Non-agricultural Market Access: A South Asian Perspective

A key element of the Doha Round of trade negotiations is liberalisation of trade in industrial products, commonly known as non-agricultural market access (NAMA). These negotiations are important for developing countries as these will determine the market access opportunities through which they can improve their growth prospects. This paper examines the key issues of NAMA from the South Asian perspective, outlines a negotiating strategy for increased market access, and spells out some policy implications.

Handwritten Signature Verification using Deep Learning

Every person has his/her own unique signature that is used mainly for the purposes of personal identification and verification of important documents or legal transactions. There are two kinds of signature verification: static and dynamic. Static(off-line) verification is the process of verifying an electronic or document signature after it has been made, while dynamic(on-line) verification takes place as a person creates his/her signature on a digital tablet or a similar device. Offline signature verification is not efficient and slow for a large number of documents. To overcome the drawbacks of offline signature verification, we have seen a growth in online biometric personal verification such as fingerprints, eye scan etc. In this paper we created CNN model using python for offline signature and after training and validating, the accuracy of testing was 99.70%

The Five Purposes of Creation and the Authentic Essence of Tarbiya (Education): A study in light of the Holy Qur’an

أهداف البحث: يهدف البحث بالأساس إلى دراسة مقاصد الخَلق الخمسة: العبادة، والاستخلاف في الأرض، وعمارتها، والابتلاء، والاختلاف بين الناس، وتحليل العلاقات فيما بينها، وعلاقاتها بجوهر التربية الأصيل، ألا وهو الترقي السامي في معارج الكمال، بناءً على تحليل الباحث لمفهوم التربية الأصيل في دراسة دلالية تأصيلية سابقة، فهذا البحث متمم لتلك الدراسة ويستجيب لتوصيتها. منهج الدراسة: أُنجز البحث باتباع منهجية تحليلية تأصيلية في ضوء القرآن الحكيم، وذلك باستقراء الآيات التي كشفت عن مقاصد الخلق بصِيَغِ تعليلٍ ظاهرةٍ، ودراستها دراسةً دلاليةً مقارنة في ضوء سياقاتها، وتحليل العلاقة بين دلالة كل مَقصد ودلالة جوهر التربية الأصيل، ثم استخلاص أهم النتائج وآفاقها. النتائج: أهم ما كشف عنه البحث هو أنه بمقدار تمثل الإنسان لمقتضيات مقاصد خلقه الخمسة -التي تشير إليها دلالاتها حسب تحليلها في ضوء القرآن - فإنه يحقق إنسانيته ويرتقي في معارج الكمال البشري ارتقاءً شاملًا وساميًا، يقربه إلى ربه ذي المثل الأعلى للكمال، وذلك الارتقاء هو جوهر التربية الأصيل. أصالة البحث: تكمن أصالة البحث في كونه يكشف عن دلالات مقاصد الخلق الخمسة، والعلاقات فيما بينها جميعًا، وعلاقاتها بجوهر التربية الأصيل، وارتباطها بفكرة التقرب إلى الله ذي الكمال المطلق، كشفًا تأصيليًا جديدًا يعمق تصورنا عن مفهوم التربية وجوهرها الأصيل، الذي من شأنه تحقيق ارتقاء إنساني تجديدي شامل نحو الكمال.Purpose: This research mainly studies the five purposes of creation: worship “ʿibāda”, viceroyship “khilāfa” on earth, developing “ʿimār” on earth, testing “ibtilāʾ”, and human differences “ikhtilāf”. It also analyzes their interrelationships as well as their relationships with the authentic essence of tarbiya (education), i.e., the eminent progression along the stairway to perfection, based on the researcher’s analysis of the authentic concept of tarbiya in a previous semantically authenticating study. Thus, this research is complementary to the previous study and was conducted in response to the latter’s recommendations. Methodology: The research follows a semantically analytical authenticating methodology in light of the Qur’an. It examines the Qur’anic verses that clearly convey the purposes of creation, studies them semantically, compares and contrasts them in light of their respective contexts, analyzes the relationship between each purpose and the connotations of the authentic essence of tarbiya, and then derives the key findings and their contributions. Findings: The key findings of the research reveal that, in as much as human beings commit to the requirements of the five purposes of their creation – to which their connotations point to, according to their analysis in light of the Qur’an - they fulfill their humanity and ascend comprehensively and nobly towards human perfection, which places them closer to their Lord, whose perfection is the loftiest. This ascension embodies the authentic essence of tarbiya. Originality: The originality of the research lies in the fact that it newly and authentically reveals the connotations of the five purposes of creation and their interrelationship, their relevance to the authentic essence of tarbiya, and the linkage between them and the notion of becoming closer to Allah, who has the ultimate perfection. This disclosure deepens our perception of the concept of tarbiya and its essence that can potentially fulfill a comprehensive and renewed human progression towards perfection

Towards Reviving the Authentic Concept of “Tarbiyah”

أهداف البحث: يسعى البحث إلى تحرير مفهوم التربية تحريراً تأصيلياً متحرراً مما شُحن به من دلالات مستوردة من نسق فكري مغاير إجمالاً للنسق الفكري الأصيل للأمة، مما أدى إلى ضياع أو ضمور الدلالات الأصيلة، كما أدى إلى كثير من الإشكالات في التناول السائد للمفهوم. منهج الدراسة: يتبع البحث المنهجية التحليلية الدلالية التأصيلية في ضوء المعاجم العربية الأصيلة – باعتبارها المراجع الأساسية لمعرفة جذور الألفاظ العربية واشتقاقاتها ودلالاتها الأصيلة - والقرآن باعتباره المرجعية العليا للتأصيل وتأسيس منظومة المفاهيم الخاصة بالأمة الإسلامية. النتائج: التحليل الدلالي لجذور لفظ التربية والاشتقاقات المرتبطة بها كشف مدى ثراء المخزون الدلالي الأصيل للتربية. وبتوظيف نتائج هذا التحليل حُرر مفهوم التربية في البحث تحريراً جامعاً مؤصلاً على النحو التالي: "التربية عملية تنشئة متواصلة ورعاية دائمة وترقية متدرجة للمربوب إلى حد الكمال". وبالتأمل والتدقيق في هذا التعريف تبين أن جوهر التربية الأصيل إنما هو الترقي في معارج الكمال. وبتحليل دلالات هذا الجوهر في ضوء القرآن تبين أن هناك علاقة وثيقة بين جوهر التربية وكون الكمال المطلق لله وحده، إذ هو المثل الأعلى للكمال. وبالتعمق في هذه العلاقة وتحليل دلالاتها في ضوء القرآن كشف البحث عن الأبعاد السامية للتربية. أصالة البحث: تكمن أصالة البحث في تحريره لمفهوم التربية الأصيل وتأصيله وتحليل دلالاته وأبعادها بمنهجية تجاوزت الإشكالات المنهجية السائدة في تناول المفهوم.Purpose: The study seeks to clarify the concept of tarbiya (education) in an authentic manner that is free from the foreign connotations of an intellectual pattern that is significantly different from the genuine intellectual pattern of the Umma (Islamic nation). This has led to the fainting or loss of the genuine connotations, as well as to many problems in the mainstream approach of dealing with  the concept. Methodology:  The study follows the authenticating analytical semantic method in the light of authentic Arabic dictionaries - as the basic references to the knowledge of the roots of Arabic words and their derivations and their authentic connotations. This is in addition to the Qur'an as the supreme reference for authenticity and establishing the system of concepts of the Umma. Findings: Semantic analysis of the roots of the term tarbiya and the derivations associated with it reveal the richness of the inherent semantic connotations of the term . Using the results of this analysis, the concept of tarbiya in the study is comprehensively and originally defined as follows: "tarbiya is a process of continuous upbringing, constant care and a step-by-step promotion of the educated to perfection". Reflecting on and scrutinizing this definition, it is clear that the essence of tarbiya is the promotion to the ranks of perfection. By analysing the connotations of this essence in the light of the Qur'an, it is shown that there is a close relationship between the essence of tarbiya and that absolute perfection belongs to Allah alone, as He is the ideal of perfection. By delving deeper into this relationship and analysing its connotations in the light of the Qur'an, the research reveals the sublime dimensions of tarbiya. Originality: This lies in its explanation of the genuine concept of tarbiya and its authenticity and analysis of its connotations and dimensions with a methodology that goes beyond the methodological problems prevailing in dealing with the concept

Non-agricultural Market Access: A South Asian Perspective

Despite the fact that the WTO has helped to reduce the overall level of tariffs with increased transparency, a majority of the developing countries with the capacity to increase exports of labour intensive manufactures continue to face significant barriers in accessing foreign markets. Tariff rates applied by the developed countries for textile and clothing and leather for instance are much higher than those on other manufacturing products such as electronics, computers and telecom equipment, thus indicating a clear discrimination against exports of the developing countries. Moreover, tariff peaks, tariff escalation, tariff rate quotas and other non-tariff measures including antidumping duties, countervailing duties, and safeguard measures to protect against serious injury from import surges, allowed under the WTO, have become major impediments to market access for developing countries exports

Experimental study and performance evaluation of the renewable energy conversion systems under realistic grid conditions using RTDS

This paper presents a new approach to analyze the steady-state and transient behavior of grid connected renewable energy sources. For this case, a permanent magnet generator based variable speed wind turbine interfaced to the grid through back to back fully rated converters is considered. The salient feature of this paper is the introduction of the realistic grid into real time digital simulation such that practical effects can be examined prior to the experimental test stage. The effect of power quality phenomena present on the supply voltage waveforms on the performance of the variable speed wind turbine system is examined. It is noted that tuning the grid side converter voltage loop for successful low voltage transient operation might not be sufficient for operation under the non-ideal voltage waveforms of actual grids. Simulation and hardware implementation have been carried out by RTDS/RSCAD

Landau theory of free standing and epitaxial ferroelectric film

Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire’s (LGD) theory and Landau Khalatnikov’s dynamic equation are used to study the polarization reversal of second order ferroelectric (FE) systems. Teori Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) dan persamaan dinamik Landau- Khalatnikov telah digunakan untuk mengkaji penyongsangan pengkutuban bagi sistem-sistem feroelektrik (FE) tertib kedua

Long-term active problems in patients with cloacal exstrophy: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Cloacal exstrophy (CE) is the most severe end of the Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex malformations spectrum. Improvements in postnatal management and well-established operative techniques have resulted in survival rates approaching 100%. This systematic review aims to define the prevalence of long-term active medical problems affecting CE patients after the first decade of life. METHODS: PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases were used for the literature search. Original articles related to medical, surgical, and psychosocial long-term problems in CE patients >10 years of age were included in the study. Quality assessment of the articles was performed through the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Prevalence estimates and 95% CI were assessed for each outcome. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. The most common long-term active problems identified were: urinary incontinence with a prevalence ranging from 9.1% to 85%; sexual function issues related to vaginal anomalies with a prevalence ranging from 8.3% to 71.3%, and uterine anomalies, with a prevalence from 14.3% to 71%; gender identity issues in 46, XY patients raised female had a prevalence from 11.1% to 66.7%. There is no documented history of paternity. Impairment of ambulatory capacity was recorded in 13.8% of patients. Only one paper studied psychological well-being, reporting significantly higher levels of depression among gender reassigned patients. CONCLUSIONS: Teenagers and adults born with CE have well defined long-term problems compared to the general population. Recognition and expert management are crucial to improve care and quality of life during and after the transition into adulthood

The Degree of Interaction of University Students with E-learning Platforms, and its Relationship to the Level of their Academic Performance from their Point of View

The goal of the current study was to extract the interaction university students have with e-learning platforms and how that affects their academic performance. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the researchers collected and analyses the data through a questionnaire which involved of 36 items, as well as distributed to a sample of 103 students from the Higher Diploma in Education program at Zarqa University. The findings revealed that university students interacted with the platforms frequently, and their academic performance was moderate. The findings also revealed that there is a correlation between student interaction and academic performance from their perspective and that there are no statistically significant differences in the relationship between interaction and academic performance due to the variables of gender and field of academic specialization. The research recommended bodies and institutions in the education sector to develop e-learning platforms and adopt them in all education sectors