Genre-based analysis of travel guides: a study on Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

The language of travel guides can help highlight the importance of modelling the mind of the readers and changing them from readers to actual clients. This paper reports a genre- based analysis study of a move-structure of online tourist travel guides of three Asian countries: Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Kathpalia’s nine-move structure (1992) for advertising is adopted as a framework to analyse the selected travel guides using Atlas ti (a qualitative data analysis software). Data selection is based on the latest edition of Asian online travel guides. The main purposes of this study are to analyze the move structures, their strategies and communicative purposes, identify the prevalent move(s) in the selected travel guides, as well as to find out whether the selected travel guides have the same move structures. The findings of this study show that the travel guides have different quantity of moves. The prevalent moves in these three travel guides were also identified. Results highlight the diversity and strategies of moves in the online travel guides which are related to the nature of the country, perception and aims of the writer to promote or persuade readers. A brief discussion on these categories, and teaching implications follow these finding

GC-MS Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Methanolic Extract of Marine Enterobacter Cloacae Mariam ADRA1*, Badr ALALI2 and Ahmad KARA ALI3

Antimicrobial substances are so widespread that they are likely to play an important therapeutic role. Many researches showed that microorganisms produce important biochemical compounds, which were used in different domains (medical, pharmaceutical, industrial). The present study aimed to isolate a marine bacterium and study the bioactivity of its methanolic crude extracts. Marine water samples were collected for the isolation of bacteria based on their growth density and then identified depended on morphological, microscopic characterization and biochemical tests. The antibiotics sensitivity was estimated by DL-96II Auto Microbial ID/AST System, While the effectiveness of the methanolic extract was determined by agar- well diffusion method. The compounds in the organic extract of the isolated bacteria were identified by Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their bioactivity was studied. The results showed that these bacteria is Enterobacter cloacae and showed resistance to six from twenty antibiotics. The bioactivity of extract was higher against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli than Staphylococcus aureus. The chemical analysis of the organic extract showed that eighteen chemical compounds have medical and pharmaceutical importance. &nbsp

The effect of social media management on public perception in Dubai: the mediating role of organizational media performance

This study investigates the role of government media management and its impact on the level of public perception in Dubai focusing on the mediating role of the performance of government media institutions. The study has four main objectives. The first objective is to examine how various social media management factors in government media organizations (such as the use of social media tools, setting goals, using multiple platforms, ensuring content quality, fostering follower interaction, scheduling publication, and analyzing metrics) affect public perception in Dubai. The second objective is to examine the effect of these social media management factors on the performance of organizational media in government media organizations in Dubai. The third objective is to examine the impact of the performance of organizational media in government media institutions on the level of public perception among the public in Dubai. Lastly, the fourth objective is to explore how the performance of organizational media mediates the relationship between social media management factors and public perception in Dubai. The study's population consists of all Dubai citizens aged 18 and above, estimated at 2.6 million people. Using Morgan’s formula, the target sample size was calculated to be 384. Data was collected online through a questionnaire available in both Arabic and English, which was validated and tested for reliability. Responses were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted using the CB-SEM technique with AMOS.22 to examine the proposed correlations. Findings reveal that follower interaction has a significant positive effect on public perception, highlighting the importance of social media platforms in shaping public opinion. The study highlights the importance of prioritizing follower interaction to positively influence public perception. It also emphasizes the strategic importance of advanced social media management tools in enhancing the performance of organizational media in the digital landscape. Effective media management and communication techniques are essential for developing favorable public perceptions and promoting organizational success in today's dynamic media environment. The researcher concludes that organizational media performance partially mediates the relationship between social media management and public perception, with significant indirect effects observed for all factors except for social communication goals, use of multiple platforms, and follower interaction

Sssessment of social perception and mathematical thinking amongst Jordanian students in higher education

Mathematics is important in the human life. Despite the efforts for the development of mathematics education, it did not reach an acceptable level, because of low level in mathematical thinking and social perception of mathematics. This study aimed to examine the relationship between mathematical thinking and social perception of mathematics in Jordan higher education. This study used a quantitative survey approach. The sample of this study comprised of 338 male and 362 female first year students at Jordan universities. Two instruments were developed: a mathematical thinking test to measure students’ mathematical thinking and social perceptions of mathematics questionnaire to measure the students’ perception of mathematics. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in whole mathematical thinking test depending on gender in favor of male, residence in favor of rural areas and interaction between gender and residence in favor of females in rural areas. The results showed that the performance of males in urban areas was better than females in urban areas and the performance of females in rural areas was better than males in rural areas. There were no significant differences in social perception towards mathematics due to gender, residence and their interactions. The results showed that the relationship between mathematical thinking and social perception of mathematics was significant and social perception of mathematics has an influence on mathematical thinking. An increase in social perception of mathematics may lead to an increase of mathematical thinking. The two instruments developed can be used as measurement scales for mathematical thinking skills and social perception of mathematics and opening the way for researchers to address issues and weaknesses related to mathematics education

Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis Induced by Erlotinib (Tarceva) with Superimposed Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infection in a Pancreatic Cancer Patient: A Case Report

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare acute reaction that is drug induced in 90% of the cases and characterized by a widespread, sterile pustular rash. Erlotinib, a small-molecule EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for patients with pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Skin rash is a well-known side effect related with all EGFR blocking agents. It has been suggested that rash could be used as a surrogate marker for response and possibly be associated with prolonged survival. We report a case of rare presentation of AGEP involving an adverse effect of erlotinib. The commonly reported adverse effects of erlotinib are mild skin eruptions. However, our case describes the rare presentation of AGEP induced by erlotinib. The estimated incidence rate of AGEP is approximately 1–5 cases per million/year

Experimental and Finite Element Investigation on the Flexural Behaviour of LCA studied Steel-Concrete Composite Prefabricated Ultra-Shallow Slabs (PUSS)

This thesis investigates the environmental and flexural performance of the recently developed ultra-shallow flooring system known as Prefabricated Ultra-Shallow Slab (PUSS®). The prefabricated units consists of T-ribbed concrete slabs partially embedded within and connected to two side PFC channel steel beams via a novel horizontally-oriented shear connection system. This connection system incorporates either horizontally-oriented web-welded shear studs (WWSS), horizontal steel dowels welded to the webs, or a combination of both (WWSS with dowels). The unique configuration of the flooring system minimises its structural depth, yielding ultra-shallow floors with a high span-to-depth ratio, surpassing other shallow flooring systems in efficiency. Additionally, it reduces the material usage, and when combined with lightweight concrete, the flooring overall weight (load on beneath structure) and the associated environmental impacts are significantly reduced. The environmental performance of the flooring system is evaluated through a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, focusing on the global warming potential (GWP) and embodied energy (EE) impacts of PUSS compared with the widely used hollow core precast slabs. The study examines 16 live load/ floor span scenarios and evaluates the benefits and drawbacks of utilising different concrete types in PUSS flooring, namely normal weight concrete (NWC), lightweight aggregates concrete (LWC) and geopolymer concrete (GPC). Results indicate that PUSS outperforms hollow core slabs in all scenarios, regardless of the concrete type used. PUSS with GPC offers the greatest GWP savings, achieving up to 50% reductions compared to hollow core slabs. However, PUSS with LWC demonstrates the best overall performance in terms of both GWP and EE, with up to 35% savings in EE and 46% in GWP, and its lighter weight reduces the load on supporting structural elements, further amplifying the overall environmental benefits. Furthermore, the research explores the effect of a group of parameters on the flexural behaviour of PUSS and the performance of the implemented shear connectors under bending through a series of experimental and computational studies. The investigated parameters include concrete type, concrete strength, degree of shear connection, span and slab depth. Four full-scale specimens, each with a span of 4 m were constructed and tested under four-point bending tests at George Earle laboratory (GEL), University of Leeds. The results indicate that PUSS with LWC achieves similar flexural capacity to PUSS with NWC, though it exhibits lower initial stiffness and develops larger cracks. Additionally, the tests reveals that reducing the degree of shear connection lowers the slabs’ moment capacity and leads to failure of some shear connectors. Despite this, PUSS units demonstrates ductile behaviour in all cases. A finite element model resembling the experimental tests was then developed, validated against the experimental results, and used in a comprehensive parametric Finite Element Analysis (FEA) study involving 324 models. The study shows that reducing the degree of shear connection leads to decrease in moment capacity, but the reduction is non-linear due to the parabolic relationship between moment capacity and the degree of shear connection. This highlights the complex interaction between shear connectors and overall slab performance. Larger discrepancies are noted between FE-derived moment capacities and hand calculations using existing shear capacity formulas, especially in lightweight concrete (LWC) models, underscoring the need for refinements in the shear resistance equation to achieve more accurate predictions. The gathered data from both experimental and FEA studies were extensively studied, and analysed through regression analysis, leading to the development of an optimised empirical formula to predict the shear resistance of the shear connectors employed in PUSS and their corresponding degrees of shear connection. This formula provides a more accurate prediction of shear resistance and degree of shear connection compared to existing methods, aligning closely with the results of 328 experiments and FEA models. Additionally, a moment capacity design methodology for PUSS flooring system in accordance with the Eurocode 4 standards is presented. This methodology offers a solid framework for the practical implementation of PUSS in construction, with the potential to inform future revisions of design codes

Algerian Acid Activated Clays as Efficient Catalysts for a Green Synthesis of Solketal by Chemoselective Acetalization of Glycerol with Acetone

The production of solketal and conversion of glycerol takes a major importance in the field of the sustainability of the biodiesel industry. The synthesis of (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methanol by the acetalization of glycerol with acetone successfully applied out using various Algerian acid activated clays (maghnia-H+) under autogenous pressure and without solvent. The acid catalyst clays are prepared by an easy technique by activation with the available and low-cost Maghnia clay. The purified Maghnia clay named ALC and the resulting series of acid-activated clays AL1, AL2, AL3, and AL4 are characterized by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) investigation, N2-adorption/desorption Brunauer–Emmett–Teller  (BET) surface area, X-rays Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, SEM microscopy and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) with copper bisethylenediamine complex method, in order to study the effect of activation at the acid and the catalytic behaviour in the acetalization reaction. The results show a high catalytic activity whose that the yield of solketal production interest reached 95 % at a temperature of 40 °C for a reaction time of 48 hours with full selectivity and glycerol conversion reaching up to 89 %. A mechanistic is proposed to explain the chemoselective of solketal production. These results indicate the potential of this Algerian acid activated clays catalysts for the acetalization of glycerol for an environmentally benign process. Copyright © 2019 BCREC Group. All rights reserved

Sustained release formulation of an anti-tuberculosis drug based on para-amino salicylic acid-zinc layered hydroxide nanocomposite

Background: Tuberculosis (TB), is caused by the bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its a threat to humans since centuries. Depending on the type of TB, its treatment can last for 6-24 months which is a major cause for patients non-compliance and treatment failure. Many adverse effects are associated with the currently available TB medicines, and there has been no new anti-tuberculosis drug on the market for more than 50 year, as the drug development is very lengthy and budget consuming process.Development of the biocompatible nano drug delivery systems with the ability to minimize the side effects of the drugs, protection of the drug from enzymatic degradation. And most importantly the drug delivery systems which can deliver the drug at target site would increase the therapeutic efficacy. Nanovehicles with their tendency to release the drug in a sustained manner would result in the bioavalibilty of the drugs in the body for a longer period of time and this would reduce the dosing frequency in drug administration. The biocompatible nanovehicles with the properties like sustained release of drug of the target site, protection of the drug from physio-chemical degradation, reduction in dosing frequency, and prolong bioavailability of drug in the body would result in the shortening of the treatment duration. All of these factors would improve the patient compliance with chemotherapy of TB.Result: An anti-tuberculosis drug, 4-amino salicylic acid (4-ASA) was successfully intercalated into the interlamellae of zinc layered hydroxide (ZLH) via direct reaction with zinc oxide suspension. The X-ray diffraction patterns and FTIR analyses indicate that the molecule was successfully intercalated into the ZLH interlayer space with an average basal spacing of 24 Å. Furthermore, TGA and DTG results show that the drug 4-ASA is stabilized in the interlayers by electrostatic interaction. The release of 4-ASA from the nanocomposite was found to be in a sustained manner. The nanocomposite treated with normal 3T3 cells shows it reduces cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner.Conclusions: Sustained release formulation of the nanocomposite, 4-ASA intercalated into zinc layered hydroxides, with its ease of preparation, sustained release of the active and less-toxic to the cell is a step forward for a more patient-friendly chemotherapy of Tuberculosis