Trade and Geography in the Economic Origins of Islam: Theory and Evidence

This research examines the economic origins of Islam and uncovers two empirical regularities. First, Muslim countries, virtual countries and ethnic groups, exhibit highly unequal regional agricultural endowments. Second, Muslim adherence is systematically larger along the pre-Islamic trade routes in the Old World. The theory argues that this particular type of geography (i) determined the economic aspects of the religious doctrine upon which Islam was formed, and (ii) shaped its subsequent economic performance. It suggests that the unequal distribution of land endowments conferred differential gains from trade across regions, fostering predatory behavior from the poorly endowed ones. In such an environment it was mutually bene.cial to institute a system of income redistribution. However, a higher propensity to save by the rich would exacerbate wealth inequality rendering redistribution unsustainable, leading to the demise of the Islamic unity. Consequently, income inequality had to remain within limits for Islam to persist. This was instituted via restrictions on physical capital accumulation. Such rules rendered the investments on public goods, through religious endowments, increasingly attractive. As a result, capital accumulation remained low and wealth inequality bounded. Geography and trade shaped the set of economically relevant religious principles of Islam affecting its economic trajectory in the preindustrial world.

Nanoscale orbital excitations and the infrared spectrum of a molecular Mott insulator: A15-Cs3C60

The quantum physics of ions and electrons behind low-energy spectra of strongly correlated molecular conductors, superconductors and Mott insulators is poorly known, yet fascinating especially in orbitally degenerate cases. The fulleride insulator Cs3C60 (A15), one such system, exhibits infrared (IR) spectra with low temperature peak features and splittings suggestive of static Jahn-Teller distortions with a breakdown of orbital symmetry in the molecular site. That is puzzling, since there is no detectable static distortion, and because the features and splittings disappear upon modest heating, which they should not. Taking advantage of the Mott-induced collapse of electronic wavefunctions from lattice-extended to nanoscale localized inside a caged molecular site, we show that the unbroken spin and orbital symmetry of the ion multiplets explains the IR spectrum without adjustable parameters. This demonstrates the importance of a fully quantum treatment of nuclear positions and orbital momenta in the Mott insulator sites, dynamically but not statically distorted. The observed demise of these features with temperature is explained by the thermal population of a multiplet term whose nuclear positions are essentially undistorted, but whose energy is very low-lying. That term is in fact a scaled-down orbital excitation analogous to that of other Mott insulators, with the same spin 1/2 as the ground state, but with a larger orbital momentum of two instead of one

Perspectives of cardiac care unit nursing staff about developing hospice services in Iran for terminally ill cardiovascular patients: A qualitative study

Introduction: The present study was conducted aiming to determine the points of view of cardiac care units' nursing staff about designing and providing Hospice services in Iran for cardiovascular patients in the final stages of life. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, the perspectives of 16 Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) nurses selected purposefully among hospitals of Tabriz-Iran University of Medical Sciences were investigated using semi-structured interviews and were analyzed in content analysis method. Results: 33 themes were finally extracted. Some nurses were for and some were against designing and providing Hospice services in Iran. The main reasons identified for supporting this plan included: Possibility of designing and providing these services consistent with high ethical values of Iranian society; approval of authorities due to increasing the load of chronic diseases and aged population; need of families due to the problems in taking care of patients and life concerns; better pain relief and respectful death; decrease of costs as a result of lower usage of diagnostic-therapeutic services, less use of expensive facilities and drugs, and better usage of hospital beds. Conclusion: Growing load of chronic diseases has made the need for Hospice as a necessary issue in Iran. In order to provide these services, studying the viewpoints of health service providers is inevitable. Therefore using and applying the results of this study in planning and policy making about designing and providing these services in Iran for cardiovascular patients in their final stages of lives could be helpful. © 2015, Medknow Publications. All rights reserved

Comparing Blood Sugar Levels Measured by the Glucometer in Healthy and Crushed Fingers to Predict Gangrene in Tehran, Iran

Background: Crushed fingers are one of the most common reasons that patients visit the emergency centers for hand surgery, and based on the level of injury, it can cause many disabilities for patients. It is difficult to decide the treatment strategies (amputation, aggressive revascularization, immediate or delayed complex reconstruction and immediate conservative treatment) for crushed fingers. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the blood sugar (BS) levels measured by the glucometer in healthy and crushed fingers to predict gangrene in patients referred to 15 Khordad Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 265 patients with crushed fingers referred to the emergency center of 15 Khordad hospital in Tehran, Iran, from March 2015 to March 2016. Blood glucose levels were measured by glucometer in the crushed fingers and in the finger of the opposite side at the same time and measurements were recorded. Data were analyzed using t-test and chi-square test with SPSS software version 22. Results: The results showed that 317 crushed fingers of 265 patients were ischemic based on the color, temperature, capillary refill time and pulse oximetry and accordingly the vascular reconstruction was not possible. Of 317 crushed fingers, 61 (19.24%) became gangrene (all with sugar levels lower than 37). The mean BS levels of the amputated and non-amputated fingers were 33.5 ± 1.52 and 111.04 ± 15.27 mg/dL, respectively. Therefore, there was a significant difference in the mean BS level between the patients with amputated and non-amputated fingers (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The lower levels of sugar in crushed fingers compared to healthy fingers can help to diagnose gangrene in crushed finger

Developing performance indicators for clinical governance in dimensions of risk management and clinical effectiveness

Objective: This study has been designed and conducted to develop domestic indicators for evaluating the performance of clinical governance in dimensions of risk management and clinical effectiveness. Design: This study implemented a 5-stage process including conducting a comprehensive literature review, expert panel (~1000 h per person per session, 11 experts), semi-structured interviews, a 2-round Delphi study (33 experts were in attendance) and a final expert panel (8 experts were in attendance). Setting: East Azerbaijan-Iran Province. Participants: Fifty-six specialists and experts in different fields of medical sciences. Main Outcome Measures: Importance and applicability of indicators. Results: Using a thorough literature review, 361 indicators (129 risk management indicators in 4 dimensions and 232 clinical effectiveness indicators in 18 dimensions) were found. After conducting expert panels and interviews, the number of indicators decreased to 168 cases (65 risk management indicators in 4 dimensions and 103 clinical effectiveness indicators in 12 dimensions). Two rounds of Delphi identified four indicators that were omitted. The members of the final expert panel agreed on 113 indicators (43 risk management indicators in 4 dimensions and 70 clinical effectiveness indicators in 11 dimensions). Conclusion: In this study, indicators for assessing clinical governance in domains of risk management and clinical effectiveness were designed that can be used by policy-makers and other authorities for improving the quality of services and evaluating the performance of clinical governance. Those indicators can be used with slight modifications in other countries having healthcare systems similar to that of Iran. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved