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Suhrawardi’s hermeneutical approach to the elements, components and narratives of the Shahnameh, as they are expressed in his mystical treatises, delineates the metamorphosis of the epico-mythic Weltanschauung into a mystico-gnostic worldview. We will best understand this metamorphosis by contrasting the hermeneutical principles of Suhrawardi with those of Ferdowsi in interpreting various myths and epic narratives. Ferdowsi’s hermeneutics can be described as “logocentric,” a term which highlights the role of λόγος in imposing a rational interpretation on the seemingly illogical and counterfactual aspects of myth and epic narrative. In contrast, Suhrawardi’s hermeneutics is dominated by different ontological and epistemological principles that turn it into what can be designated as “radical hermeneutics,” a theory of reading whose radicality consists in making the Erlebnis of the reader and his or her intentiō lectoris the focal point of interpretation. The paper will scrutinize the way in which Suhrawardi interprets the epico-mythic elements of the Shahnameh as mystical symbols in the context of his Gnostic and illuminationist worldview and thus metamorphoses the epic into the mystical.

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In our times, the relationship between philosophy and literary theory has been addressed in a variety of different ways. This paper aims to demonstrate in an a posteriori manner how philosophy contributes to literary theory. In doing so, it stands in direct opposition to Rorty’s pragmatic conception of the relationship between these two fields of human knowledge. Philosophy, it is argued, can make at least four contributions to literary theory and the paper is accordingly divided into four parts: (1) it clarifies the ontological status of the literary work; (2) it helps us see the problem of discovering the author’s intention in a new light by questioning our Cartesian presuppositions concerning the relationship between mind and body, (3) it clarifies the philosophical roots of modern literary theory by putting these theories in their proper philosophical context; and finally (4) it paves the way for a critique of the modern relativism and constructivism inherent in modern literary theory. The paper thus ends by showing that if one accepts the possible ways in which philosophy contributes to literary theory and especially finds the critique launched against constructivism in part four plausible, then one has every reason to remain doubtful about Rorty’s view of the subject.

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Literary cognitivism, as I understand it, comprises two theses: (1) some literary works can convey non-trivial knowledge to readers and (2) the cognitive value of a literary work is part and parcel of its aesthetic value. In this paper, I argue for the first thesis and elaborate upon the various mechanisms by means of which literary works produce propositional and non-propositional knowledge (including perspective-based knowledge, empathic or phenomenal knowledge and ability knowledge or know-how). To do so, I give a brief sketch of Plato’s anti-cognitivist epistemological objections against the epistemic status of literary works and go on to reformulate them from a modern perspective to provide a background for my epistemological inquiry. My defence of literary cognitivism welcomes different kinds of knowledge-forming mechanisms but pace thinkers such as Noam Chomsky and Martha Nussbaum who prefer the literary discourse over the philosophical or scientific discourse in that the former might sometimes provide us with a kind of knowledge that we may not find in the latter, cautiously and deliberatey averts from making such dubious claims.

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Objective: As we are approaching the global eradication of wild poliovirus, laboratory surveillance of poliovirus by the gold standard cell culture method becomes increasingly important. As there is a lot of concern about accurate and sensitive detection of imported wild and Vaccine Derived Polioviruses (VDPVs) in Polio-Free countries, in this study we assessed and compared the sensitivity of the cell lines used in polio laboratory simultaneously to standard poliovirus and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) polioviruses, to ensure the accurate detection of circulating and imported polioviruses in the society. Materials and Methods: Cell sensitivity test was performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Polio Laboratory Manual for RD, L20B and Hep2 cell lines using 3 serotypes of standard monovalent and OPV polioviruses. The test was repeated every four passages for all cell lines. Results: The sensitivity of L20B and Hep2 cell lines for standard poliovirus type 1 and 2 is more than sensitivity for the same types of OPV virus but for poliovirus type 3 it is vice versa. Also RD cell line is more sensitive to all 3 types of OPV virus. In addition, the test showed that increasing the passage number will decrease the sensitivity of all cell lines. Conclusion: Using RD & L20B cell lines simultaneously (with low passage number) will assure us of sensitivity and accuracy of the cell lines for detection of circulating and imported polioviruses.

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Despite the right to legal counsel in prosecution process before the court and tribunals mentioned through international documents and legal systems and/or the necessity of the presence of legal assistance being recognized during the investigations and prosecutions nationally (according to article 48 of criminal procedure law of  Iran) and internationally (according to international related documents such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), execution of this right is practically challenged by the legal ambiguities. On one hand the criminal procedure is a mean in the judge’s hand in order to prove the facts; and on the other hand, it is a tool for persons to defend their rights and freedoms. Since many of judicial decisions about the person is based on the documents, which are gathered through facing the police, depriving the suspect from legal assistance will increase the possibility of his her rights suppression. During recent years, in both national legal systems and international criminal court’s procedure several changes have occurred accordingly. This article analyzes the mentioned changes through national law and also the procedure of international criminal courts, and introduces achievements of comparative law regarding how to balance between ensuring the right to legal counsel through tribunals and investigations and establishing a fair trial. The article will hereof study and criticize the failure of Iran’s legal system according to the international standards of fair trial.

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Cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hom.: Aphididae) is an important pest of crucifers and is controlled by different insecticides, especially dimethoate.The toxicity of dimethoate in six populations of the pest from different parts of Iran was assayed using Leaf-dip method. The bioassay results indicated significant difference in susceptibility to dimethoate among the six populations that were investigated. The highest level of resistance to dimethoate was obtained for Mehrshahr (Meh) population (RR= 91.25). Diethyl maleate (DEM), ,piperonylbutoxide (PBO), and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) suppressed the level of resistance to dimethoate, indicating the resistance to this insecticide was caused by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), mixed function oxidases, and esterases, respectively. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and GSTs activity increased, respectively, 2.7 and 9.6-fold in resistant population compared with the susceptible one. When α-naphthyl acetate was used as substrate, up to 4-fold increase in esterase activity was observed in resistant population. Moreover, 6.2-fold elevation in esterase activity was shown in resistant strain when β-naphthyl acetate was the substrate. Overall, the mechanisms of insecticide resistance in cabbage aphid populations from six regions of Iran were related to GSTs, esterase, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases activities.