14 research outputs found
Introduction and Letter to Firas and Ali
No full textIn this deeply personal and politically charged epistolary essay, Joanna Zabielska reflects on the intersecting forms of erasure occurring within European cultural institutions and at the continent’s militarized borders. Framed as a letter to two men—Firas and Ali—whom the author met during the humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border, the piece recounts their experiences of pushbacks, violence, detention, and survival, contextualizing their stories within a broader critique of European migration regimes. Zabielska juxtaposes this with her account of institutional censorship in Austria, where the names of the two men were removed from her VR installation Über das Neue at Belvedere 21. Across these narrative layers, the essay examines how identities, testimonies, and lives are rendered invisible by political pressure, racism, and the rhetoric of “neutrality.” Drawing on Wisława Szymborska’s poem Conversation with a Stone, Zabielska highlights art’s ethical imperative to bear witness and resist silence. The text functions simultaneously as testimony, memorial, and act of solidarity with displaced people whose stories remain unheard
MOSAIC OF THE TAL BAJER CHURCH NEAR ALEPPO
No full textSyria is very rich in mosaics, especially the northern and central areas. In
his doctoral research the author tries to highlight the recent archaeological discoveries
around Aleppo, including the mosaic of Tal Bajer, near Qansrin, discovered in 2011
by a national archaeological mission from the Directorate of Antiquities and Museum
of Aleppo.
The mosaics are dating back to the end of the 5th century - the beginning of the 6th
century AD (Byzantine era). The excavations resulted to discover a basilica type
church completely paved with mosaics. The dimensions were 25 x 15 m. It consists of
the apse, two porticoes and the main nave. Remains of six foundations for the bases of
the columns, and Bema were also found. The mosaics were executed with small and
different colored stone tesserae. There are symmetrical geometric motifs, in addition
to a Greek scriptural scene within a geometric frame. It is noticed the complete
absence of animal scenes and the scarcity of plant shapes
Astrology in literature: how the prohibited became permissible in the Arabic poetry of the mediaeval period
No full textThis thesis is concerned to position the art of astrology within the context of classical Arabic poetry, primarily by investigating and elucidating attitudes to the notion of
qadar (fate) and the ideology in which it was embedded. These attitudes were revelatory of the broader world view of the Arabs of those periods, and their shifts from those held in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras tell us a good deal about the importance given to the nature and role of fate and about the various understandings of its influence. The pre-Islamic Arab's notion of qadar was in some ways similar to that of the early Muslims: both emphasised predetermination and the irresistible power of fate. But while the jahilf (Pre-Islamic) Arabs identified fate with the malign power of dahr (Time), the Muslims believed the power of fate lies in the hands of God the
Omnipotent, who alone is responsible for the fate of the whole universe. Thus the astrology of the pre-Islamic era was one aspect of divination (kihana) and claimed to be
able to reveal in advance an individual's destiny, which could be avoided by taking certain precautions. These precautions, however, were considered effective only in
relatively trivial cases; they were useless in the areas of major impact: a person's happiness or misery (shaqiiwa aw sa ada), sustenance (rizq) and one's term (ajal), the
three inevitable and irresistible manifestations of fate. In the Islamic period not only these major aspects of life are governed and controlled by the Omnipotent; the destiny
of the universe, in even its most minute details, is determined and controlled by God alone. Astrology was considered to be of no value whatsoever, and its practitioners were subject to the death penalty. These two irreconcilable views are evident in early Islamic poetry, which reflected clearly the response of poets, and society, to astrology from the perspective of qadar.
When the orthodox caliphate was replaced by dynastic rule the status of astrology was changed dramatically. The idea that the stars, as indicators, play a role in the life of
human beings found popowerful supporters in some governors of the Islamic world, who allowed astrology to fulfil a public function regardless of the hostility of the official
religion of that society. This social phenomenon generated rich material of a controversial character in the realm of literature. Investigating the factors, motivations
and impact of mediaeval political, theological and philosophical attitudes to astrology, in relation to the notions of free will and predestination, is the concern of this study
Al-Mansur bi-Llah's controversy with Twelver Diites concerning the occultation of the Imam in his Kitab al-al-'Iqd al-tamin
No full textThis article tackles one of the main points of dissension between the Zaydiyya and the Imamiyya, notably, the repudiation of the former to the chiliastic concept of the occultation of the Imam (gayba). It will address the exchange of polemics between both groups, which goes back to the 3rd-9th century. Its main focus, however, is the refutation conjured by the Yemeni Imam al-Mansur bi-Llah 'Abd Allah b. Hamza (d. 614-1217). © 2012 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.Abdulsater Hussein Ali, 2011, Z DTSCH MORGENLANDIS, V161, P305; al-'Amili Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Hurr, 1385, AMAL AL AMIL, VII, P345; al-As'ari Abu l-Hasan 'Ali b. Isma'il, 1963, MAQALAT AL ISLAMIYYI, p[67, 82]; al-Hadi al-Sayyid Gamal al-Din, 2007, HIDAYAT AL RAGIBIN I, P161; al-Hasani Abu l-'Abbas Ahmad b. Ibrahim, KITAB AL MASABIH, V1111, P73; al-Mahdi Galal al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman al-Suyuti, 2001, AL URF AL WARDI FI A; al-Mas'udi Ali b. al-Husayn, 1973, MURUG AL DAHAB WA MA, VIV, P350; al-Muhalli Hamid b. Ahmad, 2002, AL HADD IQ AL WARDIY, VII, P247; al-Murtada al-Sarif, 1986, AL SAFI FI L IMAMA, VIII, P123; al-Murtada Al-Sarif, 1985, RASIL, VI, P410; al-Nu'mani Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Abi Zaynab, 1426, KITAB AL GAYBA, P143; al-Rassi al-Qasim b. Ibrahim, 2001, MAGMU KUTUB AL IMAM, VI, P578; al-Sahrastani Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Karim, 1981, AL MILAL WA L NIHAL, P6; al-Sami Ahmad b. Muhammad, 1987, TARIH AL YAMAN AL FI, VIII, P37; al-Sarfi Ahmad b. Muhammad, 1991, SARH AL ASAS AL KABI, VII, P276; al-Wagih Abd al-Salam b. 'Abbas, 1999, ALAM AL MU ALLIFIN A, P578; Amir-Moezzi Mohammed Ali, 1994, DIVINE GUIDE EARLY S, p[13, 20]; [Anonymous], 1987, ARABICA, V34, P80; Ansari Hasan, 2001, ULUM I HADIT, V5, P149; Ansari Hassan, 2010, J ASIATIQUE, V298, P280; Ansari Hassan, 2010, STUDIA IRANICA, V39, P225; Arjomand SA, 1996, J RELIG, V76, P548, DOI 10.1086-489853; bi-l-Haqq al-Natiq, 1971, RASA IL AL ADL WA L, VI, P71; bi-l-Haqq al-Natiq, 1986, KITAB DIAMA, P165; bi-Llah al-Mansur, 2008, MAGMU MUKATABAT AL I, p[238, 309]; Calder Norman, 1989, STUD ISLAMICA, V70, P57; Cook Michael, 2000, COMMANDING RIGHT FOR, P227; Di'tam Abu Firas b., 1993, AL SIRA L MANSURIYYA, V3; Di'tam Abu Firas b., 1993, AL SIRA L MANSURIYYA, V2; Eagle A.B.D.R., 1994, NEW ARABIAN STUDIES, V2, P103; Fanad Muhammad b. 'Ali b., 1999, MAATIR AL ABRAR FI T, VII, P799; Gouchenour David Th., 1984, THESIS HARVARD U CAM, P70; Hamza Al-Mansur bi-Llah 'Abd Allah b., 2001, AL IQD AL TAMIN FI A, p[113, 131]; Hourani George F., 1971, ISLAMIC RATIONALISM, P129; Hussain M., 1982, OCCULATION 12 IMAM H, P78; Khalidi Tarif, 2008, QURAN NEW TRANSLATIO, P273; l-Akwa' Isma'il b. 'Ali, 1995, HIGAR AL ILM WA MA A, VIII, p[1, 1284]; l-Akwa' Isma'il b. 'Ali, 1996, HIGRA FORTERESSES SA, P1; l-'Umari Ali b. Muhammad al-'Alawi, 2001, AL MUGDI FI ANSAB AL, P267; l-Razi Abu Ga'far b. Qiba, 1993, CRISIS CONSOLIDATION, p[218, 225]; l-Rigal Ahmad b. Salih b. Abi, 2004, MATLA AL BUDUR WA MA, VIII, P230; Madelung W., 1991, ARABICUS FELIX LUMIN, P25; Madelung Wilferd, 1987, ARABIC TEXTS HIST ZA, P19; Madelung Wilferd, 1965, IMAM AL QASIM IBRAHI, P98; Madelung Wilferd, 1985, P 6 C AR ISL STUD, P75; McDermott Martin J., 1978, THEOLOGY AL SHAIKH A, P280; Peters J.R.T.M., 1976, GODS CREATED SPEECH, P26; Sachedina Abdulaziz Abdulhussein, 1981, ISLAMIC MESSIANISM I; Sachedina Abdulaziz Abdulhussein, 1988, JUST RULER SHIITE IS, P91; Smith G.R., 1978, AYYUBIDS EARLY RASUL, VII, P80; Zayd Ali Muhammad, 1997, TAYYARAT MUTAZILAT A, P1560
syria-al-20120118 26
No full text38. Zau Qi, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
39. Jin Song, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
40. Bao Gang, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
41. Yu Meug, editor of Century Business Herald.
42. Ruan Yuhong, editor of the website Blashe
43. Ho Yanguang, editor of China Youth Daily.
44. Qiu Xiaoyu, editor of Chinese international radio.
45. Bao Limin, editor of Youth Reference News.
46. Yuta Furukawa of the Japanese channel TBS, on 19 December.
47. Zheng Kaijun, Li Muzi and Li Jia of the Chinese news agency Xinhua, on
20 December.
48. The French news agency AFP on 20 December.
49. Pierre Piccinin, Belgian author and journalist, entered the region on
27 December.
50. Tao Shigeki of the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, 26 December.
51. Firas Hatoum, Sa`duddin Al-Rifa`i and Ali Sha`ban of the channel Al-
Jadid,
27 December,
52. Algerian national television, on 30 December.
53. Algerian national radio, 30 December.
54. Algerian news agency, 30 December.
55. Hiroaki Wada of the Japanese newspaper Mainichi, 1 January 2012.
56. The Japanese channel TBS, 3 January.
57. Italian State television, 3 January.
58. Hervé Degal, French journalist, 3 January.
59. BBC News Arabic, 3 January.
60. Correspondents for the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, 3 January.
61. The Austrian journalist Antonia Rados for the German television channel
RTL, 4 January.
62. Fritz Orter of the Austrian radio and television network ORF, 4 January.
63. Jørgen Lohne of the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, 5 January.
64. The Turkish newspaper Milli Gazete, 5 January.
65. The Turkish channel TV5, 5 January.
66. The Turkish newspaper Milliyet, 5 January.
67. The Turkish news agency İhlas, 5 January.
68. The Turkish newspaper Vatan, 5 January.
69. The Turkish newspaper Akşam, 5 January.
70. The Turkish newspaper Vakit, 5 January
syria-un-20120122 38
No full textS/2012/71
38 12-21903
38. Zau Qi, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
39. Jin Song, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
40. Bao Gang, editor of Shanghai Media Group.
41. Yu Meug, editor of Century Business Herald.
42. Ruan Yuhong, editor of the website Blashe
43. Ho Yanguang, editor of China Youth Daily.
44. Qiu Xiaoyu, editor of Chinese international radio.
45. Bao Limin, editor of Youth Reference News.
46. Yuta Furukawa of the Japanese channel TBS, on 19 December.
47. Zheng Kaijun, Li Muzi and Li Jia of the Chinese news agency Xinhua, on
20 December.
48. The French news agency AFP on 20 December.
49. Pierre Piccinin, Belgian author and journalist, entered the region on
27 December.
50. Tao Shigeki of the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, 26 December.
51. Firas Hatoum, Sa`duddin Al-Rifa`i and Ali Sha`ban of the channel Al-Jadid,
27 December,
52. Algerian national television, on 30 December.
53. Algerian national radio, 30 December.
54. Algerian news agency, 30 December.
55. Hiroaki Wada of the Japanese newspaper Mainichi, 1 January 2012.
56. The Japanese channel TBS, 3 January.
57. Italian State television, 3 January.
58. Hervé Degal, French journalist, 3 January.
59. BBC News Arabic, 3 January.
60. Correspondents for the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, 3 January.
61. The Austrian journalist Antonia Rados for the German television channel RTL,
4 January.
62. Fritz Orter of the Austrian radio and television network ORF, 4 January.
63. Jørgen Lohne of the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, 5 January.
64. The Turkish newspaper Milli Gazete, 5 January.
65. The Turkish channel TV5, 5 January.
66. The Turkish newspaper Milliyet, 5 January.
67. The Turkish news agency İhlas, 5 January.
68. The Turkish newspaper Vatan, 5 January
Lessons Learned from the First Decade of Laser Assisted Drug Delivery
No full textArticle full text The above summary slide represents the opinions of the authors. For a full list of declarations, including funding and author disclosure statements, please see the full text online (see “read the peer-reviewed publication” opposite). © The authors, CC-BY-NC 2021
Lessons Learned from the First Decade of Laser Assisted Drug Delivery
No full textArticle full text The article associated with this page has been accepted for online publication and is in the final stages of production. The link to the full text will be made available on this page in the next few days. The above summary slide represents the opinions of the authors. For a full list of declarations, including funding and author disclosure statements, please see the full text online (see “read the peer-reviewed publication” opposite). © The authors, CC-BY-NC 2020
Drug Repurposing in Neurological Disorders: Implications for Neurotherapy in Traumatic Brain Injury
No full textTraumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant leading cause of death and disability among adults and children globally. To date, there are no Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs that can substantially attenuate the sequelae of TBI. The innumerable challenges faced by the conventional de novo discovery of new pharmacological agents led to the emergence of alternative paradigm, which is drug repurposing. Repurposing of existing drugs with well-characterized mechanisms of action and human safety profiles is believed to be a promising strategy for novel drug use. Compared to the conventional discovery pathways, drug repurposing is less costly, relatively rapid, and poses minimal risk of the adverse outcomes to study on participants. In recent years, drug repurposing has covered a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disorders including brain injury. This review highlights the advances in drug repurposing and presents some of the promising candidate drugs for potential TBI treatment along with their possible mechanisms of neuroprotection. Edaravone, glyburide, ceftriaxone, levetiracetam, and progesterone have been selected due to their potential role as putative TBI neurotherapeutic agents. These drugs are Food and Drug Administration–approved for purposes other than brain injuries; however, preclinical and clinical studies have shown their efficacy in ameliorating the various detrimental outcomes of TBI. © The Author(s) 2020
Comparison Between Liver Stiffness Measurement by Fibroscan and Splenic Volume Index as NonInvasive Tools for the Early Detection of Oxaliplatin-induced Hepatotoxicity
No full textBackground: Oxaliplatin remains an essential component of many chemotherapy protocols for gastrointestinal cancers; however, neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity may be dose-limiting. The gold standard for the diagnosis of oxaliplatin-induced hepatotoxicity is liver biopsy, which is invasive and costly. Splenomegaly has also been used as a surrogate for liver biopsy in detecting oxaliplatin-induced sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), but splenic measurement is not routine and can be inaccurate and complex. We investigated the correlation between increased liver elasticity assessed by Fibroscan and the increase in spleen volume on cross-sectional imaging after oxaliplatin as a noninvasive technique to assess liver stiffness associated with oxaliplatin-induced SOS. Methods: Forty-six patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancers and planned to take oxaliplatin containing regimens were included in this prospective study at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Measurement of spleen volume using cross-sectional imaging and of liver elasticity using Fibroscan was performed at baseline, 3 and 6 months after starting oxaliplatin. Mean liver elasticity measurements were compared between patients stratified by the development of splenomegaly using the Student t-test. Splenomegaly was defined as 50% increase in spleen size compared with baseline. Results: Patients who developed splenomegaly after oxaliplatin use had significantly higher mean elasticity measurements as reported by Fibroscan at 3 (16.2 vs. 7.8 kPa, P = 0.036) and 6 (9.3 vs. 6.7 kPa, P = 0.03) months. Conclusion: Measurement of elasticity using Fibroscan could be potentially used in the future as a noninvasive test for predicting oxaliplatin-induced hepatotoxicity. © 2021 The Author
