Secularism and its Enemies

The following is intended to suggest a fairly simple contention concerning a number of interconnected propositions made in connection with the debates on modernity and secularism. None of these propositions is particularly novel, nor is this the first time that they have been put forward. Yet the issues raised have remained with us and become all the more pressing; I can see that points that were made, against the flow, more than two decades ago, now stand out more cogently than ever, and are being revisited, rediscovered or simply discovered by many. The simple contention I wish to start with concerns Islamism, often brought out emblematically when secularism and modernity are discussed. Like other self-consciously retrogressive identitarian motifs, ideas, sensibilities, moods and inflections of politics that sustain differentialist culturalism and are sustained by it conceptually, Islamism has come to gain very considerable political and social traction over the past quarter of a century

Spectrophotometric Determination of Mesalazine in Pharmaceutical Preparations by Oxidative Coupling Reactions with m-Aminophenol and 2,6- Dihydroxybenzoic Acid

        يتضمن البحث اقتراح طريقتين طيفيتين اتصفتا بالسهولة والسرعة والحساسية لتقدير الميزالازين في مستحضراته الصيدلانية. اعتمدت الطريقتين المقترحتين على تفاعلات الاقتران التأكسدي للميزالازين مع الكاشف ميتا-امينو فينول بوجود العامل المؤكسد N- بروموسكسينامايد في الوسط القاعدي (الطريقة A) والكاشف 6،2- ثنائي هيدروكسي حامض البنزويك بوجود العامل المؤكسد بيريودات الصوديوم في الوسط القاعدي (الطريقة B) ، لتكوين نواتج ملونة تعطي أعلى امتصاص عند الطول الموجي 640 نانوميتر و515 نانوميتر على التوالي . انطبق قانون بير ضمن مدى التراكيز 1.25- 30 مايكروغرام.مللتر-1 و0.5- 12.5 مايكروغرام.مللتر-1  وبامتصاصية مولارية  0.36 ×104                و 0.77×104  لتر.مول-1.سم-1 على التوالي. وكانت حدود الكشف تساوي 0.0144 و0.0829 مايكروغرام.مللتر-1 على التوالي . تم تطبيق الطريقتين المقترحتين بنجاح لتقدير الميزالازين في مستحضراته الصيدلانية بشكل اقراص وتحاميل .     Tow simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric methods for the determination of mesalazine in pharmaceutical preparations have been carried out. The proposed methods depend on oxidative coupling reaction of mesalazine with m-aminophenol in the existence of N-bromosuccinamide in alkaline medium (method A) and 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid in the existence of sodium metaperiodate in basic medium (method B) to produce colored products , show highest absorptions at 640 (nm) and 515 (nm), alternately. Beer’s law was consistent in concentrations extent of 1.25-30 and 0.5-12.5 (µg.mL-1) with molar absorptivity of 0.36×104 and 0.77×104 L.mol-1.cm-1, alternately. The limits of detection (LOD) were 0.0144 and 0.0829   µg.mL-1, while limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.0483 and 0.2766 (µg.mL-1), alternately. The suggested methods have been applied successfully to the determination of mesalazine in its pharmaceutical preparations as tablets and suppositories

THE U.S. WAR IN AFGHANISTAN: AN ASSESSMENT OF OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED AT ITS CONCLUSION

The dawn of the new millennium witnessed worldwide terrorism. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the United States entered Afghanistan in 2001 primarily to defeat Al-Qaeda. The war turned out to be the longest overseas military campaign conducted by the United States by the time U.S. troops completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Since the nature of an asymmetric war such as this one is inherently complex, it is challenging to assess how successfully the war in Afghanistan achieved U.S. objectives. This research aims to facilitate that assessment by first laying out tangible benchmarks, and thereafter gauging the war efforts according to those criteria. The research evaluates relevant terrorism statistics by examining the change in the number of terrorist incidents perpetrated by Al-Qaeda and the decimation of that group during the war. Additionally, the research analyzes the pattern of the Taliban insurgency that restored them to national power. The thesis also considers the frequency of terrorism incidents following the establishment of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The research empirically examines the U.S. war in Afghanistan and provides an objective assessment of the goals achieved. The research can help policymakers, think tanks, scholars, defense analysts, and military students in their respective domains by providing a strong foundation on which to draw lessons from the U.S. war in Afghanistan for future reference.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant Colonel, Pakistan ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Polymer Retention during Flow of Polymer Solutions through Porous Media

Polymer solution flow and retention through porous media is of interest to many applications in the oil industry such as drilling, water shut-off and enhanced oil recovery. Operators of mature oil and gas fields are faced with the problem of excessive water production (EWP), which can cause a premature abandonment of some oil and gas wells. It has been found that the injection of high molecular weight polymer solutions through the pay zones of the oil and gas wells would induce a sharp decrease of the water production without affecting the oil and gas production. This effect is called disproportionate permeability reduction (DPR) and the polymer solutions inducing such an effect are called relative permeability modifiers (RPM). Hence, the DPR effect has been utilized in the water shut-off or conformance control of oil and gas wells suffering from EWP. In spite of the extensive research of the DPR effect, there is still a lack of agreement on the mechanisms controlling such an effect and relatively high percentage failures are observed during conformance control field applications. Polymer retention in porous media has been attributed to mechanisms such as bridging-adsorption, adsorption-entanglement, and flow-induced adsorption. These mechanisms have been proposed to account for the increase in flow resistance during or after the flow of polymer solutions through porous media. The DPR effect has been attributed to effects induced by this retained polymer such as steric and lubrication effects, wettability change, segregated oil and water pathways, and swelling and shrinking of the adsorbed polymer layer. The aim of this study is to add knowledge on the effect of polymer solution flow on polymer retention in porous media. In this study, the rheology of high molecular weight polymer solutions was studied using a cone-and-plate setup. Moreover, the characteristics and the effective hydrodynamic thickness of adsorbed polymer layers on glass from these polymer solutions under static conditions were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Also, quartz crystal microbalance with the dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was used to investigate the effect of increasing the flow rate of polymer solutions on the adsorbed amount on silica and gold surfaces. Additionally, the mobility reduction and the residual resistance as a result of polymer solution flow through single glass capillaries, 2D and 3D models of porous media were studied. The implementation of the above techniques was used to relate the microscopic effect of the flow of the polymer solutions to the polymer retention in the porous media. The anti-thixotropic behaviour of the polymer solutions, which can be attributed to the shearinduced formation of micron-size transient entanglement networks (TEN), is expected to play a major role in the polymer retention in porous media. These microscopic structures can adsorb on the solid surfaces if the adsorption energy of the polymer/solid system is sufficient. Also, in porous media in which mechanical entrapment is possible, these structures can be entrapped in the small pores and pore throats. Two new mechanisms for polymer retention are proposed in this study: transient-entanglement networks adsorption (TENA) and transient-entanglement networks entrapment (TENE). The TENA is the retention mechanism of the TEN structures in flow systems in which mechanical entrapment is not possible provided that the adsorption energy is sufficient. If mechanical entrapment is possible, then the retention by adsorption and mechanical entrapment are lumped in the TENE mechanism. The results from this study have given a new insight on the flow and retention of polymer solutions through porous media. Hence, it is believed that the improved understanding will improve the design of high molecula

PARA PENCARI TUHAN (PPT) JILID 7 EPISODE 01, TAYANG 10 JULI 2013 DI SCTV

Fokus masalah pada penelitian ini adalah mendekripsikan tentang menemukan suatu teori dakwah dalam Sinetron religi dengan judul Para Pencari Tuhan jilid 7 episode 01 tayang pada 10 Juli 2013 di SCTV. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah tersebut, dalam penelitian ini peneliti menggunakan pendekatan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dengan metode analisis framing Gamson Modigliani. Teknik pengumpulan data yang dilakukan adalah dokumentasi. Selama proses penelitian berlangsung, peneliti di sini melihat dan memahami dari Sinetron religi Para Pencari Tuhan jilid 7 episode 01 tayang pada 10 Juli 2013 di SCTV, kemudian peneliti juga berusaha semaksimal mungkin untuk mengumpulkan dan menyalin data data yang ada kaitannya dalam penelitian ini, seperti buku buku yang berkaitan dengan (dakwah, dan televisi), situs situs di internet sehingga nantinya peneliti dapat merangkum hal hal yang terpenting dari semua data yang berhasil didapatkan. Setelah itu, peneliti menganalisis untuk membedah serta mengetahui bagaimana teori dakwah dalam Sinetron religi dengan judul Para Pencari Tuhan jilid 7 episode 01 tayang pada 10 Juli 2013 di SCTV. Dalam sinetron para pencari tuhan yang disiarkan oleh SCTV terdapat cerita antagonis dengan perilaku serakah yang di perankan oleh dua pencuri dan udin, adapun perilaku yang ingin mendapatkan ridho Allah yang di perankan oleh Asrul, Pak Ustadz, Azam, Bang Jek. Hasil penelitian penulis, tentang Sinetron Para Pencari Tuhan jilid 7 episode 01 tayang 10 juli 2013 di SCTV, menemukan teori bahwa terdapat cerita antagonis dalam sinetron itu

Pengaruh Peran Kepemimpinan dalam Manajemen Perubahan Organisasi HMJ Manajemen Untuk Peningkatan Akreditasi Prodi Manajemen UIN Sumatera Utara

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran kepemimpinan dalam satu periode HMJ Manajemen dalam peningkatan kualitas organisasi serta impact dalam peningkatan akreditasi prodi manajemen. Penelitian ini termasuk jenis penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Oleh itu, peneliti melihat dan menganalisis penelitian secara objektif dan mendetail untuk mendapatkan hasil yang akurat. Bahan sampel pada penelitian ini adalah pengurus HMJ Manajemen. Adapun penelitian ini dilakukan di Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam Prodi Manajemen. Penelitian ini menggunakan variabel bebas dan terikat yang dimana variabel bebas adalah himpunan mahasiswa dan variabel terikatnya adalah akreditasi. Dari Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa program kerja pengurus HMJ Manajemen memiliki kontribusi yang sangat penting dalam menunjang peningkatan akreditasi prodi Manajemen FEBI UIN-SU. Organisasi adalah struktur sosial yang dikoordinasikan melintasi batas-batas kinerja dan bekerja untuk mencapai tujuan organisasi. Kepemimpinan merupakan salah satu kiat keberhasilan suatu organisasi dalam merespon perubahan tersebut, dan melalui perencanaan dan pelaksanaan perubahan organisasi, kepemimpinan berperan dalam menentukan arah perubahan organisasi. Kepemimpinan yang baik diperngaruhi oleh seorang pemimpin dalam mengarungi suatu organisasi untuk mencapai visi dan misi organisasi tersebut. Melalui perubahan yang dilakukan olah seorang pemimpin organisasi Intra kampus untuk menaikkan citra organisasi nya dan akreditasi prodi dari organisasi intra tersebut

Protein intake, ammonia excretion and growth of Oreochromis spilurus in sea water

The effect of protein intake on ammonia excretion and growth rates and the related effects of ammonia levels on growth rate were studied in the tilapia species Oreochromis spilurus, in sea water. The effect of protein intake for stock in the size range of 30-300g BV, was determined by manipulating dietary protein level (P:E ratio) and feeding rate. The results over a protein level range of 20-43.35% and feeding rate of 0.5-6% BV/D show that protein intake has a significant effect on both growth and ammonia excretion rates. It was possible to draw a linear relationship between growth (SQR) and ammonia excretion rate at each P:E ratio level. Variation in the P:E ratio leads to variation in the slope of this relationship which reflects mainly the different contribution of protein energy and non-protein energy to growth and ammonia output. The P:E ratio appears to be significant to growth only at low feeding rate (sub-satiation). While it is relatively unimportant at medium and high feeding rates (close to satiation). However, P:E ratio is important for ammonia output at all feeding rates. Optimum growth for small fish in terms of PCE and PER can be achieved by feeding at sub-satiation (2% BV/D) with a high protein diet (43.35%). This growth was associated with high ammonia output (21% of N intake), mainly because of the limited not-protein energy supply with this feeding regime. This suggests that high PER value obtained from nutrition studies do not necessarily mean high protein utilisation for growth and subsequently low protein catabolism and low ammonia output. It suggests, in fact, that a more efficient growth can be obtained by protein metabolism rather than carbohydrate metabolism. For low ammonia output low P:E ratio diet fed at high ration is recommended mainly to allow protein saving by the carbohydrates. It was not possible to define one particular protein intake as an optimum for growth PCR and ammonia output. However, optimum growth can be achieved with low ammonia output by feeding low P:E ratio diet at high feeding rate, but at poorer PCR and PER. The negative effect of ambient ammonia on growth rate was found to be significant. If un-ionised ammonia levels are increased from 0.00 to 0.30 mg/L, optimum growth can only be achieved at higher protein intakes. At higher ammonia levels optimum growth cannot be achieved at any protein intake. Ammonia appears to reduce food consumption, therefore, it would be advisable to provide all nutrient requirements concentrated in small rations. Furthermore, ammonia stress seems to reduce feed utilisation efficiency, therefore, it would be advisable to use a very efficient energy source, such as protein, to balance this reduction. Therefore, under conditions where ammonia output is important for controlling ambient ammonia (eg. where water supply is restricted) feeding a high protein diet at low ration seems to offer the optimum strategy

Peran Citra Merek Dan Inovasi Produk Dalam Mempengaruhi Keputusan Pembelian Smartphone Merek Asus (Studi Pada Pembeli Di Plaza Marina Dan WTC Surabaya)

Perkembangan industri smartphone di Indonesia sangatlah pesat. Smartphone Asus merupakan merek yang sudah dikenal oleh konsumen Indonesia, dengan citra merek yang bagus dan inovasi produk smartphone Asus berharap untuk menjadi merek nomer satu di Indonesia, Namun pada kenyataanya Top Brand Index dan marketshare smartphone Asus mengalami penurunan. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif. Dan menggunakan teknik non probability sampling. Teknik pengambilan sampel yang digunakan adalah judgmental sampling dengan jumlah 110 Responden. Teknik pengambilan data menggunakan angket yang disebar pada pembeli smartphone Asus di Plaza Marina dan WTC Surabaya. Skala pengukuran dalam penelitian ini menggunakan skala Likert. Analisis statistik yang digunakan adalah analisis regresi linier berganda dengan spss 18. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa citra merek dan inovasi produk berpengaruh signifikan terhadap keputusan pembelian. Kata Kunci : Citra Merek, Inovasi Produk, Keputusan Pembelian