Innermost Circle Research Articles

Optimizing Load Capacity Predictions in Gas Foil Thrust Bearings: A Novel Full-Ramp Model

Gas film thickness significantly influences the performance prediction of Gas Foil Thrust Bearings (GFTB). However, the Classical Model (CM) for GFTBs exhibits inaccuracies in describing gas film thickness. In this paper, we explore the differences in the details of gas film thickness modeling and propose a Parallel Segmentation Model (PSM), which fixes the errors of the CM in describing the gas film thickness in the ramp section, and a Full-Ramp Model (FRM), to which a more realistic description of the gas film in the flat section is also added. Comparative analysis, utilizing a publicly available test dataset based on the open-source GFTB structure, establishes that the FRM surpasses the CM and PSM in accurately predicting load capacity. In-depth analysis shows that the location of the minimum gas film thickness for determining the load capacity is located at the innermost circle of the free end of the top foil, whereas the FRM is subjected to the same load with a larger film thickness at this location, which may be due to the unique geometry of the top foil of the FRM. Subsequently, employing the FRM, a parametric study explores load capacity in GFTB, considering variables such as ramp height, top foil thickness, bump foil stiffness, ramp section extent, and top foil area. The results demonstrate that GFTB load capacity exhibits a linear increase with the expansion of the top foil area. Moreover, the load capacity increases with augmented top foil thickness and bump foil stiffness, albeit at a decreasing rate. Additionally, an increase in ramp section extent initially enhances load capacity, reaching a maximum value before declining. Similarly, an increase in ramp height initially augments load capacity, attaining a maximum before subsequent diminution.

Aspiración y Expectativa: Un Estudio de Percepción Social Sobre Robot Imaginario


 
 
 Technological advancement has led to a series of transformations in human life that have deeply permeated the innermost circle of the social sphere. Among these innovations, the development of social robots stands out, whose influence on the relationship between humans and technology, particularly in the field of care, is notable. The objective of this study is to carry out an investigation into the aspirations and expectations related to the development of social robots, from the perspective of older people and children, in the context of care in three countries: Spain, Romania, and Italy. With the involvement of 41 elderly people and 44 children, this study aims to identify the elements that generate feelings of approval or disapproval in relation to social robots. Using a participatory approach, this study expands the understanding of the perceptions and aspirations of children and elderly people, in relation to their vision of what shape a social robot might take. The analysis highlights that there is a tendency to feminize the representation of the imagined robot, as a consequence of the association with attributes and roles traditionally considered feminine in society. 
 
 

Investigation of OCTA Biomarkers in Fabry Disease: A Long Term Follow-Up of Macular Vessel Area Density and Foveal Avascular Zone Metrics.

Retinal microvasculature is known to be altered in patients with Fabry disease (FD). We aimed to investigate the long-term changes in macular microvasculature and explore a reliable retinal biomarker for treatment monitoring in FD. Prospective study of 26 eyes with FD followed up to 48months (mean 24, range 8-48). OCT angiography (OCTA) images (2.9 × 2.9mm) were obtained using Heidelberg Spectralis II at baseline and follow-up. Macular vessel area density (VAD, %) was measured in three layers: superficial vascular plexus (SVP), intermediate capillary plexus (ICP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) in three peri-macular circular sectors (c1, c2, c3). Additionally, foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area (mm2) and horizontal and vertical diameters (µm) were assessed. VAD decreased over time in SVP, ICP (in sectors c2 and c3) and DCP (all sectors) (p < 0.04). VAD reduction was predominantly seen in treated FD patients. FAZ and horizontal diameters increased at follow-up in FD patients compared to baseline (p ≤ 0.025). Correlation analysis showed a moderate to strong negative correlation between VAD of SVP and DCP in the innermost circle and FAZ in treated patients (r = - 0.6; p < 0.0001). This is the first long-term follow-up OCTA study in FD to our knowledge. A decrease in VAD, pronounced in the peripheral circle and deeper layers, as well as an enlargement of the FAZ could be observed over time. These changes reflect the vascular remodelling during the course of the disease. Interestingly, the reduction of VAD was more pronounced in treated patients. This could be a result of enzyme replacement therapy and could be potentially used as a reliable biomarker for monitoring the treatment of the disease. A baseline examination of VAD and FAZ before treatment initiation is meaningful. Larger studies are needed to establish the use of VAD and FAZ as biomarkers for treatment monitoring.

A Multicircle Planar Electrical Impedance Tomography Sensor for 3-D Miniature Imaging

In this paper, a multi-circle planar electrical impedance tomography (EIT) sensor is proposed for three-dimensional (3D) miniature imaging. There are two problems in 3D miniature EIT imaging: 1) the spatial resolution is low due to the number of electrodes is limited; 2) contact impedance influences image reconstruction quality severely. The proposed EIT sensor made by a printed circuit board (PCB) adopts multi-circle structure and tackles the two problems. Driven electrodes are distributed on the outermost two circles, while measurement electrodes are distributed on the innermost circle. Contact impedance is reduced due to the area of driven electrodes could be larger than traditional ones by using the multi-circle structure, it’s also owning to gold is deposited on the surface of the electrodes. Moreover, a new driven-measurement pattern of the EIT sensor is proposed to improve the spatial resolution as well as image reconstruction quality. The proposed EIT sensor is verified by both simulation and experiment. Average Image correlation coefficient (ICC) is as high as 0.8475 in simulation. Compared with the 16-electrode EIT sensor, ICC is improved 39.16%. In experiment, average ICC of four standard objects is 0.8389. The proposed 3D EIT sensor is good at miniature imaging.

Design of deployable circular structures based on Miura origami pattern

A high deploy/fold ratio is essential for space deployable structures to maintain the storage efficiency of the spacecraft. This paper proposes a planar deployable circular structure (DCS) based on the Miura-ori pattern, as well as the design of system parameters and an optimization model for the deploy/fold ratio. In addition, another method for designing curved-surface DCS is proposed that is based on the parallel projection principle. To ensure the structure's foldability and surface accuracy, a mathematical model is established based on the projected vertices on the innermost circle of the target spherical surface. Moreover, suitable numerical design methods for obtaining the vertices of planar and curved-surface DCSs are summarized. Furthermore, the actuation methods for planar and curved-surface deployable structures are presented. The physical prototypes are fabricated, and deployment experiments are conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed design approach. The novel design of planar and curved-surface DCSs presented in this paper provides a new inspiration for the practical design of deployable space structures.

CuZn Complex Used in Electrical Biosensors for Drug Delivery Systems.

This paper is to discuss the potential of using CuZn in an electrical biosensor drug carrier for drug delivery systems. CuZn is the main semiconductor ingredient that has great promise as an electrochemical detector to trigger releases of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). This CuZn biosensor is produced with a green metal of frameworks, which is an anion node in conductive polymers linked by bioactive ligands using metal-polymerisation technology. The studies of Cu, Zn, and their oxides are highlighted by their electrochemical performance as electrical biosensors to electrically trigger API. The three main problems, which are glucose oxidisation, binding affinity, and toxicity, are highlighted, and their solutions are given. Moreover, their biocompatibilities, therapeutic efficacies, and drug delivery efficiencies are discussed with details given. Our three previous investigations of CuZn found results similar to those of other authors' in terms of multiphases, polymerisation, and structure. This affirms that our research is on the right track, especially that related to green synthesis using plant extract, CuZn as a nanochip electric biosensor, and bioactive ligands to bind API, which are limited to the innermost circle of the non-enzymatic glucose sensor category.

An Anthradithiophene Donor Polymer for Organic Solar Cells with a Good Balance between Efficiency and Synthetic Accessibility

Over the past few years, the organic photovoltaics technology (OPV) has reached remarkable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), mostly thanks to the advent of nonfullerene acceptors as well as to a high level of materials engineering. Yet, the complex materials syntheses behind these results ultimately limit technological readiness. The quest for scalable organic compounds offering high PCE and reasonably low synthetic complexity is a must to close the gap between laboratory R&amp;D and commercial products. The synthesis and full characterization of a new conjugated polymer called PATTD is reported herein, based on a novel anthradithiophene as an electron‐rich building block coupled with a commercially available dithienylbenzodithiophenedione as an electron‐withdrawing comonomer. Its photovoltaic properties are studied in blends with IT‐4F and IDIC as acceptors. PATTD:IT‐4F‐based photovoltaic devices exhibit a PCE approaching 10% and over 2300 h shelf‐life stability. The PATTD scalability factor (SF), together with the PATTD‐based photovoltaic performances, lead to a PCE/SF value equal to 0.297, placing such devices into the innermost circle of OPV materials, achieving one of the best compromises between efficiency and synthetic complexity and at the same time offering promising industrial perspectives.

Till Death Do Us Part?: Exploring the Social Convoys of Conjugally Bereaved Women.

The hierarchical mapping technique (HMT) is used to study social convoys, peoples' support systems. Recent research integrating the HMT and the continuing bonds framework suggests that deceased persons may be influential convoy members. Extending this idea, the current study aimed to gain insight regarding how older conjugally bereaved women view the role of a deceased romantic partner in their convoy. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive approach. Twenty heterosexual women (mean age = 78 years, range = 65-93 years), recruited via social media and snowball sampling, participated in one 90-min interview. Each discussed their bereavement journey and completed an HMT diagram to comment on how, if at all, their deceased romantic partner was part of their social convoy and their place within it. Fifteen of the 20 women placed the deceased in the innermost circle of the diagram, with them yet separate from other convoy members. Thematic analysis of transcripts revealed 5 major themes: "We're part of each other," "I think he supports me," "He would want me to be happy," "I just feel so grateful," and "I think about him every day but I don't talk about him every day." Perceptions that deceased romantic partners continue to play a key role in conjugally bereaved older women's lives offer researchers the unique opportunity to examine how loss is carried into old age. Furthermore, this study may assist with the development of interventions that destigmatize continuing bond expressions for conjugally bereaved heterosexual women.

Journalists’ ego networks in Twitter: Invariant and distinctive structural features

Ego networks have proved to be a valuable tool for understanding the relationships that individuals establish with their peers, both in offline and online social networks. Particularly interesting are the cognitive constraints associated with the interactions between the ego and the members of their ego network, which limit individuals to maintain meaningful interactions with no more than 150 people, on average, and to arrange such relationships along concentric circles of decreasing engagement. In this work, we focus on the ego networks of journalists on Twitter, considering 17 different countries, and we investigate whether they feature the same characteristics observed for other relevant classes of Twitter users, like politicians and generic users. Our findings are that journalists are generally more active and interact with more people than generic users, regardless of their country. Their ego network structure is very aligned with reference models derived in anthropology and observed in general human ego networks. Remarkably, the similarity is even higher than the one of politicians and generic users ego networks. This may imply a greater cognitive involvement with Twitter for journalists than for other user categories. From a dynamic perspective, journalists have stable short-term relationships that do not change much over time. In the longer term, though, ego networks can be pretty dynamic, especially in the innermost circles. Moreover, the ego-alter ties of journalists are often information-driven, as they are mediated by hashtags both at their inception and during their lifetime. Finally, we found that relationships between journalists are assortative in popularity: journalists tend to engage with other journalists of similar popularity, in all layers but especially in their innermost ones. Instead, when journalists interact with generic users, this assortativity is only present in the innermost layers.

Other Writings/Traditions

Other Writings/Traditions Christopher T. Begg, William J. Urbrock, Brian J. Meldrum, Richard A. Taylor, and Thomas Hieke Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America William J. Urbrock University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Brian J. Meldrum Catholic University of America Richard A. Taylor Dallas Theological Seminary Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz 739. [Angels in the Mäṣḥafä Qәddase and Its Andәmta] Tedros Abraha, "The Place of the Angels in the Mäṣḥafä Qәddase (The Book of Hallowing) and in Its Andәmta," Angelic Beings, 151-74 [see #810]. A.'s contribution focuses on angelology in the Ethiopic work of his title, with particular attention to the roles and locations within the heavenly hierarchy according to that document. The 81 canonical books of the OT and NT in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches and their mainly allegorical interpretation known as andәmta are key to the interpretation of the angelology of the above document as well as those found in the canonical 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Apocalypse of Ezra. Outside of its biblical sources, other important sources for the document in question are the Hexaemeron, Mäṣḥafä Aksimaros, and De Coelesti Hierarchia (Περὶ τῆς οὐρανίας Ἱεραρχίας)by Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite (5th cent. a.d.). Drawing on these and still other later sources, the Mäṣḥafä Qәddase offers details regarding the creation of angels, their numbers, their organization, and their role as part of the innermost circle of the Holy Trinity. In this document, angels are linked to the founding of churches, which are built wherever drops of blood of the crucified Christ fell or were sprinkled by an angel. Despite the massive presence of angels in all aspects of religious and secular life among Ethiopians and Eritreans, it is striking that in the Geʿez work Mäṣḥafä Qәddase taken as a whole angels do not play as prominent a role as one might expect. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 740. [The Torah's Dietary Laws in the Letter of Aristeas] Anna Angelini, "The Reception and Idealization of the Torah in the Letter of Aristeas: The Case of the Dietary Laws," HeBAI 9 (4, 2020) 435-47. In the Letter of Aristeas (LA), the dietary laws are presented as a paradigm for the entire Torah. However, the summary of the dietary laws given by the author in ¶¶128-171 does not, for the most part, literally quote the biblical texts in question, but rather reflects a considerable degree of interpretation regarding these laws. This paper examines the relationship between biblical traditions and Greek cultural referents in the Letter's presentation [End Page 246] of the dietary and sacrificial laws against the background of other Second Temple period texts which feature a reception of these laws, e.g., Philo, Josephus, and the Qumran materials. I argue that while the presentation of the dietary laws in the Letter attests to the considerable authority this section of the Torah had for the author from a symbolic point of view, it nonetheless offer little evidence for the practice and content of a dietary halacha. See ##679, 695. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 741. [Philo's Exegesis of the Dream of Jacob (Gen 28:10-22) in Somn. 1,1-188] Anne Boiché, "La place de l'Écriture dans l'exégèse du rêve de Jacob (Somn. 1,1-188)," Religion et rationalité, 9-27 [see #796]. B.'s study on the place of Scripture in the exegesis of Philo highlights the methodical fashion in which Philo develops his thought, not only taking the text of Scripture as his starting point, but also, and especially, proceeding in company with it. The dialogue between the scriptural text and Philo's interpretation of this unfolds by way of Philo's close work with scriptural citations, which sometimes are abbreviated or even implicit, as required by the nature of the Philonic commentary, but also via a process of reciprocal clarification on the basis of classical culture, this leading to an exegesis that is Philo's own, but always closely linked to the text of Scripture. [Translated and adapted...

Till Death Do Us Part?: Exploring the Influence of Deceased Romantic Partners on the Lives of Older Women

Abstract Recent research integrating the hierarchical mapping technique (HMT) and the continuing bonds framework has suggested that deceased individuals may be influential social convoy members. Building off this pilot work, the current qualitative descriptive study focused on how older women viewed the role of a longstanding deceased romantic partner in their current social network. Twenty women (Mean age = 78 years), recruited via social media and snowball sampling, participated in one 90-minute semi-structured interview. Each discussed their bereavement journey and completed a HMT diagram to comment on their social network and the presence or absence of the deceased within it. Nineteen participants described the deceased as being an active member of their convoy. Interestingly, 15 women placed them within the innermost circle of the diagram, separate from their other network members. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts expanded upon the HMT diagram exercise to reveal five major themes: “We’re part of each other,” “I think he supports me,” “He would want me to be happy,” “I just feel so grateful,” and “I think about him every day but I don’t talk about him every day". Perceptions that deceased romantic partners continue to play a key role in participants' lives offers researchers and practitioners with a unique opportunity to examine how losses are experienced and carried into old age. Further, this study may assist with the development of interventions that help support bereaved individuals, specifically, interventions that focus on destigmatizing continuing bond expressions and provide assistance with communicating memorialization preferences.

Modeling four-wave mixing noises for any signal constellation in twin-wave-based coherent OFDM system

Semi-analytic models of four-wave-mixing (FWM) noise for any possible signal constellation, called as general FWM models, are derived in this paper for coherent orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) system with three kinds of phase-conjugated twin waves (PCTW) schemes. The PCTW scheme, used to reduce the impact of FWM noise by co-propagating a signal with its phase-conjugated copy along optical fiber link, can be implemented in polarization, time or subcarrier domains. Based on the derived general FWM models, example calculations are carried out to evaluate the performance of OFDM system with polarization-domain PCTW scheme for 16-ary signal with several kinds of signal constellations when the FWM and the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noises are included. Three kinds of 16-ary signal constellations are defined here. The first kind, written as (N1, N2), has N1 signal points on the inner circle and N2 points on the outer circle. The second kind, written as (1, N1, N2), has N1 signal points on the inner circle, N2 points on the outer circle and a signal point in the center. The third kind, written as (N1, N2, N3), has N1 signal points on the innermost circle, N2 signal points on the media circle and N3 points on the outermost circle. Among all 16-ary signal constellations discussed here, the performance of (5, 11) is best and that of the 16-ary phase-shift keying (PSK) is worst. The performance of (5, 11) is close to that of (1, 5, 10) and 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

Károly Pál Pálffy and the Dear “Familia”

The Pálffys were among the wealthiest and most influential families in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Habsburg Monarchy. The family owed its arrival in the political, economic, and social elite to Miklós Pálffy (1552–1600), the “hero of Győr.” His descendants obtained the highest offices in Hungary—Pál Pálffy (1592–1653) became chief justice and palatine—and filled important positions in the Imperial Court in Vienna (Pál Pálffy became a member of the Privy Council). In the first half of the eighteenth century, the Pálffys excelled primarily in military service; however, multiple wars led to the near extinction of the male branch of the family as numerous young Pálffy men lost their lives on the battlefield. Despite these serious losses, the family managed to preserve its prominent position in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Viennese court: Palatines Miklós Pálffy and János Pálffy belonged to the innermost circle of advisers to Charles III and Maria Theresa. Maintaining appearances in court, however, was enormously costly for the Pálffy family. Moreover, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the family procured their largest estates; in the eighteenth century, rather than acquiring estates, the family faced a mounting burden of debt. János Pálffy attempted to solve the problem in his will by changing the legal status of the central estate, the castle of Červený Kameň (Vöröskő, Rotenstein), to an entail (mostly referred to as Fideicommissum in European legal terminology). The result was decades of strife amongst his descendants, who did not find the entailment of Červený Kameň personally advantageous since the property could not be divided or alienated. The Pálffy family lawsuits were not unique in the eighteenth century; during the same period, the Zichys were also embroiled in family litigation. This study examines the longstanding feud that began in 1749 through the lens of family letters, providing a perspective on family history and contemporary attitudes. This study is part of wider research on the history of lawsuits and makes it possible to place the eighteenth-century legal disputes of the Hungarian nobility in a broader Central European and even European context.

Crashworthiness analysis of bionic thin-walled tubes inspired by the evolution laws of plant stems

Recently, bionic thin-walled structures have attracted widespread attention in automotive safety design because of their excellent crashworthiness behavior and weight efficiency. In this paper, inspired by the evolution laws and microstructure of plant stems, a group of bionic tubes with m parts and n layers (PmLnBTs) are proposed and investigated by theoretical prediction and numerical analysis. Theoretical models of PmLnBTs are developed to predict the specific energy absorption. Finite element model is conducted with LS-DYNA and validated by a quasi-static axial crushing experiment. The accuracy of the theoretical model is verified by numerical analysis, and the maximum relative error is less than 7%. Furthermore, parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of geometric parameters on the energy absorption capability of PmLnBTs. The results indicate that the PmLnBTs exhibit superior crashworthiness performance compared to traditional bi-tubular circle tubes. Moreover, when designing such a bionic energy absorber, it can effectively improve the crashworthiness performance by appropriately increasing the number of layers, reducing the outermost circle diameter or avoiding innermost circle diameter value too large or too small. The findings of this paper provide a guidance for the design of energy absorber with excellent energy absorption performance.

Charge accumulation characteristic on polymer insulator surface under AC voltage in air and C 4 F 7 N/CO 2 mixtures

Charge accumulation has always been a problem for the safe operation of gas insulated switchgear (GIS)/gas insulated transmission line (GIL) both under AC and DC. It is of great significance to investigate the behaviour of surface charge under high voltage. In this study, the charge distribution characteristics and accumulation mechanism on insulator surface in air and heptafluorobutyronitrile/carbon dioxide (C4F7N/CO2) mixtures under AC voltage are studied via the means of surface potential measurement and inversion algorithm, combined with the improved method of controlling the truncated phase of AC voltage. The results show that under the needle–plate electrode structure, charge distribution on the insulator surface presents a three-tier concentric circle structure both in air and C4F7N/CO2 gas mixtures, and the charge composition of the innermost circle is closely related to the truncated phase of AC voltage. Under the same amplitude of voltage, the range of charge distribution on insulator surface in C4F7N/CO2 mixtures is smaller than that in air, with the negative charges domination. It is suggested that the characteristic of charge distribution in C4F7N/CO2 mixtures is related to the larger electron attachment cross-section of C4F7N gas in a wide range of electron energy distribution.

Power, Patronage, and the Candidate-nomination Process: Observations from Bangladesh

AbstractIn this article, by studying the candidate-nomination process of the two major political parties, I show how power is distributed within the political party in Bangladesh. I show that the general acceptance by scholars that political power lies in the hands of the innermost circle of the political-party leadership in Bangladesh is too simplistic. A more nuanced observation of power and influence within the party structure shows that, in the context of Bangladesh's clientelistic political system, which is based on reciprocity between patrons and clients and relies on the ability of middlemen to organize and mobilize (in order to disrupt through hartals and strikes), power is often in the hands of those mid-level leaders who are in charge of mobilizing because their demands cannot be ignored by the topmost leadership. Through studying the candidate-nomination process of the major political parties and using the Narayanganj mayoral election of 2011 as a case study, I answer questions such as whose interests political parties are representing, what channels of influence are being used, and why these channels exist.

Made in Egypt: Gendered Identity and Aspiration on the Globalized Shop Floor

Made in Egypt: Gendered Identity and Aspiration on the Globalized Shop Floor

The Impact of Ronald Coase’s “Nature of the Firm” on my Research Agenda on Overseas Chinese Merchants in Southeast Asia

Abstract Ronald Coase (1937), in his article “Nature of the Firm,” argued that if the price mechanism is used, a factor of production (owner of the firm) would need to negotiate a series of contracts separately with each of the factors with whom he is co-operating; these contract negotiation costs could be reduced by organizing a firm because the owner-entrepreneur of the firm is able to direct resources within the firm, hence saving some transaction costs. Furthermore, Coase used a von Thünen concentric circles diagram to depict a single-product firm, as it expands, grows into a multi-product firm. My theory of the ethnically homogeneous [Chinese] middleman group/EHMG (Landa 1981), argued that the EHMG is an organization which reduces the transaction costs of contract enforcement. Using a von Thünen concentric circles diagram, I showed how a rational trader chooses his trading partners, moving from the innermost circle (most trusted partners) outwards to the ethnic boundary as he expands the size of this trading network. The aggregative result of all rational traders’ choice of trading partners is the spontaneous emergence of the EHMG. My 1981 papers together with subsequent published papers on the EHMG have been reprinted in my book, Economic Success of Chinese Merchants in Southeast Asia (Landa 2016); these papers created the “Economics of Identity,” a new subfield, while carrying on the Coasian transaction costs tradition.

Quantifying positional variation of retinal blood vessels in glaucoma.

We studied the relationship between major retinal blood vessel (BV) positions and glaucoma parameters based on pairs of Cirrus optical coherence tomography scans and Humphrey visual fields of 445 eyes from 445 glaucoma patients in our cross-sectional study. A trained observer marked the major superior and inferior temporal BV (artery and vein) positions on four concentric circles around the optic disc. Analysis of variance was performed to analyze the group differences of BV positions related to the factors of radius, BV type, myopia status and glaucoma stage. Subsequent t-tests were implemented to further study the effect of glaucoma stage on BV positions. The radial variations of BV positions were correlated to mean deviation and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT). We found significant main effects of BV type, radius and myopia status for superior and inferior BV positions and of glaucoma stage for superior BV positions (all p≤0.006) with significant superior artery nasalization in advanced compared to mild glaucoma on the two smallest circles (subsequent t-tests, p<0.05). In addition, MD (r = -0.10, p = 0.04) and cpRNFLT (r = -0.12, p = 0.02) were significantly correlated to the angle difference of superior arteries between the innermost and outermost circles. In conclusion, we demonstrated that peripapillary superior artery positions are significantly nasalized for advanced glaucoma.

The Dynamic Holistic Development of Human Potentials and Wellbeing: Implication on Educational Policies

Education plays an important role in its mission to develop every individual student to become the best person whose potential has been developed to optimal level. This paper discusses a framework of individual’s holistic potential development. Holistic education includes processes and efforts to realize the progress of individual potentials from all dimensions which include; physical, social, intellect, emotion, aesthetic, creativity, and spirituality or as referred by Malaysian Educational Philosophy as physical, emotion, spiritual, and intellect. Holistic developmental process is regarded as the aim and effort to develop individuals to be mindful and skillful to benefit self and the society at large. Development of social responsibility is the outermost circle of the conceptual framework. It signifies the individual’s awareness of his purpose in life, for continuous wellbeing and happiness when he benefits other people from his potential development. Individual potential development starts from the innermost circle describing his self-development, developing wellbeing, to feel peace and calm, and worthiness. Innermost circle refers to the individual state of happiness or wellbeing when his spiritual dimension is fulfilled and developed. The middle or second circle of the framework refers to the developmental process of character and excellence for individual’s optimal potential development through adults caring and teachers’ application of ‘love pedagogy’. Among the catalysts for the developmental process are: conducive environment, emotional strength and self-actualization, chance factor, time investment, effort, and financial resource. Individual development at the micro level during childhood age will become elements for the developmental process during adolescents and adulthood. Implications of the framework of individual’s holistic potential development on educational policies will be discussed in this paper.