Islamic Family Business: The Constitutive Role of Religion in Business

Religion has significantly influenced societies throughout history and across the globe. Family firms—particularly those operating in strongly religious regions—are more likely to be subject to the influence of religion. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which religion affects business activities in family firms. We study how religion impacts business activities through a qualitative study of two Anatolian-based family firms in Turkey. We find that religion provides a dominant meaning system that plays a key role in constituting business activities through three mechanisms: (1) family imports religious practices as business practices; (2) family adheres to religious values as a rationale for business actions; and (3) family religious values define business taboos by avoiding the evil eye. These mechanisms highlight how religion becomes a source of well-understood business practices, how religion defines the nature of rationality that guides business activities, and how religious taboos can delimit the range of potential business activities, respectively

Effect of guar gum on the physicochemical, thermal, rheological and textural properties of green edam cheese

In attempts to produce a low-fat cheese with a rheology and texture similar to that of a full-fat cheese, guar gum (within 0.0025–0.01%; w/v, final concentration) was added to low-fat milk. The obtained cheeses were characterised regarding their physicochemical, thermal, rheological and textural properties. Control cheeses were also produced with low and full-fat milk. The physicochemical properties of the guar gum modified cheeses were similar to those of the low-fat control. No significant differences were detected in the thermal properties (concerning the enthalpy and profile of water desorption) among all types of cheeses. The rheological behaviour of the 0.0025% modified cheese was very similar to the full-fat control. Overall, no trend was observed in the texture profile (hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and elasticity) of the modified cheeses versus guar gum concentration, as well as in comparison with the control groups, suggesting that none of the studied polysaccharide concentrations simulated the textural functions of fat in Edam cheese

Aqueous Solution Preparation, Structure, and Magnetic Properties of Nano-Granular ZnxFe3−xO4 Ferrite Films

This paper reports a simple and novel process for preparing nano-granular ZnxFe3−xO4 ferrite films (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.99) on Ag-coated glass substrates in DMAB-Fe(NO3)3-Zn(NO3)2 solutions. The deposition process may be applied in preparing other cations-doped spinel ferrite films. The Zn content x in the ZnxFe3−xO4 films depends linearly on the Zn2+ ion concentration ranging from 0.0 to 1.0 mM in the aqueous solutions. With x increasing from 0 to 0.99, the lattice constant increases from 0.8399 to 0.8464 nm; and the microstructure of the films changes from the non-uniform nano-granules to the fine and uniform nano-granules of 50–60 nm in size. The saturation magnetization of the films first increases from 75 emu/g to the maximum 108 emu/g with x increasing from 0 to 0.33 and then decreases monotonously to 5 emu/g with x increasing from 0.33 to 0.99. Meanwhile, the coercive force decreases monotonously from 116 to 13 Oe

Discourses of Collective Spirituality and Turkish Islamic Ethics:An Inquiry into Transcendence, Connectedness, and Virtuousness in Anatolian Tigers

Based on case studies and qualitative interviews conducted with 40 stakeholders in five SMEs, or so called Anatolian tigers, in Turkey, this article has explored what collective spirituality and Turkish Islamic business ethics entail and how they shape organizational values using diverse stakeholder perspectives. The study has revealed six emergent discourses around collective spirituality and Islamic business ethics: Flying with both wings; striving to transcend egos; being devoted to each other; treating people as whole persons; upholding an ethics of compassion; and leaving a legacy for future generations. These discourses are organized around three themes of collective spirituality, respectively: Transcendence, connectedness, and virtuousness

Genome-wide Identifcation and Characterization of SPL Transcription Factor Family and Their Evolution and Expression Profiling Analysis in Cotton

Abstract Plant specific transcription factors, SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL), are involved in many biological processes. However, no systematical study has been reported in cotton. In this study, a total of 177 SPL genes were identified, including 29, 30, 59 and 59 SPLs in Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. barbadense, and G. hirsutum, respectively. These SPL genes were classified into eight phylogenetical groups. The gene structure, conserved motif, and clustering were highly conserved within each orthologs. Two zinc finger-like structures (Cys3His and Cys2HisCys) and NLS segments were existed in all GrSPLs. Segmental duplications play important roles in SPL family expansion, with 20 genes involved in segmental duplications and 2 in tandem duplications, and ten ortholog pairs in syntenic regions between G. raimondii and A. thaliana. Several putative cis-elements, involved in light, stresses and phytohormones response, were found in the promoter regions of GhSPLs, suggesting that plant responses to those environmental changes may be induced through targeting SPL transcription factors. RNA-seq analysis shows that SPL genes were differentially expressed in cotton; some were highly expressed during fiber initiation and early development. Comparing with other plants, SPL genes show subfunctionalization, lost and/or gain functions in cotton during long-term domestication and evolution

Protective intraoperative ventilation with higher versus lower levels of positive end-expiratory pressure in obese patients (PROBESE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) increase the morbidity and mortality of surgery in obese patients. High levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with lung recruitment maneuvers may improve intraoperative respiratory function, but they can also compromise hemodynamics, and the effects on PPCs are uncertain. We hypothesized that intraoperative mechanical ventilation using high PEEP with periodic recruitment maneuvers, as compared with low PEEP without recruitment maneuvers, prevents PPCs in obese patients. Methods/design The PRotective Ventilation with Higher versus Lower PEEP during General Anesthesia for Surgery in OBESE Patients (PROBESE) study is a multicenter, two-arm, international randomized controlled trial. In total, 2013 obese patients with body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 scheduled for at least 2 h of surgery under general anesthesia and at intermediate to high risk for PPCs will be included. Patients are ventilated intraoperatively with a low tidal volume of 7 ml/kg (predicted body weight) and randomly assigned to PEEP of 12 cmH2O with lung recruitment maneuvers (high PEEP) or PEEP of 4 cmH2O without recruitment maneuvers (low PEEP). The occurrence of PPCs will be recorded as collapsed composite of single adverse pulmonary events and represents the primary endpoint. Discussion To our knowledge, the PROBESE trial is the first multicenter, international randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of two different levels of intraoperative PEEP during protective low tidal volume ventilation on PPCs in obese patients. The results of the PROBESE trial will support anesthesiologists in their decision to choose a certain PEEP level during general anesthesia for surgery in obese patients in an attempt to prevent PPCs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02148692. Registered on 23 May 2014; last updated 7 June 2016. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1929-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Antimutagenic activities of some foods

WOS: 000078764300012There has been a recent increase in research into the possible ways of protecting individuals from cancer by making changes in dietary habits. In this study raw and boiled juice and leaf and dried seeds of Urtica sp, Stachys annula, sage, rosehip, grape molasses and tarhana were not found mutagenic in S typhimurium TA 100. All of the foods decreased sodium azide mutagenicity in S typhimurium TA 100. Among the foods tested, raw Urtica sp (46.32%) and rosehip (44.03%) showed the highest antimutagenic effect followed by leaf of Urtica sp (41.25%), boiled juice of Urtica sp (37.22%), Stachys annula (36.42%), grape molasses (33.03%) and tarhana (28.60%), respectively. The antimutagenic activities of Urtica sp and rosehip were found to be significantly higher than the antimutagenic activity of tarhana (p < 0.01). (C) 1999 Society of Chemical Industry