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COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Considering the restricted and enclosed nature of prisons and closed environments and the prolonged and close contact between individuals, COVID-19 is more likely to have a higher incidence in these settings. This study aims to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 among prisoners.

Papers published in English from 2019 to July 7, 2023, were identified using relevant keywords such as prevalence, COVID-19 and prisoner in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar. For the meta-analysis of the prevalence, Cochrane’s Q statistics were calculated. A random effect model was used due to the heterogeneity in COVID-19 prevalence across included studies in the meta-analysis. All analyses were performed in STATA-13.

The pooled data presented a COVID-19 prevalence of 20% [95%CI: 0.13, 0.26] and 24% [95%CI: 0.07, 0.41], respectively, in studies that used PCR and antibody tests. Furthermore, two study designs, cross-sectional and cohort, were used. The results of the meta-analysis showed studies with cross-sectional and cohort designs reported 20% [95%CI: 0.11, 0.29] and 25% [95%CI: 0.13, 0.38], respectively.

Through more meticulous planning, it is feasible to reduce the number of individuals in prison cells, thereby preventing the further spread of COVID-19.

The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for defining the notion of “physical integration” regarding the Iranian bazaar as the main component in the structure of traditional Iranian cities. Applying this conceptual framework to the historical bazaars in the cities of Kerman and Shiraz, this study seeks to pave the way for restoring the physical integrity of such historical districts.

The research was conducted in two phases. First, there was a review of the theoretical background of physical integration followed by the analysis of the corresponding qualitative contents and the validation of the proposed conceptual framework as confirmed by 15 local experts. The second phase tested the validated framework in two case studies based on maps, historical documents and field observations.

The findings show that the physical integration of historical bazaars can be undertaken in morphological, visual-aesthetic and functional aspects. The proposed conceptual framework is capable of dealing with the different aspects of physical integration in historical districts on a meso-scale.

The theoretical implications of this study concerning the physical integration of traditional bazaars address urban design, urban planning and multi-disciplinary historical geography. The study also has practical implications for the integration of bazaars in historical urban regeneration projects via design guidelines.

This study emphasizes the importance of physical integration as a multi-dimensional concept, facilitating it to deal with the physical quality and the characteristics of historical districts, particularly bazaars. It also highlights the role of the Iranian bazaar as a unifying structure in the historical districts.

This paper aims to explore the requirements of organizational knowledge management initiatives using requirements engineering techniques, identifying the optimal techniques configuration and serving as a management tool for knowledge engineers.

The method is selection attributes. Knowledge management enablers are characterized and mapped with the coverage capabilities of requirements engineering techniques, using the attributes of the elicited object and a box-plot analysis. The information is gathered from 280 references, 32 companies and 16 experts in requirements engineering.

Requirements of organizational knowledge management initiatives are got optimally by combining interviews, use cases, scenarios, laddering and focus group techniques. The requirements of structure and processes are more complex to identify, while culture requirements are the best covered.

Knowledge management enablers are analyzed according to the current studies and comprehension of engineering techniques.

Knowledge engineers need to consider the coverage capabilities of engineering techniques to design an optimal requirement identification and meet the objectives of organizational knowledge acquisition initiatives. Requirement engineers can improve the requirements identification by a staged selection process.

The requirements of knowledge management initiatives that impact the community can be identified and traced to ensure the knowledge objectives. Requirements related to culture and people, like shared values, beliefs, and behaviors, are also considered.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study about formal requirement identification of knowledge management initiatives in the organizational context, providing the optimal configuration. A novel staged process is proposed for requirements engineering techniques selection, analyzing the enablers at component level and identifying the attributes associated with the elicited object.

The purpose of this study is to conceptualise the relationship between information disclosure and Waqif commitment, taking into consideration the role of level of trust (mediator variable) and communication and type of payment (moderator variables).

The conceptual framework is developed from the theory of social exchange (mediated philanthropy model) and selected previous literature concerning commitment.

According to previous empirical research, a conceptual framework was developed to facilitate further analysis in the study. Nine propositions were raised in this paper where the factor of communication and payment method is proposed to no longer the factor that determined commitment but as moderator. There is five antecedent of information disclosure proposed, which is basic information, financial information, non-financial information, future information and governance information. Also, trust is offered to be the mediator variable between information disclosure and Waqf commitment.

By realising many factors that may influence the commitment of waqf such as demonstrable utility, emotional utility and familial utility, this study only focusses on the effect of information disclosure.

This paper provides an opportunity for further empirical studies to prove the relationship between information disclosure and Waqf commitment. This paper also brought opportunities to investigate both conceptually and empirically, other factors that could affect Waqf commitment.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, few studies have been done concerning donors commitment. While there are none yet, the research examined Waqf commitment. The originality value of this study is that there is a gap in knowledge regarding the analysis of Waqf commitment, the level of trust among waqif is the information that Waqf expected, the preferred communication between Mutawalli and Waqf and type of payment that Waqf favoured. This study is believed to be a novel based on the framework developed.

Large-scale interventions are still the dominant approach in dealing with historic cities in Iran; however, during the last decade there has been a shift towards integrated and decentralised policies and a series of locally based projects were initiated across the country. Political and ideological forces, population growth as well as cultural and heritage consensus are influencing approaches towards urban conservation and heritage management constantly. This paper opens up the urban intervention approaches in the historic core of Shiraz and provides a deeper insight and better understanding of heritage management and regeneration plans in Shiraz as a representative of historic Iranian cities.

The study explains and analyses major urban transformations in Shiraz. The main approaches towards historical city core are identified and the mechanism that shaped these approaches in national and local scale is discussed. This investigation primarily uses qualitative data sources. The study relies on multiple sources of evidence which result in the reliability and validity of the investigation. Therefore, primary sources include original documents, maps and photographs published in documentation for the projects, published and unpublished materials and archives about case study city and secondary sources such as interviews with consultants and authorities as well as residents have been used.

This paper provides a more detailed explanation about several interrelated factors that affected the process of decision and policy making, planning and implementation of city centre interventions during the last two decades.

This paper anticipates consequent trends in heritage management in Shiraz and recommends further research areas. The paper can be used to develop a more practical set of recommendations for urban heritage management in Iran.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for knowledge worker productivity measurement which is based on valid principles and appropriate viewpoints.

Based on an extensive and thorough literature review the elements that need to be taken into consideration, while designing a method for knowledge worker productivity measurement, are determined and divided into principles and viewpoints. These elements must be incorporated into the design of knowledge worker productivity measurement methods so that the correctness and accuracy of these methods can be verified. The proposed model, which is based on appropriate principles and viewpoints, determines the outputs of knowledge work with respect to the tasks that a worker’s job includes. Considering nine measures, these outputs are evaluated using fuzzy numbers and, then, quantified. The inputs of knowledge work are knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to do the job. These inputs are identified and quantified using Job Element Method. Furthermore, fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to model the productivity.

In this paper, the proposed method for knowledge worker productivity measurement follows both appropriate principles and viewpoints, simultaneously. In order to validate the obtained results and explore the applicability of the proposed method, a case study was carried out at an Iranian organization in electric power industry. Statistical analyses are employed to prove the validity of the results. Based on the obtained results, the productivity of a knowledge worker is said to be high when he/she delivers the expected amount of job outputs considering the values of his/her inputs (KSAs).

The originality of this paper is twofold. First, the extracted principles and viewpoints can serve as a guideline for the development of similar methods. Second, the proposed model offers an effective and efficient tool that can serve as the basis for the comparison among relative productivity of knowledge workers. Furthermore, the obtained results could form a basis to examine the productivity trend of each knowledge worker over different periods of time.

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitude of faculty members towards knowledge-sharing in the University of Education, Lahore. The impact of personal and organizational factors that may contribute to effective knowledge-sharing among the university’s teaching staff is also analyzed. The factors affecting the willingness of the faculty members to share knowledge are broadly classified as “organizational” and “personal” factors.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on permanent teaching staff working at different campuses of the University of Education all over the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The survey instrument for this study was adapted from four studies. The questionnaires were distributed among 246 faculty members personally.

The findings of the study showed that the faculty members were familiar with the importance of knowledge-sharing and were also interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise with others. The results showed that organizational factors (trust, reward system and organizational culture) played a vital role in enhancing the knowledge-sharing attitude of faculty members. The impact of these factors on knowledge-sharing attitude was significant.

This is the very first study which explored the personal and organizational factors of knowledge-sharing in a specific academic institution from Pakistan. The findings of the research provided useful insights to the management of the University of Education particularly and other universities in general to design strategies for enhancing knowledge-sharing culture in the higher education institution. These findings may also be helpful for other developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to adapt research conducted on subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians to conceptualise false agents in transaction cost economics (TCE). Both opportunism and information asymmetry provide a means to manipulate contractual relationships, pursuing existing loopholes for self-interest, while uncertainty and small-numbers bargaining allow false agents to exploit existing agreements during periods of rapid change, growth, and development. Considering differences in contract length preference may inform our understanding of subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians. Contextually, the rise of “quasi-governmental” hybrid organisations may produce an ideal prospect for “natural born” opportunists to reap self-interested benefits through contractual loopholes.

This theoretical paper addresses social norms and blind trust in contractual relationships. In turn, blind trust may provide clues about the environmental conditions that facilitate manipulation by subclinical psychopaths and Machiavellians during negotiations of contract term length.

Williamson’s (1975) TCE framework provides a novel approach to subclinical psychopathic and Machiavellian behaviour by agents. Assumptions about behavioural norms may differ between the contracting party and the agent, leading to positive behavioural expectations of trust such as confidence, reciprocity, and history. The length of the contractual relationship may distinguish subclinical psychopaths from Machiavellians. The subclinical psychopath is more likely to behave opportunistically in short-term contracts, while Machiavellians more likely amass goodwill to behave opportunistically in long-term contracts. The role of uncertainty, small-numbers bargaining, information asymmetry, and opportunism is particularly relevant in quasi-governmental organisations when agents are “natural born” opportunists.

This theoretical paper adds to discussion of TCE related problems in organisations. “Natural born” opportunistic agents are more likely to take advantage of principals who extend trust as a goodwill gesture in a contractual relationship. Trust often represents a mental shortcut, based on “gut” reactions to save time, especially in dynamic environments. Hybrid organisations represent one such environment, in which contracting of goods and services renders comprehensive monitoring impracticable. Yet, scholarship adheres to legal mechanisms as safeguards against opportunism without acknowledging social norms that guide blind trust. Finally, contrasting motives between principals and false agents creates an inherent relationship asymmetry.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential or actual role of rural libraries in preserving indigenous knowledge (IK) of the rural residents in South Khorasan province.

The study, based on a qualitative research, was carried out by employing the grounded theory method. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews from the research sample population which included 20 rural males, 10 rural females, 8 librarians and 3 well-informed regional IK specialists. The validity of the research was confirmed by peer evaluation, compounded by detailed thorough explanations and external reviewers’ reaffirmations.

The rural residents of the South Khorasan villages across the province, after having realized the vitality of carrying out this project, were fully motivated and cooperative to provide indigenous knowledge. On the basis of the results from the rural libraries, due to being the solitary knowledge center in the area, these libraries could actively participate in preserving the knowledge and contribute toward the documentation of the indigenous knowledge. This required motivating librarians and increasing their professional, technical, research and verbal skills. The results of the study indicated that, even if the rural libraries of the South Khorasan province did not participate in documentation, preservation, and promotion of the IK and opt for the present form of non-participation, due to their inherent nature, they could become a focal point and play an indispensable role in achieving the objectives by aiding and leading the process at country level and become a focal point for the new generations of rural inhabitants to enlighten themselves and become fully aware of the value of the ancestral knowledge.

Hitherto, none of the researchers in Iran has covered the role of the libraries in general and rural libraries in particular in preserving the indigenous knowledge.