dimension of the direct sum of finite number of rings; and the sum of the zero square dimension of individual rings; were obtained. Necessary examples were provided.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1891-1894
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• 2014

In February 6-7th, the Thai National Cancer Institute, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and its Mumbai Hub for Cancer Registration, together with the International Association of Cancer Registries and the APOCP/APJCP, jointly organized an Asian cancer registry forum to discuss regional cooperation for cancer registration. Held in the Grande Mercure Fortune Hotel, Bangkok, the meeting brought together leading scientists in cancer registration from South-East and North-East Asia as well as Australia, India and Iran and IARC itself, with coverage of various priorities and challenges of cancer registries regarding cancer control policy, operational parameters, assessment of survival and contributions to screening, for example. The current situation was highlighted and future directions and possible expansion of activities were discussed, with especial attention to the necessity for networks to help improve cancer registration across Asia and Africa.

• English & American cultural studies
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-29
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• 2018

Nadine Gordimer's The Pickup, published in 2001, well shows how the social issues have been changed in a way to reflect the South African society which is more complicated in the post-apartheid era. Examining the two different geographical territories between Johannesburg, South Africa and an unnamed nation in Middle East, putting aside the domestic racism between white and black, she extends her issue of racial other to global one with new rising issue of immigration in South African society. It seems that Gordimer's such issue is well represented by two main characters: Julie Summers who comes from a wealthy family and falls in love with Abdu, an illegal immigrant who was born from a poor country in Middle East and is now working at a garage in a downtown of Johannesburg with hiding his real name Ibrahim ibn Musa. Having an official relationship with Ibrahim and joining the regular meeting at the El-Ay (L.A.) Cafe where all participants can enjoy the freedom of expression/speech except for Abdu, she begins to have interest in his silence and his presence, orientalized as the Arab Prince for her imagination. Arriving at Abdu 's nation later, she also keeps projecting the 'less civilized' images to his nation where there are only desert, uneducated people, and dirty houses and streets. In doing so, Gordimer leads reader to a never-ending issue of Orientalism in the Western literature. Moreover, the writer attempts to create a female-centered community at the male-centered Islam community by marginalizing the presence of Abdu who finally leaves to America alone. As Julie is successfully acculturated to the unknown Abdu's community, she begins to place herself at the center of the community and plays a role as a mediator/communicator who can change/civilize it with her western knowledge of language and culture. By replacing the male-centered with the female-centered through Julie, Gordimer seems to be creating an idealized community with the notion of matriarchy. However, Gordimer places Abdu as an unstable subject who has to endlessly move back and forth for his undetermined national and cultural identity while Julie achieves the determined identity in both nations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2119-2128
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• 2015

Cancer is the leading cause of death around the world. Anticancer activities from many functional food sources have been reported in years, but correlation between cancer prevalence and types of food with anticancer activities from crop origin center in the world as well as food source with human migration are unclear. Hunger from food shortage is the cause of early human evolution from Africa to Asia and later into Eurasia. The richest functional foods are found in crop origin centers, housing about 70% in the world populations. Crop origin centers have lower cancer incidence and mortality in the world, especially Central Asia, Middle East, Southwest China, India and Ethiopia. Asia and Africa with the richest anticancer crops is not only the most important evolution base of humans and origin center of anticancer functional crop, but also is the lowest mortality and incidence of cancers in the world. Cancer prevention of early human migrations was associated with functional foods from crop origin centers, especially Asia with four centers and one subcenter of crop origin, accounting for 58% of the world population. These results reveal that coevolution between human's anticancer activities associated with functional foods for crop origin centers, especially in Asia and Africa.