Growth Prospects and Customer Expectations in Islamic Banking

Islamic Banking has gained enormous popularity in Pakistan in a short span of time and still has a huge potential to grow in the market. Many Conventional Banks having Islamic Banking windows and a few full-fledged Islamic banks are striving hard to remain alive in the stiff competition for market share, resulting in more banking choices for the customers. Still there is lot to be achieved and the whole banking system has to get rid of the curse in the form of Riba, which has strongly been denounced and prohibited in the Holy Quran. Islamic Banks at the moment hold merely 9.4% of the whole banking Market which is far below than desired. In this study, an attempt will be made to analyze the growth trends in the Islamic banking and its implications for the society and the economy in particular. Customers’ perceptions & expectations and certain myths regarding Islamic banking will also be captured during the study. This will not only help us in understanding the potential and opportunities available in the industry but also give an idea that what the customers want and expect from Islamic banking. Moreover, the study will also add to the latest pool of knowledge on the subject. There seems a dearth of updated quality research on the matter and this will serve as an important reference and latest work on Islamic Banking in Pakistan

Asynchronous Communication under Reliable and Unreliable Network Topologies in Distributed Multiagent Systems: A Robust Technique for Computing Average Consensus

Nearly all applications in multiagent systems demand precision, robustness, consistency, and rapid convergence in designing of distributed consensus algorithms. Keeping this thing in our sight, this research suggests a robust consensus protocol for distributed multiagent networks, continuing asynchronous communications, where agent’s states values are updated at diverse interval of time. This paper presents an asynchronous communication for both reliable and unreliable network topologies. The primary goal is to delineate local control inputs to attain time synchronization by processing the update information received by the agents associated in a communication topology. Additionally in order to accomplish the robust convergence, modelling of convergence analysis is conceded by commissioning the basic principles of graph and matrix theory alongside the suitable lemmas. Moreover, statistical examples presenting four diverse scenarios are provided in the end; produced results are the recognisable indicator to authenticate the robust effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Likewise, a simulation comparison of the projected algorithm with the other existing approaches is conducted, considering different performance parameters are being carried out to support our claim

In-vitro Antagonistic Potential of Different Fungi Against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Capsici

The current research was conducted in Lab. to assess an antagonistic effect of various fungi against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici. In the present research, each treatment (Trichoderma viride, T. harzianum and T. Koningii) with three concentrations viz.

Structural modifications in Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] ecotypes for adaptation to environmental heterogeneity

IntroductionIt is well known that different ecotypes adopt different mechanisms to survive under environmental stress conditions. In this regard, each ecotype showed different type of modifications for their existence in a specific habitat that reflects to their ecological success.MethodsHere, differently adapted ecotypes of Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] were collected to evaluate their differential structural and functional modifications that are specific to cope with environmental stress conditions. The soil that adheres ecotypes roots were highly saline in case of DF-SD (Derawar Fort-Saline Desert), UL-HS (Ucchali Lake-Hyper Saline) and G-SSA (Gatwala-Saline Semiarid) ecotypes. Soils of S- HS (Sahianwala-Hyper Saline), S-SW (Sahianwala-Saline Wetland) and PA-RF (Pakka Anna-Reclaimed Field) were basic (pH 9 to 10). Soils of UL-HS and PA- HS (Pakka Anna-Hyper Saline), KKL-S (Kalar Kahar Lake-Saline), BG-NS (Botanic Garden-Non Saline) and G-SSA were rich in organic matter, and soil of BG-NS and DF-SD were rich in minerals. Anatomical modifications were performed by using the free hand sectioning technique and light microscopy.Results and DiscussionDF-SD is one of the best ecotypes which showed anatomical modifications to cope with environmental changes. These modifications included stem cross-sectional area and leaf sheath thickness that contribute towards water storage, vascular tissues for proficient translocation of solutes and trichomes that provide resistance to water loss. On the other hand, sclerification in root is the only notable modification in the Gatwala Saline Semiarid (G-SSA) ecotype from saline arid habitat where rainfall is not as low as in the Cholistan Desert. Two ecotypes from hyper-saline wetlands, UL-HS and KL-HS showed increased number and size of vascular tissue, central cavity and sclerification in stem which are important for solutes conduction, water loss and salts bulk movement, respectively. The ecotype from reclaimed site was not much different from its counterpart from hyper-saline dryland. Overall, anatomical modifications to maintain water conservation are key mechanisms that have been identified as mediating stress tolerance in C. dactylon ecotypes

Library Professionals Learning Behaviour with the Level of Expertise: A Survey from Pakistan

Purpose: This study is designed to examine the relationship of learning behavior with the level of expertise among library professionals working in Pakistan. It aims to compare the level of professional skills for different library areas. The study also explores the correlation of demographic factors with the level of expertise. Research Methodology: A quantitative research design is used to carry out the current study. A structured questionnaire is developed to seek responses from respondents. Some hypotheses are developed to check these relationships. Library professionals working as practitioners in different library sectors or faculty members teaching at library schools are the population of the study. A convenient sampling technique is used to collect data. The Link to the online questionnaire was shared on social media and LISTSERVS for recruitment of data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Practical implications: This study will show the perspectives and dynamics of learning among library professionals working in different capacities in Pakistan. Results will help in measuring the level of expertise among library professionals in different library specializations. Organizational and personal issues that were instrumental and detrimental to their learning will help planning future professional development programs. It will also serve as a guideline for improvement in expertise among library professionals and a baseline for future longitudinal studies across different disciplines

A novel high GainWideband MIMO antenna for 5G millimeter wave applications

A compact tree shape planar quad element Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna bearing a wide bandwidth for 5G communication operating in the millimeter-wave spectrum is proposed. The radiating element of the proposed design contains four different arcs to achieve the wide bandwidth response. Each radiating element is backed by a 1.57 mm thicker Rogers-5880 substrate material, having a loss tangent and relative dielectric constant of 0.0009 and 2.2, respectively. The measured impedance bandwidth of the proposed quad element MIMO antenna system based on 10 dB criterion is from 23 GHz to 40 GHz with a port isolation of greater than 20 dB. The measured radiation patterns are presented at 28 GHz, 33 GHz and 38 GHz with a maximum total gain of 10.58, 8.87 and 11.45 dB, respectively. The high gain of the proposed antenna further helps to overcome the atmospheric attenuations faced by the higher frequencies. In addition, the measured total efficiency of the proposed MIMO antenna is observed above 70% for the millimeter wave frequencies. Furthermore, the MIMO key performance metrics such as Mean Effective Gain (MEG) and Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC) are analyzed and found to conform to the required standard of MEG < 3 dB and ECC < 0.5. A prototype of the proposed quad element MIMO antenna system is fabricated and measured. The experimental results validate the simulation design process conducted with Computer Simulation Technology (CST) software

Nutrients Uptake and Accumulation in Plant Parts of Fragrant <i>Rosa</i> Species Irrigated with Treated and Untreated Wastewater

Water scarcity has critically augmented the need for the exploration of alternative irrigation sources mainly in water-scarce regions. This water scarcity has put tremendous pressure on the agri-based economy of countries such as Pakistan. The reuse of sewage wastewater has been appearing as the only alternative water source, which can lessen our dependence upon freshwater (FW). The current study aimed to scrutinize the influence of treated wastewater (TWW) and untreated wastewater (UTWW) irrigation on the nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, and Na) concentration in different plant parts, i.e., roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, of four scented Rosa species (R. bourboniana, R. centifolia, R. Gruss-an-telpitz, and R. damascena) during the first week of 2018 to the last week of 2019. The experiment was arranged according to the two-factor factorial arrangement i.e., factor I was the irrigation source, while factor II was the Rosa species. The experimental water analysis showed that mineral and chemical concentrations in FW and TWW were within permissible limits of national environmental quality standards (NEQSs) for wastewater. The UTWW of this study possessed a higher electrical conductivity (EC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), and metals (Cd, Co, and Pb) than recommended levels. The results revealed that P, K, Ca, and Na contents significantly increased in all studied plant parts of Rosa species as the duration of irrigation with TWW and UTWW increased and vice versa in the case of N contents, while the ratio of N content elevation by applying TWW and UTWW were also not increased compared to other studied nutrients. The nutrients (except Ca) were found as maximum in all plant parts with UTWW compared to FW and TWW irrigation in roses. These stimulations were accredited to the presence of higher essential nutrients and some metals in UTWW. This experiment confirmed the disparities in nutrient contents of scented Rosa species due to the different absorbability of each element in every plant part. Regarding the nutrient accumulation in rose plant tissues, the results of the present study confirm that untreated wastewater must be treated to some extent to grow scented roses where water is scarce

Added value upshot of barley amalgamation in wheat flour to boost the physico-chemical quality attributes of flat bread

This study was directed to incorporate barley flour derived from hulled barley variety “Jau-17” in the whole wheat flour to develop chapatti. Five different samples of flour blend for chapatti production were made by adding barley (at the rate of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%) into the whole wheat flour and their proximate analyses and other quality variables (protein, fat, ash, gluten, energy, phytates and beta-glucan contents) were determined. The same analyses were also performed for the chapattis made from the flour of these blends including the evaluation of sensory parameters for product acceptability. A significant increase in protein, ash, energy and beta-glucans content and a significant decrease in gluten, carbohydrates and phytates were observed in flour blends. A similar trend was observed in chapatti characteristics. Fat contents increased, however, in a non-significant manner in flour blends and chapati. Sensory attributes illustrated that chapatti developed from 20% barley incorporation into wheat flour had good nutritional quality and acceptability