How and to What Extent Can Islamic Banking and Finance Contribute to Economic Development and Financial Stability and a Comparative Analysis on the Ethical and Social Mobility of Islamic Banks to Conventional Banks

Banks the most significant and dominant financial sector play essential role in monetary development of nation. The two broad subdivisions of banking sector are Islamic and Conventional banks. Conventional banking activities are driven by synthetic principles whereas Islamic banking activities driven by religious principles. The catastrophizes of global financial crisis due to reckless banking and financial practices of the conventional banks that led to major economic downturn thus brought an urgent need for stable financial system built on real economy. This financial crisis witnessed resilience of Islamic Banking Industry being least affected by such economic downfall, possessing capability of representing itself as steadfast alternative to Conventional Banking system. It’s also maintained if Islamic financial services operated on larger-scale financial crisis wouldn’t have occurred, as grounds for such crisis being reckless banking and lending practices, high liquidity etc. are prohibited in functionalities of Islamic banking. Post financial crisis Islamic financial industry is growing rapidly being inclined towards fulfilling financial duties within religious boundaries. As Islamic finance helps to restore and maintain financial stability worldwide, evidences propose it’s successful in building trust among customers but a lack of awareness of its banking practices prevails. This study analyses mechanism of Islamic banking and financial institutions and highlights the similarities and differences of Islamic to conventional banking system. In this management project, in-depth study examines Islamic banking as alternate mode of financing with comparative analysis between performance of Islamic and Conventional banks to attain profitability and to what extent Islamic Finance contributes to economic financial stability. Besides, corporate ethics has gained alot of importance in financial arena resulting an increase of ethical banking practices. Also investors are aware of this association of ethics and financial investment and are inclined towards benefits of an ethically responsible investment. There are indications Islamic banking being practiced considerably and products and service are accepted in Muslim and non-Muslim countries as main objective of Islamic banking is eradicating exploitation and seeking justice in financial and business activities. The characteristics led to establishment of Islamic finance have greater influence on its ethical and social practices. Thus aim of this management project is to analyse the ethical and social practices of Islamic banks, to what extent its ethical principles and implemented in financial practices being a conceptual effort. Also thesis will further examine appropriate literatures establishing affiliation between concept of Islamic banks and concept of social wellbeing. In conclusion project study will examine contribution of Islamic banking in generating returns, enabling financial stability and overall global economic growth with ethical and social mobility practice

The transition from the open minimum to the ring minimum on the ground state and on the lowest excited state of like symmetry in ozone: A configuration interaction study

The metastable ring structure of the ozone 11A1 ground state, which theoretical calculations have shown to exist, has so far eluded experimental detection. An accurate prediction for the energy difference between this isomer and the lower open structure is therefore of interest, as is a prediction for the isomerization barrier between them, which results from interactions between the lowest two 1A1 states. In the present work, valence correlated energies of the 11A1 state and the 21A1 state were calculated at the 11A1 open minimum, the 11A1 ring minimum, the transition state between these two minima, the minimum of the 21A1 state, and the conical intersection between the two states. The geometries were determined at the full-valence multi-configuration self-consistent-field level. Configuration interaction (CI) expansions up to quadruple excitations were calculated with triple-zeta atomic basis sets. The CI expansions based on eight different reference configuration spaces were explored. To obtain some of the quadruple excitation energies, the method of Correlation Energy Extrapolation by Intrinsic Scaling was generalized to the simultaneous extrapolation for two states. This extrapolation method was shown to be very accurate. On the other hand, none of the CI expansions were found to have converged to millihartree (mh) accuracy at the quadruple excitation level. The data suggest that convergence to mh accuracy is probably attained at the sextuple excitation level. On the 11A1 state, the present calculations yield the estimates of (ring minimum—open minimum) ∼45–50 mh and (transition state—open minimum) ∼85–90 mh. For the (21A1–1A1) excitation energy, the estimate of ∼130–170 mh is found at the open minimum and 270–310 mh at the ring minimum. At the transition state, the difference (21A1–1A1) is found to be between 1 and 10 mh. The geometry of the transition state on the 11A1 surface and that of the minimum on the 21A1 surface nearly coincide. More accurate predictions of the energydifferences also require CI expansions to at least sextuple excitations with respect to the valence space. For every wave function considered, the omission of the correlations of the 2s oxygen orbitals, which is a widely used approximation, was found to cause errors of about ±10 mh with respect to theenergy differences

Woodland Pottery Sourcing in the Carolina Sandhills

Research Report No. 29, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reports in this series discuss the findings of archaeological excavations and research projects undertaken by the RLA between 1984 and present

Narrating the Ugandan nation in Mary Okurut’s The Invisible Weevil

This article seeks to study how Mary Okurut narrates the Ugandan nation through her novel The Invisible Weevil while at the same time exploring how the author centers upon women in her imagination of the new nation. The arguments in this article are derived from concepts proposed by Benedict Anderson and Homi Bhabha, among other scholars, on nationalism. These are arguments that explore the question of identity formation in nations and what holds these nations together in terms of their cultural standpoints and even at times a desire for a better nation for future generations. Through a close textual analysis that focuses on elements of narratology, the study explores the issue of nationalism in the novel. Of interest to this study is how Okurut as a contemporary writer engages history in the novel to narrate the nation and the challenges it faces as it evolves through different and tumultuous leaderships. The narration is undertaken through the viewpoint of various characters who describe different periods, thus creating a channel through which knowledge from each epoch is transmitted by the actions of women who attempt to define a new nation of Uganda that would be devoid of pestilence from ‘the invisible weevil’

A qualitative, exploratory study of nurses’ decision-making when interrupted during medication administration within the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

ObjectiveIn the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), medication administration is challenging. Empirical studies demonstrate that interruptions occur frequently and that nurses are fundamental in the delivery of medication. However, little is known about nurse’s decision making when interrupted during medication administration. Therefore, the objective is to understand decision making when interrupted during medication administration within the PICU.Research designA qualitative study incorporating non-participant observation and audio recorded semi-structured interviews. A convenience sample of ten PICU nurses were interviewed. Each interview schedule was informed by two hours of observation which involved a further 29 PICU nurses. Data was analysed using Framework Analysis.SettingA regional PICU located in a university teaching hospital in the United Kingdom.FindingsAnalysis resulted in four overarching themes:(1) Guiding the medication process,(2) Concentration, focus and awareness,(3) Influences on interruptions(4) Impact and recoveryConclusionMedication administration within the PICU is an essential but complex activity. Interruptions can impact on focus and concentration which can contribute to patient harm. Decision making by PICU nurses is influenced by interruption awareness, fluctuating levels of concentration, and responding to critically ill patient and families’ needs

Characterisation of the tissue-specific expression, pharmacology and signalling cascades activated by chicken GnRH receptor subtypes suggested evolutionary specialisation of type III cGnRH receptor function

Variant GnRH ligand and receptor subtypes have been identified in a number of non-mammalian vertebrate species, however research into avian species GnRH systems is lacking. Two isoforms of GnRH are present in the domestic chicken, the evolutionarily conserved GnRH-II and diverged cGnRH-I. The expression of two GnRH ligands parallels the expression of two chicken GnRH receptor subtypes; cGnRH-R-I and the novel cGnRH-R-III. The occurrence of two isoforms of the receptor in the chicken raises questions about their specific biological functions and interactions with the two ligands. Differential roles for these molecules in regulating gonadotrophin secretion or other functions are currently unclear. To investigate this, cGnRH-R-III cDNA was cloned from a broiler chicken anterior pituitary gland and its structure and expression was compared with cGnRH-R-I. Expression profiling of cGnRH-R-III cDNA showed that it is predominantly expressed in the anterior pituitary, approximately 1400 times more abundantly than cGnRH-R-I suggesting that cGnRH-R-III is the predominant regulator of chicken gonadotrophin synthesis and secretion. Additionally, pronounced sex and age differences existed, with higher pituitary cGnRH-R-III mRNA levels in sexually mature females versus juvenile females. In contrast, higher mRNA expression levels occurred in juvenile males compared to sexually mature males. Determination of ligand-binding selectivity and the level of cGnRH-R-III activation in response to the endogenous ligands, cGnRH-I and GnRH-II, was anticipated as facilitating the elucidation of the physiological roles of the receptor subtypes. Additionally, the development of analogs that differentially promote or inhibit activation of the receptor subtypes may be valuable tools for determining the role of receptor types in the regulation of gonadotrophin production. To investigate this, pharmacological profiling of cGnRH-R-III in terms of ligand-binding selectivity and inositol phosphate production in response to GnRH analogs was determined in comparison with the pharmacological profile of cGnRH-R-I. Functional studies in COS-7 cells indicated that cGnRH-R-III has a higher binding affinity for GnRH-II than cGnRH-I (IC50: 0.57 v 19.8 nM) and more potent stimulation of inositol phosphate production (EC50: 0.8 v 4.38 nM). Similar results were found for cGnRH-R-I, (IC50: 0.51 v 10.8 nM) and (EC50: 0.7 v 2.8 nM). Mammalian receptor antagonist 27 distinguished between cGnRH-R-I and cGnRH-R-III (IC50: 2.3 v 351 nM), and application of this synthetic peptide may facilitate delineation of receptor subtype function either in-vitro or in-vivo. The length of the C-terminal tail of cGnRH-R-III is 8 residues longer than that of cGnRH-R-I and this observation stimulated investigation of differences in ligand-induced internalisation between the two receptor subtypes. The initial rate of receptor internalisation was faster for cGnRH-R-III than for cGnRH-R-I (26%.min-1 v 15.8%.min-1). Although proteins encoded by cGnRH-R-III splice variants do not bind GnRH ligands independently and mRNAs were not detectable by Northern blot analysis, cGnRH-R-III_SV2 significantly reduced maximum ligand-binding of cGnRH-R-III, suggesting that it may impair the function of the full-length type III cGnRH receptor. It was anticipated that the two cGnRH-R subtypes may have differential roles in the regulation of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) gene transcription through the activation of differential second messenger pathways. Three putative Src homology domain 3 (SH3) binding motifs were identified in the type III cGnRH receptor cytoplasmic C-terminal tail domain which are not present in the type I cGnRH-R and suggested the potential for differential coupling to the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade. To investigate this possibility, activation of the MAPK cascade via cGnRH-R-III and cGnRH-R-I was determined by quantifying elevation of phosphorylated ERK (pERK 1/2) in response to GnRH. Studies performed in COS-7 cells showed a 4-6 fold increase in ERK 1/2 phosphorylation via the type I and type III receptors within 10 minutes of GnRH-I or GnRH-II stimulation, indicating that both receptors signal through the ERK 1/2 pathway in response to cGnRH-I or GnRH-II. The responses were dose-dependent at cGnRH-R-I and cGnRH-R-III. Effects of pre-treatment with PLC and c-Src inhibitors showed that both cGnRH-Rs may activate pERK 1/2 independently of PLC but dependently upon c-Src. However, it must be noted that 100% of the PLC activity was not inhibited by PLC inhibitor as measured by inositol phosphate production at 60 minutes, and the PLC inhibitor has not been shown to inhibit PLC in the same time frame used for the pERK experiments. Mutagenesis of the individual SH3 binding motifs of cGnRH-R-III were performed and the effects on pERK 1/2 levels quantified. The results indicated that the SH3 binding motifs of cGnRH-R-III do not contribute to additional MAPK activation when compared to the native cGnRH-R-III. Both cGnRH-R-I and cGnRH-R-III were HA epitope-tagged (HA-cGnRH-R-I and HA-cGnRH-R-III) and the methodology was optimised for HA-cGnRH-R-III immuno-precipitation. Several size forms of HA-cGnRH-R-III were detectable by immuno-precipitation, facilitating characterisation of the composition of the receptor protein-protein complexes formed using a western blot approach. In summary, the abundance of cGnRH-R-III expression compared to cGnRH-R-I suggests it is probably the major mediator of pituitary gonadotroph function, and that tissue-specific recruitment of cGnRH-R-isoforms has occurred in the avian pituitary during evolution. Pharmacological profiling demonstrated that cGnRH-R-III, like cGnRH-R-I, has a higher ligand-binding selectivity and induction of inositol phosphate production in response to GnRH-II than with cGnRH-I, although cGnRH-I is established as the physiological regulator of gonadotroph function. These results suggest that evolutionary recruitment of ligand-receptor pairing for particular physiological processes does not correlate with in-vitro properties such as highest ligand-binding affinity or efficacy of inositol phosphate production. Therefore evolutionary plasticity has occurred in the tissue-specific adoption of GnRH ligand and receptor subtypes for regulation of particular physiological functions in birds

The utility of colposcopy in detecting relapse after treatment of gynaecological malignancies

Background: Vaginal bleeding is the most common symptom of vault relapse in gynecological cancers. This symptom may be overlooked or attributed to other causes, such as atrophy, infection, or post-radiation changes. Colposcopy allows direct magnified visualization of vaginal mucosa and abnormal vasculature though its role in detecting relapse is unclear. Methods: It is a retrospective observational study of 31 patients who were referred for colposcopy and biopsy with complaints of abnormal vaginal bleeding during follow up of endometrial or cervical cancer. Results: Among 31 patients, 19 patients were diagnosed to have primary cervical cancer and 12 endometrial cancers. Primary treatment was surgery alone (n=10, 32.2%), chemo-radiation alone (n=4, 12.9%) and both (n=17, 54.8%). Abnormal colposcopic findings were atropic features (n=21, 67.7%), radiation changes (n=8, 25.8%), erosion (n=9, 29.0%), acetowhite areas (n=9, 29.0%), abnormal vessels (n=8, 25.8%) and iodine staining abnormality (n=16, 51.6%). According to Swede scoring system, 77.1% (n=24) were normal or low grade lesions, 22.6% (n=7) were high grade lesions.  Total of 6 recurrence cases identified out of which 5 cases had high grade (Swede score >7) and one had low grade (Swede score 5-7) colposcopic features. On taking Swede score cut off of 5 or more, the sensitivity of colposcopy in detecting vault recurrence is 100%, specificity 96%, positive likelihood ratio of 25%and negative likelihood ratio of 0%. Overall the accuracy of colposcopy in detecting relapse was 96.8%. Conclusions: In our experience colposcopy is worth in detecting the cause of abnormal vaginal bleeding after treatment for endometrial and cervical cancer. Swede score is a good measure to decide on taking biopsy among these patients. Furthermore, larger studies are needed for better clarification

Investigation of the Barriers and Facilitators to Making Healthy Choices at Work

This project aims to examine how workplace barriers and facilitators can affect an employee’s healthy choices. Barriers are factors that prevent the employee from making a healthy choice, whereas facilitators are factors that encourage the employee to make a healthy choice. It is imperative to understand how these barriers and facilitators affect the employee’s ability to make healthy choices in order to understand the importance of their presence within the workplace. The results of this study will further support previous research findings related to this topic, as well as support future attempts aimed to improve the overall well-being of employees in the workplace

Development of High Performance Scientific Components for Interoperability of Computing Packages

Three major high performance quantum chemistry computational packages, NWChem, GAMESS and MPQC have been developed by different research efforts following different design patterns. The goal is to achieve interoperability among these packages by overcoming the challenges caused by the different communication patterns and software design of each of these packages. Developing a chemistry algorithm is a time consuming process; integration of large quantum chemistry packages will allow resource sharing and thus avoid reinvention of the wheel. Creating connections between these incompatible packages is the major motivation of our work. We achieve this interoperability by bringing the benefits of Component Based Software Engineering through a plug-and-play component framework called Common Component Architecture (CCA). In this paper, we present a strategy and process used for interfacing two widely used and important computational chemistry methodologies: Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Mechanics. This paper also demonstrates the performance evaluation of these CCA compliant components to show the feasibility of the proposed approach and finally discusses the current research issues