The New Islamists: pluralism and minorities?

In his analysis of Islamist governance on pluralism and minorities Fawaz A. Gerges concludes this special series of posts commissioned by LSE IDEAS exploring Islamism and the Arab Spring. The series also includes articles on the history of political Islam, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya

America’s informal empire - what really went wrong in the Middle East

In this edited excerpt from the introduction to What Really Went Wrong, Fawaz A Gerges argues that US interventionism during the Cold War – especially in Iran and Egypt – steered the Middle East away from democracy towards authoritarianism, shaping the region’s political and economic landscape for decades to come

Middle east centre: annual report 2010-2011

The LSE Middle East Centre opened in October 2010. It builds on LSE’s long engagement with the Middle East and provides a central hub for the wide range of research on the region carried out at LSE. The Middle East Centre works to develop research and teaching on the societies, economies, polities and international relations of the region. LSE is one of the world’s leading social science institutions and comprises departments covering all branches of the social sciences. The Middle East Centre taps into that expertise to promote innovative interdisciplinary research and training on the region. The Centre places special emphasis on active collaboration with colleagues in the Middle East, with international scholars, policy-makers and civil society, and on speaking to a global audience about the region’s strengths and challenges. The Middle East Centre was established with support from the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy and the Aman Trust

Nosocomial imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections in intensive care units: incidence and risk factors assessment

Imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) (IRAB) has emerged as a challenging nosocomial pathogen particularly in intensive care units (ICUs). Studying the risk factors associated with IRAB infection is of paramount importance for appropriate control of IRAB spread. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence rate and possible risk factors associated with nosocomial IRAB infections in ICUs. A prospective cohort study was carried out in surgical and emergency ICUs of a tertiary care hospital in Egypt. All patients who developed nosocomial A. baumannii infection from the start of January 2014 to the end of December 2015 were included. Isolates were identified as A. baumannii using API 20NE and E-test was used to define IRAB. Out of 146 A. baumannii isolates, 11 were found to be IRAB (7.5% incidence rate), of them 72.7% (8/11) were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR). Univariate analysis demonstrated that hospital stay before ICU admission [Relative risk (RR) 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0- 12.7, P= 0.04)], longer ICU stay (P= 0.005), exposure to emergent surgery (RR 17.5, CI 7.39-41.4, P= 0.000), the presence of central venous catheter (RR 3.26, CI 1.0-10.6, P= 0.04) and previous carbapenem use (RR 4.05, CI 1.12-14.6, P =0.02) were significant risk factors for IRAB infection. In conclusion, a relatively high IRAB incidence was recorded in ICUs of our hospital. Hospital stay before ICU admission, longer ICU stay, exposure to emergent surgery, the presence of central venous catheter and previous carbapenem use were significant risk factors for IRAB infection. Rationale use of carbapenems in ICUs should be considered.Keywords: Imipenem-resistant, Acinetobacter baumannii, Intensive care unit

Proučavanje optičkih vlakana sa skokovitim indeksima loma interferometrijskom metodom s dva snopa

The Pluta polarizing interference microscope is used to measure the refractive index profile and material dispersion of step index optical fibers. The refractive index profile of the fiber has been determined experimentally at different wavelengths using two-beam interference technique. Measuring these values at different wavelengths gives useful information about the structural behavior of highly oriented fibers. Also, the theoretical consideration for determining the refractive index is given. Some optical parameters which characterize the optical fiber such as the numerical aperture NA, normalized frequency ν, the acceptance angle θa and the number of modes MN propagating in the fiber with wavelength have been calculated. Also, the constants of the Cauchy’s dispersion formula were determined.Primijenili smo Plutinov polarizacijski interferometrijski mikroskop u mjerenjima profila indeksa loma i disperzije materijala optičkih vlakana sa skokovitim indeksima loma. Mjerili smo profil indeksa vlakna za više valnih duljina primjenom interferentne metode s dva snopa. Ta mjerenja na više valnih duljina dala su važne podatke o strukturnim svojstvima jako usmjerenih vlakana. Opisuju se također osnove teorije za određivanje indeksa loma u vlaknima. Izračunali smo niz optičkih parametara koji su značajke optičkih vlakana: brojnog otvora, normalizirane frekvencije, ν, kuta prihvaćanja, θa, i broja modova, MN , kojima se na nekoj frekvenciji šire valovi. Također smo odredili konstante Cauchyjeve disperzijske formule

Proučavanje optičkih vlakana sa skokovitim indeksima loma interferometrijskom metodom s dva snopa

The Pluta polarizing interference microscope is used to measure the refractive index profile and material dispersion of step index optical fibers. The refractive index profile of the fiber has been determined experimentally at different wavelengths using two-beam interference technique. Measuring these values at different wavelengths gives useful information about the structural behavior of highly oriented fibers. Also, the theoretical consideration for determining the refractive index is given. Some optical parameters which characterize the optical fiber such as the numerical aperture NA, normalized frequency ν, the acceptance angle θa and the number of modes MN propagating in the fiber with wavelength have been calculated. Also, the constants of the Cauchy’s dispersion formula were determined.Primijenili smo Plutinov polarizacijski interferometrijski mikroskop u mjerenjima profila indeksa loma i disperzije materijala optičkih vlakana sa skokovitim indeksima loma. Mjerili smo profil indeksa vlakna za više valnih duljina primjenom interferentne metode s dva snopa. Ta mjerenja na više valnih duljina dala su važne podatke o strukturnim svojstvima jako usmjerenih vlakana. Opisuju se također osnove teorije za određivanje indeksa loma u vlaknima. Izračunali smo niz optičkih parametara koji su značajke optičkih vlakana: brojnog otvora, normalizirane frekvencije, ν, kuta prihvaćanja, θa, i broja modova, MN , kojima se na nekoj frekvenciji šire valovi. Također smo odredili konstante Cauchyjeve disperzijske formule