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When upstream suppliers are VAT-exempted, overclaiming by fictional invoices becomes easier. This paper examines the effect of the presumed input VAT deduction reform on VAT evasion among VAT-exempted transactions in China. In the reform, firms are required to claim the presumed input refund of VAT based on downstream sales volume instead of on purchasing cost recorded on self-issued purchased invoices. We find that the reform reduced firms' VAT evasion since taxpayers have little incentive to use spurious invoices. Furthermore, the reform demonstrated more pronounced policy effects when taxpayers are low in tax-compliance and local economy contains a higher share of tax-noncompliant firms with poor accounting records. Results survive a battery of robustness checks as well as treatment effect heterogeneity. The presumed input VAT method would be a complementary tax enforcement tool to avoid VAT evasion in low tax capacity and high-informality settings under the context of credit-invoice VAT collection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslim women are often represented as lacking freedom of choice and agency in literary and media discourses. This supposed lack in native Muslim societies is thought to be redeemed by Western interventions by championing ideals of freedom, equality, and liberty. This assumption is problematic as it is governed by the thought that Muslim women are not "agentic" and need external forces to speak for them. It also prioritises the West as the superior other creating a vast gap between them and the rest. This may be seen as an effect of the Eurocentric or Neo-orientalist school of thought that strives at "othering" Muslims and Islam. These discourses include not only the writings of some eminent Western scholars in line with the Orientalist school of thought but Muslim writers as well. However, contrary to the majoritarian discourse, some writers debunk and subvert these stereotypes linked to Islam, offering an alternative picture of Muslims in a more nuanced way to challenge the didactics of Western superiority. To the latter scholarship belongs Sudanese-British writer Leila Aboulela and second-generation immigrant author of mixed descent Shelina Zahra Janmohamed whose writings offer a more nuanced version of Muslim women's writing. This article assesses the engagement of freedom and agency in Aboulela's novel Minaret (2005) and Janmohamed's chick-lit memoir Love in a Headscarf (2009). Contrary to the prevalent discourses on Islam and Muslims these narratives posit a resistance to conforming to the Western modes of thought and conventions. This article articulates how immigrant Muslim women deny stereotypes regarding them through the choices they make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the bastardization of constitutional law in Argentina and the corrosive power of legacies of authoritarianism. It offers a genealogy of the use by Argentina's Supreme Court of self-restraint canons from the time when they were borrowed from the US Supreme Court in the late nineteenth century. Partly resulting from the country's experiences with military rule, the court transformed or expanded these canons, which entailed a gradual depreciation of statutes as the (uneasy) cornerstone of constitutionalism. Based on a fresh dataset and employing narrative and network analysis, the article focuses on a slogan the court has invoked since the 1960s: invalidating a rule is a matter of extreme institutional gravity and hence a strategy of last resort. Under the 1976–83 dictatorship, the court applied the slogan to various rules, including those passed by the military. It thus invoked familiar canons outside its scope conditions, conveying an illusion of constitutional regularity by masking the abnormal in acceptable garb and contributing to the regime's legitimation. While the democratic court abandoned the most blatant expressions of authoritarianism, connections persisted, manifesting in the frequent citations to the dictatorship court's use of the slogan and its extension to any rule. Authoritarian legacies die hard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a benefit valuation model with household production under consumption suppressed by self-restraint, as observed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study proposes a model to measure the benefits of the value of time (VOT), value of environmental quality (VOQ), and value of self-restrained consumption (VOS). Numerical simulations show that 1) the benefits can be measured in a single modeling system, 2) the absolute VOS might be larger than the other benefits, 3) the VOS decreases exponentially with an increase in self-restrained consumption, and 4) the VOT may be sensitive to the degrees of the parameter values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontal alien hand syndrome (AHS) presents as impulsive grasping and groping and compulsive manipulation of environmental objects that can aô€€€ect the dominant or nondominant hand. A few reports have shown improvements in neuropsychological scores over time when self-restraint of the right hand AHS was enforced. A 72-year-old woman presented with right-handed involuntary instinctive grasping reactions and compulsive manipulation of tools after an infarction of the frontal lobe and corpus callosum (CC). She was diagnosed with cerebral infarction involving the anterior cerebral artery territory and a frontal variant of AHS. At AHS onset, the patient was unaware that her right hand was moving against her will; she was only aware that her right hand was moving when the therapist pointed it out to her. Later, she began to recognize that her right hand was involuntarily moving, and she could restrain the movement of her right hand with her left hand. Approximately 5 months following AHS onset, the patient could voluntarily restrain her AHS symptoms by telling her right hand not to move against her will in her head. Most neuropsychological scores improved by 5 months following AHS onset. However, the patient showed disruptions in the genu and midbody of the left cingulate cortex, as shown via diô€€€usion tensor imaging (DTI), and the sensation of the "right hand moving by itself" remained even 5 months after AHS onset. Although damage to the CC fibers was evident on DTI at 5 months following onset, the patient exhibited no sensory deficits and demonstrated good hand ownership as well as early improvement in attention and cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, the patient recognized her AHS symptoms, which included her hand moving against her will, and was able to consciously restrain her hand movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Considering the fact that impulsiveness and inability to self-inhibit anger are among the diagnostic criteria of disruptive mood disorder, it is very important to address this issue in the treatment of this disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy based on mindfulness on irritability and self-inhibition of female students with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Material and Method was semi-experimental, pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population of this study was all students with disruptive mood dysregulation disorders of the first and second grades of high school in the age range of 14- 17 years in schools of Baharestan city of Tehran province in 1400. Among them, 35 people were selected by available sampling method based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The research instruments for measuring irritability included the Striggerzo et al(2012). Emotional Reactivity Scale and the WeinbergerSchwartz Questionnaire(1990) for measuring self-restraint. The subjects in the experimental group underwent 10 sessions of 60 minutes under the intervention of mindfulness integrated cognitive behaviore Therapy whit Kelly protocol (2007), and the control group did not receive any intervention. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results The results of data analysis showed that the experimental group in comparison with the control group in the rate of irritability, decreased and in the rate of self-inhibition and their components had a significant increase (P <0.05). Conclusion According to the findings of the study, mindfulness-based cognitivebehavioral therapy was effective in reducing students with disordered mood disorder by reducing irritability and increasing self-restraint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Business Law Journal / Administração de Empresas em Revista is the property of Administracao de Empresas em Revista 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 cultivation of coffee and the Liberal Reforms of the 1870s instigated a transformation in the social composition of Guatemala City's urban elite as rural and working-class ladinos rose to economic and political prominence. In response to this social mobility, criollo elites codified the precepts of hombría de bien, or proper manhood, in etiquette guides to distinguish themselves from ladinos, who they argued were characterized by rudeza or brashness. Contrary to criollo insistence, however, both they and ladinos prioritized self-restraint as the hallmark of their manliness. Where the two groups differed, however, was the constitution of self-restraint, especially concerning rage, cowardice, and the nature of violence. The political careers of Próspero Morales and José León Castillo provide examples of competing views of manliness during the 1890s. Crucially, the coffee depression during the closing years of the century signaled a shift toward ladino manliness as violence pervaded political life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rates of aggressive offending among Justice-Involved Young Women (JIYW) have increased over the past few decades. Yet, there is little discourse, research, or intervention to address it among young women. Aims/hypotheses: This study hypothesized that a higher capacity for self-restraint measured on the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) scale among 14-18-year-old JIYW would moderate the relationship between the exposure to violence and serious aggressive offending. Methods: The pathways to desistance project, a multi-site, longitudinal study, included a sample of JIYW aged 14–18 years old (n = 184). The baseline data were analyzed using linear multiple regression. Results: After controlling for two variables, race and neighborhood conditions, the overall model was significant (F = 8.31 (df = 7,176), p =.001). The predictor variables (exposure to violence and self-restraint) explained 25% of the outcome variable (level of aggressive offending). The moderation result was significant such that higher self-restraint weakens the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive offending (B = − 0.01, t (176) = -2.39, p =.018). Conclusions/implications: This study highlights the need to disrupt the trauma- to- prison pipeline by enhancing positive social skills in a trauma-responsive manner, which could mitigate the effect of exposure to violence among JIYW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Restricting the movement of the public to gathering places and limiting close physical contact are effective measures against COVID-19 infection. In Japan, states of emergency have been declared in specific prefectures to reduce public movement and control COVID-19 transmission. We investigated how COVID-19 infection related experiences including people with a history of infection, people with a history of close contact, and people whose acquaintances have been infected, affected self-restraint from social behaviors during the second state of emergency in Japan. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted among workers aged 20–65 years using data from an internet survey. The baseline survey was conducted on December 22–25, 2020, and a follow-up survey was on February 18–19, 2021. There were 19,051 participants who completed both surveys and were included in the final analysis. We identified eight social behaviors: (1) eating out (4 people or fewer); (2) eating out (5 people or more); (3) gathering with friends and colleagues; (4) day trip; (5) overnight trip (excluding visiting home); (6) visiting home; (7) shopping for daily necessities; and (8) shopping for other than daily necessities. We set self-restraint regarding each social behavior after the second state of emergency was declared in January 2021 as the dependent variable, and COVID-19 infection related experiences as independent variables. Odds ratios were estimated using multilevel logistic regression analyses nested in the prefecture of residence. Results Significant differences by COVID-19 infection related experiences were identified: compared to people without COVID-19 related experiences, people with a history of COVID-19 were less likely self-restraint from most social behaviors. People whose acquaintance had been diagnosed with COVID-19 were significantly more likely to refrain from most social behaviors. There was no significant difference in any social behaviors for people with a history of close contact only. Conclusion To maximize the effect of a state of emergency, health authorities should disseminate information for each person in the target population, taking into account potential differences related to the infection related experiences.

More and more people talk about so-called Daoist ecological thought. Actually, Daoism does not have a ready-made ecological thought. However, it indeed can act as a vital theoretical resource for constructing such thought. In this article, I will argue how this is possible, and what realm Daoism can attain in the relation between human and nature. I will mainly employ such methods as original problem research, literature analysis and comparative research in the inquiry. Compared with traditional Western metaphysics, Daoist ontology can provide stronger philosophical support for the value and significance of empirical things. In addition, Dao does not dominate things like a personal god with will, but gives them the chance to grow and develop according to their own nature. Lao-Zhuang called on people to imitate this character of Dao. They believed that the primitive nature itself was worthy of respect, and urged us to set limits for ourselves and never to distort things' natural propensities to suit us. Consequently, natural things are neither overshadowed by a noumenon, nor are they subject to humans' conquering and abuse, so they are capable of flourishing freely. This is precisely the realm of tianfang which Daoism seeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Restricting the movement of the public to gathering places and limiting close physical contact are effective measures against COVID-19 infection. In Japan, states of emergency have been declared in specific prefectures to reduce public movement and control COVID-19 transmission. We investigated how COVID-19 infection related experiences including people with a history of infection, people with a history of close contact, and people whose acquaintances have been infected, affected self-restraint from social behaviors during the second state of emergency in Japan. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among workers aged 20–65 years using data from an internet survey. The baseline survey was conducted on December 22–25, 2020, and a follow-up survey was on February 18–19, 2021. There were 19,051 participants who completed both surveys and were included in the final analysis. We identified eight social behaviors: (1) eating out (4 people or fewer); (2) eating out (5 people or more); (3) gathering with friends and colleagues; (4) day trip; (5) overnight trip (excluding visiting home); (6) visiting home; (7) shopping for daily necessities; and (8) shopping for other than daily necessities. We set self-restraint regarding each social behavior after the second state of emergency was declared in January 2021 as the dependent variable, and COVID-19 infection related experiences as independent variables. Odds ratios were estimated using multilevel logistic regression analyses nested in the prefecture of residence. Results: Significant differences by COVID-19 infection related experiences were identified: compared to people without COVID-19 related experiences, people with a history of COVID-19 were less likely self-restraint from most social behaviors. People whose acquaintance had been diagnosed with COVID-19 were significantly more likely to refrain from most social behaviors. There was no significant difference in any social behaviors for people with a history of close contact only. Conclusion: To maximize the effect of a state of emergency, health authorities should disseminate information for each person in the target population, taking into account potential differences related to the infection related experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Some children experience a significant deal of anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19. Behavioral dimensions of the executive function appear to link to situational anxiety experience. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between self-related skills of executive functions and the level of anxiety in children (8-12-years-old) during the outbreak of COVID-19. Also, the secondary goal of this study is to predict the level of anxiety based on self-related skills of executive functions. Method: Parents of 300 children filled out the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and the COVID-19 anxiety scale. Data were analyzed using correlation and path analysis. A significance level of less than 0.05 was set for all tests. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software. Results: Results demonstrated that self-related skills of executive functions can predict 28% of COVID-19 anxiety. The subscales of self-management (P < 0.015, t = 5.56), self-regulation (P < 0.011, t = 6.37), self-restraint (P < 0.035, t = 4.29) and emotional self-organization (P < 0.042, P = 0.222) predicted coronavirus anxiety, but self-motivation (P < 0.05, P = 0.894) did not. Conclusion: Given that most subscales of executive function predict anxiety tied to critical situations such as the prevalence of the corona virus, it seems that greater attention should be allocated to the fostering and development of children's executive functions by teaching such skills at home by families.

Arguably, responses to the ecological crisis need to go further than renewable technology and emissions policy to embrace deeper and wider changes in ideas, attitudes and behaviour and more broadly cultivate an art of ecological living. This article discusses two sets of spiritual practice that contain within them seeds that implicitly cohere with an ecological ethos and therefore might be conducive to cultivating an ecologically sensitive way of living. These are the spiritual exercises of Greek and Roman philosophical schools, especially as understood by Pierre Hadot, and the contemporary practice of Christian meditation. This article discusses three aspects that, despite acknowledged differences, are common to both the ancient spiritual exercises and contemporary Christian meditation: the way they aim to transform the whole of the practitioner's life, resonating with ecology's broad and holistic scope; the centrality of paying attention, enabling the practitioner to be grounded in the present time and place which in turn facilitates greater awareness of what is other to us; and the advocacy of an ethic of self-restraint, countering the ideology and practice of constant growth and consumerism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ideal citizen centric society wedded to the democratic governance always keeps its laws in motion to build an egalitarian and just order. Aesthetic virtue of law lies in the realisation of justice and the creation of an egalitarian order. Against this backdrop, the present paper aims to examine the approach of the Supreme Court of India (SCI) towards COVID-19 Pandemic through suo motu proceedings from various perspectives of jurisprudence and constitutionalism. The government claimed to have strived intensively with full vigour but the response due tolack of preparedness and intense gravity of the catastrophe, the efforts of the government appeared negligible. It warranted prompt revisit of priorities which compelled the SCI to intervene and evaluate the legitimacy of the executive action. Furthermore, it impelled to examine the role of the SCI in responding to the community's sense of justice and humanising justice. The paper presents the solution to the paradox generated out of the inherent friction between constitutional authority of judicial review and resistance of judicial review of executive actions by a populist government. The scope of the discussion has primarily been confined to Orders of the SCI in suo motu hearings and examined accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the hoteliers' crisis management practices during COVID-19 and analyse the relationship between each practice and government policy. Through in-depth interviews with five hotel chains, common crisis management practice patterns, factors that lead to differences in crisis management practices and the influences of policies on these practices were identified. The findings show strong and complicated relationships between policy and hoteliers' crisis management practices. Although many crisis management practices were encouraged by the government, some practices were not influenced by the policy and others were indirectly impeded. Hoteliers are not only passively affected by government policies, but respond actively to them as well as demonstrate their own initiative in response to the crisis.

This paper studies the Constitutional Court's manifestations of self-restraint, that is, those areas in which, within the margin granted by the Constitution and the law, the Court has shown deference to the actions of the judicial bodies, seeking to draw the perimeter that is proper to its actions. There are some cases in which, if we speak of self-restraint, it would be in an improper sense because deference to the ordinary jurisdiction is a normative requirement of the Constitutional Court Act (LOTC). In other areas, which we could call self-restraint proper, the self-limitation is expressed in constructions of the Constitutional Court itself, without prejudice to the fact that they are ultimately anchored in the position that the Constitution reserves for the Constitutional Court, the ordinary jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the economic rationale for people to engage in self‐restraint. Specifically, we show that when a good is addictive and harmful, forward‐looking present‐biased consumers have an incentive to restrict their current consumption—below the level at which marginal utility of consumption equals marginal cost—in order to curb their future consumption of the harmful good. If the incentive is sufficiently strong, then present bias may encourage consumers to consume less of the addictive bad today. Finally, we show that a self‐restraint incentive can coexist with a sin tax on the addictive bad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Islamic Ethics is the property of Brill Academic Publishers 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.)

COVID-19 has been a global challenge ever since its emergence, with reports suggesting negative effects on the mental health and well-being of people. We investigated the associations of the socioeconomic changes driven by the pandemic, illness, well-being, and fear of COVID-19 in Japan. Totally, 565 Japanese individuals completed an online survey, including questions on their self-restraint and changing incomes, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale; Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale; and present, past, and future life satisfaction scale. Analysis using structural equation models revealed that refraining from going out was a predictor of illness due to the fear of COVID-19. Decreased income predicted increased illness, but was not due to fear of COVID-19. These results suggested that the interaction between decreased time outside and increased fear of COVID-19 could affect illness. Our study suggests the role of fear of COVID-19 during pandemic and the socioeconomic impacts on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of human flow has led to better control of COVID-19 infections. Japan’s state of emergency, unlike other countries, is not legally binding but is rather a request for individual self-restraint; thus, factors must be identified that do not respond to self-restraint, and countermeasures considered for those factors to enhance its efficacy. We examined the relationship between sociodemographic factors and self-restraint toward social behaviors during a pandemic in Japan. This cross-sectional study used data for February 18–19, 2021, obtained from an internet survey; 19,560 participants aged 20–65 were included in the analysis. We identified five relevant behaviors: (1) taking a day trip; (2) eating out with five people or more; (3) gathering with friends and colleagues; (4) shopping for other than daily necessities; (5) shopping for daily necessities. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between sociodemographic factors and self-restraint for each of the behaviors. Results showed that for behaviors other than shopping for daily necessities, women, those aged 60–65, married people, highly educated people, high-income earners, desk workers and those who mainly work with interpersonal communication, and those with underlying disease reported more self-restraint. Older people had less self-restraint than younger people toward shopping for daily necessities; an underlying disease had no effect on the identified behavior. Specialized interventions for these groups that include recommendations for greater self-restraint may improve the efficacy of the implementing measures that request self-restraint.

More and more people talk about so-called Daoist ecological thought. Actually, Daoism does not have a ready-made ecological thought. However, it indeed can act as a vital theoretical resource for constructing such thought. In this article, I will argue how this is possible, and what realm Daoism can attain in the relation between human and nature. I will mainly employ such methods as original problem research, literature analysis and comparative research in the inquiry. Compared with traditional Western metaphysics, Daoist ontology can provide stronger philosophical support for the value and significance of empirical things. In addition, Dao does not dominate things like a personal god with will, but gives them the chance to grow and develop according to their own nature. Lao-Zhuang called on people to imitate this character of Dao. They believed that the primitive nature itself was worthy of respect, and urged us to set limits for ourselves and never to distort things’ natural propensities to suit us. Consequently, natural things are neither overshadowed by a noumenon, nor are they subject to humans’ conquering and abuse, so they are capable of flourishing freely. This is precisely the realm of tianfang which Daoism seeks.

Copyright of Pravnik is the property of Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of State & Law 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.)

Abstract: In Descent of Man, Charles Darwin noted the impact of political institutions on natural selection. He thought that institutions such as asylums or hospitals may deter natural selection; however, he did not reach a decisive answer. Questions remain as to whether the selective impacts of political institutions, which in Darwin's terms may be referred to as "artificial selection," are compatible with natural selection, and if so, to what extent. This essay argues that currently there appears to be an essential mismatch between nature and political institutions. Unfitted institutions put exogenous and disproportionate pressures on living beings. This creates consequences for what is postulated as the condition of basic equivalence, which allows species and individuals to enjoy similar chances of survival under natural circumstances. Thus, contrary to Darwin's expectations, it is sustained that assumed natural selection is not discouraged but becomes exacerbated by political institutions. In such conditions, selection becomes primarily artificial and perhaps mainly political, with consequences for species' evolutionary future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Displays of ostentation were regarded as manly faux pas in nineteenth-century Guatemala City, a perspective shared by men of different ethnic and class origins, though gender norms were seldom uniformly enforced. When the Guatemalan export economy collapsed and a social crisis ensued in 1897, critics of the government blamed the excess and luxury of President José María Reyna Barrios for the economic turmoil. They argued that the president lacked manly self-restraint and had succumbed to his own vanity and sexual licentiousness. The emasculation of Reyna Barrios demonstrates how the boundaries of permissible gendered actions were constrained during a period of upheaval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political trust has long been presented as a key social determinant of pandemic resilience in public health by facilitating public cooperation with government instructions. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, countries where citizens had relatively low levels of trust in government tended to see higher numbers of infections and deaths. Yet Japan's public health response to COVID-19 complicates a straightforward relationship between political trust and successful pandemic response, presenting something of a paradox. Trust in government, very low by international comparison, was compounded by a lack of state authority to enforce its public health recommendations. Nevertheless, it appears that initially, most people followed government advice, particularly politicians' calls for jishuku ('self-restraint'). This paper explores the Japanese government's response to COVID-19 and places the concept of jishuku in historical context, arguing that it represents a complex dynamic that includes expectations about the solidaristic behavior of imagined fellow citizens, stigmatization and social coercion, and government appeals to ethnonationalist identity that together may have helped overcome low trust in government. 'Compliance' itself is complicated in this picture, with compliance with individual measures dependent on the dynamic tension between a variety of different factors beyond political trust alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The item was in the news. A public official said that he would hire a male rather than a female driver, because following the growing influence of the #MeToo movement, hiring a man would be safer. That way nobody would accuse him of harassment. The official’s declaration aroused justified public criticism. Being a public official, he must be committed to equality-in-hiring practices. But suppose that it were a private individual, who wanted to do his utmost to keep away from temptation. It might seem that there is nothing wrong with that: he is free to hire whomever he wishes, and his caution is justified: planning ahead and resisting temptation are marks of rationality and personhood, in Harry Frankfurt’s sense of the term. But why should one be so cautious to begin with? Challenging other philosophical analyses of temptation, I argue that temptations are hardly irresistible. We should all take responsibility for our actions and behavior. It is a moral duty to control ourselves and not let others pay the price for our shortcomings. This notion is both Kantian, as it emphasizes autonomy, and Aristotelian: it urges us to work on our virtues.

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: University students are the intellectual human resources of any society and they are the prospects of their country. Paying attention to their mental, spiritual, social, cultural and physical health will provide the ground for realization of a dynamic and healthy life in the future. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of self-monitoring training using the Islamic contemplation approach on self-restraint among female students of Tehran University. Methods: This study adopted a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest control group design. The statistical population consisted of all students of University of Tehran who were studying in the educational year 2017. A sample of 30 female students from Tehran University was selected using available sampling method. They were randomly assigned to two experimental (15) and a control group (15). Participants in the experimental group received an Islamic-contemplation self-monitoring training program in eight (one-and-a-half-hour) sessions. A self-restraint questionnaire Gatfordson and Hirschi was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis. In this study, all the ethical considerations have been observed and no conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Results: The results showed that the female students in the experimental group had significantly higher self-control scores than the control group on the post-test and the hypothesis of the study concerning the effectiveness of self-monitoring training by Islamic contemplation approach on self-restraint of Tehran University students was confirmed (P>0/01). Conclusion: Based on the findings, group religious-spiritual intervention had a positive effect on the internal and self-control power of female students, and this intervention could be used to improve the psychological resources in increasing students’ self-restraint. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Please cite this article as: Nosrati F, Jafari-Ardi S, Ghobari-Bonab B. Effectiveness of Self-monitoring Training by Islamic Contemplation Approach on Self-restraint among Female Students of Tehran University. Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va salāmat. 2020;6(2):20-36. https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v6i2.22988

Abstract Background Self-injurious behaviours, such as head banging, hair pulling, skin picking and scratching, are common in individuals with autism. Despite high prevalence rates, there is a paucity of longitudinal research to refine models of risk and mechanism and inform service planning. In this longitudinal study, we investigated self-injury in a cohort of individuals with autism over 10 years to identify behavioural and demographic characteristics associated with persistent self-injury. Methods Carers of 67 individuals with autism completed questionnaires relating to the presence of self-injury and relevant risk markers at T 1 (mean [SD] age in years 13.4 [7.7]) and T 3 (mean [SD] age in years 23.9 [7.7]) 10 years later. Forty-six of these also took part at T 2 (3 years after initial participation). Analysis assessed demographic and behavioural risk markers for self-injury, as well as the predictive value of items assessed at T 1and T 2. Results Self-injury was persistent in 44% of individuals over the 10-year period, with behavioural characteristics of impulsivity (p < .001) and overactivity (p = .002), identified as risk markers for persistence. A predictive model of self-injury was derived from LASSO analysis, with baseline impulsivity, interest and pleasure, stereotyped behaviour, social communication and adaptive functioning predicting self-injury over 10 years. Conclusions In this unique longitudinal investigation into the persistence of self-injury in a non-clinical sample of individuals with autism over a 10 year period, we have identified a novel, robust and stable profile of behavioural characteristics associated with persistent self-injury. Findings support an early intervention strategy targeted towards individuals identified to be at a higher risk of developing self-injurious behaviour.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been facing one of the most severe challenges of our modern era. As the world experiences ever-greater globalization, a process of assimilation has accelerated in numerous spheres such as cultural, educational, economic, etc., but it is notable that the measures taken by countries to combat the impact of COVID-19 vary significantly. A considerable number of countries have implemented lockdown strategies backed by new laws, whereas some others have been relying on the virtues of good citizenship in order to not depend on their legal systems. Within Asia there are also contrasting approaches; for instance, China and Korea responded with a quick and effective tracking method, while Japan depended on a self-restraint strategy. The Japanese and Swedish approaches to COVID-19 are unique and ambiguous, because they are based on voluntary self-restraint. There is no legal or political mechanism to control people’s behaviours. Still, in rough terms these methods seem to have been working, at least until now. In order to understand the puzzling practice of self-restraint, this research explores the origin and cultural background of self-restraint in Japan descriptively and evaluates its positive and negative consequences. Rather than utilizing the philosophy of communitarianism as the theoretical base, it examines the deep relationship between Japan and the surrounding environment, and the use of self-restraint in various events, including those related to COVID-19. Moreover, this study adds to the debate on seeking the right balance between the communitarian common good that is especially emphasized in the East, and an individual’s rights and freedom that are highlighted in the West.

This article focuses on the relevance of religious traditions of self-restraint, particularly Sabbath and Nyepi, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. From an economic perspective, the pandemic interrupts a lifestyle marked by an unceasing process of production and consumption that affects almost all aspects of life. Such a lifestyle, known as 'productivism', has been confronted with 'anti-productivism' promoted by groups of Marxism-inspired intellectuals and activists. Employing the method of public theology, this study reveals that religious traditions of self-restraint prepare humanity to anticipate interruptions of regularity, such as a pandemic, in a way that is critical of productivism yet distinct from anti-productivism. From a spiritual perspective, the pandemic and religious traditions of self-restraint should be perceived as synergistic appeals to a balanced lifestyle that is socially, economically, and ecologically harmonious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, mobility restrictions were enforced by the government to abate the spread of COVID-19. The current study examined whether experiences of such mobility restrictions affected motivation for future going-out activities. To this end, we conducted a one-time online survey of 1,000 adults in Tokyo to measure going-out activities in four different time periods at once: before the spread of infection, during and after the emergency declaration, and after the end of the pandemic (future desire). In addition, to examine the impact of preferences for online services that make it easier to stay home, we measured the usage history of online services to obtain food during the mobility restriction period. Results indicated that desire for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, particularly for leisure-related purposes. In addition, the use of online services to obtain food tended to suppress the increased desire for future going-out activities, although this effect was not significant. In conclusion, mobility restrictions resulted in motivational arousal for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic. Our findings indicate that psychological reactance plays a role in determining going-out activities in the future.

Introduction:This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of planned behavior training on tendency to addiction, selfrestraint, and risk-taking of university students. Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this study concluded all undergraduate student teachers in Mashhad city in the academic year 2019-2020. Among them, 24 cases were selected by simple random sampling and were assigned in two groups of planned behavior training (12 cases) and control group (12 cases). The data collected using the Readiness Scale for Drug Abuse (Zargar, 2007), Mohammadi et al. Risk-Taking Questionnaire (2007), and Weinberger and Schwartz Self-Restraint Questionnaire (1990). Data analyzed using SPSS 22 software, repeated measures analysis of variance, and Bon-Ferroni post hoc test. Results: The results showed that planned behavior training (P< 0.01) had significant effects on tendency to addiction, self-restraint and risk-taking of students. These effects were permanent in two-month follow-up. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it seems that planned behavior training is effective in preventing addiction in youth population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, mobility restrictions were enforced by the government to abate the spread of COVID-19. The current study examined whether experiences of such mobility restrictions affected motivation for future going-out activities. To this end, we conducted a one-time online survey of 1,000 adults in Tokyo to measure going-out activities in four different time periods at once: before the spread of infection, during and after the emergency declaration, and after the end of the pandemic (future desire). In addition, to examine the impact of preferences for online services that make it easier to stay home, we measured the usage history of online services to obtain food during the mobility restriction period. Results indicated that desire for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, particularly for leisure-related purposes. In addition, the use of online services to obtain food tended to suppress the increased desire for future going-out activities, although this effect was not significant. In conclusion, mobility restrictions resulted in motivational arousal for going-out activities after the end of the pandemic. Our findings indicate that psychological reactance plays a role in determining going-out activities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have reported that many people changed their going-out behavior in response to the declaration of a state of emergency related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan. However, individual attributes of those who tended to stay home have not been examined. Therefore, this study examined the demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics of people who refrained from going out both before and after a state of emergency was declared. Using data from a nationwide online survey, this study retrospectively investigated the relative amount of time spent outside the home between mid-February and mid-May 2020. Multilevel linear regression analysis was performed to examine the association of time outside with demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics, and with the anxiety related to going out, in each period. Overall, respondents significantly reduced their time spent outside during the study period, especially after a state of emergency was declared. Those who were young, female, living with two or more people, had lower income, were not working, used public transportation, had chronic disease, and lived in large metropolitan areas were more likely to reduce time outside during a part of the study period. However, no significant differences were observed for occupational class, education, and neighborhood population density. Thus, the results showed a reduction in time outside during the COVID-19 outbreak and the existence of demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic differences in going-out behavior. Socioeconomic disparities and neighborhood differences in going-out behavior, and their influence on health should be continuously monitored.

This article stresses the importance of learning in the transformation of an incumbent Islamist party within the context of polity re-configuration. Borrowing from the literature on diffusion and learning, it offers a case study of how Tunisia's Ennahda Movement responded to the interplay of multi-level challenges. Main argument is that Ennahda has significantly re-tailored its positioning since the critical juncture of 2013, not only by taking the route of moderation once again, but also by exercising self-restraint under the impulse of external counter-examples. Based on process-tracing readings, the analysis contained herein demonstrates how key regional and domestic events have helped reshape the party's political discourse and practices, designed to maximise the likelihood of its survival and progressive empowerment in a more markedly hostile environment. The paper thus empirically identifies three main strategies implemented by the party and reflecting learning on its part: readiness to negotiate, a reassuring attitude, and self-containment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In France, the principle of equality has its source in a set of at least fifteen articlesbelonging to one of the three constitutional texts that form the “constitutional block”. Because of this privileged place, which is incomparable with regard to other fundamental rights and freedoms, the principle of equality figured in almost a half of the decisions pronounced by the Constitutional Council from its creation till 2010, when the ex post review – called “procedure of QPC” – began to be implemented in France. Despite the relevant statistics, the constitutional judges’ activity in this field was marked by voluntary self-restraint. The object of this study is to analyse if in the first ten years of QPC procedure implementation their approach has changed in order to strengthen the protection of the litigants’ rights and what are the technics of control they use in order to realise such changes.

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We test the existence of possible gender biases affecting firm behavior in demanding and obtaining bank credit using a cross‐country sample of European small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). We show consistent evidence that female‐led firms are more likely than their male counterparts to refrain from applying for loans. When they apply, female‐led enterprises do not seem to face gender discrimination from the lender. Interestingly, however, signs of gender bias appear to arise during the upside phase of the economy. Overall, our study provides support for policy actions aimed at reducing the frictions faced by women‐led SMEs when accessing credit markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The item was in the news. A public official said that he would hire a male rather than a female driver, because following the growing influence of the #MeToo movement, hiring a man would be safer. That way nobody would accuse him of harassment. The official's declaration aroused justified public criticism. Being a public official, he must be committed to equality-in-hiring practices. But suppose that it were a private individual, who wanted to do his utmost to keep away from temptation. It might seem that there is nothing wrong with that: he is free to hire whomever he wishes, and his caution is justified: planning ahead and resisting temptation are marks of rationality and personhood, in Harry Frankfurt's sense of the term. But why should one be so cautious to begin with? Challenging other philosophical analyses of temptation, I argue that temptations are hardly irresistible. We should all take responsibility for our actions and behavior. It is a moral duty to control ourselves and not let others pay the price for our shortcomings. This notion is both Kantian, as it emphasizes autonomy, and Aristotelian: it urges us to work on our virtues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-injurious behaviours, such as head banging, hair pulling, skin picking and scratching, are common in individuals with autism. Despite high prevalence rates, there is a paucity of longitudinal research to refine models of risk and mechanism and inform service planning. In this longitudinal study, we investigated self-injury in a cohort of individuals with autism over 10 years to identify behavioural and demographic characteristics associated with persistent self-injury. Methods: Carers of 67 individuals with autism completed questionnaires relating to the presence of self-injury and relevant risk markers at T1 (mean [SD] age in years 13.4 [7.7]) and T3 (mean [SD] age in years 23.9 [7.7]) 10 years later. Forty-six of these also took part at T2 (3 years after initial participation). Analysis assessed demographic and behavioural risk markers for self-injury, as well as the predictive value of items assessed at T1and T2. Results: Self-injury was persistent in 44% of individuals over the 10-year period, with behavioural characteristics of impulsivity (p <.001) and overactivity (p =.002), identified as risk markers for persistence. A predictive model of self-injury was derived from LASSO analysis, with baseline impulsivity, interest and pleasure, stereotyped behaviour, social communication and adaptive functioning predicting self-injury over 10 years. Conclusions: In this unique longitudinal investigation into the persistence of self-injury in a non-clinical sample of individuals with autism over a 10 year period, we have identified a novel, robust and stable profile of behavioural characteristics associated with persistent self-injury. Findings support an early intervention strategy targeted towards individuals identified to be at a higher risk of developing self-injurious behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a randomized experiment at the time of the 2004 flu vaccine shortage, providing information about the sharply reduced number of clinics and their schedule, and an appeal on cooperative restraint to a campus population. This strategy was intended to reduce demand for vaccination among non-priority individuals and to free available supplies for the priority population. It failed to achieve its purpose. Information induced a net increase in vaccines distributed and, perversely, the net increase originated entirely in non-priority individuals. The surprising finding is that calls on cooperative restraint induced an uncalled for positive response among priority individuals, while they induced an increase in cheating among non-priority individuals. Age as a qualifying factor was in particular widely abused, with the number of “65 years old” more than twice the predicted value, while about half of the predicted 61-64 years old are missing.