Islamic public administration and Islamic public value: Towards a research agenda

This essay explores whether religion has a place in addressing public challenges, particularly in the context of Non-Western Public Administration paradigms such as Confucian, Buddhist, and Islamic. The authors focus on Islam as a case study and highlight the need for real-life cases to build a grounded theory. To this end, the essay documents the authors’ ongoing research on Islamic Public Value. We argue that to understand Public Administration in a global context, it is essential to recognize the limitations of a Western perspective, from which the dichotomy of religious versus secular emerged, and in so doing, consider alternative departure points, i.e. paradigms incorporating religious or semi-religious elements

CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY BY X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY OF THE NATURAL AGING OF THE POLYPROPYLENE

In the present work we are concerned in the study, by means of the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), of the solar radiation impact (atmospheric environment), on the natural aging of the polypropylene (PP). The study has focused on two periods of aging, 60 and 80 days. Results of the quantitative analysis show an important degradation of the aged material due essentially to the contamination by oxygen, The latter being the main contaminating agent in surface. The solar radiation accelerates the oxidation of the surface of the PP by rupture of the C-H bonds. The decomposition of C1s and O1s peaks has allowed a best comprehension of the chemical reactional mechanisms, in terms of carbon-oxygen bonds (C=O, C-OH and O=C-O) responsible of the photo-oxidation.In the present work we are concerned in the study, by means of the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), of the solar radiation impact (atmospheric environment), on the natural aging of the polypropylene (PP). The study has focused on two periods of aging, 60 and 80 days. Results of the quantitative analysis show an important degradation of the aged material due essentially to the contamination by oxygen, The latter being the main contaminating agent in surface. The solar radiation accelerates the oxidation of the surface of the PP by rupture of the C-H bonds. The decomposition of C1s and O1s peaks has allowed a best comprehension of the chemical reactional mechanisms, in terms of carbon-oxygen bonds (C=O, C-OH and O=C-O) responsible of the photo-oxidation

Community trust reduces myopic decisions of low-income individuals

Why do the poor make shortsighted choices in decisions that involve delayed payoffs? Foregoing immediate rewards for larger, later rewards requires that decision makers (i) believe future payoffs will occur and (ii) are not forced to take the immediate reward out of financial need. Low-income individuals may be both less likely to believe future payoffs will occur and less able to forego immediate rewards due to higher financial need; they may thus appear to discount the future more heavily. We propose that trust in one’s community—which, unlike generalized trust, we find does not covary with levels of income—can partially offset the effects of low income on myopic decisions. Specifically, we hypothesize that low-income individuals with higher community trust make less myopic intertemporal decisions because they believe their community will buffer, or cushion, against their financial need. In archival data and laboratory studies, we find that higher levels of community trust among low-income individuals lead to less myopic decisions. We also test our predictions with a 2-y community trust intervention in rural Bangladesh involving 121 union councils (the smallest rural administrative and local government unit) and find that residents in treated union councils show higher levels of community trust and make less myopic intertemporal choices than residents in control union councils. We discuss the implications of these results for the design of domestic and global policy interventions to help the poor make decisions that could alleviate poverty.This research was made possible in part by a Cambridge Judge Business School small grant, the research facilities provided by the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia University, and the support of the German National Academic Foundatio

Irminger Sea is the center of action for subpolar AMOC variability

Significant societally important climate impacts can be caused by changes in the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) at higher latitudes. Focusing on variability and long-term change of the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA)—a key AMOC action center—and using eastern OSNAP array observations, we identify a distinct density and sea-surface height signature of the AMOC strength in the Irminger Sea (2014–2018), reinforced and extended with an ocean reanalysis (1993–2018). Reconstruction of AMOC variability using Irminger Sea density shows strong control by the North Atlantic Oscillation on subpolar overturning on multiple timescales, achieved via the gyre circulation and waters from the Labrador Sea. Furthermore, the observed decrease of Irminger Sea density since the mid-twentieth century (1950–2019) is suggestive of a long-term AMOC weakening of 2.2 Sv or 13%, however, this trend remains statistically insignificant due to the large interannual and decadal variability of the SPNA

Elastic Shape Models for Face Analysis Using Curvilinear Coordinates

International audienceThis paper studies the problem of analyzing variability in shapes of facial surfaces using a Rie- mannian framework, a fundamental approach that allows for joint matchings, comparisons, and deformations of faces under a chosen metric. The starting point is to impose a curvilinear coordinate system, named the Darcyan coordinate system, on facial surfaces; it is based on the level curves of the surface distance function measured from the tip of the nose. Each facial surface is now represented as an indexed collection of these level curves. The task of finding optimal deformations, or geodesic paths, between facial surfaces reduces to that of finding geodesics between level curves, which is accomplished using the theory of elastic shape analy- sis of 3D curves. Elastic framework allows for nonlinear matching between curves and between points across curves. The resulting geodesics provide optimal elastic deformations between faces and an elastic metric for comparing facial shapes. We demonstrate this idea using examples from FSU face databas

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Fibrin Hydrogel Based Bone Substitute Tethered with BMP-2 and BMP-2/7 Heterodimers

Current clinically used delivery methods for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are collagen based and require large concentrations that can lead to dangerous side effects. Fibrin hydrogels can serve as osteoinductive bone substitute materials in non-load bearing bone defects in combination with BMPs. Two strategies to even further optimize such a fibrin based system include employing more potent BMP heterodimers and engineering growth factors that can be covalently tethered to and slowly released from a fibrin matrix. Here we present an engineered BMP-2/BMP-7 heterodimer where an N-terminal transglutaminase substrate domain in the BMP-2 portion provides covalent attachment to fibrin together with a central plasmin substrate domain, a cleavage site for local release of the attached BMP-2/BMP-7 heterodimer under the influence of cell-activated plasmin. In vitro and in vivo results revealed that the engineered BMP-2/BMP-7 heterodimer induces significantly more alkaline phosphatase activity in pluripotent cells and bone formation in a rat calvarial model than the engineered BMP-2 homodimer. Therefore, the engineered BMP-2/BMP-7 heterodimer could be used to reduce the amount of BMP needed for clinical effect