Oil and Democratic Prospects in the Persian Gulf States

Streaming video requires RealPlayer to view.The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.F. Gregory Gause III is an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont, and director of the University's Middle East Studies Program. His lecture will be on "Oil and Democratic Prospects in the Persian Gulf States."Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent webpage, streaming video, photo

How Much Change? The Saudi Arabia of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman

Since his father came to power in 2015, Muhammad bin Salman has been the driving force in Saudi Arabian politics. How much has the Crown Prince changed Saudi Arabia, and how much can he change it? F. Gregory Gause OOO is the John H. Lindsey \u2744 Chair, Professor of International Affairs and Head of the International Affairs Department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/croft_spe/1004/thumbnail.jp

Computational modeling of food extrusion systems for optimal plant-based meat production

Master of ScienceDepartment of Chemical EngineeringDavood B PourkargarIn recent years, consumers have had growing interest in non-meat alternative food sources to mimic the feel, texture, and taste of meat without the adverse side effects of high cholesterol, the resources needed to raise livestock, and the ethical concerns around the treatment of animals. Pea and plant proteins have been one of the main focuses of research into meat substitutes since they are not genetically modified and have low allergenic properties. A significant obstacle in processing plant proteins lies in the extrusion process. Food extrusion consists of introducing mixing, heating, and shear stress conditions to a food material inside a tank and then forcing this food material through a die. The material then expands upon exiting the die to form its final shape and consistency. The effects of heat and mass transfer play a significant role in the overall quality of the final product. This review will focus on the extrusion process, its effects on texture, taste, moisture content, and other material properties and avenues to improve this process. It will also use the extrusion process of polymers to better understand the heat and mass transfer phenomena involved in extrusion. Finally, we will discuss modeling tools available to establish predictions of the extrusion process to ultimately create our own model

Free Trade in Oil and Natural Gas, The Case for Lifting the Ban on U.S. Energy Exports

Not only should the US lift its ban on exporting oil and natural gas in light of today’s economic and political climate, but it was wrong to ever ban such exports in the first place. The US should cease to view its energy resources as a purely domestic issue but rather a global one that impacts not only global prices in energy but also international affairs. Energy security is a world-wide problem, not a US, China, or EU problem, and we are all dependent on the world oil market. As the US looks to extricate itself from energy dependence on the Middle East, increase its energy security through trade and innovation, and maintain a robust economy, the benefits of lifting the ban on US energy exports outweigh the costs say the authors. The writers propose that allowing US exports could add 8.7 million barrels per day of crude oil to the world market while also reducing possible shocks to the world economy. Griffin and Gause also believe that lifting a ban on US natural gas exports could reassure Western allies and send a message to Russia to stop holding Europeans hostage to its high gas prices in times of political strife

Back to the future : the Arab uprisings and state (re)formation in the Arab world

This article contributes to debates that aim to go beyond the “democratization” and “post-democratization” paradigms to understand change and continuity in Arab politics. In tune with calls to focus on the actualities of political dynamics, the article shows that the literatures on State Formation and Contentious Politics provide useful theoretical tools to understand change/continuity in Arab politics. It does so by examining the impact of the latest Arab uprisings on state formation trajectories in Iraq and Syria. The uprisings have aggravated a process of regime erosion – which originated in post-colonial state-building attempts – by mobilizing sectarian and ethnic identities and exposing the counties to geo-political rivalries and intervention, giving rise to trans-border movements, such as ISIS. The resulting state fragmentation has obstructed democratic transition in Syria and constrained its consolidation in Iraq.PostprintPeer reviewe

Beneficial autoimmunity at body surfaces – immune surveillance and rapid type 2 immunity regulate tissue homeostasis and cancer

Epithelial cells line body surface tissues and provide a physicochemical barrier to the external environment. Frequent microbial and non-microbial challenges such as those imposed by mechanical disruption, injury or exposure to noxious environmental substances including chemicals, carcinogens, ultraviolet-irradiation or toxins cause activation of epithelial cells with release of cytokines and chemokines as well as alterations in the expression of cell surface ligands. Such display of epithelial stress is rapidly sensed by tissue resident immunocytes, which can directly interact with self-moieties on epithelial cells and initiate both local and systemic immune responses. Epithelial cells are thus key drivers of immune surveillance at body surface tissues. However, epithelial cells have a propensity to drive type 2 immunity (rather than type 1) upon non-invasive challenge or stress – a type of immunity whose regulation and function still remain enigmatic. Here we review the induction and possible role of type 2 immunity in epithelial tissues and propose that rapid immune surveillance and type 2 immunity are key regulators of tissue homeostasis and carcinogenesis

Brugia malayi Microfilariae Induce a Regulatory Monocyte/Macrophage Phenotype That Suppresses Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses

Background Monocytes and macrophages contribute to the dysfunction of immune responses in human filariasis. During patent infection monocytes encounter microfilariae in the blood, an event that occurs in asymptomatically infected filariasis patients that are immunologically hyporeactive. Aim To determine whether blood microfilariae directly act on blood monocytes and in vitro generated macrophages to induce a regulatory phenotype that interferes with innate and adaptive responses. Methodology and principal findings Monocytes and in vitro generated macrophages from filaria non-endemic normal donors were stimulated in vitro with Brugia malayi microfilarial (Mf) lysate. We could show that monocytes stimulated with Mf lysate develop a defined regulatory phenotype, characterised by expression of the immunoregulatory markers IL-10 and PD-L1. Significantly, this regulatory phenotype was recapitulated in monocytes from Wuchereria bancrofti asymptomatically infected patients but not patients with pathology or endemic normals. Monocytes from non-endemic donors stimulated with Mf lysate directly inhibited CD4+ T cell proliferation and cytokine production (IFN-γ, IL-13 and IL-10). IFN-γ responses were restored by neutralising IL-10 or PD-1. Furthermore, macrophages stimulated with Mf lysate expressed high levels of IL-10 and had suppressed phagocytic abilities. Finally Mf lysate applied during the differentiation of macrophages in vitro interfered with macrophage abilities to respond to subsequent LPS stimulation in a selective manner. Conclusions and significance Conclusively, our study demonstrates that Mf lysate stimulation of monocytes from healthy donors in vitro induces a regulatory phenotype, characterized by expression of PD-L1 and IL-10. This phenotype is directly reflected in monocytes from filarial patients with asymptomatic infection but not patients with pathology or endemic normals. We suggest that suppression of T cell functions typically seen in lymphatic filariasis is caused by microfilaria-modulated monocytes in an IL-10-dependent manner. Together with suppression of macrophage innate responses, this may contribute to the overall down-regulation of immune responses observed in asymptomatically infected patients