Young Women\u27s Civic Awareness and Public Engagement: A Challenge in a Bahraini Context

In recent years, growing attention to cultivate civic participation among young citizens has been mounting. In Bahrain, young women receive some attention via their participation in civic, political and public engagement initiatives. This paper presents the theoretical and conceptual background for a field study that intends to examine whether young Bahraini women are equipped with the civic knowledge and understanding necessary to participate effectively in community. It also presents their conception of citizenship, their perception of their identity, their political awareness, and their concern about their community issues. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, this paper analyses the ways in which young Bahrainis perceive their identity and citizenship status. In this mixed methods approach, a questionnaire was administered to 245 Bahraini young women at the age of 18, followed by in-depth interviews with a stratified sample of 11 young women who had participated in the questionnaire survey. Although the gender gap is closing or reversing in regard to specific forms of participation, some inequalities remain (Lorenzini and Bassoli, 2016), this study contributes to understanding the gender differences in issues related to civic participation and to find if there are any significant differences among women themselves

Epsteinian Torts: Richard A. Epstein, \u3cem\u3eCases and Materials on Torts\u3c/em\u3e

A fascinating aspect of Epstein\u27s scholarly work is his exploration of the apparent tension between libertarian principles and utilitarian thought—an exploration that comes alive in his casebook. To Epstein, these two competing principles often coalesce to yield a single correct answer to a problem. In other words, the answer that arises from a desire to protect a pre-determined set of individual rights-for example, private property rights, or the right of personal autonomy often produces an outcome that is also beneficial to the overall common good. Some scholars have critiqued Epstein\u27s work by suggesting that there is more disharmony than harmony in the relationship between the libertarian and utilitarian approaches. Who has the better argument on the point, however, is not relevant for present purposes. What is relevant is that Epstein introduces, confronts, and explores the potential for tension between the two approaches throughout his casebook in a way that provokes thoughtful and interesting classroom discussion. A second, and closely related, theme that Epstein explores in his casebook is the overwhelming importance of the older, historic common law cases to the study of torts. In fact, the book devotes almost seventy pages to the age-old debate over whether negligence or strict liability should govern unintentional harms. This historical approach reinforces Epstein\u27s emphasis on the libertarian/utilitarian divide; indeed, the strict liability versus negligence debate roughly parallels the libertarian/utilitarian tension, with strict liability generally (although not necessarily) associated with the former and negligence generally (although not necessarily) associated with the latter. This historical grounding also gives students a basis for understanding why negligence governs some unintentional harms while strict liability governs others, and provides them with the tools to challenge the current boundaries between the two theories. Finally, a more historical approach to tort law gives students some sense of the expansion and contraction of tort liability over time-an understanding that puts tort reform in context

Clash of Ignorance

The clash of ignorance thesis presents a critique of the clash of civilizations theory. It challenges the assumptions that civilizations are monolithic entities that do not interact and that the Self and the Other are always opposed to each other. Despite some significantly different values and clashes between Western and Muslim civilizations, they overlap with each other in many ways and have historically demonstrated the capacity for fruitful engagement. The clash of ignorance thesis makes a significant contribution to the understanding of intercultural and international communication as well as to the study of inter-group relations in various other areas of scholarship. It does this by bringing forward for examination the key impediments to mutually beneficial interaction between groups. The thesis directly addresses the particular problem of ignorance that other epistemological approaches have not raised in a substantial manner. Whereas the critique of Orientalism deals with the hegemonic construction of knowledge, the clash of ignorance paradigm broadens the inquiry to include various actors whose respective distortions of knowledge symbiotically promote conflict with each other. It also augments the power-knowledge model to provide conceptual and analytical tools for understanding the exploitation of ignorance for the purposes of enhancing particular groups’ or individuals’ power. Whereas academics, policymakers, think tanks, and religious leaders have referred to the clash of ignorance concept, this essay contributes to its development as a theory that is able to provide a valid basis to explain the empirical evidence drawn from relevant cases

Optička svojstva tankih slojeva bismut sulfida Bi2S3

Thin films of bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) were grown by two deposition techniques, by thermal evaporation and by chemical deposition. The thermally deposited reactions consisted in depositing the individual elements, namely bismuth and sulfur, sequentially from a tungsten boat source and allowing the layers to interdiffuse to form the compound during the heat-treatment. The chemical deposition was based on the reaction between the triethanolamine compex of Bi3+ ions and thiourea in basic media. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction analysis were made on as-deposited and on annealed films to determine their structure. The different electronic transitions and the optical constants are determined from the transmision and reflection data of these thin films for normal incidence. The optical gaps of Bi2S3 films show a remarkable dependence on the preparation method.Tanki su slojevi bismut sulfida (Bi2S3) načinjeni dvjema metodama, vakuumskim naparavanjem i kemijskim taloženjem. Ti su se slojevi istraživali sustavno-pretražnom elektronskom mikroskopijom i difrakcijom rentgenskog zračenja, prije i nakon termičkog opuštanja. Našao se je niz elektronskih prijelaza i odredile se optičke konstante na osnovi transmisijskih i refleksijskih podataka za okomitu upadnu svjetlost. Optički procijepi Bi2S3 pokazuju priličnu ovisnost o metodi pripremanja

Optička svojstva tankih slojeva bismut sulfida Bi2S3

Thin films of bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) were grown by two deposition techniques, by thermal evaporation and by chemical deposition. The thermally deposited reactions consisted in depositing the individual elements, namely bismuth and sulfur, sequentially from a tungsten boat source and allowing the layers to interdiffuse to form the compound during the heat-treatment. The chemical deposition was based on the reaction between the triethanolamine compex of Bi3+ ions and thiourea in basic media. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction analysis were made on as-deposited and on annealed films to determine their structure. The different electronic transitions and the optical constants are determined from the transmision and reflection data of these thin films for normal incidence. The optical gaps of Bi2S3 films show a remarkable dependence on the preparation method.Tanki su slojevi bismut sulfida (Bi2S3) načinjeni dvjema metodama, vakuumskim naparavanjem i kemijskim taloženjem. Ti su se slojevi istraživali sustavno-pretražnom elektronskom mikroskopijom i difrakcijom rentgenskog zračenja, prije i nakon termičkog opuštanja. Našao se je niz elektronskih prijelaza i odredile se optičke konstante na osnovi transmisijskih i refleksijskih podataka za okomitu upadnu svjetlost. Optički procijepi Bi2S3 pokazuju priličnu ovisnost o metodi pripremanja

Sestrin2 as a Novel Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for Various Diseases

Sestrin2 (SESN2), a highly conserved stress-inducible metabolic protein, is known to repress reactive oxygen species (ROS) and provide cytoprotection against various noxious stimuli including genotoxic and oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and hypoxia. Studies demonstrate that the upregulation of Sestrin2 under conditions of oxidative stress augments autophagy-directed degradation of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), which targets and breaks down nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a key regulator of various antioxidant genes. Moreover, ER stress and hypoxia are shown to induce Sestrins, which ultimately reduce cellular ROS levels. Sestrin2 also plays a pivotal role in metabolic regulation through activation of the key energy sensor AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Other downstream effects of Sestrins include autophagy activation, antiapoptotic effects in normal cells, and proapoptotic effects in cancer cells. As perturbations in the aforementioned pathways are well documented in multiple diseases, Sestrin2 might serve as a potential therapeutic target for various diseases. Thus, the aim of this review is to discuss the upstream regulators and the downstream effectors of Sestrins and to highlight the significance of Sestrin2 as a biomarker and a therapeutic target in diseases such as metabolic disorders, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.This publication was made possible by a NPRP award [NPRP8-1750-3-360] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors

Colorectal and Prostate Cancer Risk in Diabetes: Metformin, an Actor behind the Scene

Both diabetes and cancer are prevalent diseases whose incidence rates are increasing worldwide, especially in countries that are undergoing rapid industrialization changes. Apparently, lifestyle risk factors including diet, physical inactivity and obesity play pivotal, yet preventable, roles in the etiology of both diseases. Epidemiological studies provide strong evidence that subjects with diabetes are at significantly higher risk of developing many forms of cancer and especially solid tumors. In addition to pancreatic and breast cancer, the incidence of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer is increased in type 2 diabetes. While diabetes (type 2) and cancer share many risk factors, the biological links between the two diseases are poorly characterized. In this review, we highlight the mechanistic pathways that link diabetes to colorectal and prostate cancer and the use of Metformin, a diabetes drug, to prevent and/or treat colorectal and prostate cancer. We review the role of AMPK activation in autophagy, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression.This publication was made possible by grant #NPRP 5-409-3-112 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation)

The Molecular Hydrogen Deficit in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

Recent analysis of five gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow spectra reveal the absence of molecular hydrogen absorption lines, a surprising result in light of their large neutral hydrogen column densities and the detection of H$_2$ in similar, more local star-forming regions like 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Observational evidence further indicates that the bulk of the neutral hydrogen column in these sight lines lies 100 pc beyond the progenitor and that H$_2$ was absent prior to the burst, suggesting that direct flux from the star, FUV background fields, or both suppressed its formation. We present one-dimensional radiation hydrodynamical models of GRB host galaxy environments, including self-consistent radiative transfer of both ionizing and Lyman-Werner photons, nine-species primordial chemistry with dust formation of H$_2$, and dust extinction of UV photons. We find that a single GRB progenitor is sufficient to ionize neutral hydrogen to distances of 50 - 100 pc but that a galactic Lyman-Werner background is required to dissociate the molecular hydrogen in the ambient ISM. Intensities of 0.1 - 100 times the Galactic mean are necessary to destroy H$_2$ in the cloud, depending on its density and metallicity. The minimum radii at which neutral hydrogen will be found in afterglow spectra is insensitive to the mass of the progenitor or the initial mass function (IMF) of its cluster, if present.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for Ap

The Status of National Values in the Books of Social Studies for the Grades of the Upper Primary Stage in Jordan

This study aimed at determining the most important national values that should be included in the textbooks of social studies for the upper-primary stage grades in Jordan; and then identifying the degree of their inclusion in those books. The study used a descriptive-analytical approach. A study tool which includes twelve national values was prepared to analyze the data. Data were collected from educational literature as well as related researches and studies. To determine the validity of the study tool, it was presented to a group of expert, specialized evaluators. The reliability of the study tool was determined by using the appropriate statistical methods.The results showed that the total number of the national values contained ​​in the books of social studies for the upper-primary stage grades in Jordan was (319). The most frequently used national value was (national pride) which appeared (66) times. The results also showed that some national values ​​ were repeated in the content of these books for a reasonable number of times, while other national values were repeated from (0 – 2) times only.  In the light of those results, the study recommends paying attention to the national values ​​that were not available; benefiting from the national values ​​enclosed in the study tool; and conducting further studies on this topic for other stages and subjects. Keywords: National values, citizenship, social studies textbooks, upper-primary stag