THEOLOGY OF NAHJ AL-BALĀGHAH

Nahj al-Balāghah is a book consisting of the sermons, letters and short words of wisdom of Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661), compiled by the fourth century Shiʿi scholar and poet Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al-Mūsawī, more commonly known as al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d. 406/1015). It contains important theological discussions reflecting Imamī beliefs. By the fourth Islamic century, it was established that the core Twelver Shiʿi Imamī theology, uṣūl al-dīn, consisted of the following: tawḥīd (monotheism), ʿadālah (divine justice), nubūwah (prophethood), Imamah (divinely appointed leadership), and maʿād (resurrection and the afterlife). Imam ʿAlī discussed all these topics in Nahj al-Balāghah in a manner and style that is notably different form the language used by fourth Islamic century theologians. This thesis is the first work in English that explores the five uṣūl al-dīn as discussed in Nahj al-Balāghah. The first chapter introduces this work and gives an overview of Imam ʿAlī, al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, Nahj al-Balāghah, and the methodology of the work. Chapter 2 examines the main theological topics that were discussed in the third and fourth Islamic centuries. It also critiques two major works and refutes the idea that Shiʿi scholars such as al-Shaykh al-Mufīd (d. 413/1022) and al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (d. 436/1044) were influenced by Muʿtazilī ideologies. Chapter 3 explores tawḥīd in Nahj al-Balāghah while also comparing Shiʿi beliefs to those of Muʿtazilīs and Ashʿarīs. Chapter 4 reviews the concept of ʿadālah in Nahj al-Balāghah and considers the Imamī stand versus Muʿtazilī and Ashʿarī theologies. Chapter 5 looks at nubūwah in Nahj al-Balāghah, and it shows that the topics mentioned by Imam ʿAlī form the basis for al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā’s description of the qualities of prophets. Chapter 6 is about Imamah in Nahj al-Balāghah, which is the most contentious issue discussed by early Shiʿi theologians, and arguably the first to be debated immediately after the death of the Prophet Muḥammad. Chapter 7 discusses the concept of maʿād in the Nahj, and how Imam ʿAlī revolves the essence of life around God-wariness (taqwā Allāh) and achieving the pleasure of God. The belief in the Hereafter encourages a person to have a virtuous character and drives one to implement justice in all one’s interactions. This dissertation is among the few works in western scholarship that investigates Nahj al-Balāghah, one of the most important books in Shiʿi Islam. It demonstrates that Imam ʿAlī discussed important theological themes long before they were explored by early Muslim theologians. It shows that concepts such as God and His attributes, free will and predetermination, the essence of prophethood and Imamah, as well as death, physical resurrection and the afterlife are all explored in Nahj al-Balāghah. This establishes Imam ʿAlī as the founder of ʿilm al-kalām, and his inevitable influence can be observed in Muʿtazilī theology. Instead of studying theology per early theologians and scholars, this thesis derives theological understanding directly from the words of Imam ʿAlī. The thesis concludes that the core of the entire corpus of Twelver Imamī Shiʿi belief is presented in Nahj al-Balāghah, providing a solid foundational basis for the followers of Imam ʿAlī

Strongly possible functional dependencies for SQL

Missing data is a large-scale challenge to research and investigate. It reduces the statistical power and produces negative consequences that may introduce selection bias on the data. Many approaches to handle this problem have been introduced. The main approaches suggested are either missing values to be ignored (removed) or imputed (filled in) with new values. This paper uses the second method. Possible worlds and possible and certain keys were introduced in Köhler et.al., and by Levene et.al. Köhler and Link introduced certain functional dependencies (c-FD) as a natural complement to Lien's class of possible functional dependencies (p-FD). Weak and strong functional dependencies were studied by Levene and Loizou. We introduced the intermediate concept of strongly possible worlds that are obtained by imputing values already existing in the table in a preceding paper. This results in strongly possible keys (spKey's) and strongly possible functional dependencies (spFD's). We give a polynomial algorithm to verify a single spKey and show that in general, it is NP-complete to verify an arbitrary collection of spKeys. We give a graph-theoretical characterization of the validity of a given spFD X →sp Y. We show, that the complexity to verify a single strongly possible functional dependency is NP-complete in general, then we introduce some cases when verifying a single spFD can be done in polynomial time. As a step forward axiomatization of spFD's, the rules given for weak and strong functional dependencies are checked. Appropriate weakenings of those that are not sound for spFD's are listed. The interaction between spFD's and spKey's and certain keys is studied. Furthermore, a graph theoretical characterization of implication between singular attribute spFD's is given

Chemically defined conditions mediate an efficient induction of dental pulp pluripotent-like stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells

Liver diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Dental pulp pluripotent-like stem cells (DPPSCs) are of a considerable promise in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as a new source of tissue-specific cells; therefore, this study is aimed at demonstrating their ability to generate functional hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. Cells were differentiated on a collagen scaffold in serum-free media supplemented with growth factors and cytokines to recapitulate liver development. At day 5, the differentiated DPPSC cells expressed the endodermal markers FOXA1 and FOXA2. Then, the cells were derived into the hepatic lineage generating hepatocyte-like cells. In addition to the associated morphological changes, the cells expressed the hepatic genes HNF6 and AFP. The terminally differentiated hepatocyte-like cells expressed the liver functional proteins albumin and CYP3A4. In this study, we report an efficient serum-free protocol to differentiate DPPSCs into functional hepatocyte-like cells. Our approach promotes the use of DPPSCs as a new source of adult stem cells for prospective use in liver regenerative medicine.This study was funded by the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya project number (SGR 1060 for MA), the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), and the Dasman Diabetes Institute under project number (RA-2013-009 for AAM). CGR, EMS, and RNT were funded by the predoctoral grant Junior Faculty award from the Obra Social, 'la Caixa' Foundation, and UIC

The value of KRAS mutation testing with CEA for the diagnosis of pancreatic mucinous cysts

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic cyst fluid (PCF) CEA has been shown to be the most accurate preoperative test for detection of cystic mucinous neoplasms (CMNs). This study aimed to assess the added value of PCF KRAS mutational analysis to CEA for diagnosis of CMNs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) fine-needle aspiration (FNA) data. KRAS mutation was determined by direct sequencing or equivalent methods. Cysts were classified histologically (surgical cohort) or by clinical (EUS or FNA) findings (clinical cohort). Performance characteristics of KRAS, CEA and their combination for detection of a cystic mucinous neoplasm (CMN) and malignancy were calculated. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 943 patients: 147 in the surgical cohort and 796 in the clinical cohort. Overall, KRAS and CEA each had high specificity (100 % and 93.2 %), but low sensitivity (48.3 % and 56.3 %) for the diagnosis of a CMN. The positivity of KRAS or CEA increased the diagnostic accuracy (80.8 %) and AUC (0.84) significantly compared to KRAS (65.3 % and 0.74) or CEA (65.8 % and 0.74) alone, but only in the clinical cohort (P < 0.0001 for both). KRAS mutation was significantly more frequent in malignant CMNs compared to histologically confirmed non-malignant CMNs (73 % vs. 37 %, P = 0.001). The negative predictive value of KRAS mutation was 77.6 % in differentiating non-malignant cysts. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of a KRAS mutation in PCF is a highly specific test for mucinous cysts. It outperforms CEA for sensitivity in mucinous cyst diagnosis, but the data does not support its routine use

Apixaban for Stroke Prevention in Subclinical Atrial Fibrillation

Subclinical atrial fibrillation is short-lasting and asymptomatic and can usually be detected only by long-term continuous monitoring with pacemakers or defibrillators. Subclinical atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of stroke by a factor of 2.5; however, treatment with oral anticoagulation is of uncertain benefit.We conducted a trial involving patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation lasting 6 minutes to 24 hours. Patients were randomly assigned in a double-blind, double-dummy design to receive apixaban at a dose of 5 mg twice daily (2.5 mg twice daily when indicated) or aspirin at a dose of 81 mg daily. The trial medication was discontinued and anticoagulation started if subclinical atrial fibrillation lasting more than 24 hours or clinical atrial fibrillation developed. The primary efficacy outcome, stroke or systemic embolism, was assessed in the intention-to-treat population (all the patients who had undergone randomization); the primary safety outcome, major bleeding, was assessed in the on-treatment population (all the patients who had undergone randomization and received at least one dose of the assigned trial drug, with follow-up censored 5 days after permanent discontinuation of trial medication for any reason).We included 4012 patients with a mean (±SD) age of 76.8±7.6 years and a mean CHA2DS2-VASc score of 3.9±1.1 (scores range from 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating a higher risk of stroke); 36.1% of the patients were women. After a mean follow-up of 3.5±1.8 years, stroke or systemic embolism occurred in 55 patients in the apixaban group (0.78% per patient-year) and in 86 patients in the aspirin group (1.24% per patient-year) (hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45 to 0.88; P = 0.007). In the on-treatment population, the rate of major bleeding was 1.71% per patient-year in the apixaban group and 0.94% per patient-year in the aspirin group (hazard ratio, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.26 to 2.57; P = 0.001). Fatal bleeding occurred in 5 patients in the apixaban group and 8 patients in the aspirin group.Among patients with subclinical atrial fibrillation, apixaban resulted in a lower risk of stroke or systemic embolism than aspirin but a higher risk of major bleeding. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others; ARTESIA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01938248.)

Exploiting Anisotropy of Plasmonic Nanostructures with Polarization-Modulation Infrared Linear Dichroism Microscopy (μPM-IRLD).

Metallic nanostructures that exhibit plasmon resonances in the mid-infrared range are of particular interest for a variety of optical processes where the infrared excitation and/or emission could be enhanced. This plasmon-mediated enhancement can potentially be used towards highly sensitive detection of an analyte(s) by techniques such as surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA). To maximize the SEIRA enhancement, it is necessary to prepare highly tuned plasmonic resonances over a defined spectral range that can span over several microns. Noteworthy, nanostructures with anisotropic shapes exhibit multiple resonances that can be exploited by controlling the polarization of the input light. This study demonstrates the role of polarization-modulation infrared linear dichroism coupled to microscopy measurements (μPM-IRLD) as a powerful means to explore the optical properties of anisotropic nanostructures. Quantitative μPM-IRLD measurements were conducted on a 2 series of dendritic fractals as model structures to explore the role of structural anisotropy on the resulting surface-enhanced infrared absorption and sensing application. Once functionalized with an analyte, the μPM-IRLD SEIRA results highlight that it is possible to selectively enhance further vibrational modes of analytes making use of the structural anisotropy of the metallic nanostructure

Prediction of underlying atrial fibrillation in patients with a cryptogenic stroke: results from the NOR-FIB Study

Background - Atrial fibrillation (AF) detection and treatment are key elements to reduce recurrence risk in cryptogenic stroke (CS) with underlying arrhythmia. The purpose of the present study was to assess the predictors of AF in CS and the utility of existing AF-predicting scores in The Nordic Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke (NOR-FIB) Study. Method - The NOR-FIB study was an international prospective observational multicenter study designed to detect and quantify AF in CS and cryptogenic transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients monitored by the insertable cardiac monitor (ICM), and to identify AF-predicting biomarkers. The utility of the following AF-predicting scores was tested: AS5F, Brown ESUS-AF, CHA2DS2-VASc, CHASE-LESS, HATCH, HAVOC, STAF and SURF. Results - In univariate analyses increasing age, hypertension, left ventricle hypertrophy, dyslipidaemia, antiarrhythmic drugs usage, valvular heart disease, and neuroimaging findings of stroke due to intracranial vessel occlusions and previous ischemic lesions were associated with a higher likelihood of detected AF. In multivariate analysis, age was the only independent predictor of AF. All the AF-predicting scores showed significantly higher score levels for AF than non-AF patients. The STAF and the SURF scores provided the highest sensitivity and negative predictive values, while the AS5F and SURF reached an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) > 0.7. Conclusion - Clinical risk scores may guide a personalized evaluation approach in CS patients. Increasing awareness of the usage of available AF-predicting scores may optimize the arrhythmia detection pathway in stroke units

Extending the Southern Shore of the Island of Inversion to F-28

Detailed spectroscopy of the neutron-unbound nucleus F-28 has been performed for the first time following proton/neutron removal from Ne-29/F-29 beams at energies around 230 MeV=nucleon. The invariant-mass spectra were reconstructed for both the F-27((*)) + n and F-26((*)) + 2n coincidences and revealed a series of well-defined resonances. A near-threshold state was observed in both reactions and is identified as the F-28 ground state, with S-n(F-28) = -199(6) keV, while analysis of the 2n decay channel allowed a considerably improved S-n(F-27) = 1620(60) keV to be deduced. Comparison with shell-model predictions and eikonal-model reaction calculations have allowed spin-parity assignments to be proposed for some of the lower-lying levels of F-28. Importantly, in the case of the ground state, the reconstructed F-27 + n momentum distribution following neutron removal from F-29 indicates that it arises mainly from the 1p(3/2) neutron intruder configuration. This demonstrates that the island of inversion around N = 20 includes F-28, and most probably F-29, and suggests that O-28 is not doubly magic

Management and 1-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease: Results from the prospective garfield-af registry

Background-—Using data from the GARFIELD-AF (Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD–Atrial Fibrillation), we evaluated the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage on clinical outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods and Results-—GARFIELD-AF is a prospective registry of patients from 35 countries, including patients from Asia (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand). Consecutive patients enrolled (2013–2016) were classified with no, mild, or moderate-to-severe CKD, based on the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines. Data on CKD status and outcomes were available for 33 024 of 34 854 patients (including 9491 patients from Asia); 10.9% (n=3613) had moderate-to-severe CKD, 16.9% (n=5595) mild CKD, and 72.1% (n=23 816) no CKD. The use of oral anticoagulants was influenced by stroke risk (ie, post hoc assessment of CHA2DS2-VASc score), but not by CKD stage. The quality of anticoagulant control with vitamin K antagonists did not differ with CKD stage. After adjusting for baseline characteristics and antithrombotic use, both mild and moderate-to-severe CKD were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality. Moderate-to-severe CKD was independently associated with a higher risk of stroke/systemic embolism, major bleeding, new-onset acute coronary syndrome, and new or worsening heart failure. The impact of moderate-to-severe CKD on mortality was significantly greater in patients from Asia than the rest of the world (P=0.001). Conclusions-—In GARFIELD-AF, moderate-to-severe CKD was independently associated with stroke/systemic embolism, major bleeding, and mortality. The effect of moderate-to-severe CKD on mortality was even greater in patients from Asia than the rest of the world