subjectivity and objectivity in arabic poetry: a case study of abu al al-"ala "al al-marri`s model

( Ahmed Balboula ) 한국이슬람학회 2012 한국이슬람학회논총 Vol.22 No.1

All of the old Arabic poetry is individual poems. By individual poem it means talking about the experiences of the poet himself. It should be understood that Arab poets do not write the other known types of poetry like the play and the epic. It is just in the modern age from the whole Arabic literary history has the researcher found the play written in Arabic literature when Shawqi (1868-1932), the best known poet of the neo-classical school, wrote the first mature play in 1928. Yet the old Arabic poetry established many objective kinds of Poetry`, or. aghrad of Arabic poetry, like panegyric, satire, elegy, asceticism or al-zuhd, and description. Even in affectionate kinds of poetry,the Classical Arabic poetry has gone far beyond being as such individual feelings. The old Arab poets have in their poetry humanitarian implications and insights. However the epic remains one of the types of poetry which the Arab poets have never tried except those of immature attempts of Ahmed Muharram (1877-1945), an Egyptian neo-classical poet. Yet the absence of the epic in Arabic literature is not a defect in Arabic literature as any nation creates the type of art which reflects more its emotions and expresses its dreams. Moreover, what the Arabs have from the Pre-islamic poetry is not less than the value of Iliad and Devine Comedy, the most famous epics in the literary history of the world. Abu al-`Ala` al-Ma`arri (973-1057), one of the greatest Abbasi poets, wrote in prose his semi-epic resalatu al-ghofran (Message of Forgiveness) and in his individual poems he touches the epic boundaries in some aspects although he did not write it in the full sense of the word. The implications of his poems which I analized in this study show this very well. The first poem is about an armor talks to a sword and reflects what can be called al-amyahmunagaza al-malh (Two-knight talk before Fight). The second poem is about cock and reflects what has been known as angelic cock in western epics. And finaly, the third poem reflects the tragic fall of the epic hero.

Noam, Two Faces of Death and Love; Reading the Poem of Noem of Omar Inbu Abi Rabia, An Umyyed Poet (643/711)

( Ahmed Balboula ) 한국외국어대학교 중동연구소 2010 중동연구 Vol.29 No.2

This is an analysis study of the poem of Noam of Omar Ibnu Abi Rabia, an Umayyad Hijazi poet (643/711), read in classical tradition known as Manhaju Athaekty Almodarrabatu. The poem talks about one of the many illicit adventures of Omar with women, but the analysis reveal another deep meaning which reflects his philosophy of life. This poem can be divided to two parts. The first part is about the things that happened during his adventures and their causes that can be summarized as a meeting with his lover a married woman who is closely watched over by guards, who will kill him if they catch him there. All of this is just to see her for one night which will immediately end after dawn breaks. The second part is about his journey through the desert riding on his camel and how the parched camel has to drink muddy water to keep alive. Through many details of the poem and the efforts of the poet and his camel to stay alive it can be concluded that the poet wants to say that life is an unpleasant continuation; it is full of pain but human beings must live it as it is and accept it. This philosophy might make researchers in Arabic Literature studies rethink the previous ways by which they have been reading the poems of Omar Ibnu Abi Rabia and those of his peers, known as the urban love poets, who have been regarded as lecherous, or at its best, realistic with many loves, of great amatory activity by Arab writers rather than chaste, pure and tender, and concentrating on one beloved like Udhri poets.(The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, Arabic Literature to the end of Umayyad period,Cambridge University Press, 1983, p.426.427.)

25 January anuary Revolution and Political Challenge

( Ahmed Balboula ) 한국외국어대학교 중동연구소 2012 중동연구 Vol.30 No.3

This is a Historical- analytic study of the 25th January Revolution by which I try to investigate the causes and factors of the unprecedented Egyptian Revolution and discuss its challenges. The first part of this study is a historical background which traces the Egyptian revolutions and movements since the 1882 Urabi Rebellion up to the day of the first sparkle of January revolution, Also it has an analysis of why the 25th January Revolution is a revolution without a leader. In the second part is an explanation of the consequences of the revolution in the Egypt`s future. This revolution which came after 30 years of inertia, the period of Mubark`s rule, inherited a heavy legacy; the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, Political Islam and Ideological Sectarian conflict, American-Isrces, Political Islam and Ideological Sectarian conflict, American-Israeli Interests and Arab Interference. All of these challenges represent major obstacles in the way of achieving its goals.

Shu`ubiyya Study In Arabic Methodological Problematics Of Arabic Literary History

( Ahmed Balboula ) 한국외국어대학교 중동연구소 2013 중동연구 Vol.31 No.3

This study is an analysis of the traditional methodology of the history of Arabic literature. It encompasses a discussion on confusion of Arabic literature historians between literature and other different fields (History, Politics and Sociology). Focusing on Shu`ubiyya (which is a social phenomena occurred during Abbasid period) it traces the texts of Ala`ani that mentioned the conflict between non-Arab Muslims (Persian, Greek, European) and Arab Muslims who were proud of themselves as being originally Arabs, the notion which was not accepted by non- Arab Muslims. It also incorporates two different methodological approaches of writing Arabic literary history, those of Yousif Khulaif and Iz Al-ddin Ismail, who are both Egyptian scholars. Taking into account old texts, that have been claimed by many Arab Scholars as conclusive evidence, confirming Bashshar Ibn Burd` Shu`ubiyya, who was originally Persian and a great Arabic Abbasid poet, the study introduces a new dimension which refutes both Egyptian Scholars` point of views. The study also brings forward new perspectives by which Shu`ubiyya could be studied beyond what have been experienced by other Arabic literary historians.

Pyridoxine supplementation during oocyte maturation improves the development and quality of bovine preimplantation embryos

Aboelenain, Mansour,Balboula, Ahmed Zaky,Kawahara, Manabu,El-Monem Montaser, Abd,Zaabel, Samy Moawad,Kim, Sung-Woo,Nagano, Masashi,Takahashi, Masashi Elsevier 2017 Theriogenology Vol.91 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Recently, inhibition of cathepsin B (CTSB) activity during <I>in vitro</I> maturation (IVM) and culture (IVC) improved the developmental competence and quality of bovine oocytes and embryos. E-64 is a widely used inhibitor to inhibit CTSB activity, however, E-64 inhibits not only CTSB activity but also the activities of other proteases including cathepsin L (CTSL), papain, calpain, and trypsin. Pyridoxine, the catalytically active form of vitamin B6, plays a crucial role in several cellular processes and has the ability to inhibit CTSB activity. However, whether pyridoxine has an improving effect during IVM of bovine oocytes is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of pyridoxine supplementation during IVM on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes and the quality of the produced blastocysts. Supplementation of pyridoxine to the maturation medium significantly decreased the activity of CTSB in both bovine cumulus cells and oocytes. Moreover, pyridoxine improved both the blastocyst and hatched blastocyst rates. In addition, the presence of pyridoxine during IVM also significantly improved the quality of the produced embryos by increasing the total cell number as well as decreasing the CTSB mRNA expression and apoptotic rate. These results indicate that pyridoxine is a promising tool to improve the developmental competence of bovine oocytes and subsequent embryo quality.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> We investigated the effect of pyridoxine during IVM on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes. </LI> <LI> Supplementation of pyridoxine during IVM significantly decreased the activity of CTSB in bovine COCs. </LI> <LI> Pyridoxine improved the developmental competence of bovine oocytes by increasing the blastocyst rate. </LI> <LI> Pyridoxine improved the quality of the produced embryos by increasing the TCN and decreasing the apoptotic rate. </LI> <LI> Therefore, pyridoxine is a promising tool to improve the developmental competence of bovine oocytes and embryo quality. </LI> </UL> </P>

Estrous cycle stage-dependent manner of type I interferon-stimulated genes induction in the bovine endometrium

SHIROZU, Takahiro,IWANO, Hiroki,OGISO, Takatoshi,SUZUKI, Toshiyuki,BALBOULA, Ahmed Z.,BAI, Hanako,KAWAHARA, Manabu,KIMURA, Koji,TAKAHASHI, Hitomi,RULAN, Bai,KIM, Sung-Woo,YANAGAWA, Yojiro,NAGANO, Masa 家畜繁殖硏究所 2017 Journal of Reproduction and Development Vol.63 No.3

<P> Interferon tau (IFN-τ) is a ruminant-specific type I IFN secreted by a conceptus before its attachment to the uterus. IFN-τ induces the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) via the type I IFN receptor (IFNAR), which is composed of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 subunits in the endometrium. However, expression patterns of IFNARs during the estrous cycle have not been reported. We hypothesized that the response to a type I IFN changes along with IFNARs and the IFN-regulatory factors (IRFs) driving transcription of IFN signal-related genes and modulating a type I IFN signal during the estrous cycle. We investigated the estrous cycle stage-dependent type I IFN induction of ISGs and expression patterns of IFN signal-related genes in bovine endometrial tissues. Endometrial tissue pieces collected from bovine uteri at each estrous stage (early, mid, and late) were cultured with or without recombinant bovine IFN-α or concentrated pregnant uterine flushing (PUF) on day 18 after confirming the presence of a conceptus. IFN-α and PUF each significantly increased the expression of ISGs in endometrial tissues. The induction levels of the typical ISGs (<I>MX1-a</I> and <I>ISG15</I>) were significantly higher at the mid stage and correlated with high expression of <I>IRFs</I> at the mid stage. The immunostaining of IFNARs showed strong fluorescence intensities in luminal and glandular epithelia at the early and mid stages. Collectively, these results suggest that the endometrium exhibits estrous cycle stage-dependent responsiveness to type I IFN that may be associated with the expression of IFNARs and IRFs for pregnancy recognition.</P>