255 research outputs found
Brachinus (Aploa) pictus Hope 1833
No full textBrachinus (Aploa) pictus Hope, 1833 Figure 2 (a) Brachinus figratus Chaudoir, 1852: 41 (Anichtchenko 2016; Lorenz 2016) Material examined. Punjab, Mianwali, Nummal Lake, 1 ♀ & 1 ♂, 09.iii.2007, M. Abbas; Attock, Akhori, 11 ♀ & 4 ♂, 29.iii.2014; Attock, Humak, 1♀ & 1♂, 29.iii.2014; Chakwal, Katas, 1 ♂, 30.v.2014, Mishkat (PMNH). Measurements: Male (n=5): TL= 10.55 mm, HW= 2.17 mm, PL= 1.73 mm, PW= 2.32 mm, EL= 6.50 mm, EW= 2.62 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.74, HW/PW= 0.93 and EL/EW= 2.48 Female (n=5): TL= 10.97 mm, HW= 2.18 mm, PL= 1.89 mm, PW= 2.33 mm, EL= 6.82 mm, EW= 2.73 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.81, HW/PW= 0.93 and EL/EW= 2.49 Diagnosis. Body mostly yellow, antennal segments V to XI brownish. Elytra length 2.48 times of its maximum width, with black marks near the scutellum along the suture upto 2/5 of elytra length, two rounded sub-humeral spots narrowly extended to the shoulders and a sub-apical transverse band with three posterior spots merged to form a continuous sinuated band. Comments. This species closely resembles B. (A.) nobilis Dejean, 1931 in color details: both species are yellowish, but the outer subhumeral spot extends to the humeral region in B. (A.) pictus, which is never the case in B. (A.) nobilis. Distribution. The species was collected in Attock and Mianwali regions. All of the earlier records of this species originated from India (Maharashtra; West Bengal), Iran, Sri Lanka and Thailand (Anichtchenko 2016; Lorenz 2016).Published as part of Ullah, Mishkat, Naeem, Muhammad, Mahmood, Khalid & Rafi, Muhammad Ather, 2017, Faunistic studies of the tribe Brachinini (Carabidae: Coleoptera) from northern Pakistan, pp. 173-184 in Zootaxa 4232 (2) on page 176, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4232.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/29288
Structure and Performance of Commercial Banks in Pakistan
No full textCommercial banks undertake business of risk in an environment of asymmetric information. This is why, the industrial economists who are interested in theory of incomplete information and principal-agent framework have found the banking industry a promising field of research. There are number of studies on the behavior of commercial banks in various countries under structure-conduct-performance paradigm of industrial economics. However, there is hardly one in the context of Pakistan. This study attempted to analyze the structure and performance of commercial banks in Pakistan under the framework of industrial organization.commercial banks; Pakistan; Structure conduct performance;
Artificial intelligence for localisation of ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) sensor nodes
No full textIn this chapter, we have designed an NB classifier for a UWB-based localization system. With the help of NB classifier and RMSE, the data are classified into three categories: high, medium, and low accuracy. ROCs are plotted to show the effec-tiveness of the NB classifier. As our developed technique obtains more than 90% classification accuracy, we have tested it into two different environments: LOS and partial NLOS conditions. Furthermore, to test the accuracy, small-sized and medium-sized rooms were used. From our measurements, it is observed that the accuracy of the developed NB classifier is dependent upon the environment. For LOS and NLOS envi-ronments, the accuracy are around 97% and 87.38%, respectively. Our future research will concentrate on technique that can further improve the localization classification and improve the positioning accuracy of the IP
Web structure mining of dynamic pages
No full textWeb structure mining in static web contents decreases the accuracy of mined outcomes and affects the quality of decision making activity. By structure mining in web hidden data, the accuracy ratio of mined outcomes can be improved, thus enhancing the reliability and quality of decision making activity. Data Mining is an automated or semi automated exploration and analysis of large volume of data in order to reveal meaningful patterns. The term web mining is the discovery and analysis of useful information from World Wide Web that helps web search engines to find high quality web pages and enhances web click stream analysis. One branch of web mining is web structure mining. The goal of which is to generate structural summary about the Web site and Web pages. Web structure mining tries to discover the link structure of the hyperlinks at the inter-document level. In recent years, Web link structure mining has been widely used to infer important information about Web pages. But a major part of the web is in hidden form, also called Deep Web or Hidden Web that refers to documents on the Web that are dynamic and not accessible by general search engines; most search engine spiders can access only publicly index able Web (or the visible Web). Most documents in the hidden Web, including pages hidden behind search forms, specialized databases, and dynamically generated Web pages, are not accessible by general Web mining applications. Dynamic content generation is used in modern web pages and user forms are used to get information from a particular user and stored in a database. The link structure lying in these forms can not be accessed during conventional mining procedures. To access these links, user forms are filled automatically by using a rule based framework which has robust ability to read a web page containing dynamic contents as activeX controls like input boxes, command buttons, combo boxes, etc. After reading these controls dummy values are filled in the available fields and the doGet or doPost methods are automatically executed to acquire the link of next subsequent web page. The accuracy ratio of web page hierarchical structures can phenomenally be improved by including these hidden web pages in the process of Web structure mining. The designed system framework is adequately strong to process the dynamic Web pages along with static ones
Pheropsophus (Stenaptinus) consularis Schmidt-Goebel 1846
No full textPheropsophus (Stenaptinus) consularis (Schmidt-Goebel, 1846) Figure 3 (a) Pheropsophus stenoderus Chaudoir, 1850a: 77 (Hrdlička 2003; Anichtchenko 2016; Lorenz 2016) Material examined. Islamabad Capital Territory, Islamabad, 1 ♂, 05.vii.2005, M. Abbas; Islamabad, NARC (Pitfall traps), 1 ♂, 02.v.2014, Sector E-12 (Mazar), 1 ♂, 05.ii.2015, Mishkat (PMNH). Islamabad, NARC, 1 ♀, 05.vii.2011, Falak Naz (NIM). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Swat, Maidam, 1 ♀, 07.viii.1987, L. A. Abro (PMNH). Measurements. Male (n=3): TL= 18.7 mm, HW= 3.3 mm, PL= 3.5 mm, PW= 3.4 mm, EL= 10.6 mm, EW= 3.5 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 1.02, HW/PW= 0.95 and EL/EW= 3.05 Female (n=1): TL= 18.1 mm, HW= 3.4 mm, PL= 3.5 mm, PW= 3.4 mm, EL= 10.7 mm, EW= 3.5 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 1.02, HW/PW= 0.96 and EL/EW= 3.05 Diagnosis: Head yellowish with inverted “Y” shaped black mark at frons. Antenna yellowish to brown terminally. Pronotum black with two longitudinal yellow stripes. Elytra black with raised striae, Humeral marks yellow. Median elytral stripe with undulated margins from 2nd elytral stria to half of 8th interval. Apical elytral band yellow variable some time very narrow. Elytral epiplura black. Legs yellowish, femur terminal ends (knee) black. Comments: P. (S.) consularis and P. (S.) javanus (Dejean, 1825) possess similar characters including the yellowish brown head, two longitudinal strips on pronotum, elytra with a small rounded basal mark and transverse median and apical stripes. Head with black mark, most of thorax and elytra black. Differences between them include head with “Y” shaped black mark in P. (S.) consularis while is oblong-shaped in P. (S.) javanus; elytral transverse median spot is wide and serrated in P. (S.) consularis while is wavy and narrow in P. (S.) javanus. Distribution. This species is first time reported from Pakistan. Previously, it has been reported from India (Hrdlička 2003; Anichtchenko 2016).Published as part of Ullah, Mishkat, Naeem, Muhammad, Mahmood, Khalid & Rafi, Muhammad Ather, 2017, Faunistic studies of the tribe Brachinini (Carabidae: Coleoptera) from northern Pakistan, pp. 173-184 in Zootaxa 4232 (2) on page 180, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4232.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/29288
Chlaenius (Pseudochlaeniellus) puncticollis Dejean 1826
No full textChlaenius (Pseudochlaeniellus) puncticollis Dejean, 1826 (Fig. 9b) Chlaenius puncticollis Dejean, 1826: 315; Chlaenius jedlickai Mandl, 1991: 133; Chlaenius persicus Jedlicka, 1968: 989. Material examined. PAKISTAN • 6 ♂, 2 ♀; Punjab, Jehlum, Domaili Railway Station; 01 Jun. 2014; Mishkat leg.; PMNH • 2 ♂; Islamabad, Faisal Mosque, Trail No. 6; 18 Apr. 2015; Mishkat leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Punjab, Fort Abbas, Doudla Plantation; 13 Apr. 2009; Mishkat leg.; PMNH • 1 ♂; Punjab, Chakwal, Katas; 30 May 2014; Mishkat leg.; PMNH • 5 ♂; Punjab, Chakwal, Dhok Tahlian Dam; 01 Jun. 2014; Mishkat leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Mangla; 21 Apr. 2008; Ishaq / Ahmed Zia leg.; NIM • 1 ♀; “ Lyalpur” [Faisalabad]; 11 Sep. 1929; light collection; ex coll. Imp. Inst. Entomology; NHMUK (H.E. Andrewes 1945-97). Measurements. Male (n=10): TL= 10.83 mm, HW= 2.18 mm, PL= 2.30 mm, PW= 3.04 mm, EL= 6.88 mm, EW= 2.10 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.75, HW/PW= 0.71 and EL/EW= 3.27. Female (n=10): TL= 10.63 mm, HW= 2.10 mm, PL= 2.10 mm, PW= 2.81 mm, EL= 6.38 mm, EW= 1.98 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.74, HW/PW= 0.74 and EL/EW= 3.22 Diagnosis. Head and pronotum black with metallic green blue tinge. Mandibles and labrum dark brown; palpi, antennal articles and tarsus reddish brown. Clypeus smooth, frons smooth sides with deep long setiferous puncture, vertex and neck area rugose densely covered with setiferous punctures. Pronotum almost shell shaped, apical border convex, lateral sides abruptly oblique outwardly upto midpoint and then contracted; postero-lateral angles obtuse; surface sparsely covered with deep setiferous punctures to densely covered towards basal margin; laterobasal fovae deep. Elytra matt green bluish, interval IX yellowish brown along border and expanding slightly at apex; striae punctate; intervals slightly convex densely punctate and pubescent with golden setae, microsculpture isodiametrical. Venter black with iridescent tinge but abdominal segments with wide yellowish lateral band. Comments. Ch. (P.) puncticollis appears similar to Ch. (Chlaeniellus) nigrosuturatus Mandl, 1978 in general shape. It can be easily differentiated on the basis of dense pubescence on each tarsi dorsal side; pronotum lateral margin constant without band whereas Ch. (Chlaeniellus) nigrosuturatus tarsi without pubescence; pronotum lateral margin with narrow yellowish band. In this current study it was collected from Jehlum, Forte Abbas, Islamabad and Chakwal areas. Distribution. Afghanistan, Iran, India (Himachal Pradesh; Uttarakhand), Laos, Nepal and Pakistan (Anichtchenko 2017; Lorenz 2018; Azadbukhsh & Rafi 2017).Published as part of Ullah, Mishkat, Naeem, Muhammad, Mahmood, Khalid & Garner, Beulah, 2022, Addition to the knowledge of Tribe Chlaeniini Brullé, 1834 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Pakistan, pp. 451-486 in Zootaxa 5115 (4) on pages 478-479, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5115.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/636155
Savings Behavior in Muslim and Non-Muslim Countries in Context to the Interest Rate
No full textSavings have been recognized as crucial determinant of economic growth because it finances investment – higher investment is associated with higher growth. Given the fact that economic growth plays a pivotal role in improving well-being of people and reducing poverty, the analysis of saving behavior becomes a very crucial policy issue for developing countries.
Two main theories in explaining saving behaviour are: “Permanent income hypothesis” [Friedman (1957)], and “life-cycle hypothesis” [Ando and Modigliani (1963)]. In permanent income hypothesis, transitory and permanent components of income are differently analyzed in determining savings.
Permanent income is defined as long-time income expectation over a period, while transitory income is the difference between permanent and actual income. The hypothesis suggests that transitory changes in income do not have any significant impact on savings and savings are determined only by permanent income. According to the life-cycle hypothesis, lifetime consumption of an individual is spread over his lifetime. Saving is accumulated in working years and is used to maintain consumption level after the retirement period. It suggests the importance of demographic factors in determining savings. Despite the large existing empirical work, there exist mixed results regarding effects of interest rate on savings. Mikesell and Zinser (1973), McKinnon (1973), Fry [(1988), (1995)], Gylfason (1993) and Munir, et al. (2010) found that interest rate has a positive impact on savings, while Giovaninni (1985), Gupta (1987), Jongwanich (2010) and many others found it as insignificant. The role of interest rate in Muslim countries is rather a complex issue. Assuming that majority of Muslims follows Islam in its true spirit, interest rate (Riba) has a very limited role in attracting savings of Muslims because interest is forbidden in Islam. The first explicit prohibition of interest came in 2 AH. The directive is found in Surah Al-Imran, verse 130 where Allah says; “O those who believe do not consume up Riba, doubled and redoubled”. Latter, after the conquest of Makkah in 8 AH, the most comprehensive condemnation of Riba was in Surah Baqarah verse 275-280, where Allah says;”Those who take usury will not stand on the day of Judgment except as he who has been driven mad by the touch of the Demon. . . . . . . . .Oh you who believe give up what remains of Riba if you are believers. But if you do not then listen to the declaration of War from Allah and his messenger (SAW). If you repent, yours’ is your principal and nothing more’
In 10 AH, the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), in his famous last sermon at Mount Arafat said; “All interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital however is yours to keep. You neither wrong nor be wronged. Allah has judged that there be no Riba and that all interest due to Abbas ibn Abd Al-Muttalib shall henceforth be waived”.
It is to be noted that during the period 1980 to 2013, saving rates varied considerably all over the world. Latin America and the Caribbean countries save around 20 per cent of their GDP and the East Asian countries save more than 30 per cent. Similarly, Arab countries (limited data is available) save approximately 30 per cent per cent, South Asian countries around 25 per cent; and in complete contrast the Sub-Saharan African countries save only 15 per cent of the GDP [WDI (2014)]. The situation raises an important research question, as to: why do the savings rates fluctuate between various regions. It also leads toward another related question, about the forbidden status of interest rate affects savings behaviour of Muslim countries?
The layout of the paper is as follows: the review of relevant literature is presented in Section II. Section III discusses the data sources and methodology. Empirical analysis and estimation of results, based on the data are summarised in Section IV. Finally, conclusions and policy implications are given in Section V
Intellectual property laws and Islam in Malaysia.
No full textPhDThis study is undertaken on the premise that Islam and Islamic law is to be taken into
serious consideration in any future legislative reform of laws in Malaysia. Islam being
the religion of the country and the strong religious sentiment of the Muslims (who
form the majority in Malaysia) cannot be overlooked or dismissed lightly by the
legislators in Malaysia. Reformation of intellectual property laws is timely, as we are
now approaching to the dateline set by GATF-Trips agreement which aim is to
improve our standard of intellectual property protection. This study seeks to analyze
and evaluate the current legislation pertaining to intellectual property in Malaysia in
terms of the philosophy and rules governing the existence, ownership and exercise of
these rights and their consistency and inconsistency with Islam and Islamic law. The
main objective of this study is to prove that a coherent and logical conceptual
framework of ownership of intellectual property can be derived from an Islamic
perspective which not only offers the basis of rights but also defines the scope of
these rights. From the point of ownership of rights, support can be obtained from the
normative framework of property rights within the traditional classification of 'mal'
(property) and 'haqq al-milkiyyah' (ownership rights) under Islamic law. From the
point of exercise of rights, the exact scope can be defined from the analysis of
fundamental concepts which have been developed by Muslim jurists. It has been
established that Islam and Islamic law offers a sound and systematic paradigm, which
in deeper analysis, can satisfy both our current obligations under international
treatises, as well as our responsibility to practise our religion to the fullest
Chlaenius (Rhopalopalpus) janthinus Kollar & L. Redtenbacher 1844
No full textChlaenius (Rhopalopalpus) janthinus Kollar & L. Redtenbacher, 1844 (Fig. 9c) Chlaenius janthinus Kollar & L. Redtenbacher, 1844: 500; Rhopalopalpus poecilioides Laferte-Senectere, 1851: 236. Material examined. PAKISTAN • 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Islamabad, Sara-e-Kharboza; 26 Apr. 2015; Mishkat Ullah leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Islamabad, Margalla Town; 25 Apr. 2015; Mishkatullah leg.; PMNH • 1 ♂; Islamabad; 30 Jan. 1983; Manzoor leg.; PMNH • 1 ♂ (1 specimen sex=?); same collection data as for preceding; 28 Nov. 1982; Manzoor leg.; PMNH • 2 ♂, 2 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 16 Dec. 1982; Manzoor leg; PMNH • 2 ♂, 1 ♀ (1 specimen sex=?); Islamabad; 23 Dec. 1983; Manzoor leg.; PMNH • 1 ♂; Islamabad; 20 Jan. 1982; Manzoor leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Islamabad; 25 Jan. 1983; Manzoor leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Islamabad, 15 Oct. 1981; Dr. Azhar Hassan leg.; PMNH • 1 ♂, 2 ♀; Punjab, Rawalpindi, PMAS Arid Agriculture University (Students Collection); 2015; Mishkat Ullah leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Rawalpindi, Ayub Park; 31 Oct. 1981; S. Azhar Hassan leg.; PMNH • 1 specimen; Punjab, Soon Valley, Khabbaki Lake; 3–7 Aug. 2007; Muhammad Abbas leg.; PMNH • 1 ♀; Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Rawlakot; Afshan leg.; NIM • 1 ♀; Islamabad, National Insect Museum & Insectpest Informatics Building NARC; 15 Sep. 2007; Asad leg.; NIM • 1 ♀; Islamabad, NARC; 26 Oct. 2010; Dr. Ather Rafi leg.; NIM • 1 ♀; Punjab, Choa Saidan Shah (Choa), 10 mile from Khewra, Salt Range; 15–19 Oct. 1930; Dr. S.L. Hora & H.S. Pruthi (Zoological Survey of India) leg.; Chlaenius (Rhopalistes) janthinus L.Redten. by Mishkat Ullah 2017 det.; under stone; ex coll. Indian Museum Calcutta; NHMUK (H.E. Andrewes Collection 1945-97) • 1 specimen; Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Rawalakot; Rhopalistes janthinus Redt by H.E. Andrewes det. ①, R. poeciloides Laferte (yellow colored ID label) det. ②, Chlaenius (Rhopalistes) janthinus L. Redten. by Mishkat Ullah 2017 det. ③; NHMUK. Measurements. Male (n=10): TL= 17.42, HW= 3.31 mm, PL= 3.90 mm, PW= 4.95 mm, EL= 9.97 mm, EW= 3.14 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.78, HW/PW= 0.66 and EL/EW= 3.17. Female (n=10): TL= 17.31 mm, HW= 3.50 mm, PL= 3.91 mm, PW= 4.90 mm, EL= 10.34 mm, EW= 3.29 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.79, HW/PW= 0.71 and EL/EW= 3.14 Diagnosis. Head violet-black and shining, frons moderately and vertex densely setiferous punctate; maxillary palpi and labial palpi bulb or club shaped; antennalarticles I-III, labrum, legs black; mandibles, maxillary palpi, antennal articles IV–IX dark reddish brown. Pronotum violet-black and shining, apical margin narrower than basal, antero-lateral angles rounded, lateral side less convex, postero-lateral angles obtuse, anterior margin sparsely and posterior densely coarser punctate, lateral fovea elongated and shallow. Elytra matt violet-black, almost ovoid, striae deep, punctate; interval moderately convex, isodiametrical microsculpture, interval VIII & IX with setiferous punctures. Venter black, proepisternum, metepimeron and metepisternum with large sized setiferous punctures. Comments. In this current study, it was recorded from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Khushab and Choa Saidan Shah (Azad Jummu & Kashmir upto entire Salt Range). Distribution. Kashmir, India and Pakistan (Anichtchenko 2017).Published as part of Ullah, Mishkat, Naeem, Muhammad, Mahmood, Khalid & Garner, Beulah, 2022, Addition to the knowledge of Tribe Chlaeniini Brullé, 1834 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Pakistan, pp. 451-486 in Zootaxa 5115 (4) on page 479, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5115.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/636155
Sensitive detection of pre-existing BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations in CD34+ cells of newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients is associated with imatinib resistance: implications in the post-imatinib era
No full textBACKGROUND BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations are infrequently detected in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Recent studies indicate the presence of pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations in a higher percentage of CML patients when CD34+ stem/progenitor cells are investigated using sensitive techniques, and these mutations are associated with imatinib resistance and disease progression. However, such studies were limited to smaller number of patients. METHODS We investigated BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations in CD34+ cells from 100 chronic-phase CML patients by multiplex allele-specific PCR and sequencing at diagnosis. Mutations were re-investigated upon manifestation of imatinib resistance using allele-specific PCR and direct sequencing of BCR-ABL kinase domain. RESULTS Pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations were detected in 32/100 patients and included F311L, M351T, and T315I. After a median follow-up of 30 months (range 8–48), all patients with pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations exhibited imatinib resistance. Of the 68 patients without pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations, 24 developed imatinib resistance; allele-specific PCR and BCR-ABL kinase domain sequencing detected mutations in 22 of these patients. All 32 patients with pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations had the same mutations after manifestation of imatinib-resistance. In imatinib-resistant patients without pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations, we detected F311L, M351T, Y253F, and T315I mutations. All imatinib-resistant patients except T315I and Y253F mutations responded to imatinib dose escalation. CONCLUSION Pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations can be detected in a substantial number of chronic-phase CML patients by sensitive allele-specific PCR technique using CD34+ cells. These mutations are associated with imatinib resistance if affecting drug binding directly or indirectly. After the recent approval of nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib and ponatinib for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia along with imatinib, all of which vary in their effectiveness against mutated BCR-ABL forms, detection of pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations can help in selection of appropriate first-line drug therapy. Thus, mutation testing using CD34+ cells may facilitate improved, patient-tailored treatment.Zafar Iqbal, Aamer Aleem, Mudassar Iqbal, Mubashar Iqbal Naqvi, Ammara Gill, Abid Sohail Taj, Abdul Qayyum, Najeeb ur-Rehman, Ahmad Mukhtar Khalid, Ijaz Hussain Shah, Muhammad Khalid, Riazul Haq, Mahwish Khan, Shahid Mahmood Baig, Abid Jamil, Muhammad Naeem Abbas, Muhammad Absar, Amer Mahmood, Mahmood Rasool, Tanveer Akhta
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