Rivalry-Prone Dyads? Interstate Religious Differences and Military Conflict

The link between religion and interstate military conflict has attracted a lot of attention among scholars of international relations and also foreign policy makers and religious organizations. This study examines whether religious differences between states in a dyad may partly affect various types of militarized conflict. It is argued in the literature that religion promotes stronger loyalty and sense of obligation than other cultural identities (Juergensmeyer, 1993); I argue that religious identity may be used by states effectively to mobilize people by means of rhetoric to generate and sustain popular support for conflict with other states. Thus I expect that states with different predominant religions to be more likely to engage in various dimensions of rivalry. The objective of this research is to contribute to understanding why certain dyads may be more likely to engage in military conflict. I construct new datasets and develop statistical models to evaluate the connection between religion and interstate military conflict. I focus on the onset of different types of interstate rivalries and war and examine the link of each of these types with different kinds of religious differences. I explore whether (a) interstate dyads with religious difference, (b) Christian/Muslim dyads, and (c) interstate dyads with different religious denominations have a higher propensity to engage in (a) enduring rivalry, (b) rivalry recurrence, and (c) war. This study covers the time period between 1945 and 2001. I conduct the analyses using logit models that incorporate alternative explanations of each of these three dimensions of rivalry. In addition, I provide a case study of the 1947 India-Pakistan war to examine closer the mechanism of the relationship between religious difference in this dyad and war. Analysis results suggest that dyads with religious difference are associated with rivalry recurrence and war; Christian/Muslim Differences do not appear to have an effect on rivalry. The findings of this research are expected to offer a better understanding of rivalry between dyads

LA DIPLOMATIE ECONOMIQUE MAROCAINE ET QUESTION DECISIONNELLE

Cet article s’articule autour des particularités du processus décisionnel marocain en matière de politique étrangère et vise à examiner l’impact de l’adoption de diplomatie économique, en tant qu’une diplomatie basée sur la pluralité des acteurs et la priorité des objectifs économiques, sur la décision extérieure du Maroc. L’analyse du processus décisionnel de la politique étrangère marocaine, à la lumière de la théorie du choix rational démontre la centralité du Roi au processus de décision étrangère du Maroc. Le recours aux mécanismes de la diplomatie économique renforce l’omniprésence royale à travers ses attributions juridiques et politiques, son poids économique et ses qualités symbolique.

The Effect of Cloud Computing's Advantages and Components on Time Savings and Data Privacy for the Quality of Electronic Banking Services

Purpose: The study aims how the advantages and components of cloud computing affect time savings and data confidentiality to improve the standard of electronic banking services for private Iraqi commercial banks   Theoretical framework: the purpose of the study to measure the benefits the Cloud computing and impact of the quality of electronic banking in services of saving time and confidentiality of data to know if we can serve bank customers in the future.   Design/methodology/approach: The study relied on the descriptive approach through the use of a questionnaire tool to measure the relationship between the variables.   Findings: The analysis revealed that, in both of its two dimensions, there is a statistically significant correlation between the advantages of cloud computing and the quality of electronic banking services. The two variables of the quality of electronic banking services and the components of cloud computing are statistically significantly correlated.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The social repercussions of the benefits of the results of the study through the findings it’s; the most essential of which is to guarantee that the provided electronic banking service is as simple to use as possible. This removes the state of fear that could prevent some people from using electronic services because they lack the necessary knowledge.   Originality/value: the value of the study's originality by measuring the relationship between the cloud computing and electronic banking services; this study is a subject which has not been reviewed in the literature previously in Iraqi environment

The Impact of Family Support on Recovery of Depressed Patients in Gaza Governorates

Background: Family support among depressed patients is an important factor in recovery from many mental illnesses. Objectives: the overall objective of this study was to assess the impact of family support in recovery of depressed patients in Gaza governorates. Specific objectives were to assess the effect of family emotional, instrumental, informational status on recovery of depressed patients, and to identify the effects of group with common interest on recovery of depressed patients, and the last objective was to assess the relationship between demographical variables of family and recovery of depressed patients. Study design: Cross sectional design was used. Methods: one hundred and seventy two depressed patients and those families received questionnaires (family support scale and recovery from depression scale) in six community mental health clinics in Gaza governorates, the participants from major depression disorders diagnosed in 2009-2010 years, to fill questionnaires including the demographic data. Collected data was entered and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Results: Prevalence rate of recovery from depression that received family support was 68.46%, and family support rate was 69.65% . The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between family support and level of recovery of depressed patients. The rate of recovery of depression is negatively affected by the duration of the illness and positively affected by the educational level of family. Conclusion: It is concluded from this study that family support has positive effect and increases the recovery prevalence among depressed patients. Integrating patients with social and family network are important in increasing the recovery process

The Impact of Electronic Banking Services on Customer Satisfaction: The Case of Iraqi Banks

Purpose:  The main objective of this paper is to study the impact of electronic banking on customer satisfaction.   Theoretical framework: This study is among the rare studies who tried to analyse the impact of electronic banking practices on the relationship between banks and their customers. All previous studies have analyzed the quality of banking services in general, although part of themfocused on the quality of banking services in different countries and the impact of this quality on improving the performance of banks, as well as identifying the level of services provided and the most important elements that customers rely on to judge the quality of these banking services   Design/methodology/approach:  On the basis of a survey covering 165 Iraqi Banks customers, we found that electronic banking consists one of the main determinants of customers satisfaction. Meanwhile, results have shown that for all electronic banking factors   A five-point Likert scale was used to judge each item of the questionnaire,   Findings:  The results were analyzed statistically, as the results of the statistical analysis of the data showed the existence of a significant relationship between electronic banking services and customer satisfaction, measured by all indicators affecting the quality of these tangible services, reliability, responsiveness, and safety. , empathy, and that there is a positive moral impact of electronic banking services on customer satisfaction.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  This research provides many implications and proposaql for Iraqi banks to improve their customer satisfaction and therefore their performance. In fact, the stdy shows that when using these services widely, they will lead to an increase in the custumers satisfaction. Also, the linear regression analysis showed a positive significant effect of the independent variable (electronic banking services) on the dependent variable customer satisfaction as measured by all indicators of previous quality. This supports the second hypothesis of the study.   Originality/value: The value of the study consists of the use of qualitative data (Survey) to carry out regressions to identify the main leading factors of customers’ satisfaction

Les déterminants institutionnels et macroéconomiques du développement du marché boursier dans les pays de la région MENA

This paper analyzes the impact of macroeconomic and institutional determinants on stock market development. Based on a panel data for 14 countries in the MENA region, observed during the period 2006-2015and using a board of instrumental variables techniques, we have found a significant effect of institutional determinants on financial market development as shown byHall and Jones, 1999; Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson, 2001. We have also obtained the following key results: macroeconomic factors, such as savings rate, interest rate and of stock market liquidity are important determinants of stock market development. Moreover, the results show that institutional development as captured by a political risk index is not a strong predictor of stock market development in the MENA region

Dactilitis and oligoarthritis after BCG immunotherapy in a patient affected by bladder cancer

The treatment of bladder cancer with Bacillus of Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy can induce the appearance of a reactive disorder. The Authors describe a 55-year-old male patient with bladder cancer treated with endovesical instillation of BCG immunotherapy, followed after the fifth application by asymmetric oligoarthritis and dactilitis. The observed positivity of both HLA-B27 and HLA-B51 antigens reinforces the hypothesis of a reactive form, possibly through "molecular mimicry" mechanism. The discontinuation of BCG instillation along which a therapeutic attempt with NSAD failed to improve the rheumatic manifestation, which completely remitted after a four-month course of oral steroids. No relapses of joint and tendon involvement was observed during the following five-month period. The clinico-pathogenetic implications suggested by this case are discussed

PHIL photoinjector test line

LAL is now equiped with its own platform for photoinjectors tests and Research and Developement, named PHIL (PHotoInjectors at LAL). This facility has two main purposes: push the limits of the photoinjectors performances working on both the design and the associated technology and provide a low energy (MeV) short pulses (ps) electron beam for the interested users. Another very important goal of this machine will be to provide an opportunity to form accelerator physics students, working in a high technology environment. To achieve this goal a test line was realised equipped with an RF source, magnets and beam diagnostics. In this article we will desrcibe the PHIL beamline and its characteristics together with the description of the first two photoinjector realised in LAL and tested: the ALPHAX and the PHIN RF Guns

Correlation of a quantitative videocapillaroscopic score with the development of digital skin ulcers in scleroderma patients

La microangiopatia rappresenta una delle principali caratteristiche istopatologiche, della sclerosi sistemica (SSc) e gi\ue0nelle sue fasi iniziali pu\uf2 essere evidenziata mediante la videocapillaroscopia periungueale VCP.Attraverso un\u2019indagine retrospettiva veniva valutata la fattibilit\ue0 di uno score capillaroscopico quantitativo e la suacorrelazione con l\u2019insorgenza di ulcere digitali, una delle principali complicanze della microangiopatia sclerodermica.L\u2019indagine veniva effettuata mediante un videocapillaroscopio a sonda ottica, equipaggiato con obiettivo 200x. In65 pazienti affetti da SSc venivano esaminati il numero totale di capillari (N) e di megacapillari (M), il diametro massimocapillare (D), il rapporto fra megacapillari e capillari totali (M/N), la presenza o l\u2019assenza di microemorragie etortuosit\ue0. 21/65 pazienti presentavano ulcere digitali nei 3 mesi successivi. Differenze significative si evidenziavanoper D, N, M/N, M fra i pazienti che sviluppavano o meno ulcere digitali, mentre uno studio di regressione multiplaconfermava una significativit\ue0 per N, M/N e D. Anche se ognuno di questi parametri correlava in maniera significativacon la comparsa di ulcere digitali uno studio delle rispettive curve ROC mostrava valori di specificit\ue0 e sensibilit\ue0scarsamente soddisfacenti. L\u2019associazione di questi parametri, secondo la formula D 7(M/N)/N consentiva invece unastretta correlazione con la comparsa di ulcere (coefficiente di correlazione 0,6183) ed elevati valori di specificit\ue0(93,2%) e sensibilit\ue0 (85,7%).Questo tipo di score, anche se estremamente semplice, rappresenta uno dei primi tentativi di quantificare la microangiopatiasclerodermica e se sar\ue0 confermato potrebbe consentire una valutazione prospettica della microangiopatia, permettendoun utilizzo preventivo dei prostanoidi nei soggetti a maggior rischio ischemico