Determinants of Islamic Insurance Acceptance: Empirical Evidence from Somalia

The current paper investigates the determinants toward Islamic Takaful Insurance acceptance in Somalia, the main objective was to explore knowledge, attitude, perception and awareness of Mogadishu residence toward Takaful Services. the study uses convenient sampling procedure,. The data were collected in February and March 2016 by using questionnaire. A total of 179 respondents were participated to this study. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 to answer research objectives. The study found that that attitude, perception, awareness and knowledge are influential predictors of Islamic insurance adoption and acceptance. The study provides an imminent into the understanding of determinants leading to the customers’ adoption of Islamic insurance. Keywords: Knowledge, attitude, perception,  awareness ,  Islamic Insurance, Determinants, Somali

Wet Gas Flow Metering with Pattern Recognition Techniques

The development of many gas condensate fields and the increasing number of marginal fields whose economics do not support conventional bulky separation and processing facilities means that new wet gas flow metering techniques are becoming of greater importance to the oil and gas industry worldwide. For the purpose of this research wet gas flow is defined as multiphase flow (gas-liquid) having in-situ gas volume fraction greater than 95 % at the point of measurement. This research presents a novel wet gas measurement technique involving the use of a standard Venturi meter together with advanced pattern (PR) recognition methods for the detection of liquid presence in wet gas flow conditions and the simultaneous measurement of gas and liquid flow rates without the need for preconditioning of the flow or prior knowledge of either phase. The technique involves four major steps: 1) collection of experimental data spanning the range of flow regimes likely to be encountered in wet gas flow conditions; 2) extraction of flow dependent variables from the Venturi pressure sensors in the form of features; 3) development of PR model for mapping between input features and corresponding gas and liquid flow rates; 4) generalisation test to new and previously unseen flow conditions to determine the accuracy of the Venturi-PR methods developed in this research work. Data was sampled at 50 Hz using two axial differential pressure sensors and one singleend absolute pressure sensor on a 2-inch horizontally mounted Venturi meter using airwater at normally atmospheric conditions. Extensive features were extracted from the time and frequency domains of the raw data and evaluated for their discriminatory ability between different flow conditions. A Bayesian multi layer perceptron (MLP) neural network was used to construct a non-linear mapping between the different feature vectors and the corresponding gas and liquid flow rates using a correctly labelled training data. When the generalisation performance of different measurement scenarios developed was tested, the cross-sensor data fusion of the amplitude features achieved 100 % of the test data to within ± 5 % error across the whole flow domain of interest. The Venturi-PR results also performed significantly better than published wet gas differential pressure flow correlations over the flow domain of interest.Ph

Transfer Pricing, Bagaimana Pengaruh Perencanaan Pajak, Tunneling Incentive, Aset Tidak Berwujud, Persentase Komisaris Independen dan Debt Covenant?

The aim of this research is to examine tax planning variables, tunneling incentives, intangible assets, the portion of independent commission agents and debt arrangements that influence transfer prices. The research object is a manufacturing company listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. The sample was 50 companies, selected using purposive sampling techniques. Secondary data sources using multivariate linear regression analysis techniques. The research results show that tunneling incentives have a positive effect on transfer prices. Tax planning, intangible assets, percentage of independent commission agents and debt arrangements have no effect on transfer pricing

Preparation and characterization of polylactic acid based polyurethane for environmental friendly packaging materials

Conventional packaging materials are mostly produced using petroleum-based substances and its’ non-biodegradability are causing landfill problems. Therefore, researches have been done to replace the non-degradable polymer substances to degradable polymers. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a type of biodegradable polymer which is brittle but has good mechanical strength, which makes it a suitable polymer to be used as packaging materials. To improve the flexibility of PLA, PLA based polyurethanes (PUs) are produced by using PLA-diol with vegetable oil polyol as the chain extender. Palm oil polyol (PO) is a type of vegetable oil polyol which are used in various productions of PUs. In this study, PO polyol is used as soft segment to improve the flexibility of PLA whereas hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) are used as a source of isocyanate. PLA/Palm oil polyol based polyurethanes (PLAPOPUs) are synthesized using one-shot and two steps polymerization method. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectra confirmed on the formation of urethane bond and glass transition temperature was analyzed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The PLAPOPU prepared using HDI through one-step method has high potential to be used in environmental friendly packaging industries

Ethyl 2-(4-nitro­phen­yl)-1-[3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)prop­yl]-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate

In the title compound, C23H24N4O5, the essentially planar benzimidazole ring system [maximum deviation = 0.008 (2) Å] forms a dihedral angle of 39.22 (7)° with the attached nitro­benzene ring. The pyrrolidin-2-one ring adopts an envelope conformation with a C atom as the flap. In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected by C—H⋯O inter­actions, forming sheets propagating in (011). The crystal packing also features weak π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid = 3.6746 (12) Å]

Rethinking (local) integration:Domains of integration and their durability in Kismayo and Garowe, Somalia

Amidst the ever-expanding debates in various academic and policy fields around migrant and refugee integration and local integration, we bring these two concepts in conversation with one another. Until very recently, theories of integration have had a state-centric focus in the Global North. This article expands and complicates this literature to focus on displaced Somalis within Somalia and its borderlands living in the cities of Kismayo and Garowe using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods in five displacement settlements. Toward this end, we use the often- engaged term “domains of integration” to frame integration. In our conceptualization, however, we incorporate the concept of “local integration” as a durable solution. In brief, we see the domains of integration as a productive concept in the Somali context. However, in Somalia, where clans are interwoven into the state, which lacks resources and power, clan affiliation represents social connections domains, yet also influences the state's role in the foundational domain of rights and citizenship and makers and means (employment, housing, education, health). International donors and NGOs, as well as international capitalist urban expansion also have a large role in these processes. As such, we argue that the ten domains of integration (discussed in detail below) intersect and blur to an even greater extent than in European and North American contexts, particularly around crucial issues such as housing, land, and property; a key factor in people's decisions to remain or leave.</p

Ethyl 2-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1-[3-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)prop­yl]-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate

In the title compound, C23H22N4O4, the essentially planar [maximum deviation = 0.022 (1) Å] benzimidazole ring system forms dihedral angles of 86.16 (7) and 37.38 (6)°, respectively, with the imidazole and benzene rings. The dioxolane ring adopts an envelope conformation with the methyl­ene C atom at the flap. In the crystal, C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N inter­actions link the mol­ecules into a ribbon along the a axis. The crystal packing is further stabilized by weak π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.5954 (8) and 3.7134 (8) Å] and C—H⋯π inter­actions

Ethyl 2-(4-hy­droxy-3-meth­oxy­phen­yl)-1-[3-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)prop­yl]-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxyl­ate monohydrate

In the title compound, C24H27N3O5·H2O, the essentially planar benzimidazole ring system [maximum deviation = 0.020 (1) Å] forms dihedral angles of 54.10 (11) and 67.79 (6)°, respectively, with the mean plane of pyrrolidin-2-one ring and the benzene ring. The pyrrolidin-2-one ring adopts an envelope conformation with one of the methylene C atoms at the flap. An intra­molecular C—H⋯π inter­action is observed. In the crystal, O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the two components into a double-tape structure along the a axis. The crystal packing is further stabilized by weak π–π stacking [centroid–centroid distance = 3.6632 (9) Å] and C—H⋯O inter­actions

Whose voice counts?:Achieving better outcomes in global sexual and reproductive health and rights research

Many indicators related to sexual and reproductive health and rights have worsened, with COVID-19, war and powerful conservative political movements around the world reversing decades of improvements.Improving sexual and reproductive health and rights generates a cascade effect that contributes to gender equality and power and improves overall health and well-being.Any solutions to address the problems in global sexual and reproductive health and rights research first require recognition of a fundamental disconnect between who is leading the research and the actual needs of the users of care.We encourage pursuit of transdisciplinary solution-focused questions and research designs that address the needs of local communities by drawing on the knowledge of diverse interprofessional groups, across geographic regions, who have access to the resources and space that amplify their voices and ways of working