The article discusses the interrelationships of the loxodrome or rhumb line, isometric latitude, and the Mercator projection of the rotational ellipsoid. It is shown that by applying the isometric latitude, a very simple equation of the rhumb line on the ellipsoid is obtained. The consequence of this is that the isometric latitude can be defined using the generalized geodetic longitude and not only using the geodetic latitude, as was usual until now. Since the image of the rhumb line in the plane of the Mercator projection is a straight line, the isometric latitude can also be defined using this projection. Finally, a new definition of the normal aspect of the Mercator projection of the ellipsoid is given. It is a normal aspect cylindrical projection in which the images of the rhumb line on the ellipsoid are straight lines in the plane of projection that, together with the images of the meridians in the projection, form equal angles as the rhumb line forms with the meridians on the ellipsoid. The article provides essential knowledge to all those who are interested in the use of maps in navigation. It will be useful for teachers and students studying cartography and GIS, maritime, or applied mathematics. The author uses mathematical methods, especially differential geometry. The assumption is that the readers are no strangers to mathematical cartography.

In this study, the effect of porogenic solvents on pore size distribution of the polycaprolactone (PCL) thin films was investigated. Five thin PCL films were prepared using the solvent-casting method. Chloroform, Methylene Chloride (MC) and three different compositions of MC/ Dimethylformamide (DMF) (80/20, 50/50 and 20/80) were used as solvents. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) investigations were employed to study morphology and consequently the pore size distribution of the prepared films. The PCL films made by chloroform and MC as a solvent were completely non-porous. Whereas the other films (made by a combination of MC and DMF) showed both uni-modal and bi-modal pore size distributions.

The health of employees is so paramount for employee productivity. While emphasis is often placed on the physical health of employees, less emphasis is placed on the psychological or mental health of the employees. Similarly, it seems as if health challenges are more occurring in manufacturing industries, but the service organizations employees are as well susceptible to mental health challenges. Understanding the predictive factors to mental health challenges therefore becomes imperative. It is on this note that the present research examines how employee mental health is predicted by work safety measures like perceived workplace safety, work overload and pay satisfaction. The workplace safety variables include perception of job, co-worker, supervisor, management, and safety programs. A cross sectional survey method was adopted, using ex-post-facto research design. Data were gathered from 258 employees, including 150 (58.1%) females and 108 (41.9%) males of a non-governmental organization. Correlation and regression analyses were used to analyze data obtained from the standardized psychological scales that were administered. The results showed that mental health correlated positively with perceived job safety, but negatively with perceived co-worker, supervisor, management, safety programs and pay satisfaction. Workplace safety variables jointly predicted mental health, accounting for 23% variance, but only perceived job safety and supervisor safety were significant. The higher employees perceived job safety, the lower their mental health challenges. Similarly, the higher they perceived supervisor safety, the lower their mental health issues. Pay satisfaction accounted for 3% variance in mental health, and the higher the pay satisfaction, the lower the level of employee mental health issues. It is implied that the human resource unit of service organizations should intermittently examine their organizations to identify and prevent possible job and supervisor safety threats. Supervisors should be trained on how to be discrete in communicating safety measures to subordinates so that it will not boomerang to hamper mental health. The human resources unit should also intermittently organize workshop, training, and employee-assisted programs for younger and lower grade employees on adaptive mechanisms for reducing mental health challenges.

This research was conducted with the aim of developing indexes for diagnosis of balanced personnel levels in Korean Public Offices through Analytic Hierachy Process (AHP). The research found that 62.3% of ‘structural improvement’ and 37.7% of ‘inclusive organizational culture’ were weighted in large classification items. In the middle classification items, it was found weights of 27.5% for ‘gender equality’, 23.5% for ‘disabled’, 16.2% for ‘science and engineering’, 17.7% for ‘regional talent’, and 15.2% for ‘social integrated type’. In the small classification items, 9.4% of ‘employment rate of social integrated talent’, 5.3% of ‘the percentage of grade 7 and 9 selection of regional talent’ and 5% of ‘the percentage of women at the head of a department level’ were shown as important evaluation indicators. In addition, the ‘inclusive organizational culture’ was derived by allocating weights of 9.45% each for four areas: fairness, disclosure, cooperation and support. As above, this research constructs items of the balanced personnel index through prior research and designs detailed indexes. However, it is meaningful that surveys and others have confirmed the usefulness of the balanced personnel index, which will contribute to the achievement of balanced personnel objectives in public offices.