Textual representations of the socio-urban history of Baghdad : critical approaches to the historiography of Baghdad in the 18th and 19th centuries

This thesis focuses on historiography, which is the study of history and methodology of the discipline of history. The problems of historical theory and the role of critical theory in historical understanding are the main objectives of this study. The thesis explores the urban history of Baghdad in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to posit alternative historiographical methods that involve non-conventional textual representations as historical evidence. These textual representations include poetry, travelogues and narratives around non-monumental everyday urban places, all of which are often ignored in conventional history writing. Conventional approaches to historiography are normally single-layered and limited, and contain gaps or ‘absences’ of distinctive local historical themes and spaces that are smoothed over by grand narratives. The alternative method in historiography suggested in this thesis emphasises the need for closer ties between history and literary criticism. It interprets literature in relation to knowledge, and it discloses their philosophical connections to the ‘overlooked’ meanings in urban history. Although the alternative method comprises strong links to literary analysis, the thesis seeks a combination of both scientific and speculative philosophies, and an addition of extra concepts, towards the generation of specific historiographical concepts and themes. Baghdad provides an excellent vehicle to investigate the general problem of historiography, with its complex history of conquest and colonisation, its long history of creative writings and the vague representation of its urban spaces in current historiographical studies. Although this thesis explored the entire history of Baghdad, the period of interest is the Mamluk period between mid-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. In addition to the transformation and change that shaped Baghdad’s urban history, this period significantly produced rich poetry and historical narratives that embraced plentiful themes of the urban development of the city, which have been overlooked in conventional historiography. These themes include the measures of beauty of Baghdad, the attractive and interlocking qualities of the Tigris River, Karkh region and markets, the multiple meanings of gardens and learning centres, and the social and leisure significance of houses. The thesis focuses on the poetry of the prominent scholar and poet Sheikh Kadhem Al-Uzari, the historian and religious scholar Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Al-Suwaidi, and the poet and chief of the writing bureau in Baghdad Sheikh Saleh Al-Tamimi, in addition to a number of texts by other scholars in that period. The thesis also focuses on the travelogues of mainly four travelers who wrote significant observations of Baghdad during this period, namely; the surveyor Carsten Niebuhr, the entomologist Guillaume Antoine Olivier, the British resident Claudius Rich and the traveler and writer James Silk Buckingham.The thesis also refers to the writings of philosophers such as Edward Said, Hans Georg Gadamer and Michel Foucault for philosophical frameworks to outline the alternative method of interpretation of these texts. The analysis of poetry and narratives composed by Baghdadis in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and of travelogues of the same period, is ‘another’ method in historiography that is intended to support and complement the existing understanding of the city’s history, and to attain a more dialogical interface with the past. In this way, historiography becomes a more critical influential discipline in historical studies

“INNOCENT BYSTANDERS”: WHITE GUILT AND THE DESTRUCTION OF NATIVE AMERICANS IN US LITERATURE, 1824-1830

Stereotypes describing the Native Peoples as lacking in many attributes such as religion, civilization, self-control, and even family bonds originated in the early years of contact, popularized through captivity narratives, and used in nineteenth century writings to justify the “vanishing” of the Native people. My dissertation adds to the discussion of myth of the Vanishing American by focusing on overlooked representations of Native illness. Illness, a shared human experience, was preserved for white characters in white authors’ writings. Ailing Native peoples were either denied any stories narrating this experience of human vulnerability or were depicted as resorting to superstitious and heathenish practices. This dismissal and manipulation of Native illness, especially when set against the typical Christian model of suffering and redemption through illness, is meant to dehumanize and demonize the Native people and to avert any sympathy towards them. My work analyzes narratives published in the crucial decade of the 1820s to argue that while Nineteenth century writers such as James Fenimore Cooper and Lydia Maria Child used stereotypes about Native peoples to blame them for their own decrease in number and to absolve the whites of any guilt towards them, the Native American writer William Apess used his narrative to combat these stereotypes and to reflect the physical and spiritual sameness between the white and Native races

Must International Legal Pedagogy Remain Eurocentric?

Mainstream international law is Eurocentric. Throughout the past half millennia, no territory beyond Europe was safe from jus gentium's striking capability to legitimize the intrusion of European civilizational precepts. Beginning with the Americas but quickly shifting to Africa and Asia, each continent was a battleground for the penetration of a provincial knowledge system. In this paper, I explore the implications of Eurocentrism for international legal pedagogy. While textbook authors now pay homage to other civilizations, their effusions are ornamental only. Instead of supporting epistemological equivalency, they centre European international law throughout their works, exorcising the brutalities of European history that generated the law in question. After setting out the dilemma, I outline three approaches towards transforming international legal pedagogy that capitalize on the decolonization movement. Each method builds on the premise that, without epistemic diversity, legal pedagogy will continue to rationalize European international law's predatory impulse

Physiological and Histopathological Investigations on the Effects of α-Lipoic Acid in Rats Exposed to Malathion

The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of α-lipoic acid treatment in rats exposed to malathion. Forty adult male rats were used in this study and distributed into four groups. Animals of group 1 were untreated and served as control. Rats of group 2 were orally given malathion at a dose level of 100 mg/kg body weight (BW) for a period of one month. Experimental animals of group 3 were orally given α-lipoic acid at a dose level of 20 mg/kg BW and after 3 hours exposed to malathion at the same dose given to group 2. Rats of group 4 were supplemented with α-lipoic acid at the same dose given to group 3. The activities of serum glutamic oxaloacetic acid transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic acid transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and acid phosphatase (ACP), and the values of creatinine, urea, and uric acid were statistically increased, while the values of total protein and total albumin were significantly decreased in rats exposed to malathion. Moreover, administration of malathion for one month resulted in damage of liver and kidney structures. Administration of α-lipoic acid before malathion exposure to rat can prevent severe alterations of hematobiochemical parameters and disruptions of liver and kidney structures. In conclusion, this study obviously demonstrated that pretreatment with α-lipoic acid significantly attenuated the physiological and histopathological alterations induced by malathion. Also, the present study identifies new areas of research for development of better therapeutic agents for liver, kidney, and other organs' dysfunctions and diseases

INVESTIGATION OF THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND CORRESPONDING CODING GENES OF HYDROCARBON-DEGRADING BACTERIAL STRAINS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOMASS USEFUL IN BIOREMEDIATION OF PETROLEUM POLLUTION

Petroleum-derived contamination events constitute one of the most dominant sources of environmental deterioration in the industrialized countries. Hydrocarbon compounds are recognized as toxic and carcinogenic organic pollutants and environmentally persistent. Bioremediation efforts aim to confine, restrain and mitigate the magnitude of contamination, in order to prevent additional decline of the environment and to protect all life forms from exposure to hazardous materials. The aim of this project is to study the role of medium components on the growth and biological activity of three locally isolated hydrocarbon degrading Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Furthermore, a factorial investigation of the strains’ potentiality to degrade diesel hydrocarbons by manipulating the nutritional microenvironment has been conducted. Then, stains are screened for genes encoding for hydrocarbon degradation activity. Results clearly showed the major role of nutritional elements such as carbon (supplied solely as diesel), nitrogen, and phosphorous play on the growth and metabolism of hydrocarbon degrading strains. Some strains were found tolerant to higher diesel concentrations under certain growth condition, but not in another. Inhibition by elevated carbon (diesel) concentration by the second week of culturing was noted. Nitrogen was significantly affecting cells growth under all experimental conditions and to a lesser extent was phosphorous. The strains’ response to altered growth conditions varied substantially; although they were from the same taxonomical group. Some strains were found more sensitive to changing C/N/P ratios than others. The analysis of diesel removal by GC confirmed the capability of our strains to degrade hydrocarbons under different growth conditions. Molecular investigation of our strains demonstrated that one Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain (QDD1) possessed the alkB1 gene encoding for alkane hydroxylase enzyme participating in the catabolic pathway of n-alkanes. The other strains were found to lack this particular gene. The genetic makeup of strain QDD1 was distinguished to be different from other strains as well as its biodegradation potential and its sensitivity to nutritional manipulations. The Arabian Gulf including Qatar is recognized as one of the most oil contaminated areas worldwide. With the experience of the worlds’ largest and most devastating oil incidents in history and with the natural and anthropogenic stresses; the Gulf environment is highly vulnerable and susceptible to further deterioration. This research project attempts to use the technology of microbial bioremediation in order to solve the environmental pollution resulting from the oil and gas industry. It will be the best local environmental-friendly solution and the most favorable for maintaining Qatar's environment sustainability. To the best of our knowledge, the work of this project is the first in the state, which investigates the naturally existing microbes in remediating petroleum pollution. Qatar’s extreme weather conditions and the special characteristics of local soils make this project of interest to implement local microbes in local polluted areas.يعد التلوث الناجم عن النفط ومشتقاته أحد أهم مصادر التدهور البيئي في الدول الصناعية. وتصنف المركبات الهيدروكربونية على أنها ملوثات عضوية سامة ومسرطنة وتقاوم التحلل. تهدف جهود المعالجة البيولوجية إلى حصر وتخفيف درجة التلوث؛ سعيا لمنع المزيد من الأضرار البيئية وحماية كل أشكال الحياة من التعرض للمواد الضارة. يهدف هذا المشروع البحثي إلى دراسة دور مكونات الوسط المستخدم لزراعة البكتيريا في النمو والنشاط البيولوجي لثلاث عينات بكتيرية قادرة على تحليل المواد الهيدروكربونية عزلت محليا من سلالة Pseudomonas aeruginosa . بالإضافة إلى إجراء دراسة تفصيلية حول دور مكونات البيئة الغذائية للخلايا البكتيرية من خلال التحكم بثلاث عوامل: الكربون، النيتروجين، والفوسفور. كما يهدف المشروع للقيام بمسح جيني بحثا عن الجينات المسؤولة عن تحليل المواد الهيدروكربونية بين العينات الخاضعة للدراسة. كشفت نتائج البحث بوضوح الدور الهام للعناصر الغذائية مثل الكربون، والنيتروجين، والفوسفور وتأثيرها على نمو الخلايا البكتيرية وعلى عمليات هدم وتحليل المركبات الهيدروكربونية. بعض العينات أظهرت قدرة على تحمل تراكيز عالية من الديزل )المصدر الوحيد لعنصر الكربون( عند زراعتها في وسط دون آخر. لوحظ انخفاض النمو البكتيري في الأسبوع الثاني من الزراعة عن استخدام تراكيز عالية من الديزل. بينما كان تأثير النيتروجين إيجابي ا وهاما على نمو الخلايا، في حين بدا أن الفوسفور يؤثر بشكل أقل. وعلى الرغم من كون العينات البكتيرية الثلاث تنمتي لنفس السلالة التصنيفية، إلا أنها تجاوبت بشكل مختلف مع ظروف النمو المستخدمة. وجدنا أن بعض العينات أكثر حساسية لتغير نسب العوامل الغذائية )الكربون: النيتروجين: الفوسفور( من البعض الآخر. كما أثبت تحليل طبقة الديزل باستخدام تقنية Gas Chromatography قدرة العينات البكتيرية الخاضعة للدراسة على تحليل المواد الهيدروكربونية في مختلف الأوساط الغذائية. من جهة أخرى، تبين من الكشف الجزيئي أن العينة QDD1 تمتلك الجين alkB1 المسؤول عن إنتاج إنزيم alkane hydroxylase والذي يساهم في هدم المركبات الألكينية. وقد لوحظ اختلاف المكونات الجينية لهذه العينة بالإضافة لاختلاف سلوكها البيولوجي وحساسيتها للبيئة الغذائية المحيطة. تعرف منطقة الخليج العربي في السجلات العلمية كإحدى أكثر المناطق تلوثا بالنفط ومشتقاته حول العالم. بالعودة إلى التاريخ، نجد أن منطقة الخليج قد تعرضت لأحد أكبر أحداث التسرب النفطي وأشدها تدميراً على الصعيد البيئي. أضف إلى ذلك الظروف الطبيعية الصعبة التي تتعرض لها المنطقة والضغوطات البشرية الهائلة التي تشهدها. كل ذلك يجعل النظام البيئي في منطقة الخليج هشا ومعرضا لمزيد من التدهور. هذا المشروع البحثي يحاول استخدام تكنولوجيا " المعالجة الميكروبية " من أجل إيجاد حلول للتلوث الناجم عن صناعتي الغاز والنفط في المنطقة. وبالتوافق مع التنمية البيئية المستدامة لدولة قطر، يعد هذا البحث الأول من نوعه بحيث يدرس ميكروبات البيئة المحلية ومدى أهليتها لتحليل الملوثات البترولية

Investigating Different Coding Environments for Simplified Reservoir Characterization Models

Reservoir characterization is one of the most important tasks that determines the recovery plan for a specific reservoir. This process incorporates a significant amount of data acquisition and processing to finally develop an acceptable model that matches the production history and can forecast the future production behavior. The model also should be able to adapt to changes along the way: adding or removing producers or injectors, changing the injection pattern, recompletions and converting wells are all examples of possible changes that are common in the oil and gas industry. Usually these changes are modeled by running field-scale simulations and providing the model with the daily data from the field to keep the model up to date and to reduce prediction errors

Particle relabelling transformations in elastodynamics

The motion of a self-gravitating hyperelastic body is described through a time-dependent mapping from a reference body into physical space, and its material properties are determined by a referential density and strain-energy function defined relative to the reference body. Points within the reference body do not have a direct physical meaning, but instead act as particle labels that could be assigned in different ways. We use Hamilton’s principle to determine how the referential density and strain-energy functions transform when the particle labels are changed, and describe an associated “particle relabelling symmetry”. We apply these results to linearised elastic wave propagation, and discuss their implications for seismological inverse problems. In particular, we show that the effects of boundary topography on elastic wave propagation can be mapped exactly into volumetric heterogeneity while preserving the form of the equations of motion. Several numerical calculations are presented to illustrate our results.O.C. is supported through a NERC PhD studentship.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw03

Sikap Indonesia terhadap Sengketa Laut Cina Selatan Pasca Putusan Permanent Court Of Arbitration 12 Juli 2017

Sengketa di Laut Cina Selatan, utamanya pada dua gugus kepulauan yaitu Spratly dan Paracell melibatkan 6 negara yaitu Cina, Taiwan, Vietnam, Filipina, Malaysia dan Brunei. Indonesia bukan merupakan negara yang bersengketa langsung namun memiliki potensi dirugikan atas klaim Cina khususnya di wilayah Natuna. Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam penelitian ini adalah bagaimana status hukum Laut Cina Selatan dan apakah yang dapat Indonesia lakukan dalam rangka menjaga kepentingan nasionalnya dan menjaga stabilitas kawasan. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa klaim Cina atas wilayah Laut Cina Selatan dinyatakan melanggar UNCLOS 1982 oleh putusan arbitrase di Den Haag pada 12 Juli 2016 sehingga secara mutlak Cina tidak memiliki hak atas wilayah Laut Cina Selatan yang diklaimnya. Untuk menjaga kepentingan nasionalnya Indonesia perlu menyatakan dukungan terhadap putusan PCA disamping terus meningkatkan kekuatan dan eksistensi di wilayah perbatasan, lalu peran Indonesia dalam menjaga stabilitas kawasan adalah dengan menginisiasi terbentuknya Code ofConduct dan draft Declaration of Conduct

On the elastodynamics of rotating planets

Equations of motion are derived for (visco)elastic, self-gravitating, and variably-rotating planets. The equations are written using a decomposition of the elastic motion that separates the body's elastic deformation from its net translational and rotational motion as far as possible. This separation is achieved by introducing degrees of freedom that represent the body's rigid motions; it is made precise by imposing constraints that are physically motivated and should be practically useful. In essence, a Tisserand frame is introduced exactly into the equations of solid mechanics. The necessary concepts are first introduced in the context of a solid body, motivated by symmetries and conservation laws, and the corresponding equations of motion are derived. Next, it is shown how those ideas and equations of motion can readily be extended to describe a layered fluid--solid body. A possibly new conservation law concerning inviscid fluids is then stated. Thereafter the equilibria and linearisation of the fluid--solid equations of motion are discussed, along with new equations for use within normal-mode coupling calculations and other Galerkin methods. Finally, the extension of these ideas to the description of multiple, interacting fluid--solid planets is qualitatively discussed