Lata'if al–Asrar li–Ahl Allah al–Atyar of Nur al–Din al–Raniri: An annotated transliteration together with a translation and an introduction of his exposition on the fundamental aspects of sufi doctrines

The Lata'if al–Asrar li–Ahl Allah al–Atyar is another major work of Nur al–Din al–Raniri, the Shaykh al–Islam of Acheh. It was written at the behest of Sultan Iskandar Thani of Acheh in 1050 A.H./1640 A.D. Two copies of the manuscripts (dated 1248 A.H. and 1263 A.H.) found in Terengganu were used to produce an annotated transliteration from the Jawi text into Romanized Malay, a translation into English and an introduction in this book. The Lata'if or the Spiritual Subtleties for the Swiftly Ascending People of God was written to elucidate the fundamental aspects of Sufi doctrines. It is meant as an introduction to more advanced works for the novice on the path and a reminder for the adept

From Social Justice to Islamic Revivalism: An Interrogation of Sayyid Qutbas Discourse

While Sayyid Qutb is an acclaimed Islamist and leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that he has not been fully understood is confirmed by the persistent view that he laid the foundation for the prevailing Islamic terror and Islamist fundamentalism all over the globe Though there is a panoply of works that have attempted to explain and clarify this misunderstanding of Qutb s Islamic revivalism and reformism through a study of his writings and works yet the argument that his Islamic revivalism added to his zeal for rejecting modernity leading to Islamic terror and Islamist fundamentalism leaves some questions such as how did he move from a pure social justice crusader to an Islamist why did he hate America does his work provide inspiration for Islamic militancy fundamentalism and terrorism etc and did his childhood upbringing education works and Islamic revivalism give insight into the so-called phenomenon of Islamic terrorism still begging for answer

What does women’s empowerment have to do with malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from demographic and health surveys from 30 countries

Background: The reduction of childhood malnutrition has been identified as a priority for health and development in sub Saharan African countries. The association between women’s empowerment and children’s nutritional status is of policy interest due to its effect on human development, labour supply, productivity, economic growth and development. This study aimed to determine the association between women’s empowerment and childhood nutritional status in sub Saharan African countries. Methods: The study utilized secondary datasets of women in their child bearing age (15–49 years) from the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2011–2017 across 30 sub Saharan Africa countries. The outcome variable of the study was childhood nutritional status while the exposure variable was women’s empowerment indicators such as decision making and attitude towards violence. Analyses were performed at bivariate level with the use of chi square to determine association between outcome and exposure variables and at multivariate level with the use of regression models to examine the effect of women’s empowerment on childhood nutritional status. Results: Women’s socio-demographic and other selected characteristics were statistically significantly associated with childhood nutritional status (stunted and underweight) at p < 0.001. These characteristics were also statistically significantly associated with empowerment status of women (Decision-making, Violence attitudes and Experience of violence) at p < 0.001 except for child age and sex. The association between childhood nutritional statuses and women’s empowerment (all three empowerment measures) was significant after controlling for other covariates that could also influence childhood nutrition statuses at p < 001. Two of the empowerment measures (attitudes towards violence and experience of violence) showed positive association with childhood nutritional statuses while the third (decision-making) showed negative association. Conclusion: There is an independent relationship between childhood nutrition status and women’s empowerment in sub Saharan African countries. Women’s empowerment was found to be related to childhood nutritional status. Policies and programmes aiming at reducing childhood malnutrition should include interventions designed to empower women in Sub-Saharan Africa

The De-centering of Architecture

Housing insecurity is arguably the most pressing issue in our society. In the United States, home/land ownership has been the primary source to generate wealth. Yet, so many people are disproportionately affected and denied access due to this system. Historically, it has also been difficult for people of color to own their own property and receive adequate housing in viable neighborhoods. A person’s ability to obtain quality housing affects other areas of their lives; it affects their ability to attend school in a certain district, and their proximity to work, healthcare, and entertainment. Interventions from both the public and private sectors over the past several decades have yielded (at best) mixed results. Continued privatization of land contributes to skyrocketing rent prices and is making it more onerous to find quality housing, let alone own property. What does the future of housing entail moving forward? What alternatives can be imagined and what role do architects play in imagining and creating a better, more sustainable outcome? Architects are more than designers, so the profession bears a responsibility to transform the outdated and ineffective approach to housing. With the amount of capital, land, and underutilized built space that is available, no one should be unhoused. No one should have to struggle to search for an affordable place to live, and no one should feel underrepresented in the home they live in. The subject of housing is a critical part of architectural discourse because it is one of the most common elements the general public associates with architecture. Before architecture became an institutionalized profession, humans built their homes using the environmental resources around them. Housing is one of the fundamental pillars of architecture that impacts everyone regardless of their relation to the profession. Given the current housing crisis in the U.S. and around the world, architects should be involved in the solution; it is not a time for architects to cower behind the rhetoric that “architecture is not political.” Architects are responsible for the well-being of the public, and part of that well-being is having access to appropriate, affordable housing. Therefore, my thesis explores the limitations of the architecture profession and pushes those limitations so the profession extends beyond the current capital driven designer-client

A trend analysis and sub-regional distribution in number of people living with HIV and dying with TB in Africa, 1991 to 2006

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The tuberculosis (TB) bacillus and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have formed a powerful alliance and are together responsible for more than five million deaths per year. TB is leading to increased mortality rates among people living with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The aim of this study was to investigate the geographical and temporal distribution of TB-HIV deaths in Africa in order to identify possible high-risk areas.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Time trends in the 16-year study period from 1990 to 2005 were analyzed by multilevel Poisson growth curve models. Moran global and local indicators of spatial associations were used to test for evidence of global and local spatial clustering respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eastern, Southern, Western, and Middle Africa experienced an upward trend in the number of reported TB-HIV deaths. The spatial distribution of TB cases was non-random and clustered, with a Moran's I = 0.454 (p = .001). Spatial clustering suggested that 13 countries were at increased risk of TB-HIV deaths, and six countries could be grouped as "hot spots".</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Evidence shows that there is no decline in growth in the number of deaths due to TB among HIV positive in most Africa countries. There is presence of 'hot-spots' and very large differences persist between sub-regions. Only by tackling TB and HIV together will progress be made in reversing the burden of both diseases. There is a great need for scale-up of preventive interventions such as the World Health Organization '3I's strategy' (intensified case finding, isoniazid preventive therapy and infection control).</p

Optical wireless communications

The phenomenal global demand for wireless communication links with greater bandwidths is motivating engineers world over to come up with alternatives communication links. One of such system that has received a great deal of attention and has shown evidence of a promising future is infrared optical communications.This project explores the fundamental aspects involved in designing and building a transmitter and a receiver as part of an infrared optical wireless link for indoor use. It is mainly concerned with extracting as much bandwidth as possible from the circuit designed. The system built in this project is capable of data transmission of over 20Mbits/second but this is however nowhere near the limit of the systems as will be discussed in the dissertation. Optical communication links have been developed which are capable of data transfer rates of 1.25Gbits/second (Jeganthan, 2001).The work done in this project and that which have been done by others present a compelling argument as to why infrared optical wireless communications is a formidable form of wireless communications and as a matter of fact a worthy alternative to the well known radio frequency (RF) systems