From Democratization to Securitization: Post‐Arab Spring Political Order in the Middle East

This article examines the question: why and how the wave of democratization in the Middle East has receded, giving way to the prioritization of security in the post‐Arab Spring by conducting analyses at three levels: societal, state, and international. By applying the main concepts and theories found in the literature on democratization and securitization and by analyzing the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Democracy Status Index, the Arab Barometers Survey, and the Arab Opinion Survey, the article concludes that: at the societal level, the tragic unfolding of events after the Arab Spring prohibits the public from pushing a reform agenda; at the state level, the post‐Arab political environment raises doubts among the ruling elite about how far political reforms should be extended; and at the international level, with the rise of new security threats, international pressure on Middle East countries to democratize has been restrained, giving way to security cooperation as the top priority.     

The Negative Effects of Insufficient Support Systems on Kuwaiti Mothers of Children with Disabilities

Parents raising a child with a physical or cognitive disability are often faced with the negative stigma against disabilities that exist in several Arab countries. This puts extra pressure on the parents and can lead to negative outcomes for the children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of parenting stress and varying levels of support for mothers of children with disabilities and the effects of these pressures on their relationship with their disabled child. We surveyed 85 Kuwaiti mothers of children with disabilities. The participants filled out an online survey with questions regarding parenting related stress, perceived social support, feelings of social isolation, self‐efficacy, and attachment to their child. Results indicate that mothers who feel unsupported by their families, community, and government experience more parenting stress and greater social isolation. These in turn lead them to feel less competent in their parenting abilities, and ultimately they feel less emotionally connected to their child. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Well preserved non‐collagenous extracellular matrix proteins in ancient human bone and teeth

Ancient bones in a good preservation state, ascertained by microscopic techniques, conserve extracellular matrix proteins over thousands of years. With new techniques, intact extracellular matrix proteins from ancient bones and teeth are extracted and separated by one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional electrophoresis. Proteins were identified in Western blots by special antibodies against different human extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules of bone. We have confirmed different types of ECM human bone molecules such as osteonectin, osteopontin, and alkaline phosphatase with specific antibodies in human bone samples from different age groups. Additionally, we selected bone samples from different cultural time periods, such as the Middle Ages, the Bronze Age and the Late Pre‐Pottery Neolithic Phase (PPNB), and teeth from individuals from the Early Middle Ages and from the Late PPNB. The survival of intact extracellular matrix proteins in ancient bones and teeth dating from recent times to the Late PPNB, and reliable techniques to identify these proteins, present a great challenge to further research. A Match Set with PD‐Quest 7.2 shows that only 16% of protein spots in the teeth are also found in the bone of the same individual. In combination with the results of macro‐ and microscopic investigation, biochemical techniques will help us in obtaining a better understanding of bone and teeth in health and disease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国及周边国家出境旅游市场互动格局动态研究

研究国家间出境旅游市场作用关系是经略周边的重要手段,对国家战略的落实具有重要意义.本研究选取位于亚太地区的22个国家,以联合国世界旅游组织公布的1995年、2005年、2017年数据为基础,采用社会网络分析法,对各国在出境旅游市场互动中的特征变迁进行刻画.结果显示:23年来,中国及周边国家的整体互动水平不断提升.时间截...     

深圳铁仔山古墓群出土铜器腐蚀情况研究

受深圳地区海洋气候及土壤环境影响,铁仔山古墓群出土铜器锈蚀情况严重。为了给后续的保护修复处理提供科学依据,需研究出土铜器锈蚀情况。为此,通过硝酸银定性分析、X射线荧光能谱分析、拉曼光谱分析等手段,对其表面锈蚀物进行综合分析。结果表明,该批铜器矿化严重,其锈蚀成分以孔雀石为主。其中一件铜器表面锈蚀物中含有氯磷钠铜矿,这在潮湿地区土壤环境出土的铜器中较为少见。此外,在另一件铜器表面锈蚀物中还发现疑似纳米SnO2成分。实验结果可对该批铜器的保护修复处理提供有力的理论依据和数据支持,并为深圳地区出土的其他青铜类文物的保护提供参考。     

石质文物表面墨迹的保护作用

在许多不可移动石质文物,尤其是石刻文字表面,因历代文人墨客的拓片留下了大量墨迹。这些墨迹是否对文物本体岩石有害?一直是保护工作者希望了解的问题之一。为此本研究开展了一系列调研和实验研究。通过对各地保存较完好的石刻表面的观察,可以发现石刻表面残留的墨迹具有某种保护作用;对模拟样块的SO2腐蚀实验结果表明,岩石表面的墨迹具有一定的阻止空气中腐蚀性气体侵蚀岩石的作用;盐迁移破坏实验也发现墨迹在某种程度上具有减小可溶盐结晶破坏岩石的作用。吸水率实验和电镜观察等结果显示,墨迹缓解岩石风化的机理主要是墨迹对岩石微裂隙具有填充和加固作用,使岩石的吸水系数降低,部分阻挡了可溶盐的入侵和聚集结晶。     

‘’Tis Not in the Power of Words to Tell What My Heart Feels in Favour of You’; or,What the Ossulston Diary Does Not Reveal

Charles Bennet, 2nd Baron Ossulston is largely known through his diary of his daily social encounters, which was first analysed for its political import by Clyve Jones. A further set of documents in the Bennet family papers deepens our understanding of Ossulston's life and his social milieu among the aristocracy under Queen Anne. The love letters sent to him from a Mrs Sarah Sidney throughout 1710 reveal much about life in the aristocratic hothouse of St James's Square. They also show how the ‘ministerial revolution’ of that year was seen by two politically conversant figures at the margins of the royal court. This relationship was long-lasting and has been a hitherto unknown aspect of Ossulston's life, which may help explain some of his attitudes.     

Metastatic carcinoma in a 14th–19th century skeleton from Constância (Portugal)

During 2002, the extensive archaeological excavations of the ancient Constância necropolis (Centre of Portugal), dated from 14th–19th centuries, resulted in the exhumation of 151 individuals. Among the several paleopathological cases, a middle‐aged female skeleton with osteolytic lesions in her skull, axial skeleton, upper limbs and femurs was observed. These pathological findings are characterised by an asymmetric pattern with osteolytic focus of distinct size and irregular shape. Some skeletal elements display both osteolytic and osteoblastic lesions. The latter exhibit deposition of fine layers of woven bone. Lesions were observed macroscopically and radiology was used as a complementary method of scrutiny, especially in cases of unclear observation. The case was diagnosed as that of a probable metastatic carcinoma due to the multifocal distribution of the lesions in areas of intense haematopoietic activity, their morphology and some osteoblastic responses, as well as the presence of pathological fractures in the ribs. The skeleton's sex and age at death are in agreement with the proposed diagnostic, constituting the first case of malignant carcinoma detected in non‐identified Portuguese human skeletal remains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Design and Development of a Closed Chamber for the in‐situ Quantification of Dryland Soil Carbon Dioxide Fluxes

This paper describes the design features and capabilities of a portable automated in‐situ closed chamber (ISCC) for the quantification of CO₂ fluxes in dryland soils where both photosynthetic and respiratory components may be associated with a cyanobacterial crust. The processes of CO₂ flux in dryland soils are briefly described in order to clarify the conditions that make quantification of these fluxes problematic. The instrumentation currently available for in‐situ soil CO₂ flux measurements is then reviewed demonstrating their inadequacies for the dryland environment. The ISCC described here is a member of the closed or enrichment class of soil respiration chambers. The ISCC, however, features an optical window possessing high (>90%) transmission in the photosynthetic active region (PAR) of the solar irradiance spectrum, permitting observations of photosynthesis. The ISCC possesses automatic venting and purging so that gaseous concentrations inside the chamber do not change from ambient sufficiently to significantly affect diffusion. The ISCC features both active and passive cooling employing internal solid‐state Peltier coolers and external aluminised Mylar respectively. This avoids severe disturbance of the microclimate within the chamber due to admission of high fluxes of PAR and permits in‐situ operation under a wide range of ambient field temperatures (~ ?5 to 40°C). Sensors internal to the chamber monitor temperature, relative humidity, irradiance and pressure. In this implementation the ISCC is coupled to a portable gas chromatograph (Agilent GC‐3000) to sample the chamber atmosphere. Indicative data for Kalahari Sand soils of Botswana are presented as an illustration of the general performance characteristics.