Transformative Trade Credit Takaful Model: A Progressive Alternative to Credit Insurance

Trade credit insurance is a common method of risk management used by suppliers to safeguard themselves against non-payment by credit buyers. The manufacturer extending trade credit risks facing cash flow problems and potential customer non-payment. Manufacturers can increase sales with the aid of trade credit insurance and significantly reduce their default risk. A few companies in certain countries have introduced trade credit insurance as a relatively new service. However, they do not offer the Takaful model. Generally, people increasingly seek Shariah-compliant solutions, such as Islamic banking, to address their financial needs. Therefore, the government must bolster its presence in this domain. The overarching objective of this study is to propose an innovative Credit-related Takaful industry product for consideration. This study employed a qualitative approach, with unstructured interviews conducted to gather insights. The study sample comprises experts from the Shariah compliance department, Shariah scholars, and the Takaful industry experts, who were interviewed to gain a comprehensive understanding of Shariah principles. These interviews were conducted to gather insights into which Takaful model would be most suitable for Trade Credit in Pakistan. The majority of Shariah Scholars recommended the Waqf Wakalah model for the implementation of Credit Takaful in Pakistan. The findings of this study will help the Takaful industry of Pakistan to launch a new product for credit trading. This study will help further to know the importance of Credit Takaful and tap the gap in the Credit Takaful market, especially in Pakistan. Lastly, the findings will help the regulators of the Takaful industry to introduce new rules for the industry, providing a baseline for researchers to enhance their knowledge. Further investigation into Credit Takaful in Pakistan will build off the findings of this study to fill out the full circle of the Islamic financial system. It is a step in the right direction toward ending poverty and income inequality and increasing public awareness of the importance of Credit Takaful in today's world

Changes in chlorophyll, phenols, sugars and mineral contents of cucumber plants infected with cucumber mosaic virus

Biochemical studies were made to monitor the relationship of chemical components and development of resistance in cucumber plants against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Total soluble phenols, soluble sugars, chlorophyll and mineral nutrients; Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium and Lead were compared among resistant and susceptible varieties. Different metabolites showed different trends among diseased and healthy plants from resistant and susceptible groups of varieties. The phenolic and Magnesium contents increased in the inoculated plants of both susceptible and resistant genotypes. In resistant variety, rise in magnesium concentration in inoculated plants was less as compared to that of inoculated plants of the susceptible varieties. However, the chlorophyll, sugars, potassium were reduced in the inoculated plants of both reaction resistant and susceptible reaction groups. Plants from susceptible group presented a lower of level of nutrients as compared to un-inoculated ones whereas; the changes in sodium contents were not showing any relation to resistance mechanism

Seismic response assessment of architectural non-structural LWS drywall components through experimental tests

A research project was conducted at University of Naples “Federico II” over the last few years with the aim to give a contribute to overcome the lack of information on seismic behaviour of architectural non-structural lightweight steel (LWS) drywall components, i.e. indoor partition walls, outdoor façades and suspended continuous ceilings. The tested non-structural components were made of LWS frames sheathed with gypsum-based or cement-based boards. The research activity was organized in three levels: ancilliary tests, component tests and assembly tests. Ancilliary tests were carried out for evaluating the local behaviour of partitions, façades and ceilings. Component tests involved out-of-plane quasi-static monotonic and dynamic identification tests and in-plane quasi-static reversed cyclic tests on partitions. Finally, the dynamic behaviour was investigated through shake table tests on different assemblages of partitions, façades and ceilings. The study demonstrated that the tested architectural non-structural LWS drywall components are able to exhibit a very good seismic behaviour with respect to the damage limit states according to the IDR limits given by Eurocode 8 Part 1. The current paper describes the complete experimental activity within the project

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Correlation of Postural Asymmetries with Gross Motor Functional Classification among Cerebral Palsy Children

Background: Motor control and posture disorders are responsible in the development of cerebral palsy (CP). Spastic CP, the most common type of CP is associated with postural asymmetries resulting in functional limitation among children and compromising their quality of life. Therefore, the study aimed to describe the severity of postural asymmetries among special school going children with spastic cerebral palsy in correlation with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels (GMFCS). Methods: Thirty-four subjects from Lahore who were special school going children diagnosed with spastic CP for more than 6 months and  less than 1 year were recruited. Children with uncontrolled seizures, hearing and visual impairment, surgery scheduled and other types of cerebral palsy were excluded. The scale used for the assessment of postural asymmetries was Posture and Postural Ability Scale with the reliability of 0.99. ANOVA test was applied with p<0.05 considered as statistically significant.   Results: Severe asymmetries were found in standing position with 5.9% (n=2) in frontal and 20.6% (n=7) in sagittal plane. There were mild asymmetries in supine position, 55.9% (n=19) in frontal and 50% (n=17) in sagittal plane. In prone position, reported asymmetries were 55.9% (n=19) in frontal and 44.1% (n=15) in sagittal plane. In sitting position 76.5% (n=26) accounted for both frontal and sagittal plane asymmetries. p<0.05 showed significant distribution of postural asymmetries. Conclusion: Severe postural asymmetries were found in standing position (p<0.05). However, high frequency of pain, scoliosis and hip dislocation were observed at level III of GMFCS among special school going children diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Children; Spastic; Muscle Spasticity

COVID-19 pandemic: the impact on E-commerce and consumer behavior in Pakistan

The study is aimed at identifying the effects of COVID-19 on e-commerce businesses to gain a better understanding of how to sustain and improve the business in a hard-hit economic situation. Coronavirus is a very harmful virus, and it spreads very fast from human to human. The virus is fatal and brings many people to death in Pakistan. So, business communication is badly affected. Consequently, business transactions decreased so as economic growth. The survey research is used to collect the data via adopted scales from employees. The findings show that COVID-19 has brought a negative impact on e-commerce businesses. On the other hand, buying behaviour has a significant relationship with e-commerce. It has affected all kinds of businesses, including the SMS sector as well as online businesses

Effect of excess Fluoride consumption on Urine-Serum Fluorides, Dental state and Thyroid Hormones among children in “Talab Sarai” Punjab Pakistan

190 children aged 7-18 years from an endemic fluorotic village “Talab Sarai (n = 130) and a non-fluorotic, control, village “Ottawa” (n = 60) were selected for comparison. Children were examined for fluoride (F-) concentration in drinking water, urine, and serum as well as Dental fluorosis (DF) and thyroid hormone levels. The mean concentration of water fluoride (WF) in the sample group was 6.23 mg/L, urine fluoride (UF) 3.38 mg/L, and serum fluoride (SF) 0.21 mg/L, while DF was 93.07%. Significant elevations (P = 0.000) in the concentration of all these four variables were observed in sample group children as compared to control. Mean Free Tetra-iodothyronine (FT4), Free Tri-iodothyronine (FT3) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) concentrations in the sample group were 16.64pmol/L, 5.57 pmol /L and 4.41 mlU/L, respectively. No marked difference in FT4 (P = 0.1) was noted, while significant elevations in FT3 and TSH (P = 0.000) were found in the sample relative to the control group. 80% of the children displayed clear thyroid hormonal derangements, with 36.92% having high TSH and 43.07% with FT3 and FT4 disorders. A moderate to strong correlation among WF, UF, SF and DF (r = 0.94, 0.60, 0.60, 0.72) and a very strong correlation between WF and TSH (r = 0.9) were observed. Our results suggest that excess F- level that is four times greater than the “safe limit” is not only increasing fluoride concentration in body fluids but is also affecting thyroid hormones in 4 out of 5 children which could lead to abnormal physical and mental growth in later developmental stages

Insights into the Incidence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus Causing Yellowing Disease of Watermelon in Western and Southwestern Regions of Saudi Arabia

During the spring season of 2014, a total of 148 melon and watermelon leaf samples were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants in the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia and were tested for the presence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) and other suspected cucurbit viruses by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ninety-eight samples were found to be positive for the presence of WmCSV, nine samples were positive for the presence of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), and 22 showed a mixed infection with both WmCSV and CYSDV. No other cucurbit viruses were detected in any of the samples. Host range experiments revealed that eight out of fourteen tested plant species were susceptible to WmCSV. PCR products of approximately 1.2 kb were obtained after amplification using primers specifically targeting the coat protein region of WmCSV. Positive PCR results were confirmed by dot blot hybridization. Coat protein gene sequences from eleven WmCSV isolates indicated that the highest identity was between the 104WMA-SA isolate from the Wadi Baish location and a previously reported isolate from the AL-Lith location in Saudi Arabia. The lowest identity was observed between the 42WMA-SA isolate and an isolate from Palestine

Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Acacia concinna and Citrus limon, Silver Nanoparticles&rsquo; Production by A. concinna Extract, and Their Biological Properties

The applications of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants as therapeutic drugs are largely increasing. The present study selected the bioactive compounds from Acacia concinna (A. concinna) and Citrus limon (C. limon) to assess their phytochemicals, proteins, and biological activity. The plant material was collected, and extraction performed as per the standard procedure. Qualitative analysis was undertaken, and identification of functional organic groups was performed by FTIR and HPLC. Antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, and inhibition kinetics studies for enzymes were performed to assess the different biological activities. Flavonoids and phenols were present in a significant amount in both the selected plants. A. concinna showed significant antimicrobial activity against Z. mobilis, E. coli, and S. aureus, with minimum inhibition zones (MIZ) of 24, 22, and 20 mm, respectively. C. limon strongly inhibited all the tested pathogenic bacteria with maximum and minimum MIZ of 32 and 17 mm. A. concinna silver nanoparticles also exhibited potent antimicrobial activity. Both extracts showed substantial antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, anticancer (MCF-7), and anti-urease (antiulcer) properties. To conclude, these plants can be used to treat hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cancer, and gastrointestinal ulcers. They can also serve as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. Thus, the studied plants must be exploited cost-effectively to generate therapeutic drugs for various diseases