A Cross-Cultural and Trans-Generational Study: Links between Psychological Characteristics and Socio-Political Tendency amongst Urban Population in Afghanistan

Aim: This study examined how psychosocial characteristics might relate to adherence to democratic values among young and older people within two different cultural contexts in Afghanistan. Method: Self-report questionnaires were employed to measure empathy, theory of mind, gender role equality, openness to experiences, suggestibility, authoritarianism and support for democracy. A sample of 669 people from younger (18–25 years) and older (45 years and above) age groups from different cultural backgrounds in Afghanistan participated in the study. A series of MANOVAs were conducted to examine the cultural (Dari, Pashto), generational and gender differences on the study variables. Dari and Pashto speakers showed equal degrees of support for authoritarianism regardless of age difference. Results: The findings reveal that Dari speakers scored more highly on empathy, theory of mind, openness, gender role equality, democratic values and lower on suggestibility than Pashto speakers. Older Pashtun participants had lower scores on theory of mind than their younger counterparts. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis yields that gender role equality, openness and suggestibility predict support for democracy with gender role equality being the strongest predictor. Conclusion: The knowledge gained here would potentially be incorporated into the development of practical guidelines to be used by policy makers, education systems and the media to facilitate the process of democratization

Sharp Response Microstrip LPF using Folded Stepped Impedance Open Stubs

A novel microstrip lowpass filter with high selectivity and wide stopband is proposed that comprises two lateral folded open stubs and a central mirrored semi-circle ended suppressing cell. The proposed filter has cut-off frequency of 2.28 GHz and is very compact. The stopband width with attenuation level more than -20 dB is equal to 5.47 fc and the transition band is only 0.14 GHz. This filter is designed, fabricated and measured and the simulated and measured results are in good agreemen

Social and Economic Sustainability Analysis of Rural Settlements Located in the Hazard-Prone Areas: Case Study: Villages Surrounding the City of Sanandaj

This study is aimed at analyzing economic and social sustainability of rural settlements in the hazard – prone zones. Accordingly, the present descriptive – analytical study with emphasizing on its practical aspect is trying to identify high risk zones to locate the villages surrounding the Sanandaj City using Geography Information System (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). In this regard, for zoning of hazard – prone areas, information layers such as distance from the fault, gradient layer, height layer, distance from the river, landslide layer, and soil type layer were created utilizing the information existent in the database of GIS at Sanandaj Municipality. Finally, hazard – prone zones were identified by applying the technique in ARCGIS10 and its practical functions and algorithms. In the next step, the layers of villages surrounding Sanandaj City were adapted to the prioritized zones and so the villages (Salavat Abad, Dolat Abad, Gazar Dareh, Khalijan, Issa Dar, Hassan Abad) which are located in hazard – prone zoning, were identified. To assess the socio – economic conditions of these villages are used FTOPSIS technique. The studied samples were two Councils members in each village which were selected randomly to survey and to achieve the goal of research. The results showed that economical aspect of the indicator (rural road networks), with ID = E5, and social aspect of the indicator (health facilities), with ID = E8 gained the lowest weights in the minimum, average and maximum fuzzy criterion, and also the indictor of rural power network and its backup services, with ID = E1, and taking care of villages with cultural and historical monuments gained the highest weights in the minimum, average and maximum fuzzy criterion

Light mediated emergence of surface patterns in azopolymers at low temperatures

Polymer thin films doped with azobenzene molecules do have the ability to organize themselves in spontaneous surface relief gratings (SRG) under irradiation with a single polarized beam. To shed some light in this still unexplained phenomenon, we use a new method that permits us to access experimentally the very first steps of the pattern formation process. Decreasing the temperature, we slow down the formation and organization of patterns, due to the large increase of the viscosity and relaxation time of the azopolymer. As a result decreasing the temperature allows us to access and study much shorter time scales,in the physical mechanisms underlying the pattern formation, than previously reported. We find that the patterns organize themselves in sub-structures which size increase with the temperature, following the diffusion coefficient evolution of the material. That result suggests that the pattern formation and organization is mainly governed by diffusive processes, in agreement with some theories of the SRG formation. Decreasing further the temperature we observe the emergence of small voids located at the junction of the sub-structures.Comment: 6 figures, 13 pages

Solving Singular Boundary Value Problems Using Daftardar-Jafari Method

In this paper, we apply the suggested iterative method by Daftardar and Jafari hereafter called Daftardar-Jafari method for solving singular boundary value problems. In the implementation of this new method, one does not need the computation of the derivative of the so-called Adomian polynomials. The method is quite efficient and is practically well suited for use in these problems. Two illustrative examples has been presented