Arabic Pseudo-Script And The Italian Renaissance

ABSTRACT ARABIC PSEUDO-SCRIPT AND THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE by WIHAD AL-TAWIL May 2015 Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Olmsted Major: Art History Degree: Master of Arts The curious pseudo-Arabic script found on artworks of the Italian Renaissance period provide art historians with an interesting challenge. Through the teachings of western-based perspectives of history, it has come to be accepted that pseudo-Arabic was included in religious artworks chiefly as a visual tool which referenced the eastern roots of Christianity. This essay proposes an alternative model of interpretation, however, which explains the inclusion of pseudo-Arabic script as a visual indication of humanism—an educational mentality born and cultivated during the Islamic golden age. The Italian Renaissance propagated a humanist ideology rooted in the study of Greek philosophy, among other things. In fact, humanism was a central tenet of the Renaissance and pertinent to the understanding of the art produced during the period. Prior to the Renaissance, however, was the Islamic golden age—an 800-year period of scholastic achievement in all areas of academic inquiry. Above all, the Islamic golden age birthed the field of humanism up to 600 years prior to the Italian Renaissance, effectively nurturing a philosophic, scientific and cultural standard inspired by ancient Greek texts which were translated into Arabic. This essay proposes that the intermediary Islamic civilization of the 8th-12th centuries—represented by Arabic language and script and marked by the cultivation of humanism—was met with great reverence by the Renaissance Italian world. Furthermore, the inclusion of pseudo-Arabic script acted as a conscious recognition of the humanist Islamic world, therefore aligning the Italian Renaissance with the same humanist ideals which prevailed Islam and made their way to Europe through the rigorous translation of texts

Advantages of Point of Care Ultrasound over Traditional Imaging

Ultrasound has been found to be a valuable diagnostic tool for ruling in or out serious and common medical conditions. The advent of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) provides trained primary care providers the technology to gather immediate data for clinical decision making and to move patient care down the correct clinical pathway in a timely and more cost effective manner. This tool has been shown to assist in motivational interviewing by giving real time evidence to the patient. This technology has the potential to significantly enhance access for patients in rural communities where diagnostic centers and specialty care can be geographically and financially challenging. The purpose of this retrospective study is to identify the benefits of the use of handheld ultrasound versus in the rural Primary Care setting to rule in/rule out specific diagnoses: The scope of diagnoses or ruled out pathologies for the purpose of this study will consist of the following: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)/Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)/Joint Effusion/Hydronephrosis/ Tendinopathy/ Thyroid disease/ Cysts--specifically subdural or liver cyst/Rotator cuff injury/ Cholecystitis. POCUS was introduced in the Hudson Headwaters Network in 2015 when the Network purchased units for their primary and urgent care clinics and trained clinicians began providing this service at no cost to patients. This quality improvement project is a retrospective chart review to document time to diagnosis, time to initiation of intervention if appropriate, any additional diagnostic evaluation, related subspecialty referrals and care and location of any out of office care provided in relation to site where POCUS was performed.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1419/thumbnail.jp

Hospitality workers’ reward and recognition

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate hotel workers’ preferences among the following pairs: intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and non-material and material factors. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the quantitative method and a descriptive design to draw inferences about employees’ preferences for items intended as reward and recognition. Convenience sampling was used in selecting the respondents using a survey questionnaire as the research instrument. Findings: This study has shown that hospitality employees differ in their preference for some material and non-material items signifying reward and recognition (RR). Management should take these differences into account when devising such incentives. The heterogeneous workforce structure in the United Arab Emirates may complicate the design of an RR system. Practitioners in the hospitality industry may note with interest that achieving employee performance and satisfaction is a complex exercise. The satisfaction that employees derive can be strengthened by focusing on Herzberg’s motivators while employee dissatisfaction could be prevented by addressing hygiene factors. Human resource personnel can achieve a measure of success while developing and administering a compensation program that stimulates effort related to work, tasks or accomplishment of goals. While motivated employees are expected to perform better, employee productivity according to certain research is related to the level of meeting ones’ needs. It is, therefore, important for organizations in the hospitality industry to consider the design of a well-balanced but flexible reward-recognition system that serves motivating employees toward the achievement of organizational goals and meet their own needs. Originality/value: The writers included demographic information and employment characteristics as part of their study. They included 10 factors, such as language, ethnicity, age, years in company and department among others

Corporate governance: on the crossroads of meta-regulation and social responsibility

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss incongruities in the corporate entity over the matter of agency. In lieu of the traditional notion of moral agency theory, the stakeholder model offers congruent grounding to corporate governance. Socially irresponsible or unethical corporate activities are perceived to increase expenses, diminish shareholder value and tarnish business reputations. In contrast, socially responsible corporate practices contribute to positive attitudes to the company and contribute to the creation of competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach: This paper follows the ongoing evolution of the regulatory changes instituted after the scandalous corporate fiascos of the present century, such as those of Enron and WorldCom in the USA, Polly Peck in the UK, HIH Insurance and One.Tel in Australia, and Siemens in Germany, inter alia. The exposition also touches on the regulatory metamorphosis of corporate governance in its convergence towards “meta-regulation” with corporate social responsibility at the core. Findings: While meta-regulation has so far worked in many countries, caution is expressed over the perils of over-reliance on a meta-regulatory approach. Industries or market sectors should also attempt to operate from the start within the confines of self-regulation and government regulation. Market sectors and industries need to find the framework of regulation that is best suited to their operations. Originality/value: The paper concludes by discussing the observed challenges and implications of such convergence, as well as future directions for law practitioners, academics and researchers in the realm of corporate conduct

The implications of the Brexit from EU and bitcoin

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to tackle the most pressing issues confronting global anti-money laundering (AML) efforts, particularly, the implications of the Brexit from EU and the increasing association of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies with crimes. Design/methodology/approach: This paper will evaluate the implications of Brexit to AML efforts and the threat that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin pose to the financial system. Findings: Instead of banning trade and other transactions using BTC and other cryptocurrencies, financial experts, with the able assistance of IT and mining experts, from all over the world need to convene and tailor an effective regulatory framework. Solid cooperation among the international community, supported by unitary standards and procedures, will help boost the worlds AML/combatting the financing of terrorism (CFT) efforts. As an added bonus, effective regulation, monitoring and control can facilitate more efficient tax collection. Originality/value: Recommendations were advanced about the future of AML/CFT efforts and the need for internationally holistic approaches in combatting these twin scourges on all economies

Effect of cybercrime laws on protecting citizens and businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which cybercrime laws protect citizens and businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Pertinent questions over the lax regulatory environment and incomprehensible cybersecurity policies have influenced the discussions. Design/methodology/approach: This paper will first offer a global outlook of cybersecurity laws and legislation. The global outlook will present the basis for examining best practices that the UAE could emulate. The paper will then examine the legislative landscape of cyber laws in the UAE, including cross-country comparisons. The comparisons are critical, as the country’s cybercrime laws are in their infancy phase. Findings: The UAE has taken decisive and proactive measures to deter the threat of cybercrimes and cyberattacks. The UAE strategy comprehensive strategy has been effective in protecting the economy and populations from the adverse effects of cybercrimes. The success lies in the enactment of comprehensive and streamlines laws and regulations with harsher penalties. The stringent legal measures, including longer jail terms, stiffer fines and deportation of foreigners, have ensured robust deterrence to cybercriminals. Originality/value: The analysis has shown that the UAE has a higher score of preparedness against cybercrimes and cyberattacks. The UAE has specifically crafted a broader and effective legislative framework of cybercrime laws. Although the UAE has comprehensive cybercrime laws, the remarkable level of technological advances in the country makes citizens and businesses lucrative targets. The UAE now has the burden of doubling down its legal efforts to deter emerging cybersecurity risks

Experiences of obesity among Saudi Arabian women contemplating bariatric surgery: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 The Authors.This study explored experiences of obesity, its perceived causes and motives for surgery, as described by seven Saudi women contemplating bariatric surgery. The women experienced cultural restrictions on their physical and social activities. Obesity embodied these restrictions, attracting stigma and moral failure. Traditional clothing, foods, hospitality norms and limited outdoor female activities were regarded as barriers to weight loss. Bariatric surgery was chosen to protect health and to access normative female roles. Some were encouraged by relatives who had undergone surgery. Opting for surgery reflected both participants’ sense of powerlessness to self-manage weight and the social acceptability, within their family context, of this biomedical approach

Morpho-syntactic features of Bedouin dialects of Northern Jordan

The present entry deals with the linguistic analysis of morpho-syntactic features of two varieties of Bedouin Arabic spoken in northern Jordan. It focuses on the existential clause, the negation, and the genitive. The data was collected in June 2020 during fieldwork in Samā, Muġayyir, and Zumlat al-Sirḥān (al-Mafraq Governorate), where we recorded members of the Sirḥān (a camel-breeder tribe), and in al-ʿIšša (Irbid Governorate), where we recorded members of the Nʿēm (a sheep-breeder tribe). This data is compared in a synchronic perspective with the corpus of texts we collected in 2018 in the historical region of the Jordanian Ḥōrān (rural northern Jordan). This paper intends to be a step forward in the study of Bedouin-type language varieties of northern Jordan, for which an updated and exhaustive grammatical description is currently lacking

From the industrial revolution to globalisation and integrative labour markets

Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. This paper aims to assess and analyse the legal regime, the importance, and the legal and regulatory effect that trade unions, and subsequently collective bargaining, have in a legal system and in the hierarchy of norms therein, both at the national and international level. After a systemic principal overview, the construction of the paper departs from the fact that under the foundational principles of international law, employees\u27 rights protection is guaranteed by both custom and codified norms. However, the form of enforcement of this social guarantee is highly dependent on the consensual nature of the international arena and on the states\u27 compliance with the internationally accepted standards and their immersion into the national systems of law. Moreover, the paper analyses, in an interdisciplinary manner, both the legal regimes of collective bargaining and trade unions and comparative cases, with particular stress on the UAE and the situation at the regulatory and enforcement levels therein. Finally, the findings of the paper militate towards a more prolific enforcement regime and the development of adjacent resources, regulatory or policy related, for a higher protection of employees\u27 rights thereto

The Importance of Sufi Traditions to Jerzy Grotowski's Practice

Considerable research has emerged on the influences of the late Jerzy Grotowski, the eminent Polish theatre reformer who is famous for his ideas on the Poor Theatre. Among his many contributions to the theatre, his early focus on the primary importance of the actor - as opposed to the trappings of stage design - led him on a path of systematic transcultural experimentation and concentrated actor training using "source techniques" from ancient rituals to achieve "organicity" in his "Holy Actor" and his "Total Act". There has been some disagreement surrounding the extent of the inspiration he drew from particular traditions, including some Sufi orders, the form of esoteric Islamic mysticism practised in many of the regions he visited in Central Asia, India and Iran. This study provides a number of the Sufi-like elements of Grotowski's Productions and Post-Productions career phases, in parallel with a thorough examination of primary and secondary sources indicating both direct (Sufi) and indirect (Sufi-inspired) influences from his practices, studies, collaborators, and travels. A number of inferences are made based on historical and geographical clues, due to several factors underlying the incomplete records of his experiences. Findings include a number of robust similarities with Sufism and clear connections with both Sufi and Sufi-inspired people. This thesis contributes to studies on the broad range of cultural and ritual influences Grotowski drew from for his practices by compiling and highlighting their numerous references to Sufism, and it credits Sufism as one of his major sources of inspiration