Matn Criticism and Its Role in the Evaluation of Hadith Authenticity

For centuries, Muslim community has taken ‘ulūm al-ḥadīth for granted as a valid method in hadith verification; if a hadith is declared as an authentic hadith after examined using the method, then they will accept the hadith as an authentic one. Nevertheless, the traditional discipline has been criticised by various modern scholars who argue that traditional ‘ulūm alḥadīth is not a sufficient method to evaluate the authenticity of hadith reports. One of their reasons is that the traditional hadith criticism only examines the chain of narrations (sanad) of hadith reports and ignores the content (matn) of the hadith. This essay will discuss the role of matn criticism in the authentication of hadith; whether it is included in the traditional method of ‘ulūm al-ḥadīth or not, and if so, what is the criteria and how the scholars apply them

Metallic Nanopores for Single Molecule Biosensing

This thesis describes a novel approach to the fabrication and characterisation of metallic nanopores and their application for the detection of single DNA molecules. Metallic nanopores with apparent diameters below 20 nm are produced using electrochemical deposition and real-time ionic current feedback. Beginning with large nanopores (diameter 100-200 nm) milled into gold silicon nitride membranes using a focused ion beam, platinum metal is electrodeposited onto the gold surface, thus reducing the effective pore diameter. By simultaneously observing the ion current feedback, the shrinking of the nanopore can be monitored and terminated at any pre-defined value of the pore conductance in a precisely controlled and reproducible way. The ion transport properties of the metallic nanopore system are investigated by characterising the pore conductance at varying potentials across the nanopore and concentrations of electrolyte. The results are compared to conventional bare silicon nitride nanopore systems. Chemical modification at the nanopore surface is also studied using thiolisation to reduce the capacitive charging effects observed with metallic nanopores. Further to this, impedance measurements are carried out to study the resistive behaviour exhibited in these systems. An equivalent circuit model is proposed to validate the results obtained from the experimental studies. To evaluate the suitability of these nanopores for applications in single-molecule biosensing, translocation experiments using λ-DNA are performed. DNA molecules are electrokinetically driven through the nanopore under an applied electric field, hence as the DNA translocates through the pore, current blockade events are detected. Each event is the result of a single molecular interaction of DNA with the nanopore and is characterised by its dwell time and amplitude. Characterisation studies and noise analysis towards the applicability of metallic nanopores as single molecule detectors are also studied and compared to current bare silicon nitride pore systems

From Knowledge Creation to Economic Development: Missing Links in Muslim World

The paper discusses the cause and consequences of the deterioration and depressing condition of higher education in Muslim countries. The study establishes the links between academic research and economic development. Alternative hypothesis to envisage the causes of sustainable economic development were discussed with historical evidences. The hypothesis of external conspiracy was not accepted in the study and it was concluded that weak human resources are mainly responsible for deterioration in the higher educationHigher Education; Muslim World; Development Modeling;

Funds Flow Analysis and Determinants of Fixed Assets

The core objective of this study is to ascertain a link between the investment in fixed assets and the changing in the patterns of working capital. The relation between the flow of funds and the fixed assets is a central issue of the study. It is concluded in this study that funds from different sources determine the investment in fixed assets by different ways. With the help of this model, corporate planners and financial analysts can quantify the impacts of the flows of various funds on the assets holding patterns. Important conclusion of the model is that “fixed assets and working capital are complements. Working capital of a firm will increase with the enhancement in fixed assets”. The model is based on a single behavioral equation. The study is a mixture of the financial accounting postulates and econometric techniques.Working Capital; Employed Capital; Simulation Analysis; Above the Line; Multiple regression

Flow of portfolio investment among the Muslim countries: modelling and possibilities

The objective of this study is to identify the thematic areas for cooperation among the Muslim countries in the field of portfolio investment. The study covers the investment principles of return maximization, risk minimization and diversification. The core area of the study is to explore the investment opportunities in Muslim countries through geographical and sectoral diversification to provide greater investment security, risk minimization and profit maximization. To identify the scope of Muslim world and the economic implications of the cross boarder portfolio investment are the natural ingredients of this study. In the beginning, the study summarizes the economic and financial issues of the Muslim worldPortfolio Investment; FDI; Financial Theory; Muslim World

INKLUSIFITAS SEKTOR PERIKANAN DALAM PEMBANGUNAN BERKELANJUTAN DI PROVINSI SUMATERA SELATAN

Sektor perikanan di Provinsi Sumatera Selatan merupakan sektor unggulan. Sektor tersebut selain memberikan sumber bahan pangan yaitu protein hewani, juga memberikan lapangan pekerjaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat peran sektor perikanan dalam struktur perekonomian di Provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Selanjutnya untuk melihat inklusifitas antara Nilai Tukar Petani (NTP) khusus sektor perikanan dilihat hubungannya dengan Produk Domestik Regional Bruto (PDRB) khususnya sektor perikanan, serta nilai inflasi. Metode yang digunakan untuk melihat peran sektor perikanan dalam perekonomian menggunakan analisis deskiptif. Sedangkan, untuk melihat hubungan antara NTP, inflasi, dan PDRB dengan metode statistik yaitu korelasi bivariate pearson. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, dihasilkan bahwa PDRB sektor perikanan menyumbang 2,90% pada PDRB total Provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Terdapat korelasi yang signifikan pada inflasi dan PDRB sektor perikanan.Sektor perikanan di Provinsi Sumatera Selatan merupakan sektor unggulan. Sektor tersebut selain memberikan sumber bahan pangan yaitu protein hewani, juga memberikan lapangan pekerjaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat peran sektor perikanan dalam struktur perekonomian di Provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Selanjutnya untuk melihat inklusifitas antara Nilai Tukar Petani (NTP) khusus sektor perikanan dilihat hubungannya dengan Produk Domestik Regional Bruto (PDRB) khususnya sektor perikanan, serta nilai inflasi. Metode yang digunakan untuk melihat peran sektor perikanan dalam perekonomian menggunakan analisis deskiptif. Sedangkan, untuk melihat hubungan antara NTP, inflasi, dan PDRB dengan metode statistik yaitu korelasi bivariate pearson. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, dihasilkan bahwa PDRB sektor perikanan menyumbang 2,90% pada PDRB total Provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Terdapat korelasi yang signifikan pada inflasi dan PDRB sektor perikanan

Investigating the mechanisms of action of VGF-derived peptides in the nervous system

The VGF neurosecretory protein, first identified as a nerve growth factor (NGF) inducible gene product, is selectively synthesised predominantly in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. The ~68 kDa VGF protein sequence is rich in paired basic amino acids, and thus the protein undergoes endoproteolytic cleavage to produce smaller peptides, which are stored in dense core vesicles and released upon stimulation via the regulated secretory pathway both in vitro and in vivo. Several of these VGF-derived peptides have been characterised and are involved in energy homeostasis, reproductive processes, synaptic plasticity as well as pain modulation. A number of studies have observed an increase in VGF gene expression in various pain models and more recently the VGF-derived peptides, TLQP-21, LQEQ-19 and TLQP-62 showed direct modulation of inflammatory and neuropathic pain when applied in vivo. The molecular mechanisms of action of VGF-derived peptides are not well understood and were investigated in this study. The TLQP-21 peptide, but not LQEQ-19, was shown to dose-dependently induce an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels from cellular internal stores in brain- and spinal cord-derived primary microglia, in >65 % of the cell population in vitro. Three hour treatment of primary microglia with TLQP-21 (100 nM) induced a 2.78 fold increase in Ccl11 and a 2.28 fold decrease in Cxcl9 gene expression levels relative to the vehicle control (Student's t-test; p ≤ 0.05). Biochemical analysis using affinity chromatography and LC-MS/MS techniques identified the gC1q-R protein as a potential binding partner / receptor for TLQP-21. The gC1q-R protein is a ubiquitously expressed, multi-compartmental protein involved in complement activation, inflammatory processes and the plasma bradykinin formation pathway. These results tentatively suggest that TLQP-21 may contribute to the modulation of pain through activation of primary microglia and potentially involve interactions with components of the complement system. The findings highlight the importance of VGF-derived peptides in pain research and could lead to new perspectives and targets for pain therapeutics

Business competitiveness in Muslim World: role of governance and higher education

The main objective of this study is to compare Muslim countries with the rest of world in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the factors of competitiveness. Another objective of this paper is to determine the factors of competitiveness of the nations. The study has also assessed the impacts of improvement in political and corporate governances of the institutions, technological advancement and higher education on the business competitiveness. The World Competitiveness Index constructed by the World Economic Forum and World Banks statistics on aggregate savings and investment were used to estimate the regression parameters. It was hypothesized that Muslim world is significantly different from the rest of world in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the factors of competitiveness. The role of innovations and knowledge creating activities in determining of business competitiveness was not found statistically significant in Muslim world; it was highly significant in case of the rest of world. It was concluded that investment and technology readiness affects the competitiveness in Muslim countries in different ways. It was recommended that Muslim countries should improve their governance of the corporate and political institutions and the higher education to achieve the efficiency and higher targets of competitiveness.Competitiveness; Innovations; Higher Education; Efficiency; Governance

Is there a Vicious circle in Muslim World? Trade competitiveness and investment strategies

The study tests the existence of a vicious circle of the lack of investable funds, weaker technological advancement and business competitiveness in Muslim countries. Its second objective is to quantify the magnitude of variations in competitiveness between the Muslim world and the rest of world. A model was established to quantify the linkages between the financial resources, technological advancement, business sophistication and competitiveness. The results are based on 111 countries, 30 out of which belong to Muslim world. The governance of the political and corporate institutions, higher education and technology readiness are classified as significant factors of the business competitiveness. It was concluded that governance, technological readiness and higher education are the important and major factors of business competitiveness, while investment was not identified as major determinant of the competitiveness. The study rejects the hypothesis of existence of the vicious cycle in Muslim world. It concludes that Muslim world can achieve the higher target of business competitiveness and ultimately the sustainable economic development by improvement in the higher education and institutional governance.Muslim world; Competitiveness; Globalization; Governance; Vicious circle;

Unemployment, Economic Status and Ethnic Politics

Regional-based quota in public sector employment was always considered as one of the important cause of the ethnic politics in Pakistan and particularly in Karachi. The majority of educated youth and middle classers in Pakistan belong to the urban areas and big cities where public sector employment is a frictional part of the total employment. However, households’ economic statuses in those areas are closely related with the employment status of the households’ members. This study has one objective only: to test the hypothesis that socio-economic variation between the ethnic groups was the origin of the emerging ethnic politics in Karachi. The disparities in income, employment and social status have been compared between the nine ethnic groups of Karachi. It is noteworthy that statistical evidences have rejected the hypothesis that rise in ethnic politics was a consequence of socio-economic discrepancies between the ethnic groups.Ethnicity, Income Disparities, Social Status