Shari\u27ah, Democracy, and the Modern Nation-State: Some Reflections on Islam, Popular Rule, and Pluralism

In this article, the author examines two considerations that are critical to a full and meaningful assessment of the degree to which Islam, and Islamic law in particular, can find authentic expressions of themselves under what may reasonably be considered a democratic form of government. The first of these has to do with the scope of Islamic law, or more properly, the scope of the interpretive authority of Muslim jurists, and whether a State that is governed by Shari‘ah must necessarily give priority to the views of religious scholars over those of all others in every aspect of life. Does establishing speed limits, formulating economic policy, or setting standards for medical licensing all fall under the legal authority of the jurists? If not, is there any basis other than political fiat upon which the scope of this jurisdiction might be defined? The second consideration is connected to the question of whether in contemplating the relationship between Islam and democracy, we have not conflated the framework within which modern democracy is packaged, namely the Nation-State (and some would insist on adding capitalism), with the spirit and essence of democratic rule. If we could imagine a State structure whose integrity was not equated with the ability to exercise an absolute monopoly over law-making and the concomitant imposition of a uniform standard of conduct on all of its citizens, would the idea of Islamic democracy present as many apparent difficulties as it presently does? The author’s objective is to add a dimension to the discussion on Islam and democracy that will render future assessments and proposals more nuanced and circumspect

Domestic Terrorism in the Islamic Legal Tradition

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72503/1/j.1478-1913.2001.tb03718.x.pd

Approximate Analytic Solution for the Spatiotemporal Evolution of Wave Packets undergoing Arbitrary Dispersion

We apply expansion methods to obtain an approximate expression in terms of elementary functions for the space and time dependence of wave packets in a dispersive medium. The specific application to pulses in a cold plasma is considered in detail, and the explicit analytic formula that results is provided. When certain general initial conditions are satisfied, these expressions describe the packet evolution quite well. We conclude by employing the method to exhibit aspects of dispersive pulse propagation in a cold plasma, and suggest how predicted and experimental effects may be compared to improve the theoretical description of a medium's dispersive properties.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, RevTe

The roles of motivation and ability in controlling the consequences of stereotype suppression

Two experiments investigated the conditions under which previously suppressed stereotypes are applied in impression formation. In Experiment 1, the extent to which a previously suppressed racial stereotype influenced subsequent impressions depended on the race of the target who was subsequently encountered. Whereas impressions of race-unspecified targets were assimilated to the stereotype following its suppression, no such effects were observed when the target belonged to the racial group whose stereotype had been initially suppressed. These results demonstrate that when perceivers are motivated to avoid stereo-typing individuals, the influence of a stereotype that has been previously activated through suppression is minimized. Experiment 2 demonstrated that these processing goals effectively reduce the impact of suppression-activated stereotypes only when perceivers have sufficient capacity to enact the goals. These results suggest that both sufficient motivation and capacity are necessary to prevent heightened stereotyping following stereotype suppression

Mimicking the electron transfer chain in photosystem II with a molecular triad thermodynamically capable of water oxidation

In the photosynthetic photosystem II, electrons are transferred from the manganese-containing oxygen evolving complex (OEC) to the oxidized primary electron-donor chlorophyll P680•+ by a proton-coupled electron transfer process involving a tyrosine-histidine pair. Proton transfer from the tyrosine phenolic group to a histidine nitrogen positions the redox potential of the tyrosine between those of P680•+ and the OEC. We report the synthesis and time-resolved spectroscopic study of a molecular triad that models this electron transfer. The triad consists of a high-potential porphyrin bearing two pentafluorophenyl groups (PF10), a tetracyanoporphyrin electron acceptor (TCNP), and a benzimidazole-phenol secondary electron-donor (Bi-PhOH). Excitation of PF10 in benzonitrile is followed by singlet energy transfer to TCNP (τ = 41 ps), whose excited state decays by photoinduced electron transfer (τ = 830 ps) to yield Bi-PhOH-PF 10•+-TCNP•-. A second electron transfer reaction follows (τ < 12 ps), giving a final state postulated as BiH+-PhO•-PF10-TCNP•-, in which the phenolic proton now resides on benzimidazole. This final state decays with a time constant of 3.8 μs. The triad thus functionally mimics the electron transfers involving the tyrosine-histidine pair in PSII. The final charge-separated state is thermodynamically capable of water oxidation, and its long lifetime suggests the possibility of coupling systems such as this system to water oxidation catalysts for use in artificial photosynthetic fuel production.Fil: Megiatto, Jackson D.. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Antoniuk Pablant, Antaeres. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Sherman, Benjamin D.. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Kodis, Gerdenis. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Gervaldo, Miguel Andres. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Moore, Thomas A.. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Moore, Ana L.. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Gust, Devens. Arizona State University; Estados Unido

Stabilization of Deterministically Chaotic Systems by Interference and Quantum Measurements: The Ikeda Map Case

We propose a method which can effectively stabilize fixed points in the classical and quantum dynamics of a phase-sensitive chaotic system with feedback. It is based on feeding back a selected quantum sub-ensemble whose phase and amplitude stabilize the otherwise chaotic dynamics. Although the method is rather general, we apply it to realizations of the inherently chaotic Ikeda map. One suggested realization involves the Mach-Zender interferometer with Kerr nonlinearity. Another realization involves a trapped ion interacting with laser fields.Comment: RevTeX, 5 pages, two figure

Salbutamol for analgesia in renal colic: a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled phase II trial

Background The pain of renal colic, mediated in part by ureteral spasm and inflammation, is often severe and difficult to control. Salbutamol has been shown to cause ureteral relaxation, but its effects on the pain of renal colic have never been studied. The objective of this trial was to investigate whether the use of intravenous salbutamol in addition to standard analgesia was associated with greater pain reduction compared with standard analgesia alone in patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with renal colic. Methods This single-centre, double-blind, phase II, randomised, placebo-controlled trial recruited adult (≥18 years) ED patients with clinically suspected renal colic. Participants were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 250 µg of intravenous salbutamol or a placebo (0.9% sodium chloride). The primary outcome was the difference in the change in pain scores (measured on a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale) from baseline to 30 min following trial treatment administration in participants with subsequently confirmed renal colic. A modified intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken for the primary population of participants with confirmed renal colic. Results Consent was obtained from 151 patients; 108 participants with confirmed renal colic were included in the primary outcome analysis. There was no statistical difference between groups in median change in pain score at 30 min (salbutamol group −18 mm (IQR −25 to −3), placebo group −13 mm (IQR −33 to −1), difference 5 mm (95% CI −16 to 6, p=0.575)). No significant differences were found in the secondary outcomes related to pain, patient satisfaction or opiate requirement. More adverse events (AEs) were observed in the salbutamol group (65) compared with placebo (42, p=0.02); no unexpected AEs were identified. Conclusions This trial has not identified a clinically or statistically significant benefit from the addition of intravenous salbutamol to standard care for patients presenting to an ED with pain caused by renal colic. Trial registration numbers The trial was registered with the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT), reference 2018-004305-11. It was also registered with the ISRCTN Registry, reference 14552440

Salbutamol for analgesia in renal colic : study protocol for a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled phase II trial (SARC)

Background Renal colic is the pain experienced by a patient when a renal calculus (kidney stone) causes partial or complete obstruction of part of the renal outflow tract. The standard analgesic regimes for renal colic are often ineffective; in some studies, less than half of patients achieve complete pain relief, and a large proportion of patients require rescue analgesia within 4 h. Current analgesic regimes are also associated with significant side effects including nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and respiratory depression. It has been hypothesised that beta adrenoreceptor agonists, such as salbutamol, may reduce the pain of renal colic. They have been shown to impact a number of factors that target the physiological causes of pain in renal colic (ureteric spasm and increased peristalsis, increased pressure at the renal pelvis and prostaglandin release with inflammation). There is biological plausibility and a body of evidence sufficient to suggest that this novel treatment for the pain of renal colic should be taken to a phase II clinical trial. The aim of this trial is to test whether salbutamol is an efficacious analgesic adjunct when added to the standard analgesic regime for patients presenting to the ED with subsequently confirmed renal colic. Methods A phase II, randomised, placebo-controlled trial will be performed in an acute NHS Trust in the East Midlands. Patients presenting to the emergency department with pain requiring IV analgesia and working diagnosis of renal colic will be randomised to receive standard analgesia ± a single intravenous injection of Salbutamol. Secondary study objectives will explore the feasibility of conducting a larger, phase III trial. Discussion The trial will provide important information about the efficacy of salbutamol as an analgesic adjunct in renal colic. It will also guide the development of a definitive phase III trial to test the cost and clinical effectiveness of salbutamol as an analgesic adjunct in renal colic. Salbutamol benefits from widespread use across the health service for multiple indications, extensive staff familiarity and a good side effect profile; therefore, its potential use for pain relief may have significant benefits for patient care. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN14552440. Registered on 22 July 201

Aeolian dynamics of beach scraped ridge and dyke structures

Where urban areas are situated close to a beach, sand dunes act as protection from flooding and erosion.When a dune has been removed or damaged by erosion, dune, ridge or dyke re-building using heavymachinery, a process known as beach scraping, is a common method of restoration. Following construction, natural accretion of sediment on the backshore is preferable as it facilitates sustained natural dune building, growth of vegetation, and habitat creation and reduces the need for further beach scraping. This study investigates the near surface flowand transport potential for three artificial structure designs: a single ridge, a double ridge and a dyke. The three shapes contained an identical volume of sand and were preceded by 50mof beach at an angle of 3°. A computational fluid dynamic model (CFD)was created for each scenario to calculatewind flowand shear velocity from 4 differentwind directions at 22.5° intervals from 0° (onshore) to 67.5°. From this data sediment flux was predicted along a two dimensional transect for each of the scenarios. For all structures, shear velocity on the beach and stoss slope decreased as incident wind direction became more oblique; conversely shear velocity in the lee of the crest increased. A reduction in shear velocity at the foot of each structure also occurred and appears related to stoss slope,with the greatest reduction at the toe of the dyke structure (stoss slope 34°) and the least before the single ridge (stoss slope 17°). Specifically the results suggest that the double ridge structure is the most resilient to aeolian erosion. Shear velocity reduction on the back beach is comparable to the dyke and sediment flux fromthe stoss slope of the double ridge structure may become trapped in the swale between the two ridges encouraging sediment deposition, thus reducing sediment transport beyond the dunes and backshore. Although the dyke structure underwent the greatest reduction in shear velocity on the back beach it experienced substantial sediment flux at the crest and along the top of the structure, making it susceptible to erosion during a strongwind event. The highest sediment transport rate was calculated at the crest of the single ridge, and the single ridge structure also created the smallest reduction of shear velocity on the back beach, thus making it less desirable than the double ridge