The persistence of the caliphate debate in Egyptian legal thought: Historical analysis from 1925 to 2014

In the early centuries of Islam, the term caliph was referred to the highest leader of the Muslim community. He had two roles; firstly as a ruler practicing the roles of the Prophet and secondly as a religious leader leading the communal prayers. The Caliphate has appeared for fourteen centuries and was abolished by Mustafa Kemal Atātūrk in 1924. Although Muslims have been without caliph for ninety years, heated controversy on the restoration of the Caliphate has been debated among Egyptians since 1920s until 2015. This thesis aims to answer the caliphate question,” is the Caliphate obligatory in Shari’a?” by conducting a historical analysis of the views of six sunni scholars and the group of Islam State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the caliphate from 1920s to 2014. Two of the six sunni scholars, ‘Alī ‘Abdal Rāziq and Nasr Hāmyd Abū Zayd argued that the Caliphate had no foundations neither in the Qur’an nor Sunna. The other sunni scholars, ‘Abdal -Rāziq al-Sanhūrī, Muhammad ‘Imāra, Hasan al-Banā, Ibn Taymiyya and ISIS believed in the obligation of the Caliphate in Shari’a

Problemas de Riemann–Hilbert na teoria de polinómios ortogonais matriciais

In this thesis, our objective is to expand upon existing notions and results, transitioning from scalar to matrix concepts in a highly versatile framework. Our exploration begins by delving into the realm of semiclassical matrix orthogonal polynomials with respect to a regular matrix weight function that satisfies a Pearson equation. Through our research, we unveil various characterizations that shed light on these polynomials. Furthermore, by imposing certain restrictions on the degrees of polynomials involved in the Pearson equation associated with the weight function, we are able to establish characterizations for the semiclassical matrix orthogonal polynomials and corresponding second kind functions. Here, special attention was given to the classical case known in the literature as families of matrix orthogonal polynomials Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi and Bessel type. Our research is motivated by a previous study in [15], which focused on matrix weight functions of Hermite type. Building upon this foundation, we are excited to expand our investigation by introducing matrix weight functions of Laguerre, Jacobi, and Bessel types (cf. [11, 12, 13, 14]). To the best of our knowledge, these definitions are the most comprehensive and, when combined with the Hermite type, encompass all examples documented in the literature. We set up Riemann–Hilbert problems for these families of matrix orthogonal polynomials. This approach proved to be an excellent technique that allows us to obtain differential properties for these families of matrix orthogonal polynomials, as well as for the corresponding functions of the second kind. Therefore, we established first-order structural formulas as well as second order differential relations for these families. The final segment of this thesis is dedicated to the applications of these families to second-order matrix differential operators as well as discrete Painlevé matrix equations. The second order differential relations we found collapse, when considered with their scalar analogue, into the known differential equations for the Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi and Bessel families of orthogonal polynomials. However, we were able to obtain analogous relations for the families of functions of the second type associated with these families of scalar orthogonal polynomials. Furthermore, we find the significant Painlevé equations that govern the matrix coefficients of the recurrence relation of certain semiclassical families.O nosso objectivo nesta tese é o de expandir, até onde for possível, noções e resultados da teoria de polinómios escalares até à dos polinómios matriciais. O nosso estudo começa por investigar o caso de sucessões de polinómios ortogonais matriciais de tipo semiclássico seguindo tão próximo quanto possível o que se sabe no caso escalar, tendo-se conseguido alguns resultados neste sentido. Além disso, ao impor certas restrições aos graus dos polinómios envolvidos na equação de Pearson associada à função peso, estabelecemos caracterizações para os chamados polinómios ortogonais semiclássicos matriciais bem como para as correspondentes funções de segunda espécie matriciais que lhes estão associadas. Demos particular atenção ao caso clássico conhecido na literatura como famílias de polinómios ortogonais matriciais tipo Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi e Bessel. Esta monografia teve como motivação um estudo anterior em [15], que se concentrou em funções peso e polinómios ortogonais matriciais tipo Hermite. Tendo por base esse trabalho, concentramos a investigação nos pesos matriciais tipo Laguerre, Jacobi ou Bessel (cf. [11, 12, 13, 14]). Estes exemplos incluem (quando considerados juntamente com o caso Hermite), pelo menos no que nos é dado a conhecer, as famílias estudadas na literatura. Estabelecemos problemas de Riemann–Hilbert para estas famílias de polinómios ortogonais matriciais. Esta abordagem manifestou-se como uma óptima técnica que permite obter propriedades diferenciais para estas famílias de polinómios ortogonais matriciais, bem como para as correspondentes funções de segunda espécie. Assim sendo estabelecemos fórmulas de estrutura de primeira ordem bem como relações diferenciais de segunda ordem para esta famílias. O segmento final desta tese está dedicado às aplicações destas famílias a operadores diferenciais matriciais de segunda ordem bem como a equações matriciais de Painlevé discretas. As relações que encontramos colapsam, quando consideradas com o seu análogo escalar, nas equações conhecidas para as famílias de polinómios ortogonais de Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi e Bessel. Conseguimos ainda obter relações análogas para as famílias de funções de segundo tipo associadas a estas famílias de polinómios ortogonais escalares. Além disso, encontramos equações Painlevé que governam os coeficientes matriciais da relação de recorrência de certas famílias semiclássicas.CIDMA da Universidade de Aveiro; FCT; MaPSFA da Universidade de Sousse.Programa Doutoral em Matemática e Aplicaçõe

Exploring the IT students’ perceptions of employer brand and recruitment implications

This thesis explores the influence of employer branding on IT students' application decisions and employment choices in Finland, focusing on the relationship between the concepts of employer branding, organizational attractiveness, and their overall influence on candidates' intentions to apply for distinct organizations. This thesis employs an inductive, qualitative methodology to provide recommendations for Company X's management. Primary data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with IT students from various Finnish universities. The credibility of these findings was further enhanced and validated by secondary data from the company and other reliable sources. A significant objective of this thesis is to establish practical guidelines for organizations aiming to refine their strategies to attract top talent. Various factors were analyzed throughout this research to identify the elements shaping employer brand awareness. Results suggest that organizations can enhance their attractiveness to candidates by differentiating their employer brand and presenting it as unique. This differentiation can be achieved by providing an attractive work environment and other factors. This thesis also highlights the importance of signaling and word-of-mouth theories as essential components of the external branding process due to their central role in creating a positive employer brand image. This research highlights the importance of aligning employer branding activities with job seekers' perceptions to effectively attract and retain top talent

OR and simulation in combination for optimization

This chapter aims to promote and illustrate the fruitful combination of classical Operations Research (OR) and Computer Simulation. First, a highly instructive example of parallel queues will be studied. This simple example already shows the necessary combination of OR (queueing) and simulation that appears to be of practical interest such as for call center optimization. Next, two more ’real life’ applications are regarded:\ud - blood platelet production and inventory management at blood banks, and \ud - train conflict resolution for railway junctions.\ud Both applications show the useful combination of Simulation and optimization methods from OR, in particular Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) and Markov decision theory (MDP), to obtain simple rules that are nearly optimal. The results are based on real life Dutch case studies and show that this combined OR-Simulation approach can be most useful for ’practical optimization’ and that it is still wide open for further application

Chabrouh pumped-storage plant design -

Thesis. M.E. American University of Beirut. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2015. ET:6304Advisor : Dr. Farid Chaaban, Professor and Chairman, Electrical and Computer Engineering ; Members of Committee : Dr. Sami Karaki, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering ; Dr. Rabih Jabr, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-68)Pumped hydro storage (PHS) systems are used for both energy storage and generation. Although there are appropriate sites, there is not any PHS project that is implemented in Lebanon. A study is performed on the possibility of a PHS power plant at Chabrouh Dam in Faraya, and the cost analysis for the project was implemented using a Matlab program. It was concluded that such a power plant would be feasible for its owner because of the lower levelized cost and its high efficiency, if used under the right conditions

It\=o and It\=o-Wentzell chain rule for flows of conditional laws of continuous semimartingales: an easy approach

We provide a general It\=o\,-Wentzell formula for a random field of maps on the Wasserstein space of probability measures, defined by continuous semimartingales, and evaluated along the flow of conditional distributions of another continuous semimartingale. Our method follows standard arguments of It\=o calculus, and thus bypasses the approximation by empirical measures commonly used in the existing literature. As an application, we derive the dynamic programming equation for a mean field stochastic control problem with common noise

Coming to America: an autoethnography of a first-generation Afghan woman navigating U.S. education

This autoethnographic study explored my academic experiences as a first[1]generation Afghan woman within the American education system. A finite lens was used to review detailed narratives from sixth grade through the present day. The guiding question for this study was: How have my experiences as a first[1]generation Afghan woman facilitated or complicated my success in navigating American education systems (namely the K-12 and higher education systems)? In an attempt to highlight the gaps that currently exist in the literature relating to the need for increased cultural competency, a methodology was employed that relied on results and outcomes evidenced in my narratives. These highlighted a blurred identity of Afghan Americans persons (i.e., being racially coded white and being ancestral coded Asian). I provide a historical background of Afghanistan and female cultural norms. Within this review, I explored a number of significant components relating to the conceptual theoretical framework applicable to my life as a member of a nuclear family falling under the broad umbrella known as Asian American or Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The dissertation details polarizing cultural expectations found at home and school and further exemplifies how the spokesperson myth, the model minority myth, and the Critical Muslim Theory contribute to conceptual misconceptions and continued ostracization. iii iii Through the use of narrative inquiry, I provided a number of vignettes to illustrate my experiences at American middle school, high school, and post-secondary educational institutions. Two primary themes emerged: challenges and resilience. Within the theme of the challenge, four sub-themes emerged: identity, capital, dissonance, and microaggressions. Meanwhile, faith, family acculturation, and hybridity emerged as sub-themes within the resilience theme. The two themes and related sub-themes aid in surmising several recommendations. Since there are some limitations to this study, it is noted that these recommendations and the further research are needed to assist in increasing cultural competency

Lost in translation: the toll-like receptor 7 induced pharmacological challenge model of the skin

This thesis investigates a pharmacological challenge model induced by Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) activation, focusing on skin inflammation and its implications for early drug development. It aims to bridge the translational gap between animal and human models by employing the synthetic compound imiquimod (IMQ). IMQ, a TLR7 agonist, is applied topically to induce inflammation in healthy human volunteers, mimicking characteristics of inflammation of the skin. The work involves comprehensive characterization of the model, assessing biophysical, cellular, and molecular responses to IMQ. Key studies explored the suppression of inflammation using oral prednisolone, a known anti-inflammatory, and tested the model's application with novel drugs, such as omiganan. The research integrates multimodal techniques, including imaging and molecular analyses, to deepen the understanding of inflammatory processes and drug mechanisms. This model addresses the shortcomings of murine studies, highlighting the significant interspecies differences in skin structure and immune response. By refining this human-compatible model, the thesis proposes an innovative framework for accelerating the development of therapeutics for inflammatory diseases, aiming to improve the efficiency and relevance of early-phase drug trials.Drug Delivery Technolog

Islamic risk management and its role in defending from the global financial crises : useful practices for traditional banks

Stability is a basic requirement for the proper functioning of the banking system and a key to its contribution to growth and development. During the 1980s, the failure of banks became a common phenomenon that preceded economic crises. Bank insurance funds in countries with deposit guarantee schemes have lost substantial amounts, causing the loss of taxpayers’ money. The hope was that the crisis would be restricted to financial markets, with few repercussions on the real economies. This hope was shattered in September 2008 as the crisis entered an acute phase, with strong downward fluctuations in the stock markets and reduced rates of economic growth. Despite the financial crisis of 2008 is nearly five years behind us, yet its impact on financial markets persists. Financial institutions face a “New Reality” of lower returns, higher volatility and increased scrutiny from boards and regulators. In the meanwhile, Islamic finance has been experiencing a rapid acceleration worldwide. According to reports, which conducted a worldwide survey of the development of Islamic financial institutions comparing to traditional financial institution during 2009, it shows a two-digit growth by the Islamic industry despite the severe impact of the global financial crises of 2008 and 2009. While Islamic financial institutions have successfully qualified the robustness test by exhibiting greater resilience during the recent global financial crises, regulatory regimes are under review in the wake of the financial crisis as regulators seek to bolster financial stability and avoid a repeat of the problems that led to the current situation. The financial crisis has demonstrated the need for an integrated approach to risk management and one that encourages risk managers to think in terms of scenarios. In my research, I will discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementation the Islamic financial engineering methods that may assist conventional institutions facing in a changing market environment and frequent financial crisis

Matrix Jacobi Biorthogonal Polynomials via Riemann-Hilbert problem

We consider matrix orthogonal polynomials related to Jacobi type matrices of weights that can be defined in terms of a given matrix Pearson equation. Stating a Riemann-Hilbert problem we can derive first and second order differential relations that these matrix orthogonal polynomials and the second kind functions associated to them verify. For the corresponding matrix recurrence coefficients, non-Abelian extensions of a family of discrete Painlev\'e d-PIV equations are obtained for the three term recurrence relation coefficients