I give at the office: A review of workplace giving research, theory, and practice

Workplace giving is a widely used philanthropic tool. Although it may have great unmet potential, it is also facing a number of challenges, including competition from informal crowdfunding campaigns. In the face of such challenges, we take stock of the extant research to better understand the value and future of workplace giving, emphasizing employee actions and preferences in our review. Workplace giving studies can also augment knowledge about contextual giving or bounded settings for exploring basic philanthropic questions (e.g., donor control or gift elasticity). We use a three‐part conceptual framework to synthesize and discuss research on individual workplace giving in the context of broader giving behaviors. We address what researchers know, do not know, and need to know on the topic of workplace giving

Spirituality and prayer in Shiite Islam

In the first place, it should be understood what is meant by the terms in the title. Therefore, we shall take a brief look at the concepts “Shi’a”, “spirituality” and “prayer”. The word Shi‘a literally means “follower” and comes from the expression “shi‘at-u ‘Ali” = a follower (partisan) of ‘Ali – a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Technically, this term is applied to one of the two major branches of Muslims; the other larger branch is called Sunni Islam. The Shi‘a Muslims believe that the Prophet of Islam like the other prominent prophets, has successors (awsia, plural of wasi) whom God appoints and the prophet introduces to people. The equivalent of “spirituality”, in Islamic terminology, are the two words; ruhaniyyt and ma‘naviyyt, the first comes from ruh = spirit – as opposed to body, and the second comes from ma‘na, meaning immaterial. In Islamic terminology the word ‘spirituality’ suggests every state that leads the human spirit to reach the immaterial experience of a Supreme Power. In other words, spirituality means experience of communion with a Higher Power. The ultimate aim of spirituality in Islam is nearness to God. In this paper, we shall take a short look at the spiritual character of the Shiite Imams and its various dimensions, and then examine the spiritual relationship between Shi‘a Muslims and their Imams. The word ‘prayer’ generally suggests two concepts of Islamic terminology; (i) al-Salat, the specific practice that five times a day a Muslim stands in the presence of God and worships Him. (ii) al-du‘a that literally means ‘calling’, and technically means ‘remembering God and calling upon Him’. The English word ‘prayer’ is therefore, used for both. The focus of this paper is on the latter. Aside from the prescribed daily prayers, Muslims are encouraged to call upon God for forgiveness, guidance, and to ask for what they wish and desire in their own words, in any language and any time of the day and night. The Qur’an relates many statements from the prophets of God where they call on their Lord and ask Him for their needs. Muslims are encouraged to imitate the behaviour of the prophets and from them we learn how to pray. Moreover, the Shiite benefit from a precious heritage of prayers, composed by their Imams, some of which must be considered as literary and mystical masterpieces in religious literature. In this article, we shall briefly speak of these priceless spiritual sources

Algebraic computing in general relativity and supergravity : space-time embeddings and higher dimensional theories

Imperial Users onl

What is the diagnostic approach to a patient with leg cramps?

Leg cramps are very common (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, case series), and most cases have no detectable cause (SOR: C, expert opinion). Arterial vascular disease and neurological diseases are more prevalent among male patients with leg cramps (SOR: C, small case series). History and physical should focus on detecting precipitating factors for iron deficiency anemia (gastrointestinal bleeding, frequent blood donations, menorrhagia), electrolyte imbalance (renal disease, fluid losses), endocrine disorders (thyroid, Addison's disease), neuromuscular disorders (neuropathies and myopathies), and medication use (antidepressants and diuretics). Laboratory testing is guided by the history and physical and may include ferritin, electrolytes, blood sugar, magnesium, zinc, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, liver function test, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (SOR: C, expert opinion and nonsystematic review)

Can calcium supplements cause serious adverse effects in healthy people?

Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), with numbers needed to harm (NNH) over 5 years of 69 to 240 (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials [RCTs] that evaluated a predominantly older female population and were limited by study designs). Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D may increase the risk of stroke, with an NNH over 5 years of 283 (SOR: B, meta-analyses of RCTs). Calcium supplementation, but not a diet rich in calcium, also increases the risk of renal calculi, with an NNH over 7 years of 272 (SOR: B, RCT and a cohort study, which also evaluated a predominantly older female population)

Understanding Higher Education Fundraisers in the United States

Since their earliest days, the U.S. higher education institutions have relied on philanthropic support to achieve their missions. What began as incidental is now a highly organized process of fundraising that accounts for tens of billions of dollars annually. As institutions' desire for private support grows, so too does the demand for successful fundraising professionals. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative analysis, this survey‐based study (n = 508) of U.S. higher education fundraising personnel provides new knowledge and grounds fundraisers' position in historical and contemporary literature about fundraisers and professionalism. The findings highlight notable generational, income, and gender differences within the higher education sector and between higher education and the greater profession. The analysis shows an established knowledge‐base and set of learnable skills for higher education fundraisers—which are best applied when combined with particular personal attributes. Although the latter are critically important, without full and fair attention to the former, the occupation is unlikely to garner full professional status. This study highlights, the path forward highlights the complexity of contemporary fundraising, is a reminder that fundraising is relationship‐ and information‐driven, and indicates that select, strategic efforts can further professionalize the field. In particular, fundraisers in the education sector may have special opportunities to advance the professionalization of their occupation

What Works at Work? Toward an Integrative Model Examining Workplace Campaign Strategies

Many US employees are regularly asked to give charitable donations through work. The techniques used to solicit workplace donations vary. Drawing on a nationally representative survey, the study used a sample of donor responses to examine the effectiveness of several widely used campaign strategies: donor choice, company matching, public recognition, and solicitation support. The theoretical framework built on workplace research by Barman (2007) and established charitable giving mechanisms (Bekkers and Wiepking 2011a, 2011b). The research question was, “Do workplace campaign strategies lead employees to participate and to make (larger) donations in the workplace?” The positive outcomes of the strategies, aside from donor choice, were limited, suggesting that tried‐and‐true workplace fundraising strategies warrant additional scrutiny. The findings are meaningful to campaign managers seeking to identify approaches that generate workplace giving. For researchers, the results confirm growing attention to the importance of purpose‐based giving in comparison with community‐based giving

Preparation and study of the Structural, Morphological and Optical properties of pure Tin Oxide Nanoparticle doped with Cu

             في هذه الدراسة، تم تصنيع جزيئاتSnO2  النانويه النقيه والمشوبة بالنحاس بواسطة طريقه الترسيب الكيميائي . تم استخدام SnCl2.2H2O , CuCl2.2H2O  كمواد خام . تم تلدين المواد عند°C 550 لمدة 3ساعات من اجل تحسين التبلور. اظهرت نتائج حيود الاشعه السينية ان العينات تبلورت في طورمن نوع  رباعي الروتيل , SnO2  نظرا ان متوسط الحجم البلوري لSnO2 النقي 9 نانومتر ويختلف مع تغير منشطات النحاس (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%) , ، ( 8.35 ,8.36 ,8.67 , 9,7 ,8.86) نانومتر على التوالي والتركيب البلوريSnO2  لا يتغير مع ادخال النحاس , أكدت نتائج SEM للنقاوة والمخدر أن حجم الجسيمات يقع في نطاق (25-56) نانومتر داخل الحجم النانوي .كانت دراسات UV-ViS  حيث كشف التحليل الطيفي للانعكاس ان طاقه فجوة النطاق تزداد مع زيادة نسب المنشطات (4.18,4.33 ,4.21 , 4.21 4.35,4.23 ) الكترون فولت للنقي والمشوب بالنحاس ( (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%) على توالي . واظهرت نتائج AFM معدل الخشونة، SPMوحجم الحبوب للعينات النقيه والمشوبة وان معدل الخشونة نانومتر و (3.04, 25,27,16,41.8,23.6,25.2) ومعدل القطر (98.9, 72.56,92.91, 88.38, 76.79, 70.94, 71.21) نانومتر للنقي والمشوب على التوالي.                   In this study, pure SnO2 Nanoparticles doped with Cu were synthesized by a chemical precipitation method. Using SnCl2.2H2O, CuCl2.2H2O as raw materials, the materials were annealed at 550°C for 3 hours in order to improve crystallization. The XRD results showed that the samples crystallized in the tetragonal rutile type SnO2 stage. As the average SnO2 crystal size is pure 9nm and varies with the change of Cu doping (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%),( 8.35, 8.36, 8.67, 9 ,7, 8.86)nm respectively an increase in crystal size to 2.5% decreases at this rate and that the crystal of SnO2 does not change with the introduction of Cu, and SEM results of the pure and doped confirmed that the particle size is within the range (25-56)nm within the nanosize. UV-Vis studies of reflection spectroscopy revealed that energy of band gap increased with increasing doping ratios (4.33,4.18 ,4.21, 4.21 4.23,4.35) ev For pure and doped with Cu (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%) respectively. Results of AFM show roughness rate, SPM and grain size of pure samples doped with Cu where the roughness rate of SnO2 is (3.04, 25,27,16,41.8,23.6,25.2) nm and average diameter is (98.9, 72.56 ,92.91, 88.38, 76.79, 70.94, 71.21) nm for pure and doped with Copper (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%) respectively