A reading in religious epistemology : reformed epistemology and objection to it

One of the contemporary movements that has inspired the new discussions in religious epistemology is Reformed Epistemology. This movement is associated with Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and William Alston. These philosophers have established some very fundamental challenges to the epistemology of religious belief that has dominated the Western thought since the Enlightenment. In contrast to the evidentialist tradition, Reformed Epistemology emphasizes that belief in God can have rationality, justification or warrant without being based on propositional evidence (argument). Some philosophers, such as Philip Quinn, deny the sufficiency of this justification for well-informed contemporary theists. Quinn argues that there are "defeaters" for the non-inferential justification of theistic belief, particularly the problem of evil, projective explanations of religion, and the problem of religious pluralism. The present research will explore the above issues, it and comes to the conclusion that for rational justification of belief in God for well-informed contemporary theists, additional positive argumentative supports are needed

Islam and Human Rights: The Search for an Overlapping Consensus

This dissertation begins by emphasizing a distinction between demands of justice and requirements of human rights. In order to clarify this distinction, I explain two predominant views on human rights: humanitarianism (minimalist) and cosmopolitan egalitarianism (maximalist) as unsound and unreasonable views. As an alternative and proper view, I examine the moral and political ideas that constitute a conception of human rights that John Rawls presents in The Law of Peoples. I interpret and defend a conception of human rights which is less extensive than the rights that maximalists support and more expansive than minimalists embrace. I show how Rawls conceives the idea of human rights, which rights he counts as human rights and why. The first part of this dissertation followed with three reasons to support Rawls‟ conception of human rights: the principle of collective self-determination, the normative standards of political obligation, and the value of toleration. The essential idea of Rawls‟ conception of human rights is as follows: in order to gain support from different ethical and religious traditions, a freestanding conception of human rights should be presented. In the second part, I examine possibilities within Islamic doctrine to include an overlapping consensus on a freestanding conception of human rights. The requirement of an Islamic affirmation of a conception of human rights identified in three ideas: a distinction between the law of God and human interpretation, the compatibility of God‟s sovereignty and human responsibility, and diversity of religious communities as a will of God. I explore and justify these ideas by referring to contemporary Muslim intellectuals‟ works that are associated with the idea of human rights

Detection QTLs for Grain Quality Traits and Yield in Two BILs Population of Rice

. Rice, the second most important crop after wheat, has been cultivated in Iran. Marketing conditions and quality traits after yield are the most important factors to adopt of new varieties. Therefore in recent years Iranian scientists decided to training on breeding improved high yield varieties with good grain quality.Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) yield and grain quality traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.) with additive, epistatic, and QTL × environment (QE) interaction effects were studied using a mixed-model-based composite interval mapping (MCIM) method and two populations of Back cross inbred lines (BILs) with a common maternal parent.In each of the populations two or three main effects of QTLs were detected for yield, amylose content, gel consistency and gelatinization temperature. Some identified QTL clusters suggested pleiotropic effects could control these traits. The phenotypic variation of AAE and AA QTLs effects were smaller than main QTLs. We conclude that the major genes and some minor and modifier genes controlled rice grain quality and yield components. The information obtained in this study have used to manipulating the QTLs for these traits by molecular marker-assisted selection and the best lines with excellent quality and high yield recognize

The effect of vitamins E, C and selenium as stimulants of the immune system on blood factors, growth and immunity of Asian cates (Lates calcarifer)

ABSTRACT This study was performed to evaluate the effect of immune system stimulants (vitamins E, C and selenium) on biochemical and immunity indices of Late calcarifer. For this purpose, two treatments were selected. Treatment 1 or control group was fed with food without immune stimulant and treatment 2 with diet containing vitamins E, C and selenium at 2% of the biomass weight. Finally, growth efficiency indices were compared in two treatments. Results showed final weight of the control and treatment groups was 761.33 ± 35.8 g and 850.00 ± 5.77 g, respectively. The specific growth rate of the control and treatment groups was 1.3 ± 0.02 and 1.35 ± 0.01 but the feed conversion ratio did not show a significant difference. Hemoglobin and erythrocytes showed a significant increase compared to the control in treatments containing immune stimulants and supplementation (p < 0.05). White blood cells ranged from 41417 ± 2964.84 in the treatment to 42500 ± 683.13 in the control treatment. The number of red blood cells in the control treatment was 2810000 ± 19.1763 and the recipient treatment was 3951667 ± 14588.84. Immune system stimulants including vitamins E, C and selenium can play a role in improving the growth, blood, biochemical and safety indices of farmed Late calcarifer

Evaluation of the immunity factors (THC, TPP, PO, SOD, POD) of shrimp fed with the algae Gracilaria corticata compared to shrimp fed without algae and exposed to white spot virus

White spot disease (WSD) is one of the shrimp deadliest viral diseases that causes heavy losses on all shrimp of Penaeid family. Most invertebrates are lacking adaptive immune system and its defense is the innate immune system that is as cellular and humoral, but a like immune system against white spot virus in shrimp was been detected. In this research, control and prevention of white spot disease in shrimp using algae Gracilaria corticata, investigated. About 300 vannamei shrimp were divided to 4 groups and fed by normal pellet and algae extract in 14 days. At the end of the fourteenth day half of the shrimp were challenged with acute white spot virus. After the fourteenth day in the days 0, 3, 9, 18 and 25 sampling were done from the hemolymph of survived shrimps and survival and immune factors were evaluated. Based on results, in the challenge test, shrimps that fed with algae extract has a significant survival rate than shrimp fed with commercial diet. Increased the Immune Factors from day one to day 25 observed during the test. Greatest amount of Immune Factors THC, TPP, SOD, POD and PO in T1 group were observed in day 25 of tests. This situation was also true for group2 (T2), but its rate significantly was less than group 1(T1)

SEM analysis of MTAD efficacy for smear layer removal from periodontally affected root surfaces

Objective: Biopure® MTAD (Dentsply Tulsa Dental, USA) has been developedas a final irrigant following root canal shaping to remove intracanal smear layer.Many of the unique properties of MTAD potentially transfer to the conditioningprocess of tooth roots during periodontal therapy. The aim of this ex vivo studywas to evaluate the effect of MTAD on the removal of smear layer from root surfaces.Materials and Methods: Thirty two longitudinally sectioned specimens from 16freshly extracted teeth diagnosed with advanced periodontal disease were dividedinto four groups. In group 1 and 2, the root surfaces were scaled using Gracey curettes.In group 3 and 4, 0.5 mm of the root surface was removed using a fissurebur. The specimens in group 1 and 3 were then irrigated by normal saline. Thespecimens in groups 2 and 4 were irrigated with Biopure MTAD.All specimens were prepared for SEM and scored according to the presence ofsmear layer.Results: MTAD significantly increased (P=0.001) the smear layer removal inboth groups 2 and 4 compared to the associated control groups, in which only salinewas used.Conclusion: MTAD increased the removal of the smear layer from periodontallyaffected root surfaces. Use of MTAD as a periodontal conditioner may be suggeste

Immunization of cultured shrimp against WSSV by use of produced recombinant vaccine (In vitro)

Shrimp diseases, especially viral diseases are the major limiting factors of shrimp farming activities in the world. White spot disease is one of the most pernicious viral disease that lead to serious loss in all shrimps of penaeids family. In Iran during 2002 to 2004 in Khuzestan province and in 2005 in Bushehr province, the most ponds and farms infected with white spot and the entire industry faced threat of closure. Surface proteins of virus has important role in the early stages of virus with host cell interaction, because these proteins usually enumerated as a candidate to produce a subunit and recombinant vaccines. On the other hand, these proteins can use as an important virus antigen and produce virus-specific antibodies in the preparation of diagnostic kits. In several studies proteins in the form of injection or oral vaccine has shown promising results. This study was designed in order to gain these proteins for immunization of white leg shrimp. To achieve the white spot virus genome, sampling and DNA extraction of moribund shrimps with clinical signs was done from Choebdeh farms. VP28 and VP19 protein-coding gene-specific primers were selected, and after amplification and purification were cloned in E.coli TG1. Protein expression evaluated and commercial plates were coated with inactivated bacteria containing the recombinant protein. White leg shrimp post larvae (PL30) were fed with recombinant food for 7 days then two times in 9th and 23th day after beginning of plate feeding and was challenged by white spot disease virus. The results of the first exposure (end of the seventh day after the shrimp fed with recombinant plate) showed that the lowest mortality at day 14 after exposure in different groups belong to VP28 group with cumulative mortality percent %30 ± 3.84 and the highest percentage of the Group TG1 equal to %72.22±2.93, also The highest and lowest relative percent survival, belong to the group of VP28 (60.29± 5.09%) and TG1 (4.41 ± 2.94%), respectively. In terms of mortality percent and relative percent survival, VP28 and VP 28+19 has significant difference with other groups while there was no significant difference between the groups VP19, TG1 and pMal. In the second exposure experiment (21 days after end of plate feeding) results showed that the lowest cumulative mortality in different groups belong to VP28 (%50 ± 5.09) and the highest percentage was owned by Group TG1 equal to %75.55±2.22, also the highest and the lowest of relative percent survival belong to VP28 (%32.86± 6.83) and TG1 (%0.00 ± 2.98) groups respectively. Similar to the first experiment, VP28 showed significant differences in cumulative mortality and relative percentage of survival in contrast to other group. As a general conclusion it can be noted that recombinant protein VP28 in any form that delivered to shrimp was able to protect shrimp against white spot virus. On the contrary VP19 has no this ability. The survival rate is directly related to the duration of the presence of recombinant protein in the diet

Identification of WSSV, TSV & IHHNV in wild and cultured shrimps and crustaceans in Khuzestan province - Abadan and investigation of its pathogenicity

According to the white spot disease during 2002 until 2005 and the damages caused by the disease to the farmers a new species L.vannamei were introduced to the farming region of Abadan Choebdeh from 2006. Hight mortality occurred in Khuzestan province farms in 2007 and 2008 again. Probably viral agent was transferred to native shrimps or other aquatic animals, therefore it is very important that presence of viruses in local aquatic animals and its vectors detected. Detection of WSSV, TSVand IHHNV in aquatic animal from Khuzestan costal region imphasis to wild shrimp and craps is the main objectives of this study. So samples were taken from 10 active farms twice a week and 100 postlarves from 3 active breeding center befor stocking. Samples for viral detection were studied by molecular and histopathology asseys. Results was shown presence of the White spot virus in cultured and wild shrimp and TSV infection in only two cultured shrimps but there was negative result for IHHN virus. To study the pathogenesis of white spot virus isolated from wild and farmed shrimps, exposure method was used. Results of challenge showed that WSSV can be transmited from diseased cultured and wild shrimp to cultured shrimp. Mean mortality percent in the treatment that fed with infected wild shrimp was 38.33±10.4 and treatment that fed with infected cultured shrimp 61.66±7.63 and in the positive control treatment was 87.5±3.5

Mitochondrial DNA signals of late glacial recolonization of Europe from near Eastern refugia

Human populations, along with those of many other species, are thought to have contracted into a number of refuge areas at the height of the last Ice Age. European populations are believed to be, to a large extent, the descendants of the inhabitants of these refugia, and some extant mtDNA lineages can be traced to refugia in Franco-Cantabria (haplogroups H1, H3, V, and U5b1), the Italian Peninsula (U5b3), and the East European Plain (U4 and U5a). Parts of the Near East, such as the Levant, were also continuously inhabited throughout the Last Glacial Maximum, but unlike western and eastern Europe, no archaeological or genetic evidence for Late Glacial expansions into Europe from the Near East has hitherto been discovered. Here we report, on the basis of an enlarged whole-genome mitochondrial database, that a substantial, perhaps predominant, signal from mitochondrial haplogroups J and T, previously thought to have spread primarily from the Near East into Europe with the Neolithic population, may in fact reflect dispersals during the Late Glacial period, ?19–12 thousand years (ka) ago.<br/