The Role of Islamic Architecture in Promoting the Quality of Life

All religions and schools of thought represent their specific ideas about nature, natural elements and its relationship with man in such a way that studying them can help explain their influences on shaping the environmental surroundings. Recent debates prove that majority of discussions are focused in protection and conservation of nature and it is implying that man’s need is restricted to elimination of pollutions. In other words, solving his problems, related to nature seems to be the only concern while it is necessary to pay attention to the quality and quantity of life equally. In Islamic culture, deliberation on the nature and discovering the dominant rules, play a vital role as nature and its components are considered as divine symbols to guide man toward recognition of nature and also a mutual relationship between man and nature can be used to construct a suitable environment in harmony with existed regularity in nature. This research is based qualitative method and gathering date by library studies and collecting information. The conclusion of this research show that in Islamic civilization specially visual art, architecture and urbanism, naturalistic motivation are investigated to present manifestation of Islamic art and natural aesthetic, this cycle is eternal and can help a man to recognize the nature

The Role of Islamic Architecture in Promoting the Quality of Life

All religions and schools of thought represent their specific ideas about nature, natural elements and its relationship with man in such a way that studying them can help explain their influences on shaping the environmental surroundings. Recent debates prove that majority of discussions are focused in protection and conservation of nature and it is implying that man’s need is restricted to elimination of pollutions. In other words, solving his problems, related to nature seems to be the only concern while it is necessary to pay attention to the quality and quantity of life equally. In Islamic culture, deliberation on the nature and discovering the dominant rules, play a vital role as nature and its components are considered as divine symbols to guide man toward recognition of nature and also a mutual relationship between man and nature can be used to construct a suitable environment in harmony with existed regularity in nature. This research is based qualitative method and gathering date by library studies and collecting information. The conclusion of this research show that in Islamic civilization specially visual art, architecture and urbanism, naturalistic motivation are investigated to present manifestation of Islamic art and natural aesthetic, this cycle is eternal and can help a man to recognize the nature

The Role of Islamic Architecture in Promoting the Quality of Life

All religions and schools of thought represent their specific ideas about nature, natural elements and its relationship with man in such a way that studying them can help explain their influences on shaping the environmental surroundings. Recent debates prove that majority of discussions are focused in protection and conservation of nature and it is implying that man’s need is restricted to elimination of pollutions. In other words, solving his problems, related to nature seems to be the only concern while it is necessary to pay attention to the quality and quantity of life equally. In Islamic culture, deliberation on the nature and discovering the dominant rules, play a vital role as nature and its components are considered as divine symbols to guide man toward recognition of nature and also a mutual relationship between man and nature can be used to construct a suitable environment in harmony with existed regularity in nature. This research is based qualitative method and gathering date by library studies and collecting information. The conclusion of this research show that in Islamic civilization specially visual art, architecture and urbanism, naturalistic motivation are investigated to present manifestation of Islamic art and natural aesthetic, this cycle is eternal and can help a man to recognize the nature

Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Addressing Political Realities to Improve Impact

Indigenous and Tribal peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) has transformative potential. Yet, there is a considerable gap between the theory and what happens in practice. Global actors supporting recognition of FPIC and effective prior consultation processes usually focus on normative standards and best practices. They concentrate much less on addressing the political challenges and opportunities that shape how these processes unfold. With funding from the Ford Foundation, we looked at the politics of FPIC in Latin America, analyzing how the power and interests of the key players–across governments, companies and indigenous peoples–can determine the fate of FPIC and consultation processes in practice. This research focused on Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, and provides practical options to address key political challenges in hopes of improving outcomes for indigenous and tribal peoples. In addition, we are partnering with Dejusticia and the multi-stakeholder Dialogue Group for Mining in Colombia (GDIAM) to explore further the political impediments to meaningful mining consultation processes in that country, and to field ideas for navigating these more effectively in the future

Supporting Good Governance of Extractive Industries in Politically Hostile Settings: Rethinking Approaches and Strategies

This discussion paper is the product of a workshop entitled “Supporting Good Governance of Extractive Industries in Politically Hostile Settings: A View from Sub-Saharan Africa,” organized by the Oxford Martin School (OMS) Programme on African Governance and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) and supporting research. The workshop brought together global and local researchers and practitioners with a wide range of experience with extractives governance, particularly, though not exclusively, in the sub-Saharan African region. The meeting built on prior research and discussions held as part of CCSI’s project on the Politics of Extractive Industries, dedicated to supporting the field of actors working to improve the governance of extractive industries (henceforth, the “GEI field”) in their efforts to think and work in more politically savvy ways. By sharing some initial insights from this work, we hope to contribute to broader conversations on how to improve practical approaches to supporting good governance and development in a range of political settings, including some of the most repressive and challenging

Getting the most out of extractive industries transparency: How a more explicit treatment of political considerations could strengthen the impact of transparency efforts

The extractive industries (EI) are at a critical juncture. A period of significant commodity price volatility is intersecting with the global energy transition and, more recently, the major social, political, and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic – a combination of forces creating both uncertainty and potentially major shifts in how EI are developed and governed. As EI governance practitioners grapple with these shifts, and the challenges and opportunities they bring, transparency will be an essential tool. However, practitioners need to think—and work—more politically as they develop and deploy this tool moving forward to make the most of its potential. This discussion piece is one aggregation of perspectives, ideas, and questions coming out of several years of expert consultations, meetings, and interviews undertaken as part of the Executive Session on the Politics of Extractive Industries convened by the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. The piece focuses on the ways in which political realities can shape the efficacy and impact of efforts to advance various goals through transparency of extractive industries (EI transparency). The authors suggest that more systematic integration of political considerations into the design and implementation of these efforts may minimize risks of “zombie transparency,” and reinforce ultimate positive impacts. It should help those seeking to use EI data for specific purposes, such as to reduce corruption and enhance benefit sharing; unpack monolithic terms; account for incentives along the transparency lifecycle; and realize yet more of the potential of information disclosures. This is an introductory piece intended to catalyze and provoke critical thinking, debate, further investigation, and, ultimately, practical experimentation. It will be accompanied by a series of blog posts authored by different members of the Executive Session and other EI experts to explore some of the themes touched on below in greater detail, e.g. through country- or sector-specific lenses

Transparency in the Extractive Industries: Getting serious about politics to get serious about impact

For the last 20 years, fostering greater transparency in the historically opaque extractive industries has been a governance priority in the sector. It is now time to build on the progress made and unlock greater gains from it. Achieving this requires getting serious about politics. The extractive industries (EI) are at a critical juncture, confronted with major contextual upheaval. A period of significant commodity price volatility is intersecting with the global energy transition and, more recently, the major social, political, and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic–a combination of forces creating both uncertainty and potentially major shifts in how EI are developed and governed. As EI governance practitioners grapple with these shifts, and the challenges and opportunities they bring, transparency will be an essential tool. However, practitioners need to think–and work– more politically as they develop and deploy this tool moving forward to make the most of its potential. Work on EI transparency has achieved important successes over the last two decades. For example, significant commitments to disclosure have been secured, the volume of publicly available information about critical activities has increased considerably, and norms around certain information being in the public domain have been established. There is also a growing library of use cases for this information. However, technical and political factors have–and continue to–limit the full range of benefits that can flow from data disclosures. Unlocking the potential of this critical work will require identifying and reckoning with these factors head-on. This brief is part of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment's PLUS Politics series, a multi-part series of briefs from CCSI that aims to encourage practitioners to apply a more systematic political lens to their work on governance in the extractive industries

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cone Beam Computed Tomography in Identification of Foreign Bodies in the Head and Neck Region

Objectives This study aimed to assess the identification of traumatic foreign bodies in the head and neck region using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).Methods In this study, samples (1×1×0.1 cm) were fabricated from 6 different types of materials commonly found in various head and face traumas. These materials included iron, glass, stone, wood, asphalt, and tooth. They were located in 3 different areas, including the tongue, airway, and vestibule of 3 sheep heads. Ten scans were acquired from these materials embedded in different regions. A total of 180 images were analyzed by 2 observers and rated in terms of visual clarity of the foreign body. The results were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test.Results In 100% of images, stone, asphalt, and glass were observed in all 3 areas with high resolution. On the other hand, 100% of images were unclear in all evaluated areas with metal artifacts. Tooth images were found to be excellent in 100% of cases in the muscle and airway regions and 80% of cases in the vestibule region (unclear in 20% of cases). However, wood was not detected in 100% of images from the tongue and vestibule regions. It was not detected on 60% of images from the airway, while it was found on 40% of images with low resolution.Conclusion CBCT detected and located all opaque objects such as iron, glass, stone, asphalt, and tooth. However, it showed limited potential in detecting radiolucent objects such as woo

Phytotherapy for insomnia: A review of the most important effective medicinal plants in treating insomnia according to references of Iran

Sleep is a complex biological pattern and one of the circadian rhythm. Insomnia referring to difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or lack of sleep, which is tonic and refreshing, is one of the most common disorders of this pattern. Some of the complications of sleep deprivation are weakened immune system, reduced glucose tolerance, reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity during subsequent days, hypertension, decreased level of maximum ability to exercise, non-dependently increased risk of cardiovascular events, and talent. In the light of the significance of sleep, appropriate treatment of insomnia, and high prevalence of insomnia in the community, a strategy to treat insomnia can be development of a specific therapeutic strategy and nature-based, complementary medicines. This review article seeks to report the effective medicinal plants on insomnia according to the ethnobotanical references of Iran. According to the findings, 17 plant species from 11 families have been used for prevention and treatment of insomnia n Iran. © 2009-2016, JGPT

Supporting Good Governance of Extractive Industries in Politically Hostile Settings: Rethinking Approaches and Strategies

CCSI set out to explore why some political settings might be more hostile ground for existing approaches to GEI reforms and consider how practitioners might work more effectively in such settings. To this end, CCSI drew on preliminary desk research, a range of practitioner interviews, an expert meeting co-convened with the Oxford Martin School Programme on African Governance in 2020, and a follow-up meeting around the rise of authoritarian behaviors among governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion paper, Supporting Good Governance of Extractive Industries in Politically Hostile Settings: Rethinking Approaches and Strategies, by Leila Kazemi and Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, captures some preliminary reflections on these issues. Moving beyond observations of the discrete challenges posed by “constraints on civic space,” “authoritarianism,” “kleptocracy,” “state fragility” or “state capture,” the analysis seeks to more systematically shed light on how such circumstances relate to each other and shape outcomes of GEI interventions. The authors suggest that when realities on the ground depart significantly from three implicit assumptions underlying the general theories of change animating much of the GEI field’s work to date – namely, that host contexts are characterized by 1) fairly open/democratic governance; 2) leaders who prioritize broad social welfare over narrower interests; and 3) functional and independent government agencies and authorities – traditional approaches to trying to improve governance and development outcomes through technical assistance and efforts to foster transparency, accountability and participation are likely to yield little progress and may even prove counterproductive. We discuss how progress can be hamstrung by the mismatch between such assumptions and realities characterized by more closed and repressive governments, powerful actors whose interests lie with personal or particularistic gains rather than social welfare, and formal institutions that are weak or subject to interference. We also share expert recommendations on how GEI practitioners might improve their impact by recognizing such mismatches and focusing on pursuing governance and development goals through the specific openings and constraints of a particular PHS