Settling After the Revolts? Egypt’s Political Settlements and Violent Transition

The uprisings in the Arab region generated much hope among significant proportions of the population that a rupture with the status quo would herald a new era marked by bread, freedom and social justice/human dignity, the catchphrase of many of the revolts. However, the new political settlements in many instances neither created the spaces for more inclusive politics, nor were they responsive to the masses’ aspirations. This paper presents the case study of Egypt, a country that between January 2011 and July 2013 witnessed two regime overthrows following mass uprisings of a scale unprecedented in the region. While the country has not fallen into a state of civil war such as Syria, it has nevertheless been experiencing rising levels of violence since the revolution of January 2011. This paper discusses the nature of the political order in relation to violence through two nexuses: first, the extent to which the surge in violence, in particular political violence, can be attributed to the nature of the political settlements forged, and second, the extent to which a bottom-up approach informs our understanding of the dynamics and outcomes of political settlements.UK Department for International Developmen

Scene classification from degraded images: comparing human and computer vision performance

People can recognize the context of a scene with just a brief glance. Visual information such as color, objects and their properties, and texture are all important in correctly determining the type of scene (e.g. indoors versus outdoors). Although these properties are all useful, it is unclear which features of an image play a more important role in the task of scene recognition. To this aim, we compare and contrast a state-of-the-art neural network and GIST model with human performance on the task of classifying images as indoors or outdoors. We analyze the impact of image manipulations, such as blurring and scrambling, on computational models of scene recognition and human perception. We then create and analyze a measure of local-global information to represent how each perceptual system relies on local and global image features. Finally, we train a variety of neural networks on degraded images to attempt to build a neural network that emulates human performance on both classificaton accuracies and this local-global measure

Algae for controlled ecological life support system diet characterization of cyanobacteria 'spirulina' in batch cultures

Spirulina sp. is a bioregenerative photosynthetic and edible alga for space craft crews in a Closed Ecological Life Support System (CLESS). It was characterized for growth rate and biomass yield in batch cultures, under various environmental conditions. The cell characteristics were identified for one strain of Spirulina: S. maxima. Fast growth rate and high yield were obtained. The partitioning of the assimulatory products (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) were manipulated by varying the environmental conditions. Experiments with Spirulina demonstrated that under stress conditions carbohydrate increased at the expense of protein. In other experiments, where the growth media were sufficient in nutrients and incubated under optimum growth conditions, the total proteins were increased up to almost 70 percent of the organic weight. In other words, the nutritional quality of the alga could be manipulated by growth conditions. These results support the feasibility of considering Spirulina as a subsystem in CELSS because of the ease with which its nutrient content can be manipulated

Perfil lipídico, poder antirradicalario y propiedades antimicrobianas del aceite de Syzygium aromaticum

In this investigation cold pressed clove (Syzygium aromaticum) oil (CO) was studied for its lipid classes, fatty acid profiles and tocol contents. The radical scavenging potential and antimicrobial properties of CO were also evaluated. The levels of neutral lipids in CO was the highest (ca. 94.7% of total lipids), followed by glycolipids and phospholipids. The main fatty acids in CO were linoleic and oleic, which comprise together ca. 80% of total fatty acids. Stearic and palmitic acids were the main saturated fatty acids. a- and γ-tocopherols and d-tocotrienol were the main tocols. CO quenched 70% of DPPH• radicals after 1 h, while extra virgin olive oil was able to quench only 45%. ESR measurements also showed the same pattern, wherein CO quenched 57% of galvinoxyl radical and olive oil deactivated about 38%. The results of antimicrobial properties revealed that CO inhibited the growth of all tested microorganisms. CO had a drastic effect on the biosynthesis of protein and lipids in the cells of B. subtilis. In consideration of is tpotential utilization, detailed knowledge on the composition and functional properties of CO is of major importance.Se ha estudiado el aceite de clavo (Syzygium aromaticum) obtenido mediante presión en frío (CO) y sus diferentes clases de lípidos, perfiles de ácidos grasos y contenido en tocoles. También se evaluó el potencial captador de radicales y las propiedades antimicrobianas del CO. Los niveles de lípidos neutros en CO fue mayoritario (aprox. 94,7% de lípidos totales), seguido de glicolípidos y fosfolípidos. Los principales ácidos grasos en CO fueron linoleico y oleico, que comprenden juntos el 80% de ácidos grasos totales. Los ácidos esteárico y palmítico fueron los principales ácidos grasos saturados. α- y γ-Tocoferol y δ-Tocotrienol fueron los principales tocoles. CO atrapó el 70% de los radicales DPPH• después de 1 h, mientras que el aceite de oliva virgen extra fue capaz de atrapar sólo el 45%. Las medidas de ESR también mostraron el mismo patrón, en el que CO inactivó 57% de radicales galvinoxil os y el aceite de olive desactivó aproximadamente el 38%. Los resultados de las propiedades antimicrobianas revelaron que el CO inhibió el crecimiento de todos los microorganismos ensayados. CO mostró un efecto drástico en la biosíntesis de proteínas y lípidos en las células de B. subtilis. En relación al potencial utilización, el conocimiento detallado de la composición y propiedades funcionales de CO es de gran importancia

Contrasting alterations to synaptic and intrinsic properties in upper-cervical superficial dorsal horn neurons following acute neck muscle inflammation

Background: Acute and chronic pain in axial structures, like the back and neck, are difficult to treat, and have incidence as high as 15%. Surprisingly, most preclinical work on pain mechanisms focuses on cutaneous structures in the limbs and animal models of axial pain are not widely available. Accordingly, we developed a mouse model of acute cervical muscle inflammation and assessed the functional properties of superficial dorsal horn (SDH) neurons.<p></p> Results: Male C57/Bl6 mice (P24-P40) were deeply anaesthetised (urethane 2.2?g/kg i.p) and the rectus capitis major muscle (RCM) injected with 40??l of 2% carrageenan. Sham animals received vehicle injection and controls remained anaesthetised for 2?hrs. Mice in each group were sacrificed at 2?hrs for analysis. c-Fos staining was used to determine the location of activated neurons. c-Fos labelling in carrageenan-injected mice was concentrated within ipsilateral (87% and 63% of labelled neurons in C1 and C2 segments, respectively) and contralateral laminae I - II with some expression in lateral lamina V. c-Fos expression remained below detectable levels in control and sham animals. In additional experiments, whole cell recordings were obtained from visualised SDH neurons in transverse slices in the ipsilateral C1 and C2 spinal segments. Resting membrane potential and input resistance were not altered. Mean spontaneous EPSC amplitude was reduced by ~20% in neurons from carrageenan-injected mice versus control and sham animals (20.63???1.05 vs. 24.64???0.91 and 25.87???1.32 pA, respectively). The amplitude (238???33 vs. 494???96 and 593???167 pA) and inactivation time constant (12.9???1.5 vs. 22.1???3.6 and 15.3???1.4?ms) of the rapid A type potassium current (IAr), the dominant subthreshold current in SDH neurons, were reduced in carrageenan-injected mice.<p></p> Conclusions: Excitatory synaptic drive onto, and important intrinsic properties (i.e., IAr) within SDH neurons are reduced two hours after acute muscle inflammation. We propose this time point represents an important transition period between peripheral and central sensitisation with reduced excitatory drive providing an initial neuroprotective mechanism during the early stages of the progression towards central sensitisation

Emergency Department Visits for Sexual Assault by Emerging Adults: Is Alcohol a Factor?

Introduction: Emerging adults (18-25 years of age) are at increased risk for sexual assault. There is little Emergency Department (ED) data on sexual assaults that involve alcohol among this population. The purpose of this study was to analyze ED visits for sexual assault and determine if alcohol consumption by the patient was noted. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients aged 18-25 presenting to an ED in a college town over a four-year period. Extracted variables included age, gender, delay in seeking care, sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) evaluation, and alcohol consumption by the patient. For analysis of alcohol use, cases were categorized as ages \u3c 21 and ≥ 21. Results: There were 118 patients who presented to the ED from 2012 to 2015. The mean age of the cohort was 20 years, and almost 70% of visits were among those \u3c 21. Of those aged \u3c 21, 74% reported alcohol consumption, in contrast to 48% of those ≥ 21 (p = 0.055). Of those reporting alcohol use, 36% were evaluated on the day of the assault compared to 61% of those not reporting alcohol (p=0.035). Conclusion: This study found that ED visits for sexual assault in emerging adults were more common in younger patients. Alcohol use occurred more frequently with patients under the legal drinking age, and presentation was also more likely to be delayed. The relationship between sexual assault and alcohol use should underscore primary prevention efforts in emerging adult populations. [West J Emerg Med. 2018;19(5)797-802.

Emergency Department Visits for Sexual Assault by Emerging Adults: Is Alcohol a Factor?

Introduction: Emerging adults (18-25 years of age) are at increased risk for sexual assault. There is little Emergency Department (ED) data on sexual assaults that involve alcohol among this population. The purpose of this study was to analyze ED visits for sexual assault and determine if alcohol consumption by the patient was noted. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients aged 18-25 presenting to an ED in a college town over a four-year period. Extracted variables included age, gender, delay in seeking care, sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) evaluation, and alcohol consumption by the patient. For analysis of alcohol use, cases were categorized as ages \u3c 21 and ≥ 21. Results: There were 118 patients who presented to the ED from 2012 to 2015. The mean age of the cohort was 20 years, and almost 70% of visits were among those \u3c 21. Of those aged \u3c 21, 74% reported alcohol consumption, in contrast to 48% of those ≥ 21 (p = 0.055). Of those reporting alcohol use, 36% were evaluated on the day of the assault compared to 61% of those not reporting alcohol (p=0.035). Conclusion: This study found that ED visits for sexual assault in emerging adults were more common in younger patients. Alcohol use occurred more frequently with patients under the legal drinking age, and presentation was also more likely to be delayed. The relationship between sexual assault and alcohol use should underscore primary prevention efforts in emerging adult populations. [West J Emerg Med. 2018;19(5)797-802.