Crystallization, microstructure and expansivity of spodumeneorthoclase glasses

The crystallization behaviour was investigated for some glasses, within the system spodumene-orthoclase, during different heat treatments by DTA, XRD and SEM. Kaolin and quartz sand were used as starting materials for the glass preparation and melting. The base glasses were stable through the heat treatments and did not show any crystallization propensity, whereas TiO2 additions catalyze the crystallization tendency in the glasses. The crystallization process involved the formation of β-spodumene and leceite in addition to the metastable high quartz, which disappeared at higher temperatures (>900 °C). Translucent glass-ceramies, containing uniform and nonuniform microstructures, were obtained in the ease of domination of high quartz and β-spodumene, respectively. Little difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was noted in the base glasses (64 to 66 ∙ 10^-7 at 20 to 500 °C) and the TiOs doped glasses (60 to 69 ∙ 10^-7 K^-1 at 20 to 500 °C). Change in CTE in the TiOs doped glass ceramie samples from 37 to 69 ∙ 10^-7 at 20 to 300 °C depends mainly on the content of crystallized β-spodumene in addition to the residual glass. However, an increase in β-spodumene content in the crystallized glass-ceramies lowers the value of CTE and vice versa

al-Manar al-Jadid Changes in the Contemporary Islamist Discourse

The periodical al-Manar al-Jadid was first published in January 1998 in Cairo. In the words of its editor-inchief, Gamal Sultan, its aim is: 'To establish a civilized and authentic intellectual forum, to combat the waves of westernization, arbitrariness and opportunism in the Islamic world.' The initiators of the publication include such prominent Islamists as Muhammad cImara, Tariq al-Bishri, Yusuf Qaradawi, and Rashid al-Ghanushi, as well as activists of the younger generation, like kamal habib, a leading member of the Jihad Group in the 1980s. The new periodical is obviously linked to the famous al-Manar issued in 1898 under the patronage of Rashid Rida

Arab Intellectuals, Usama bin Laden and the West

The printed Arabic media offer hardly any critical review of the social and political settings in the Arab world that may help to explain the emergence of violent Islamist groups. Standard newspaper articles and comments on the post-September 11 events vary from elaborations of the marked inconsistencies in US foreign policies to the popular conspiracy theories in which 'international Zionism' is blown up to mythical proportions. A few intellectuals, however, opt for a more open and frank approach to the issues involved, including some who had been accused in the past of endorsing militant Islamism

Synthesis of Cu-containing Diopside through a One-Step Crystallization

The incorporation of copper into pyroxene structure was investigated through the melt quenching technique and one-step crystallization procedure. Two series of glasses have been studied, one set with Ca=Mg and another set with Ca>Mg in diopside formula Cux(Ca Mg)2-xSi2O6. The glasses were nucleated by TiO2, Cr2O3, or CaF2 additions as nucleating agents to variably control the phases produced. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to characterize the obtained samples. The heat treatment studied at 700, 800, 900 and 1000 °C for 2 h produced green and dark green glasses based on Cu-containing diopside. Various crystalline wollastonite, cuprite, tenorite, cristobalite, quartz, and fluorite phases were developed with different ratios combined with diopside formation depending on the heat treatment and nucleating agents used. As the heat treatment increased in temperature, the crystallized fraction increased with the development of nano-aggregates and the observed reticulated textures confirmed a radical change in the euhedral crystals. This emphasizes that the Cu-containing diopside can be created by a facile one step process. These compositions may find some applications in biological and optical fields

The UfM and the Middle East 'Peace Process': An Unhappy Symbiosis

This contribution explores differing theories on how the failure of the ‘peace process’ featured in the design and goals of the UfM, drawing on lessons from the period when the EMP was pursued in parallel with the peace process. In each case, institutional overlaps are identified, as well as commonalities in the approaches of the actors to both pursuits. Crucially, however, the persistence and intensification of the Arab–Israeli conflict, in combination with the shift from multilateralism to bilateralism embodied in the UfM, has politicized the latter at the expense of the functionalist aspirations of its architects

From North Africa to Latin America and back: comparative findings and theoretical reflections

Taking the different case studies of the book together, one general observation stands out: Key agents of socioeconomic contention, including movements by organized labor and the unemployed that were important in the run-up to the uprisings and that saw their political opportunities open up in the immediate aftermath of the revolutions, have since been effectively marginalized as political actors. The concluding chapter reflects on the causes of this weakness of socioeconomic contention by identifying comparative insights that emerge from the contributions to this volume and by situating them in the context of broader comparative and theoretical debates on the relationship between social movements and political change. More specifically, the chapter first discusses Egypt’s and Tunisia’s post-revolutionary trajectories from a comparative perspective. Second, it discusses these comparative findings in the light of experiences in Latin America. Third, drawing again on comparative scholarship on Latin America, the chapter offers a theoretical interpretation of some of the main dynamics observed in Egypt and Tunisia based on the notion of a popular-sector incorporation crisis. Fourth and finally, the chapter concludes with general implications and an outlook

Securitizing the Muslim Brotherhood: state violence and authoritarianism in Egypt after the Arab Spring

Unprecedented levels of state violence against the Muslim Brotherhood, and the widespread acceptance of this violence by Egyptians following the July 2013 military coup, have been under-examined by scholars of both critical security studies and Middle East politics, reflecting implicit assumptions that state violence is unexceptional beyond Europe. This article explores how the deployment of such levels of violence was enabled by a securitization process in which the Egyptian military successfully appropriated popular opposition to Muslim Brotherhood rule, constructing the group as an existential threat to Egypt and justifying special measures against it. The article builds on existing critiques of the Eurocentrism of securitization theory, alongside the writings of Antonio Gramsci, to further refine its application to non-democratic contexts. In addition to revealing the exceptionalism of state violence against the Muslim Brotherhood and highlighting the important role of nominally non-state actors in constructing the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to Egypt, the article also signals the role of securitization in re-establishing authoritarian rule in the wake of the 2011 uprising. Thus, we argue that securitization not only constitutes a break from ‘normal politics’ but may also be integral to the reconstitution of ‘normal politics’ following a period of transition

Researchers in the panopticon? Geographies of research, fieldwork and authoritarianism

Building on an emerging scholarly literature that discusses methodological issues related to the safety of researchers, I explore the lived experiences of Western researchers who conducted fieldwork in authoritarian settings. Through an analysis of power as a relational phenomenon, the article examines the ways in which researchers are subject to diffuse topologies of power that can be deployed in various contexts and at various scales. Evidence suggests that as researchers immerse themselves into fieldwork, their everyday encounters with the authorities make them become progressively aware of their surroundings and of the fact that they might be being observed. Researchers thus discipline themselves and normalize a number of self-policing behaviours and practices that can significantly influence processes of knowledge production

Arab Intellectuals, Usama bin Laden and the West

The printed Arabic media offer hardly any critical review of the social and political settings in the Arab world that may help to explain the emergence of violent Islamist groups. Standard newspaper articles and comments on the post-September 11 events vary from elaborations of the marked inconsistencies in US foreign policies to the popular conspiracy theories in which 'international Zionism' is blown up to mythical proportions. A few intellectuals, however, opt for a more open and frank approach to the issues involved, including some who had been accused in the past of endorsing militant Islamism