مطالب

Objective : This study examines the challenges and strategic approaches to developing and sustaining medical tourism supply chains (MTSC), particularly in developing countries. Medical tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors within the global tourism industry, generating significant economic impact through the cross-border movement of patients seeking medical care. Despite its growth potential, numerous barriers hinder the effective design and implementation of sustainable MTSCs, especially in emerging economies such as Iran.  Methodology: The study uses the fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) to quantify the relative importance of various barriers to MTSC development. Subsequently, the fuzzy Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method is used to prioritize strategic interventions to overcome the identified barriers. This hybrid fuzzy MCDM approach effectively handles the inherent uncertainty and subjectivity in expert evaluations, thereby providing a robust decision-making framework. Results : Findings indicate that among the main barriers, the lack of technological support to facilitate supply chain activities constitutes the most critical hurdle faced by Iran’s medical tourism industry. The limited adoption and implementation of technological innovations restrict efficient coordination, information sharing, and overall supply chain sustainability. In response to these challenges, the study identifies "economic and incentives-based strategies" as the foremost approach for overcoming barriers in MTSCs. This strategy emphasizes the creation of financial incentives, subsidies, and economic policies to encourage innovation, infrastructure development, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration. Conclusion : Policy implications suggest that governments and healthcare providers in developing countries should prioritize investments in technology and infrastructure, alongside devising incentive schemes tailored to the medical tourism sector. Collaboration among various stakeholders—including healthcare institutions, tourism agencies, technology providers, and policymakers—is critical to creating resilient supply chains that can adapt to evolving market demands and global health trends.

Partant d’un diagnostic des difficultés linguistiques des élèves, une démarche didactique de la réécriture accompagnée a été adoptée et développée dans une séquence didactique centrée sur le type argumentatif. L’analyse qualitative des données montre que les élèves du groupe d’intervention ont nettement progressé par rapport au groupe contrôle. Les écrits de ces derniers font apparaître un net progrès dans l’écriture d’un texte et ses procédures. Une analyse quantitative et statistique, réalisée à l’aide du logiciel SPSS, vient par la suite confirmer les résultats de l’analyse qualitative. Les résultats soulignent l’importance de l’enseignement des procédures rédactionnelles et de la distanciation par rapport à l’écrit. Ces éléments, et d’autres, nous ont offert des pistes didactiques intéressantes qui peuvent constituer des hypothèses de recherche pour des études ultérieures.

In this essay, I argue (i) for the thesis I call dignitarian neo-luddism with respect to digital technology, which says not all digital technology is bad and wrong, but instead all and only the digital technology that harms and oppresses ordinary people (i.e., people other than digital technocrats), by either failing to respect our human dignity sufficiently or by outright violating our human dignity, is bad and wrong, and therefore all and only this bad and wrong digital technology should be rejected but not—except in extreme cases of digital technology whose coercive use is actually violently harming and oppressing ordinary people, for example, digitally-driven weapons or weapons-systems being used for mass destruction or mass murder—destroyed, rather only either simply refused, non-violently dismantled, or radically transformed into its moral opposite, also (ii) that the members of what I call “the military-industrial-digital complex” are systematically harming and oppressing ordinary people like us by not only enabling but also effectively mandating our excessive use of and addiction to digital technology, which in turn systematically undermines our innate capacities for thinking, caring, and acting for ourselves, and therefore undermines our human real personhood, and thereby violates our human dignity—therefore, we ought to ban all giant AI experiments and LLM/chatbot technology while they are still in their infancy, just as we ought to have banned all atomic bomb experiments and nuclear weapons technology while they were still in their infancy.

This paper revisits the famous 1922 debate between Einstein and Bergson on the nature of time, outlining its central philosophical and scientific points of contention and re-evaluating them in light of developments in quantum physics. Einstein’s conception of time is that of an objective, measurable, and relative dimension within a static four-dimensional “block universe.” In contrast, Bergson conceives of time (durée) as a qualitative, continuous, and creative flow of consciousness that resists reduction to quantitative measurement. The emergence of quantum mechanics, particularly the Heisenberg time–energy uncertainty principle, introduces new complexities that challenge this dichotomy. Quantum features of time, such as intrinsic uncertainty, the indeterminacy of precise moments, and the relational role of the observer, undermine the deterministic framework of classical and relativistic physics and appear, at least superficially, to resonate with Bergson’s critique of spatialized, discrete conceptions of time. However, a closer examination reveals that quantum time remains a quantitative, physical construct distinct from Bergson’s qualitative durée. Drawing upon modern theories such as loop quantum gravity (as articulated by Carlo Rovelli and Lee Smolin) and the insights of contemporary philosophers, this study argues that neither a purely physical nor a purely philosophical approach can, in isolation, account for the multifaceted nature of time. Rather, a comprehensive understanding requires a synthesis of both, recognizing them as complementary perspectives on a single underlying reality.

This study investigates the syntactic differences between texts authored by native (NES) and non-native English-speaking (NNES) professional architects on ArchDaily, the world's most visited architecture website. We focused on established indices of syntactic complexity hypothesized to differentiate between first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) writing. The corpus consisted of randomly selected texts on residential architecture by Iranian and British architects. Data analysis was conducted using Coh-Metrix Core Desktop Beta (2023), with results processed in SPSS. Preliminary MANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in the mean scores of the two groups, and follow-up analyses indicated that syntactic complexity indices, including left-embeddedness, minimal edit distance for words, and the number of modifiers per noun phrase, exhibited medium to large effect sizes in distinguishing the texts. Additionally, among the syntactic density indices, agentless passive voice, negation, gerund, and noun phrase density were most effective in differentiating native from non-native compositions. The findings revealed that while both NES and NNES architects demonstrate sophisticated writing skills, they exhibit distinct patterns of syntactic complexity in their professional discourse. NES architects tend towards richer modification and a more cohesive flow, while NNES architects lean towards longer, denser sentences. These differences, influenced by both linguistic proficiency and discourse-specific conventions, highlight the need for continued attention to clarity and readability in architectural communication and underscore the importance of considering both linguistic proficiency and discourse-semantic motivations when analyzing syntactic complexity in professional writing.

Background: The rapid development of technology and computing has significantly impacted modern societies, leading to increased opportunities for wealth creation and, inversely, transactional offending. Cybercrimes are increasing and have become a major threat to nations, governments, businesses, and individuals, resulting in financial losses, reputational damage, and personal information data breaches. Aims: This study explores how the South African Police Service (SAPS) responds to and combats cybercrimes. Methodology: This research was conducted in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and the phenomenological research design, according to which interpretive and constructivist qualitative research paradigms were deemed appropriate. Data was collected through in-depth interviews using semi-structured interviews, with a sample of 17 participants purposively drawn from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and the Commercial Crimes Unit (CCI) of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The theoretical orientation that guided the study is the Structural Functionalism Theory. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: The study revealed that South Africa has been experiencing an increase in cybercrimes. However, has introduced laws and security strategies, such as the Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Bill of 2017, to respond to cybercrimes. However, these are argued to be not adapting fast enough to the constantly changing technological environment. Conclusion: Although limited, there are Police forensic experts in the field who can respond to cybercrimes. The study emphasizes the need for collaboration among all stakeholders, including prosecutors, the judiciary, private security agencies, CSPs, and ISPs, to effectively tackle cybercrimes.