In this paper, I try to draw a two-way connection between simulation theory and language acquisition. I argue that an individual with better simulation capabilities is at an advantage when it comes to foreign language acquisition, but this also works in the opposite direction in that exposure to many languages leads to better simulation capacities and more empathy. A number of studies relating to the subject of language and simulation will be presented in this paper. An evolutionary explanation and an (...) analysis of the case of children with autism will also be presented to argue in favor of simulation theory over theory theory. (shrink)

As with most medieval philosophers, Avicenna advocated for Divine Simplicity Thesis (henceforth DST), according to which God is absolutely simple, lacking any composition within Him. However, DST raises a puzzling question about the ontological status of divine attributes. According to DST, these attributes cannot be distinct positive intrinsic properties of God, as such properties would bring about a composition within Him. Consequently, proponents of DST must propose alternative accounts of their ontological status. In this paper, I identify and delineate three (...) distinct accounts in Avicenna. According to the first account, divine attributes are positive intrinsic properties of God that exist in a non-composite, unified manner. On the second account, these attributes are either extrinsic or negative properties, which are not real features within God. In the third account, divine attributes are concomitants (_al-lawāzim_) of God, namely, distinct entities proceeding from His essence (_dhāt_). As these concomitants are ontologically posterior to God, their plurality would not constitute a composition within God. I argue that although all three views are suggested by Avicenna’s corpus, his official stance was the negative-extrinsic account. Subsequently, I explore the major philosophical challenges the negative-extrinsic account encounters and examine how Avicenna would meet them. (shrink)

Avicenna’s Letter to the Scholars of Baghdād records a philosophical exchange between Avicenna and Abū al-Qāsim al-Kirmānī, conducted shortly after Avicenna’s arrival in Hamadhān in 405/1015. The Letter addresses some central metaphysical and epistemological questions in Avicenna’s philosophy, namely the existence and unity of shared essences (al-māhīyyāt al-mushtaraka) and the acquisition of intelligible forms (al-ṣuwar al-maʿqūla). Despite its importance, the work has remained relatively understudied. This paper offers a new critical edition of the Arabic text, based on all known manuscript (...) witnesses, together with the first complete English translation of the Letter and a detailed synopsis. Beyond its editorial contributions, the paper examines a key interpretive issue raised by the Letter: the nature of al-Kirmānī’s realism about universals. Against the prevailing view in modern scholarship that characterizes al-Kirmānī as a Platonic realist, I argue that the Letter shows him to be an immanent realist. Finally, the paper explores the impact of the Avicenna–al-Kirmānī debate on Avicenna’s later writings, showing that the Argument from Contrary Properties, which Avicenna consistently raised against immanent realism in his subsequent discussions of universals, was first introduced in the Letter. (shrink)

A main function of common natures in Avicenna’s metaphysics is supposed to be providing an objective ground for the categories. Thus, it is commonly assumed that in his metaphysics things are objectively divided into the categories into which they are because members of each category share the same common nature. However, common natures cannot perform the function unless they are shared, in a real sense of the word, by the members of the respective categories, and it is not clear at (...) all in what real sense Avicenna took common natures to be shared by them. On the one hand, he rejected Platonic and Aristotelian realisms about common natures, the two standard accounts of how common natures are shared by their instances. On the other hand, it is unclear that his alternative account(s) of common natures renders them genuinely common. The primary goal of this paper is to examine whether Avicenna’s common natures can provide an objective ground for the categories. It considers various interpretations of Avicenna's account and argues that they are either incorrect interpretations of Avicenna or do not render common natures genuinely common. It concludes with proposing to look elsewhere in Avicenna’s system to find the objective ground. (shrink)

Since Kit Fine presented his counter-examples to the standard versions of the modal view, many have been convinced that the standard versions of the modal view are not adequate. However, the scope of Fine's argument has not been fully appreciated. In this paper, I aim to carry Fine’s argument to its logical conclusion and argue that once we embrace the intuition underlying his counter-examples, we have to hold that properties obtained, totally or partially, by application of logical operations are not (...) essential to non-logical entities. I also demonstrate that most of the post-Finean versions of the modal view, which were developed to accommodate Fine’s counter-examples, entail that such properties are essential to the entities, and so fail to capture the notion of essence at issue in Fine's counter-examples. Additionally, I explore the consequence of my argument for Fine’s proposed logic of essence. The logic turns out to be inadequate in its present shape as it represents such properties to be essential to the entities. I conclude by developing a modification to the logic to overcome the shortcoming. (shrink)

Since Kit Fine published his famous counter-examples to the modal account of essence, numerous modalists have proposed to avoid the counter-examples by revising the modal account. A sophisticated revision has been put forward by Fabrice Correia. Drawing on themes from Prior’s modality, Correia has introduced a nonstandard conception of metaphysical modality and has proposed to analyze essence in its terms. He has claimed that the analysis is immune to Fine’s counter-examples. In this paper, I argue that there are counter-examples supported (...) by the very intuition underlying Fine’s counter-examples, which are not accommodated by Correia’s account. If my argument is sound, then Correia has not been successful in his defense of modalism. An important corollary of my argument will be that Fine’s consequential conception of essence needs to be modified if it is to capture his own intuitive notion of essence. (shrink)

The Muʿtazilī theologians, particularly the later Imāmī ones, developed numerous interesting arguments against divine command theory. The arguments, however, have not received the attention they deserve. Some of the arguments have been discussed in passing, and some have not been discussed at all. In this article, I aim to present and analyse the arguments. To that end, I first distinguish between different semantic, ontological, epistemological, and theological theses that were often conflated in the debate, and examine the logical relation among (...) them. Then I go over the Muʿtazila's arguments determining, among other things, which of the theses was targeted by each argument. In presenting the arguments, I focus mainly on the late kalām period, the period falling roughly between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries of the common era, as the arguments were at their most sophisticated level by this time. (shrink)

It is well known that Avicenna vehemently rejected the theory of Forms. However, his interpretation of the theory and his reasons for rejecting it remain understudied. This paper aims to fill this lacuna. It begins by laying out the theses that he associated with the theory of Forms, demonstrating where they diverge from Plato's own formulation of the theory and from two later reformulations of it: those of post-Avicennian Muslim Platonists and contemporary analytic Platonists. Subsequently, it examines Avicenna's arguments against (...) the theory, classifying them into two categories: (1) refutations of Platonic arguments and (2) direct arguments against the theory. Both groups of arguments demonstrate significant originality, going well beyond Aristotle's critiques in his Metaphysics, which was likely the principal source of Avicenna's knowledge of the theory of Forms. The examination of Avicenna's arguments reveals (1) his methodology in responding to ancient views with which he disagreed; (2) some of his innovative logical contributions, including the distinction between two kinds of predication, and the logic of the “min ḥaythu hīya hīya” (inasmuch as it is what it is) operator; and (3) some substantive metaphysical, epistemological, and semantic assumptions that were later embraced by mainstream Islamic philosophy. (shrink)

One common objection against the Principle of Sufficient Reason is that it leads to a highly counterintuitive position, namely, necessitarianism. In this paper, drawing on Avicenna’s modal theory, I differentiate between two versions of necessitarianism: strong necessitarianism and weak necessitarianism. I argue that the modal intuition driving this objection pertains to strong necessitarianism, while the Principle of Sufficient Reason, at most, leads to weak necessitarianism.

A new lifetime distribution, called exponential doubly Poisson distribution, is proposed with decreasing, increasing, and upside-down bathtub-shaped hazard rates. One of the reasons for introducing the new distribution is that it can describe the failure time of a system connected in the form of a parallel-series structure. Some properties of the proposed distribution are addressed. Four methods of estimation for the involved parameters are considered based on progressively type II censored data. These methods are maximum likelihood, moments, least squares, and (...) weighted least squares estimations. Through an extensive numerical simulation, the performance of the estimation methods is compared based on the average of mean squared errors and the average of absolute relative biases of the estimates. Two real datasets are used to compare the proposed distribution with some other well-known distributions. The comparison indicates that the proposed distribution is better than the other distributions to match the data provided. (shrink)

Spatial evolutionary game theory explains how cooperative traits can survive the intense competition in biological systems. If the spatial distribution allows cooperators to interact with each other frequently, the benefits of cooperation will outweigh the losses due to exploitation by selfish organisms. However, for a cooperative behavior to get established in a system, it needs to be found initially in a sufficiently large cluster to allow a high frequency of intracooperator interactions. Since mutations are rare events, this poses the question (...) of how cooperation can arise in a biological system in the first place. We present a simple model which captures two concepts from genetics that can explain how evolution overcomes the emergence problem. The first concept is, often in nature, a gene may not express its phenotype except under specific environmental conditions, rendering it to be a “silent” gene. The second key idea is that a neutral gene, one that does not harm or improve an organism’s survival chances, can still spread through a population if it is physically near to another gene that is positively selected. Through these two ideas, our model offers a possible solution to the fundamental problem of emergence of cooperation in biological systems. (shrink)

This paper applies Bourdieu's concept of habitus to examine how cultural values underpin ethical decision-making in the development of AI and points out the possible risks of unregulated AI systems. It illustrates the delicate balance between cultural beliefs and regulatory directives to ensure that ethical AI can really be developed. Building on Bourdieu’s habitus theory and emphasising Emirati cultural traditions and Islamic principles as the grounds for ethical adoption of AI technologies to youth activities in the UAE, the paper introduces (...) reverse transformative habitus as an innovative theoretical construct applicable to the subtleties of social contexts. The paper specifically focuses on generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and similar large language models, that are widely used in educational and public settings, where cultural safeguards and ethical engagement are especially needed. The study further argues that young Emirati students and future developers of AI must carry Emirati values such as privacy, accountability, transparency, fairness and honesty within schools to regulate how they interact with AI technology. The paper concludes with a suggested cultural framework for developing ethical AI in the United Arab Emirates, which can serve as a model for other Arab and Muslim nations with similar ethical systems. It calls for establishing an ethical framework that reconciles differing cultural values and regulatory models to realise effective and culturally congruent integration of AI. (shrink)

Hale has argued that logical necessities are absolute in the sense that there is no competing kind of modality under which they may be false. In this paper, I argue that there are competing kinds of modality, which I call “essentialist modalities,” under which logical necessities may be false. Since it is counter-intuitive to say that logical necessities are not absolute, my argument, if correct, shows that Hale’s characterization of absolute necessity does not adequately capture the intuitive notion of absolute (...) necessity. Then, a qualified version of Hale’s characterization of absolute necessity is proposed. On the qualified version, the absoluteness of logical necessities is no longer defeated by essentialist possibilities. (shrink)

Positive frequency dependent selection is a natural selection regime where the fitness of a phenotype increases with its frequency in the population. Examples can be typically found in the spread of disease tolerance strategies in a population. A characterizing feature of PFDS is that the focal allele may experience favorable selection only when it becomes more frequent in the population, while being selected against when it is rare. In this paper, by applying a solution concept from evolutionary game theory, we (...) hypothesize that the process of emergence of such alleles triggers selection for silence, where the emergence of alleles that can stay unexpressed for a period of time will be favored by selection forces. We illustrate our hypothesis using a mathematical model of a population of single locus diploid organisms with two alleles where a single mutant of an allele that experiences positive frequency dependent selection appears in a population where the other allele is a dominant. The model results show that the longer the silence interval of the new mutant before its expression, the better its chances of getting fixed in the population. However, this effect will be observable only to a certain limit after which further increase in the interval will not have an effect on the expected fixation rate. Two divergences from the simple scenario are also investigated: the nonsynchronous expression of the focal allele and its emergence in a spatial grid limited by a migration bottleneck. In all cases, it is shown that there is an evolutionary pressure inherent in the dynamics of positive frequency dependent selection on the genes to have a delayed expression. It is hypothesized that the regulation systems of such traits will be under selection for either internal silencing mechanisms or to be triggered by an external environmental condition. (shrink)

Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important innovators of the century, Tariq Ramadan is a leading Muslim scholar, with a large following especially among young European and American Muslims. Now, in his first book written for a wide audience, he offers a marvelous biography of the Prophet Muhammad, one that highlights the spiritual and ethical teachings of one of the most influential figures in human history. Here is a fresh and perceptive look at Muhammad, capturing (...) a life that was often eventful, gripping, and highly charged. Ramadan provides both an intimate portrait of a man who was shy, kind, but determined, as well as a dramatic chronicle of a leader who launched a great religion and inspired a vast empire. More important, Ramadan presents the main events of the Prophet's life in a way that highlights his spiritual and ethical teachings. The book underscores the significance of the Prophet's example for some of today's most controversial issues, such as the treatment of the poor, the role of women, Islamic criminal punishments, war, racism, and relations with other religions. Selecting those facts and stories from which we can draw a profound and vivid spiritual picture, the author asks how can the Prophet's life remain--or become again--an example, a model, and an inspiration? And how can Muslims move from formalism--a fixation on ritual--toward a committed spiritual and social presence? In this thoughtful and engaging biography, Ramadan offers Muslims a new understanding of Muhammad's life and he introduces non-Muslims not just to the story of the Prophet, but to the spiritual and ethical riches of Islam. (shrink)

More general form of -neutrosophic ideal is introduced, and their properties are investigated. Relations between -neutrosophic ideal and )-neutrosophic ideal are discussed. Characterizations of )-neutrosophic ideal are discussed, and conditions for a neutrosophic set to be an )-neutrosophic ideal are displayed.

One of the arguments of the realists to prove the existence of universals in the external world is “abstract reference”. According to this argument, there are many true sentences in a language which apparently relates to universals. In the realists’ view, truth of these sentences can be explicated only when universals exist in the external world. On the basis of his “degree of language” theory, Carnap has criticized the above-mentioned argument and demonstrated that delusion of the existence of universals has (...) resulted from the confusion in regard to different degrees of language. In his view, those sentences concerning to universals are in fact second-order sentences which assert properties with regard to some first-order sentences. But Carnap’s theory suffers from two main objections: firstly, his theory is not successful in the elimination of reference to universals, because on the basis of his theory, only reference to non-linguistic universals would be eliminated but reference to linguistic universals continue to survive. Secondly, supposing that Carnap’s theory is true, translation of the sentences in question would be extremely difficult and complicate. So Wilfred Sellars attempts to response the two objections, and thus, to present a reformed version of Carnap’s theory. In the present article, the author first explains Carnap’s theory; then, it presents the relevant objections; and finally, it offers Sellars’ reformed version of Carnap’s theory. (shrink)

There are numerous interpretations of Plato's theory of justice as it relates to the ideal state, deeply intertwined with his political philosophy. This complexity makes understanding his interlocking ideas challenging, as he seeks to construct a theory of the ideal state. Plato's philosophy of justice, particularly in its political dimension, emphasizes integration as a fundamental factor in grasping his theory. This paper aims to elucidate the original concept of justice in Plato's state by delving into the roots of the Republic, (...) analyzing its historical context. Plato's predictions reflect values and truths connected to politics and philosophy, emphasizing integration as essential to understanding his theory of justice, which lies at the core of his philosophy. This essay compares the relationship between the functions and class structure of the state. Plato classifies human nature into three components: reason, courage, and appetite, which correspond to three major classes in the state. The ruling class, educated in philosophy, governs the state. The military class, characterized by courage and strength, defends the state, while the professional class manages the everyday affairs of governance. Plato's theory posits functional specialization across all classes as fundamental to his ideal state. In essence, while Plato's imagined city may lack historical existence, it holds significant relevance in the realm of speculative human thought. Keywords: Justice. State. Function. Class. Rulers. Guardians. Producers. (shrink)

La "question" de l'islam obsède l'Occident. Religion, laïcité, citoyenneté, immigration, intégration, multiculturalisme, extrémisme : sur ces sujets, tout concourt à détériorer son image. Et que dire de ces jeunes qui partent follement en guerre, au jihâd pensent-ils, pour rejoindre des groupes violents qui trahissent les enseignements les plus élémentaires de l'islam? Dans cette confusion sans précédent, il importe de revenir aux principes et aux notions premières, en quête de solutions concrètes. Quelle conception de l'homme trouve-t-on au coeur du message islamique? (...) Comment le comprendre et l'incarner dans le contexte occidental? Qu'en est-il de l'indispensable libération des femmes? De la conception islamique de la paix et de la guerre? Comment lutter contre l'islamophobie? Questions ici posées, avec rigueur et simplicité, à l'usage des femmes et des hommes, musulmans ou non, désireux de se comprendre, de dialoguer et de vivre ensemble dans la justice et la paix. C'est à un retour aux sources qu'invite Tariq Ramadan, par un nécessaire travail de "défrichage terminologique" autour des notions centrales et trop souvent dévoyées de shahâda (témoignage), de sharî â (voie) et de jihâd (effort). Une introduction sereine à l'humanisme de l'islam. (shrink)

Aristotle's primary perspective on the concept of justice is founded on knowledge of the good, which is related to the ethical virtues in Nicomachean Ethics and is separated into two parts: universal justice and specialized justice. In Politics, on the other hand, Aristotle identifies justice as the intrinsic nature of just citizens, noting in both Nicomachean Ethics and Politics, "The political good is justice, and this is a common advantage.".

How different do our various religions, philosophies and traditions of thought make us? And can we see past what divides us to discover what we have in common?

This study explores the sustainability reporting (SR) and assurance market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region from the Big 4 auditors' perspectives and investigates the drivers and barriers of SR and assurance in the GCC region. We have interviewed ten representatives of auditing firms (i.e., members of Big 4) in the GCC region. The results of study reveal the immaturity of the SR and assurance market in the region but are hopeful for the future contingent upon certain factors. In (...) addition, the voluntary nature of SR, the cost of reporting and assurance, and religious concerns among others are primary barriers in front of the eagerness of firms to adopt SR and its assurance. Reputation building and accessing international markets among others are the main motivations for the adoption of SR and assurance. The interviewees have firmly expressed that there is no direct relationship between SR assurance and financial report audit. (shrink)

In this paper, I explore the concept of applied Islamic ethics, the facts, its challenges, and its future. I aim to highlight some of the deep-rooted issues that Muslims have faced historically and continue to experience today as they apply religious guidance to their daily lives. I consider the causes and rationale behind the current situation and look beyond to suggest ways in which this may evolve, calling for a radical reform. Muslims throughout the world are experiencing a deepening crisis (...) of identity and confusion about their faith's principles and practices. I suggest how improvements might be achieved, in order to gain more coherence and understanding. This approach recognizes the importance of inviting an in-depth, deliberate analysis of relevant dialogues between religious experts of the text (scholars) and practitioners, those working at the grassroots. This approach remains faithful to the fundamental principles of the Islamic sources but also considers our present context. I recommend a shift in authority from scholars alone to a more inclusive, critical engagement of practitioners. Through this more comprehensive methodology of applied Islamic ethics, I suggest that Muslim communities, organizations, and individuals can remain faithful to their religious principles while, at the same time, actively participating in and contributing to our evolving societies. While I recognize that this will be a long process, I am confident that with applied Islamic ethics, the current feelings of confusion, self-doubt, and even apathy, given the previous failed processes of adaptation and reform, will give way to a new confidence in knowing how to address contemporary challenges. (shrink)

Que sont le bien et le mal, le licite et l'illicite? Comment déterminer le «bon comportement» et le sens de la vertu? Tout comme dans la pensée occidentale, la préoccupation éthique est centrale dans la tradition islamique. Pour comprendre ce que recouvre cette notion, il importe de se plonger dans l'histoire de la pensée musulmane. Une mise en perspective qui permet de lier la question des valeurs et de la moralité aux réflexions juridiques (fiqh), mystiques (soufisme) et philosophiques (kalam). Qui (...) détermine le «bon» et le «mauvais» au coeur de l'islam, et comment? Doit-on se référer en priorité aux sources scripturaires (Coran et traditions prophétiques)? La raison n'a-t-elle rien à ajouter? Comment l'éthique islamique s'applique-t-elle dans les domaines de la médecine, de l'économie, de l'environnement, de la psychologie, de l'éducation, des arts? Et comment la relier aux autres traditions religieuses et philosophiques? Le questionnement éthique invite à réfléchir aux finalités des savoirs. A la croisée du droit, de la foi et des sciences, cet ouvrage de synthèse ouvre une voie d'accès claire et rigoureuse à l'essence des débats ayant donné corps à l'éthique islamique. (shrink)

Background Shared decision-making at the threshold of viability is one of the most ethically complex areas of neonatal practice. For neonatal nurses, involvement is shaped by uncertainty, infant suffering, parental vulnerability, hierarchy, and enduring moral responsibility. Aim To explore neonatal nurses’ experiences of shared decision-making with families of periviable infants in Level III neonatal intensive care units, with particular attention to ethical tensions, moral responsibilities, and practice-based challenges. Research design A qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study informed by relational ethics. Data (...) were generated through individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed ideographically using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants and research context Twelve registered neonatal nurses were purposively recruited from four Level III neonatal intensive care units in one administrative region of Saudi Arabia. All had direct experience caring for periviable infants and participating in decision-making about life-sustaining treatment. Ethical considerations Ethical approval was obtained from the Jouf University Institutional Review Board and the relevant committees of the participating hospitals. Participation was voluntary; written informed consent was obtained; and confidentiality and potential power imbalances were carefully managed. Findings Four superordinate themes were developed: living at the edge of uncertainty and bearing witness to suffering; being morally responsible but not fully authorised; holding families through fractured decision-making; and negotiating ethical practice within institutional and cultural worlds. Nurses described periviable shared decision-making as an ethically complex practice in which uncertainty, constrained authority, relational labour, and moral residue were continuously negotiated. Conclusions Neonatal nurses occupy a central but often insufficiently recognised ethical position in periviable shared decision-making. Ethical practice at the threshold of viability requires structures that recognise nurses’ moral agency, relational work, and ongoing responsibility within interprofessional decision-making and its aftermath. (shrink)

Characterizations of an (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideal are considered. Any ideal in a BCK/BCI-algebra will be realized as level neutrosophic ideals of some (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideal. The relation between (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideal and (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic subalgebra in a BCK-algebra is discussed. Conditions for an (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic subalgebra to be a (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideal are provided. Using a collection of ideals in a BCK/BCI-algebra, an (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideal is established. Equivalence relations on the family of all (∈, ∈)-neutrosophic ideals are introduced, and (...) related properties are investigated. (shrink)

First published in 1985, this title includes contributions from leading economists and addresses many seminal aspects of Keynes' work and methods. This revival will be of particular interest to lecturers and advanced students of economics.

First published in 1985, this title includes contributions from leading economists and addresses many seminal aspects of Keynes' work and methods. This revival will be of particular interest to lecturers and advanced students of economics.

The issue of Palestine is a religious, political and cultural issue that transcends continents; historically, it has hosted the oldest civilizations and the holiest cities, all heavenly religions have been affiliated with it and many prophets have lived in these lands. God Almighty has granted it a number of advantages not granted to others and, starting from this, has created a starting point for Palestine to become one of the most effective and influential issues in its surroundings and even in (...) the entire world. This impact did not only occur in a political dimension, but also went beyond this and transcended thought, culture, economy and other areas. When we look at the literary aspect of the Palestine issue, what it affects, what it is affected by and what is poetically associated with Palestine, we see that Ottoman Turkish literature and modern literature are closely connected to this issue. This connection, which has been politically, historically, intellectually and religiously connected to Palestine since the foundation of the Ottoman Empire, continued until the Turkish Republic. The relationship between Palestine and Turkey continues with problems, different standards and dialectics. How could Palestine, an inseparable part of the Ottoman Empire, not be so important? What confirms the importance that the Ottoman State gave to Palestine is the interest of Suleiman the Magnificent in Palestine and the special attention he showed to it, which is narrated in history books. Similarly, Sultan Abdulhamid II, while rejecting the offers and provocations of the Jews, gave great importance to Palestine and openly stated that the price of Palestine was the price of 800 million Muslims and that he would not surrender Palestine to the Jews as long as he lived. This attitude he displayed even led to his dethronement. However, what interests us in this study is how and what Ottoman literature and especially poetry about Palestine are. In other words, it is the poetic treatment of the Palestinian issue and at a special historical stage. We have limited our research to the scene of the Divan, that is, classical Ottoman poetry, and its relationship with Palestine in terms of its political, artistic, historical, intellectual and doctrinal foundations, so that this will be a threshold that we can rely on in the future. As a matter of fact, it has become an urgent need to complete a comprehensive study in the Arabic language on the relationship between Turkish and Arabic literature, specifically in Palestine. (shrink)

Religious beliefs are defined as thinking, feeling and behaving in accordance with the beliefs and teachings of a religious system. In other words, religious beliefs are indicative of the role of religion in the individual and social life of people, as well as adherence to values and beliefs in daily life, performing religious practices and rituals and participating in activities of religious organisations. Religious beliefs are a set of dos and don'ts, and values are considered one of the most important (...) psychological supports that can provide meaning in all moments of life and save a person from meaninglessness by providing explanatory support in specific situations. In addition, work conscience is defined as a feeling of inner commitment to comply with agreed-upon requirements for work. In other words, work conscience means heartfelt satisfaction and practical commitment to the tasks that a person is supposed to perform properly, in a way that there will be no negligence in performing the duty even if no supervisor oversees the activity. Given the significant role of nurses in hospitals, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the religious beliefs of healthcare employees have become more important. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of religious beliefs on the work conscience of 1800 Muslim nurses in Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Standard questionnaires were applied to assess the respondents' religious beliefs and work conscience. In addition, data analyses (Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's correlation, etc.) were performed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). According to the results, religious beliefs have a positive effect on nurses' work conscience (p = 0.822). CONTRIBUTION: The findings of this study showed that the employees of an organisation, especially nurses and healthcare staff, can rely on their religious beliefs and benefit from their advantages in order to strengthen their work conscience during a hard time such as the COVID-19 pandemic. (shrink)

Social entrepreneurship, individual activities with a social objective, is used in this study as a conceptual tool for empirically examining farmers’ participation in alternative food networks. This study verifies whether their participation is driven by the social entrepreneurship dimension to satisfy social and environmental needs. We develop a more inclusive view of how social entrepreneurship is present among farmers participating in AFNs by using a behavioural approach based on three main psychological constructs: attitude, objective, and behaviour. The empirical results show (...) that two types of farmers participate in AFNs. One type is closer to commercial entrepreneurs; the main attitudes and objectives affecting their behaviour are oriented toward profit maximization and farm progress. The second type is closer to social entrepreneurial activity; the main objectives affecting their behaviour are oriented towards satisfying social and environmental needs. The study’s results offer implications and suggest recommendations concerning social entrepreneurial practices and the motivations of the farmers who participate in AFNs. (shrink)

The notion of int-soft ideal in a pseudo MV -algebra is introduced, and related properties are investigated. Conditions for a soft set to be an int-soft ideal are provided. Characterizations of int-soft ideal are considered. The extension property for implicative int-soft ideal is established.

The focus of this paper is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for the relationship between internal employer brand image and talent retention. An extensive and semi-systematic literature review identified a number of antecedents and consequences that have been empirically tested in various cutting-edge research studies that were conducted around the world. The existing literature is reviewed using a topical approach, and 66 research studies, most recent from various repositories, were carefully chosen and reviewed based on the criteria. Such studies (...) have been discerned and synthesized in order to establish a complete and accurate understanding of the phenomenon. Finally, a comprehensive and relatively rich conceptual framework has been proposed for future empirical explanations in various social settings via prospective research. (shrink)

Toxic workplace environments, especially those involving gaslighting, are known to contribute to stress and excessive work habits, such as workaholism, which may hinder a nurse's agility—an essential skill in adapting to fast‐paced healthcare environments. However, the interplay between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility in nursing remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility among nurses, focusing on how gaslighting moderates this relationship. This study is a multicenter cross‐sectional that was conducted among 594 full‐time (...) nurses from three major hospitals in Egypt. Data were collected using the Gaslighting at Work Questionnaire, Workforce Agility Scale, and Bergen Work Addiction Scale. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to test the study hypotheses. Results revealed that nurses reported moderate levels of workaholism, workplace gaslighting, and agility. Significant negative correlations were found between agility and both workplace gaslighting and workaholism. Gaslighting negatively moderated the relationship between workaholism and agility, exacerbating the impact of workaholism on nurses' ability to remain agile. The findings indicate that toxic workplace behaviors, such as gaslighting and workaholism, undermine nurses' agility. Regulatory safeguards are necessary to protect nurses from such environments, ensuring both their well‐being and the quality of healthcare services. These findings call for the development of national standards and policies to address workplace mental health and ensure accountability in healthcare settings. (shrink)

Background Home care nurses are central in providing holistic and compassionate care to patients in home-based palliative care. Ethical caring competency is essential for home care to sustain nurses’ integrity in the face of moral adversity. Interprofessional collaboration is vital for ensuring ethical decision-making and providing patient-centered care in home-based palliative care settings. Aim This study explored the predictive roles of interprofessional collaboration and moral resilience on ethical caring competency among home care nurses in home-based palliative care. Methods A cross-sectional (...) survey of 400 nurses was conducted from October to December 2023, utilizing standardized scales to measure interprofessional collaboration, moral resilience, and ethical caring competency. A convenience sample of 400 home care nurses was also included in this study. Correlation and linear regression analysis were used to clarify the associative and predictive findings. Ethical Considerations Ethical approval from the ethics committee, institutional permission, and informed consent from the participants were obtained for data collection. Results Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between the ethical caring competency, interprofessional collaboration, and moral resilience constructs, with coefficients ranging from 0.482 to 0.967. Linear regression revealed that management of collaborative systems and total moral resilience significantly predict ethical caring competency, explaining 14.6% and 36.6% of its variance, respectively. Other variables, such as the effects of collaboration and communication, did not significantly influence ethical caring competency. Conclusion The study highlights the significant impact of interprofessional collaboration, particularly the management of collaborative systems and moral resilience, on enhancing ethical caring competency among nurses. Implications Enhancing interprofessional collaboration and moral resilience through targeted strategies in nursing practice and education can significantly improve ethical caring competencies. These efforts are essential for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care and for fostering a healthcare environment that respects the ethical principles guiding nursing practice. (shrink)

Following the idea of L -fuzzy generalized neighborhood systems as introduced by Zhao et al., we will give the join-complete lattice structures of lower and upper approximation operators based on L -fuzzy generalized neighborhood systems. In particular, as special approximation operators based on L -fuzzy generalized neighborhood systems, we will give the complete lattice structures of lower and upper approximation operators based on L -fuzzy relations. Furthermore, if L satisfies the double negative law, then there exists an order isomorphic mapping (...) between upper and lower approximation operators based on L -fuzzy generalized neighborhood systems; when L -fuzzy generalized neighborhood system is serial, reflexive, and transitive, there still exists an order isomorphic mapping between upper and lower approximation operators, respectively, and both lower and upper approximation operators based on L -fuzzy relations are complete lattice isomorphism. (shrink)

Virtual screening is the most critical process in drug discovery, and it relies on machine learning to facilitate the screening process. It enables the discovery of molecules that bind to a specific protein to form a drug. Despite its benefits, virtual screening generates enormous data and suffers from drawbacks such as high dimensions and imbalance. This paper tackles data imbalance and aims to improve virtual screening accuracy, especially for a minority dataset. For a dataset identified without considering the data’s imbalanced (...) nature, most classification methods tend to have high predictive accuracy for the majority category. However, the accuracy was significantly poor for the minority category. The paper proposes a K-mean algorithm coupled with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique to overcome the problem of imbalanced datasets. The proposed algorithm is named as KSMOTE. Using KSMOTE, minority data can be identified at high accuracy and can be detected at high precision. A large set of experiments were implemented on Apache Spark using numeric PaDEL and fingerprint descriptors. The proposed solution was compared to both no-sampling method and SMOTE on the same datasets. Experimental results showed that the proposed solution outperformed other methods. (shrink)

This Handbook offers a comprehensive and timely analysis of Egypt’s development trajectory, aiming to inform forward-looking policies grounded in evidence and multidimensional research. At its core lies one guiding question: What would it take to unlock Egypt’s full development potential in a way that is more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient to future shocks? The book brings together contributions from 69 leading experts, researchers, and practitioners across disciplines to examine the key levers shaping Egypt’s economic and social outcomes. Structured into 6 (...) thematic parts and comprising 43 chapters, the Handbook delves into the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, sectoral reforms, environmental challenges, and human development priorities. Topics include drivers of growth, fiscal and monetary policies, inflation dynamics, public investment, competition policy, and Egypt’s global economic relations. The book explores labor markets, education, gender equality, poverty and inequality, social protection, malnutrition, spatial dimension of development, noncommunicable diseases, demographic dividend, and environmental and climate-related issues. The final section examines governance, social capital, and the megatrends shaping Egypt’s long-term future. The Handbook provides a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the Egyptian economy over the past seven decades, during which the country has lived through major shifts in the way it has pursued economic development. It provides diagnoses and highlights policy solutions for some of the most entrenched economic problems Egyptians are facing, with a view to building an action-oriented agenda and, ultimately, a different future. The Handbook is intended for academic researchers, students, development practitioners, and all those interested in understanding Egypt’s path toward sustainable development. (shrink)

This chapter explores the intricate interplay between centralization, decentralization, and localization within Egypt’s development strategies, addressing both historical and contemporary challenges faced by the country’s governance framework. Egypt’s enduring centralization has facilitated uniform policy implementation but often overlooks local needs, exacerbating regional disparities. Decentralization presents an alternative by distributing power to sub-national governments; however, its effectiveness is frequently hindered by political constraints and limited capacity. Localization emerges as a more adaptable approach, actively involving local communities and stakeholders in policy decision (...) making through consultations, monitoring, and evaluation, irrespective of whether governance is centralized or decentralized. Unlike decentralization, which primarily focuses on transferring authority, localization emphasizes the adaptation of national policies to local contexts while fostering citizen engagement. The chapter connects localization to the Sustainable Development Goals, advocating for a bottom-up, participatory approach to governance. By analyzing the evolution of Egypt’s governance, it posits that moving beyond the centralization–decentralization dichotomy through localization can significantly enhance inclusive governance and promote equitable development. (shrink)

Social capital has been shown by the literature to be a variable quite central to modernization, development, and economic growth. Over the past two decades, it has also been argued to be decisive in upholding the rule of law and, in some situations, enforcing pro-development behavior without the heavy arm of the law. In this chapter, we ask three questions. First, how does Egypt fare on the two main parameters of social capital—trust and cooperation—compared to the rest of the world? (...) Our answers—relying on findings from surveys, experiments, and content analysis—have put Egypt in a nonleading position. Second, we wanted to explain the low values of social capital in Egypt. We discuss multiple factors: defection being viewed as a social norm, historically determined family structures, and elite behavior. Finally, we discuss some potential interventions (some tested, others still in the theoretical development phase) to increase trust and cooperation among Egyptians. (shrink)

Limited migration from Egypt in the 1960s can be explained by the politics of the period and theoretical considerations associated with Egypt’s adoption of socialism during that decade. Starting in the mid-1970s, political and economic change at home, poor labor market performance, and growing demand for labor in the Gulf oil-exporting countries triggered substantial and sustained flows of Egyptian migrants, who also reached other destinations. The political economy of migration starkly changed, and the theoretical perspectives were altered, joining the mainstream. (...) Families participated in financing their members’ migration projects. Departed workers relieved pressures on the labor market and sent remittances from their destinations, helping their families meet education, healthcare, housing, and other expenses and thus reducing their poverty. Returnees enjoyed upward mobility in the labor market and wage premiums, both indicative of skill acquisition during migration. Remittances assisted in reducing the deficit in the balance on current account. Yet, migration and remittances alone could not improve the labor market performance or keep poverty from persisting and increasing at the national level. In the 2020s, highly skilled migration in certain occupations is worrying. Effective and coordinated education, training, employment, and migration policies are called for to maximize the economic benefits of Egyptian migration. (shrink)

This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of the evolution and interlinkages among monetary and exchange rate policies along with capital flows in Egypt across five decades (1970–2023). This is in an attempt to assess the validity of the Mundell trilemma in optimally dealing with the three mutually exclusive policy options: free capital mobility, fixed exchange rate, and monetary autonomy. The analysis revealed that Egypt did not face this trilemma during the first 20 years of the analysis, given the prevalence of (...) capital controls beside experiencing a nonautonomous monetary policy. Starting from the Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment Program of the 1990s followed by the issuance of Law No. 88 for the year 2003, a modernized approach to monetary policy was adopted pursuing a strengthened role of the Central Bank of Egypt, a more liberalized exchange rate regime, and free capital mobility. With these reforms, authorities in Egypt started to face the impossible trinity, juggling the three policy options of controlling the exchange rate, having free capital mobility, and experiencing monetary policy independence. (shrink)