Economy, Technology and the Environment: The Islamic Middle Way

Dr. Ahmad considers some specifics of the ways in which the Qur\'an, the Prophetic traditions and Islamic law lead toward a path of moderation between extremes, in terms of both belief and behavior: in favor of free markets, but with property rights clearly defined to prevent fraud and unfairness; in favor of technology, but not materialism; and with a concept of trusteeship of the environment that accommodates both development and stewardship

Islamic Contributions to Modern Scientific Methods

The author suggests that the rise of modern science was not a revolutionary development confined to modern Europe, hut an evolutionary process that began in the Islamic civilization. He reviews those elements of the Islamic religious outlook that appear to have transformed science from the deductive methodology of the ancient Greeks to the inductive approach of tnodernity. Finally, he suggests that the supposed inherent tension between religion and science is a consequence of the sudden exposure of medieval European culture to the \"new\" scientific paradigm that had evolved in the Muslim World

Ceftriaxone-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis mimicking burn injury: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a rare exfoliative disorder with a high mortality rate.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a 70-year-old woman of Iranian descent who presented with toxic epidermal necrolysis that was initially diagnosed as a scald burn. Further anamnesis prompted by spread of the lesions during hospitalization revealed that the patient had been receiving ceftriaxone for several days. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of ceftriaxone-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis in the English literature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Toxic epidermal necrolysis is an acute, life-threatening, exfoliative disorder with a high mortality rate. High clinical suspicion, prompt recognition, and initiation of supportive care is mandatory. Thorough investigation of the pathogenetic mechanisms is fundamental. Optimal treatment guidelines are still unavailable.</p

Post-traumatic soft tissue tumors: Case report and review of the literature a propos a Post-traumatic paraspinal desmoid tumor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antecedent trauma has been implicated in the causation of soft tissue tumors. Several criteria have been established to define a cause-and-effect relationship. We postulate possible mechanisms in the genesis of soft tissue tumors following antecedent traumatic injury.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a 27-year-old woman with a paraspinal desmoid tumor, diagnosed 3-years following a motor vehicle accident. Literature is reviewed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Soft tissue tumors arising at the site of previous trauma may be desmoids, pseudolipomas or rarely, other soft tissue growths. The cause-and-effect issue of desmoid or other soft tissue tumors goes beyond their diagnosis and treatment. Surgeons should be acquainted with this diagnostic entity as it may also involve questions of longer follow-up and compensation and disability privileges.</p

Prophylactic antibiotics for burns patients: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the evidence for prophylactic treatment with systemic antibiotics in burns patients

Laser feedback interferometry in multi-mode terahertz quantum cascade lasers

The typical modal characteristics arising during laser feedback interferometry (LFI) in multi-mode terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are investigated in this work. To this end, a set of multi-mode reduced rate equations with gain saturation for a general Fabry-Pérot multi-mode THz QCL under optical feedback is developed. Depending on gain bandwidth of the laser and optical feedback level, three different operating regimes are identified, namely a single-mode regime, a multi-mode regime, and a tuneable-mode regime. When the laser operates in the single-mode and multi-mode regimes, the self-mixing signal amplitude (peak to peak value of the self-mixing fringes) is proportional to the feedback coupling rate at each mode frequency. However, this rule no longer holds when the laser enters into the tuneable-mode regime, in which the feedback level becomes sufficiently strong (the boundary value of the feedback level depends on the gain bandwidth). The mapping of the identified feedback regimes of the multi-mode THz QCL in the space of the gain bandwidth and feedback level is investigated. In addition, the dependence of the aforementioned mapping of these three regimes on the linewidth enhancement factor of the laser is also explored, which provides a systematic picture of the potential of LFI in multi-mode THz QCLs for spectroscopic sensing applications

Photoconductive Arrays on Insulating Substrates for High-Field Terahertz Generation

We report on the design, fabrication and characterisation of large-area photoconductive THz array structures, consisting of a thin LT-GaAs active region transferred to an insulating substrate using a wafer-scale bonding process. The electrically insulating, transparent substrate reduces the parasitic currents in the devices, allowing peak THz-fields as high as 120 kV cm−1 to be generated over a bandwidth >5 THz. These results are achieved using lower pulse energies than demanded by conventional photoconductive arrays and other popular methods of generating high-field THz radiation. Two device sizes are fully characterised and the emission properties are compared to generation by optical rectification in ZnTe. The device can be operated in an optically saturated regime in order to suppress laser noise