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This article aims to provide a philosophical elucidation of the concept of divine atemporality (i.e. divine timelessness and immutability), found within the theological trajectory of Classical Theism, and a philosophical model – termed Aspectival Pluralism – that demonstrates its compatibility with the further notion of Divine Preservation. To achieve this end, an original interpretation of the concept is formulated within the Aspectival Account and the thesis of Theistic Ontological Pluralism, as extended by the temporal ontology of Priority Presentism, introduced by Sam Baron, and the Exdurantist view of persistence, introduced by Theodore Sider, which will ultimately enable the notion to be elucidated in a clear and consistent manner and help to answer an important conceptual question concerning it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant barriers to blockchain adoption is the need for a better user experience. Tasks such as account setup, key management, and transaction handling need to be streamlined to propel the next wave of technological adoption across various sectors. A promising solution to these issues lies in account abstraction, which aims to simplify the user experience by masking the underlying complexities of blockchain technology. The most notable effort to implement account abstraction is Ethereum's ERC-4337, a proposal that addresses these pain points by enhancing flexibility and ease of use for developers and end users alike. This paper explores the account abstraction architecture, its functions and how it can redefine blockchain utility, from smart contracts to smart reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this research is to investigate blockchain technology's influence on digitizing courier supply chains and advancing Industry 4.0, which leads the digitization revolution by integrating blockchain to digitize processes that would serve the circular economy. It evaluates how blockchain enhances transparency, traceability, and digital processes in logistics, promoting sustainability through waste reduction and improved reuse. The study aims to identify the benefits and challenges of blockchain integration, develop a conceptual framework, and provide actionable insights to improve supply chain management, operational efficiency, and sustainability. This research uses a qualitative research method including a literature review as well as interviews for case studies to explore both the benefits and challenges when applying blockchain technology in courier organizations in Industry 4.0 within the circular economy. The results show that blockchain technology can enhance the security, traceability, and efficiency of courier supply chains, reduce theft, error risk, and fraud, as well as facilitate specific process automation via smart contracts. Blockchain technology can support the digital transformation of logistics organizations and enhance circular economy networks in Industry 4.0 by enabling automation, transparency, traceability, and maintaining responsibility for the environment. This research is an exploration of the effect of blockchain technology on the courier supply chain in the logistics firms in Industry 4.0 within the circular economy and the development of a conceptual framework for usage. In addition, it capitalizes on both coordination and collaboration among players through decentralization to obtain maximum fruitful benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology offers features of immutability, decentralization, transparency, and fault tolerance which hold great potential for transforming the traditional educational credit management processes. This paper presents a framework for implementing the Academic Bank of Credit using blockchain for transparent student mobility within or between HEIs through a structured credit recognition, accumulation, transfer, and redemption system. The proof of concept of the proposed framework is implemented using Ethereum smart contracts in accordance with the ERC-20 token standard, to create, redeem, and manage academic credits on a decentralized and immutable system of blockchain. The framework incorporates features of access revocation and unique identity generation and authentication in the credit bank. The cost computation examines the framework for the practical adoption of blockchain-based solutions. The data integrity and confidentiality offered by the framework for transparent credit transfer are examined by the security measures. The findings highlight the potential of blockchain to revolutionize traditional credit management, improve administrative efficiency, and provide a secure and transparent foundation for credit transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology has captured the attention of various industries due to its potential to revolutionize traditional systems through decentralization, transparency and immutability. This paper examines the emerging trend of integrating blockchain-based decentralized applications (DApps) into the education sector. With blockchain's distributed ledger system, educational institutions can achieve safe, secure and transparent management of student achievements, certifications and credentials. The paper presents the architecture of a system that enables students to build verifiable digital portfolios of educational achievements stored and shared securely using smart contracts and digital tokens. By harnessing the benefits and addressing the challenges of blockchain DAppps in education, we can pave the way for a truly transformative era in the learning experience of tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of Blockchain technologies in online voting system is becoming increasingly popular in modern society and has significantly efficiency in governance. This article explores how Blockchain technologies can boost government operations, making them more transparent and effective. It focuses on an in-depth analysis of current research and methods on Blockchain-based electronic voting systems. The aim of this study is investigated and analysis the potential contributions of Blockchain technology to e-voting by drawing insights from global best practices. According to literature review and case studies of Blockchain implementation in government are conducted to identify existing systems and methods of e-voting, identifying their strengths and weaknesses by analyzing European countries and preparing the ground for future alternatives. Additionally, it examined the role of public education in fostering trust and understanding of Blockchain technology and analyzed the legislative landscape in neighboring jurisdictions to solidify Blockchain's role in decision-making processes. The results of the study provide a comprehensive perspective, and the findings emphasize the relevance of the study, its contribution to understanding the problems and prospects of introducing Blockchain into electoral processes at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Søren Kierkegaard’s works, the relationship between the immutability of God and the concepts of time and motion emerges as a central theme. This paper examines how Kierkegaard reconciles the idea of an immutable God with the dynamic process of ‘coming into existence’. Through an exploration of Kierkegaard’s philosophical roots, this study elucidates his understanding of motion and change, delves into his ontological and metaphysical notions of time, and particularly focusses on the ‘moment’ as a synthesis that bridges the eternal God with the individual’s dynamical existence. Kierkegaard’s theory of divine immutability represents a genuine departure from traditional metaphysical thought; comparing his ideas with those of other philosophers would highlight the uniqueness of Kierkegaard’s approach. Contribution: This article aims to analyse the philosophical foundation of God’s immutability through a detailed interpretation of Kierkegaard’s writings, providing a new approach to understanding the movement and immutability of God.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that patristic theology has resolved the problem of God’s immutability, which is affirmed paradoxically Holy Scripture. This resolution has been achieved through clarifying of the distinction between God’s essence and his uncreated energies. The Eastern Fathers successfully synthesized key theological concepts: the changelessness of God and his dynamic activity in relation to creation. This synthesis is most profoundly articulated in the Palamite doctrine of the uncreated energies. These energies, while emanating from the changeless essence of God, are nevertheless subject to change. According to this teaching, God is a Trinity of Persons who exists on two primary planes: within himself and in his self-revelation, both in the realms of Theologia and Economia. He is unchangeable in essence, yet changeable, alive, active, and ever-new in his providential action of saving the world through his energies. Because he is transcendent, he can be immanent, instilling in the souls who love him a deeper thirst to know and experience him more profoundly. Contribution: The dogmatic formulas in Eastern Christianity are apophatic, antinomic and paradoxical because they encompass essentially contradictory aspects of a living and inexhaustibly rich reality. Thus, by their very nature, dogmas express everything: the infinite and the finite united – without losing their own being in all their dimensions.

Blockchain technology has captured the attention of various industries due to its potential to revolutionize traditional systems through decentralization, transparency and immutability. This paper examines the emerging trend of integrating blockchain-based decentralized applications (DApps) into the education sector. With blockchain's distributed ledger system, educational institutions can achieve safe, secure and transparent management of student achievements, certifications and credentials. The paper presents the architecture of a system that enables students to build verifiable digital portfolios of educational achievements stored and shared securely using smart contracts and digital tokens. By harnessing the benefits and addressing the challenges of blockchain DAppps in education, we can pave the way for a truly transformative era in the learning experience of tomorrow.

The term “God of the philosophers” refers to the concept of God as understood and discussed in philosophical discourse. It is a philosophical concept of God that is often considered distinct from the concept of God found in religious traditions. Throughout history, various philosophers and theologians have used the term to refer to God whose existence and attributes have been the subject of philosophical reasoning and reflection. In this study, I explore Ibn Sīnā’s way of reconciling two concepts of God. I argue that Ibn Sînâ, a philosopher with an Aristotelian and Neoplatonic heritage, sees no contradiction between the God of the philosophers and the God of the scriptures. Ibn Sina’s way is interesting because it is an attempt to bridge the gap between two concepts of God without compromising the classical theistic understanding of divine attributes. First, I will briefly present the Aristotelian and Neoplatonic contexts of Ibn Sīnā’s philosophy to show his way of reconciliation. Second, I will give an account of Ibn Sīnā’s concept of God as it is revealed in his understanding of the divine attribute of immutability. Finally, I will examine his views in which he most explicitly offers the concept of a God who is responsive, who is present, and who is engaged with human beings. His ideas about God’s agency, petitionary prayer, and divine providence provide ample evidence that the God of Ibn Sīnā is the God of the religious traditions known to and worshipped by human beings.

The absolute immutability of God, as it was expounded by many ancient and medieval thinkers such as Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, contends that God has no real relation with the world, but only a relation of reason. This view lingered until contemporary scholars like the process thinkers such as Alfred North Whitehead and his disciple, Charles Hartshorne, argued that God has a dipolar meaning that God influences the world and that the world also influences him. While protecting God's intrinsic Being, some contemporary thinkers like Clarke, Grant, and others also tried to formulate his real relationship with the world. But the problem remains on how to posit this real relation with the world without insinuating two natures in God. I wish to state in this paper that God has real relation with his creatures which is rooted in what I call "creational relation" that was made manifest at creation and continues after it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encapsulation is a critical factor in object-oriented programming languages and design patterns. Nevertheless, programs written in languages like Java may encounter broken encapsulation due to the lack of sufficient supply for ownership and immutability. As a result, this paper introduces SlimeJava, an ownership system extension based on abstract syntax trees and annotation utilization of Java that aims to help programmers prevent representation exposure. We show the features of the proposal with a motivating example using the Memento pattern. We then discuss how the utilization of annotations realizes ownership and why it is effective in avoiding representation exposure issues by comparing it with existing approaches. In the end, a quantitative performance evaluation was conducted to prove that SlimeJava does not cause a substantial overhead in execution time compared to native Java. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Filosofía Medieval is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Filosofia Medieval and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The concept of supply and demand drives the scales of various markets in today's world. When it comes to producing a quality product, the right kind of steps need to be taken to ensure that its quality can be supplemented with the process of its making. A supply chain is a business process that delineates the creation of a product. One such supply chain is the drug supply chain, focusing on the manufacturing and distribution of drugs. It is implied that there is an immense importance of traceability in the drug supply chain to ensure transparency amongst various actors and ultimately the end user. Improving on this crucial parameter allows drug supply chains to be carefully monitored and adhere to the various compliances from governing bodies. This work aim is to provide organizations with solutions that allow them to ameliorate the supply chain management. Using the blockchain technology, various transactions recorded in the supply chain can be checked against providing strong traceability and secure record-keeping. The positives that are provided by the blockchain transform the supply chain to a much more efficient and improved operation, impacting various facets of the process for the better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluctuating maximal God thesis, developed by Jeffrey et al., offers a conception of God that removes the characteristic of divine immutability, allowing the degrees of God's great-making properties to change over time. This god-concept provides a substantial advantage over the 'static' maximal God thesis proposed by Yujin Nagasawa if it can adequately sidestep what I call 'the problem of inconsistent evil'. This problem questions how a static god can be compatible with the inconsistent dispersion of evil in the world. It is founded on the observation that evil is distributed neither equally nor fairly across time, space, and individuals. I distinguish between temporally inconsistent, spatially inconsistent, and interpersonally inconsistent evil and argue that the fluctuating maximal God thesis can account for all types of inconsistent evil if God fluctuates not only through time but also through space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term “God of the philosophers” refers to the concept of God as understood and discussed in philosophical discourse. It is a philosophical concept of God that is often considered distinct from the concept of God found in religious traditions. Throughout history, various philosophers and theologians have used the term to refer to God whose existence and attributes have been the subject of philosophical reasoning and reflection. In this study, I explore Ibn Sīnā’s way of reconciling two concepts of God. I argue that Ibn Sînâ, a philosopher with an Aristotelian and Neoplatonic heritage, sees no contradiction between the God of the philosophers and the God of the scriptures. Ibn Sina’s way is interesting because it is an attempt to bridge the gap between two concepts of God without compromising the classical theistic understanding of divine attributes. First, I will briefly present the Aristotelian and Neoplatonic contexts of Ibn Sīnā’s philosophy to show his way of reconciliation. Second, I will give an account of Ibn Sīnā’s concept of God as it is revealed in his understanding of the divine attribute of immutability. Finally, I will examine his views in which he most explicitly offers the concept of a God who is responsive, who is present, and who is engaged with human beings. His ideas about God’s agency, petitionary prayer, and divine providence provide ample evidence that the God of Ibn Sīnā is the God of the religious traditions known to and worshipped by human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prayer and supplication to God, which is originally a religious concept, has always been a challenge for theologians and philosophers, especially philosophers of religion, from various philosophical, ethical, epistemological, and linguistic perspectives. Focusing on the concept of answered prayer, this article investigates one of its most important philosophical challenges, that is, explaining the compatibility of answered (effective) prayer with the divine attributes of immutability and impassibility by referring to the principles of Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophy. There is considerable potential in this philosophical system for an innovative explanation which can be called the “Answering-by-Disclosure” Model (ADM) and is achieved through an analytical-descriptive method using library resources. In ADM, the divine immutability and impassibility in the process of answering prayers do not require God to change from potentiality to actuality, but is a kind of disclosure and differentiation of His hidden and undifferentiated attributes. In addition, the effect of the servants’ prayers on God’s decision has been explained in terms of their existential poverty and pure need, which play an important role in maintaining the existential distinction between the creator and the creature in its strongest meaning. Enjoying justified rational principles, presenting a model compatible with the common and conventional understanding of answering prayer, as well as providing an explanation appropriate to the divine realm are among the advantages of ADM in comparison to the models proposed by other Muslim and Christian theologians. Being endowed with a powerful philosophical explanation, it can be more resistant to the challenges proposed in the philosophy of religion.

Technological advances are accelerating the activation of the saving, preserving and using information in various economic models. Blockchain technology is one of the latest technologies used by many international institutions and organizations. Compared to other banking or technological technologies, it transmits and accumulates information transparently, instantly, and reliably at a low cost. As Turkey plays a significant economic role in the Middle East and Europe regions, this article highlights a sample of Turkish companies that use blockchain technology of the version 4.0. It is an attempt to measure the variables of the coefficient of trust, immutability, transparency, and cost reduction in combination with blockchain applications by scientists, administrative authors, and blockchain technologists. A quantitative descriptive approach has been adopted to examine the interrelation between blockchain applications and increase in transparency, confidence, stability, and cost reduction, based on the SPSS statistical software to produce accurate results. 19 Turkish companies were selected from 62 Turkish companies that have adopted blockchain, according to the official agency «BTCR» that tracks these organizations in Turkey. The selected companies, operating in banking, telecommunications, industry, and non-governmental associations, make large contributions to Turkey’s GDP. The study found that all four variables in the sectors improved significantly after the introduction of blockchain technology, but the systems for monitoring and tracking their influence were complex ones.

Blockchain technology is at the peak of hype and contemporary research area across the world. It is a distributed ledger that keeps records of transactions with verifiable and immutable structures and continuously grows with the new block of transactions. Blockchain provides better transparency, enhanced security and privacy, and true traceability over the traditional approaches. Due to its advanced and secure features, it is being used in various fields such as trade finance, digital transactions, the Internet of Things (IoT), the healthcare industry, and energy sector. Blockchain technology has a great impact in all its applied fields with the prominent features of privacy and reliability of data and transactions. This survey intends to present the architecture of blockchain, its potential applications, and practices in different domains other than cryptocurrency along with the platform of blockchain. This paper will explore some potential benefits of blockchain and some future directions and open challenges that are expected to come in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, as the US food supply chain has grown in complexity, the corresponding challenges of managing the network of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, while ensuring supplier relationships, food safety and reducing food fraud have become paramount. Blockchain technology, which possesses the characteristics of immutability and decentralization, offers immense benefits in the food supply chain. Drawing on affordance theory and blockchain literature, we build a research model of the affordances offered by blockchain namely traceability, visibility and validity, and its influences on the positive supplier outcomes in the food supply chain. We validate our model using exemplar cases of the IBM and Walmart blockchain, and the Nestlé corporation's use of blockchain technology, and the corresponding supplier relationship benefits derived from them. This study has important implications for research and practice as it offers a nuanced affordance perspective to study and apply blockchain in the food supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advances are accelerating the activation of the saving, preserving and using information in various economic models. Blockchain technology is one of the latest technologies used by many international institutions and organizations. Compared to other banking or technological technologies, it transmits and accumulates information transparently, instantly, and reliably at a low cost. As Turkey plays a significant economic role in the Middle East and Europe regions, this article highlights a sample of Turkish companies that use blockchain technology of the version 4.0. It is an attempt to measure the variables of the coefficient of trust, immutability, transparency, and cost reduction in combination with blockchain applications by scientists, administrative authors, and blockchain technologists. A quantitative descriptive approach has been adopted to examine the interrelation between blockchain applications and increase in transparency, confidence, stability, and cost reduction, based on the SPSS statistical software to produce accurate results. 19 Turkish companies were selected from 62 Turkish companies that have adopted blockchain, according to the official agency «BTCR» that tracks these organizations in Turkey. The selected companies, operating in banking, telecommunications, industry, and non-governmental associations, make large contributions to Turkey’s GDP. The study found that all four variables in the sectors improved significantly after the introduction of blockchain technology, but the systems for monitoring and tracking their influence were complex ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open Theism, as a new perspective in theology, has attracted attention of many scholars and mainly claims that some teachings of classical theism are not in accordance with Scripture and depict God in the way of Greek metaphysic and Hermeneutical pattern. Therefore, Open Theists proposed a new model of theology based on the notion of Openness in reaction to deterministic model of classical theism. Their point of view had some implications like mutability, temporality and direct involvement of God. But these lead to some problems in their view like inconsistency and ambiguity in addition to denying absolute perfection from Him. In this paper, we will clarify these defects and give solutions based on Islamic thought and Lastly introduce Doctrine of Badāʾ by which we will answer many of unsolved problems that led some theologians toward Open Theism. It will be shown that by Badāʾ there will be no room for inconsistency in Devine properties.

Copyright of Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'International Relations & Regional Studies' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Smart kontrakt jako jedna z najistotniejszych prób zastąpienia klasycznego reżimu kontraktowego poprzez zastosowanie, m.in. technologii blockchain, musi być analizowana pod kątem zgodności z powszechnie obowiązującym prawem. W artykule omówiono szczegółową zależność, pojawiającą się na tle coraz szerszego wykorzystania smart kontraktów w obrocie, jaką jest problematyka niezmienności łańcucha bloków i jej konsekwencje dla klauzuli rebus sic stantibus. Omówione zostaną ogólne zagadnienia stosowania klauzuli oraz mechanizmy prawne pozwalające na zapewnienie zgodności z prawem omawianych rozwiązań.

Blockchain technology was initially implemented for cryptocurrencies in 2009, but it caught the undivided attention of multiple industries such as finance, supply chain management, healthcare, and governments. This research was set out to investigate and evaluate six benefits of blockchain for marketing: fostering disintermediation, combating click fraud, reinforcing trust and transparency, enhancing privacy protection, empowering digital marketing security, and enabling creative loyalty programs. An empirical study in the form of an online survey was conducted to examine the realization of benefits in practice. The research concluded that blockchain does indeed provide promising benefits for marketing, but that depends on whether marketers use public (permissioned) blockchain or private (permissioned) blockchain, and also the ability of the blockchain community to resolve fundamental challenges and pending issues such as scalability, speed, interoperability, and privacy, besides several many others.

IoT-based insulin pumps are used to deliver precise quantities of insulin to diabetic patients to regulate blood glucose levels. Generally, these levels correspond to the dietary patterns observed at time intervals that vary between patients. However, any misrepresentation in insulin levels may lead to fatal consequences. As a result, most IoT-based insulin pumps are rejected due to the possibility of external threats, which include software and hardware attacks. However, IoT-based insulin pumps are extremely useful in real-time patient monitoring, and for controlled insulin delivery to the patient based on their current glucose level. We propose a blockchain-based method to protect against the above-mentioned attacks. The system creates a patient-specific private blockchain wherein the dosage information is added as a new block by obtaining the approval of the doctor, chief doctor, nurse, and caretaker of the patient who are authorized blockchain miners. Secondly, it securely transfers prescription data, such as dosage quantity and time of delivery, to the IoT insulin pump, which ensures the dosage information is not modified during transit before insulin administration to the patient. The proposed approach uses a state-behavior-based solution that detects anomalies in the behavior of the insulin pump via temporal data analysis and immutable ledger verification, which are designed to eliminate fatal dosages in case of anomalies. The system is designed to work within binary outcome conditions, i.e., it verifies and delivers dosage or halts. There is no middle ground that an attacker can exploit, resulting in accountability for the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open Theism, as a new perspective in theology, has attracted attention of many scholars and mainly claims that some teachings of classical theism are not in accordance with Scripture and depict God in the way of Greek metaphysic and Hermeneutical pattern. Therefore, Open Theists proposed a new model of theology based on the notion of Openness in reaction to deterministic model of classical theism. Their point of view had some implications like mutability, temporality and direct involvement of God. But these lead to some problems in their view like inconsistency and ambiguity in addition to denying absolute perfection from Him. In this paper, we will clarify these defects and give solutions based on Islamic thought and Lastly introduce Doctrine of Badā' by which we will answer many of unsolved problems that led some theologians toward Open Theism. It will be shown that by Badā' there will be no room for inconsistency in Devine properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technologies such as blockchain are developing fast, overcoming bottlenecks, and quickly taking advantage of their application. The present study analyzes recent changes concerning the benefits, disadvantages, challenges, and opportunities of blockchain applications in agribusiness. Interviews were conducted with and a questionnaire was applied to professionals working in the development and application of blockchain technology in agribusiness, to compare their perception of the recent advances. The results showed that the importance of blockchain technology to improve governance and information flow along supply chains has increased, and this is the main perceived benefit. The main disadvantages were removing intermediaries and the high cost of implementing the technology. The absence of a widely accepted platform in blockchain operations is the leading and growing challenge, while patterns for blockchain technology seem to be being overcome. The integration of blockchain with new technologies, and the competitiveness provided by the technology, are seen as the main and growing opportunities. Despite the study limitations, we conclude that the benefits and opportunities associated with blockchain application in agribusiness outweigh the challenges and disadvantages in number and importance, and are becoming more relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]