Dietary iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones. Breast-fed infants are reliant on maternal iodine intake. The aim of this study was to evaluate iodine sufficiency in lactating women in Iran. The sample consisted of 100 lactating mothers referred to the Taleghani Hospital of Gorgan, Iran. Goiter was graded according to World Health Organization (WHO) classification. Spot urin...

This study recorded the rate of congenital malformations in 10000 births at a referral hospital in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran in 1998-99. The overall incidence of congenital malformations was 1.01% (1.19% in males and 0.76% in females). Anomalies of the musculoskeletal system had the highest incidence (0.38%), followed by central nervous system (0.28%) and genitourinary system (0.25%). Th...

We present time resolved optical data acquired by the TAROT automated observatory on the afterglow of GRB 050525a from 6 to 136 min after the GRB. We find evidence for a rapid re-brightening of 0.65 mag of the afterglow at ∼33 min after the GRB. The decay slope α is 1.14 ± 0.07 in the first part and is 1.23 ± 0.27 after the re-brightening event. The afterglow of GRB 050525a is the third known a...

The diplomatic ties between Africa and Southeast Asia (SEA) have historically been sporadic and erratic. The only country in the SEA that the first decades after independence maintained a relatively narrower link to some African countries was Indonesia, because of political and ideological reasons. Today, trade has gained momentum, being South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria, the largest trading part...

An address is a common reference for a multitude of information. In South Africa, multiple address datasets are developed and maintained by various public and private organizations with little or no cooperation on data sharing. We identified motivators and barriers for address data sharing in South Africa through case studies of three typical organizations, which prepare, distribute and use add...

The approval in July 2001 by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) of the “New African Initiative” and a commitment soon afterwards by the world’s richest countries (G8) to launch a detailed development plan for Africa over the next year, can justly be regarded as a major boost for South African President Thabo Mbeki’s vision of an “African Renaissance” as the cornerstone for an “African Cent...