The Digital Party as a Vehicle for Transformational Political Change in Arab Spring Countries

The Ba'ath Party has dominated the political sphere in Syria since the rule of Hafiz Al-Assad. It prevented any kind of social or political practices or organizational experiences at any level, except under the approval and full scrutiny of the regime. This kind of oppression continued after Bashar Al-Assad took over the presidency in 2000, which in turn played a crucial role in the opposition’s evident inexperience after the 2011 Uprising. Supporters of the Uprising were looking for structured, organized leadership to represent and develop their movement, but the opposition formations, official and nonofficial, proved incapable of fulfilling that role

The Digital Party as a Vehicle for Transformational Political Change in Arab Spring Countries

In “The Digital Party as a Vehicle for Transformational Political Change in Arab Spring Countries: Opportunities forSyria”, Dina Ramadan notes correctly that “instead of assuming their role in modernizing Syrian society, raising awareness, educating citizens and building a common national identity...” Syria’s political parties chose to follow “narrow ethnic or ideological interests, and sometimes foreign agendas”. A viable and convincing alternative to the current status of political misrepresentation is identified by Ramadan: the digital party. The digital party, with “its open, easily accessible, participatory platform allowing for transparent bottom-up policies and decision-makingprocesses” might succeed in reversing the trend of “popular apathy and distrust, and motivate the masses to participate again”

Studies on properties and estimation problems for modified extension of exponential distribution

The present paper considers modified extension of the exponential distribution with three parameters. We study the main properties of this new distribution, with special emphasis on its median, mode and moments function and some characteristics related to reliability studies. For Modified- extension exponential distribution (MEXED) we have obtained the Bayes Estimators of scale and shape parameters using Lindley's approximation (L-approximation) under squared error loss function. But, through this approximation technique it is not possible to compute the interval estimates of the parameters. Therefore, we also propose Gibbs sampling method to generate sample from the posterior distribution. On the basis of generated posterior sample we computed the Bayes estimates of the unknown parameters and constructed 95 % highest posterior density credible intervals. A Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out to compare the performance of Bayes estimators with the corresponding classical estimators in terms of their simulated risk. A real data set has been considered for illustrative purpose of the study.Comment: 22,

The Aesthetics of the Modern: Art, Education, and Taste in Egypt 1903-1952

This dissertation explores the ways in which an educational mission was central to the conceptualization, production, and consumption of the category of modern art in Egypt during the first half of the twentieth century. It is structured as a series of four case studies, each offering a rereading of a moment that has been repeatedly highlighted in the literature as a turning point in the development of modern art but that remains unexamined. Chapter One is a study of a fatwa by the leading Islamic reformer, Muhammad `Abduh, which is considered to be his declaration of support for representational art. In a close reading of this understudied text, I demonstrate the ways in which this fatwa has been misinterpreted and misappropriated; `Abduh never mentions "art" [al-fann] specifically but instead discusses the merits of pictorial representation [al-taswir] as a form of visual knowledge, a useful tool for preservation and learning. Chapter Two focuses on the establishment of the School of Fine Arts in Cairo in 1908. Relying on largely unexamined material, I describe and analyze the prevalent discourses that shaped the kind of education that the school offered, the perceptions its founders, faculty, and students had of its role, and ultimately the role of modern art and the artist within Egyptian society. The second half of the dissertation attends to the reception and consumption of art through the development of art criticism [al-naqd al-fanni] and the role of journals in educating Egyptian audiences. Chapter Three is a study of and Sawt el-Fannan [The Voice of the Artist, 1950-2], "the first monthly magazine for the fine arts." I focus here on the writing of art history and criticism as a means of educating Egyptian eyes to see and appreciate in a specific set of ways. The notion of taste [dhawq] and its complex social and moral functions demonstrate that what is at stake here is something much larger than an aesthetic sensibility. Chapter Four examines Al-Tatawwur, a journal published by al-Fann wa-l-Hurriyya [Art and Freedom] in response to André Breton and Diego Rivera's 1938 manifesto "Towards a Free Revolutionary Art." Al-Tatawwur professes a commitment to "protecting the freedom of art and culture." However, this often seems in tension with their almost militant educational and political mission. Throughout these four cases a series of recurring concerns emerge. First, painting and sculpture are presented as important first and foremost because of the ways in which they can be useful or beneficial. Their uses differ from chapter to chapter however each group approaches artistic production through the prism of function and benefit. Secondly, in each situation we find ourselves at a moment of crisis, in which a particular group feels threatened and thus attempts to reach out a larger public, as a means of reasserting their position and reaffirming their relevance. Repeatedly, artistic production seems to be the most appropriate way of doing this. The third central theme of this dissertation the educational quality and potential of the fine arts; despite their seemingly varied positions, the writers and thinkers I discuss attach an educational function to artistic production. There seems to be a unanimous agreement on the stakes, despite political orientation: the struggle is a civilizational one, and art is the barometer for progress. In tracing the establishment and development of modern art in Egypt, this dissertation offers a set of innovative perspectives and engages with a number of different fields of inquiry related to the cultural and intellectual history of Egypt. While a literary and linguistic Nahda, has been the subject of much study, the existence and importance of a visual Nahda has been largely absent

Predictors of Long-term Disability in Multiple Sclerosis: Real World Data from a Cohort of Egyptian Patients

Background: Specification of prognostic factors in multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for clinicians to guide therapeutic protocols. This study aimed to identify demographic, clinical, and radiological factors associated with disability on a long-term basis in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on patients with RRMS and SPMS with a disease duration of at least 10 years. Demographic, clinical, and radiological parameters were collected from the medical records.Results: During the study period, 217 patients were recruited with a mean disease duration of 14.9 ± 4.6 (range: 10-35) years. Regression analysis revealed that age (B = 0.071, CI: 0.00-0.132, P = 0.025), male sex (B = –0.825, CI: –1.444 to –0.206, P = 0.009), duration between first 2 attacks (B = -0.007, CI: -0.015-0.000, P = 0.037), and involvement of pyramidal (B = 0.754, CI: 0.051-1.457, P = 0.036) or cerebellar domains (B = 1.355, CI: 0.542-2.168, P = 0.001) at disease onset were the only parameters that had an independent effect on EDSS.Conclusion: Predictors of long-term disability in our cohort were closely similar, but not typically identical to predictors reported in the literature. Age, male sex, short duration between first 2 relapses pyramidal and cerebellar affection were the strongest predictors of disability in patients with RRMS and SPMS

Management research in the Arab World: What is now and what is next?

Given the significant political and socio-economic transformations occurring in the challenging yet under-researched Arab world nowadays, this study seeks to (1) systematically review the literature in the leading mainstream management journals; and (2) develop a future research agenda that would enhance our understanding of the region. To do this, we conducted a systematic review of 176 published management studies (2000–2016). Our thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes. These were (1) avenues for economic development and improved performance, (2) leveraging and adapting to changing local institutional contexts and (3) overcoming legitimacy concerns/barriers in the Arab world. Our recommendations on the future research agenda of these themes were intended to provide key insights for researchers and managers interested in proactively contributing to the development of a timely research agenda for these promising markets

Adherence to International Guidelines for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections in Lebanon

Objective. The purpose of this study is to evaluate antibiotic-prescribing practices and adherence to IDSA guidelines for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections in Lebanon. Methods. This observational prospective study was conducted in 15 community pharmacies in Lebanon over 1 year in adult females. A regimen of nitrofurantoin 100 mg bid for 5 days or fosfomycin 3 grams single dose were considered appropriate. For the bivariate analysis, the chi-square test was used. Results. A total of 376 patients were included in this study. The prescribed antibiotic was appropriate in 35 percent of the patients. Age (more than 50 years) did not significantly affect the appropriateness of the prescribed antibiotic (p=0.508). The frequency of attacks per year (more than 3) negatively affected the choice of antibiotic (p=0.025). The dose and duration of the prescribed antibiotic was appropriate in 73 and 58 percent of the patients, respectively, with a significant inappropriate dose and duration with fluoroquinolones as compared to nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin (p<0.001 for the dose and p=0.014 for the duration of therapy). Conclusions. In an era of increasing bacterial resistance, interventions that improve physicians’ prescribing practices for uncomplicated urinary tract infections are needed

Experimental and numerical investigations of the flexural behaviour ?of Green - Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete ?beams under repeated loads

There are various benefits to ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete ??(UHPFRC). However, using a lot of cement in this type of concrete has a severe disadvantage since it causes pollution and several environmental concerns. Therefore, another type of concrete that achieves the same superior properties as UHPFRC while using less cement in the mixture should be considered. This research examined replacing cement with fly ash to produce environmentally friendly concrete called Green-UHPFRC. The impact of utilizing G-UHPFRC on the flexural behaviour of thirteen beams was investigated experimentally and numerically under repeated loads. The major parameters of the study were fly ash replacement ratios of 15%, 30%, and 45% and adding steel fiber to mixes with ratios of 1, 2, 3, and 4%. The tested beams were compared to the control beam in their backbone and hysteresis curves, failure load, crack propagation and failure modes, energy dissipation, stiffness degradation, and ductility index. From the results obtained, environmentally friendly concrete (G-UHPFRC) can be produced by replacing cement with fly ash up to 45% and adding 2% steel fiber without affecting the bending performance of beams made of G-UHPFRC compared to those made of UHPFRC

Subclinical hypothyroidism among Egyptian children with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Thyroid autoimmune diseases have been associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are seen, but hypothyroidism is the most common abnormality. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been reported among adult lupus patients. SCH is not without risk as it might contribute to a proatherogenic state. Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the frequency of SCH in a group of Egyptian children with SLE and its effects on the serum lipids. Methods: Forty patients with pediatric SLE who regularly follow up at our center were enrolled in this study. They were subjected to routine laboratory investigations of SLE and measurement of serum lipids (serum triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL and HDL) as well as free thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and anti-thyroperoxidase antibody (anti-TPO-ab) titre. SLE activity was assessed using the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI). Results: Six patients (15%) were found to have SCH while the remaining 34 patients (85%) had normal thyroid function. Anti-TPO-abs were positive in 4 out of the 6 (66.6 %) SLE patients with SCH and in 20 out of the 34 (58.8%) SLE patients with normal thyroid function. In SLE patients with SCH, TSH correlated positively yet insignificantly with anti-TPO-ab titre and the duration of SLE (p = 0.17, p = 0.12, respectively). There were no statistically significant correlations between the serum lipids of SLE patients with SCH and their thyroid function or anti-TPO-ab titre. Conclusion: SCH is not uncommon among children with SLE. This SCH does not seem to affect serum lipids. However, further longitudinal studies on wider scales are needed to assess the long term effects of SCH in those patients.Keywords: SLE, anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies, subclinical hypothyroidismEgypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011;9(2):87-9