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The present study has employed a high performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) to identify the dyestuffs in textile samples collected from the Coptic Museum in Cairo and the Museum of Jordanian Heritage. The results indicate that mixtures of organic dyes are used in dyeing these samples to produce different colours. The most dominantly identified colourants in samples collected from the Museum of Jordanian Heritage are laccaic acid, kermesic acid, munjistin and indigotin. The most dominantly identified dyestuffs are lac dye (Kerria lacca, Kerr), kermes (Kermes vermilio), madder (Rubia) species and indigoid dye source, either indigo (Indigofera species) or woad (Isatis tinctoria L.). These results confirm the historical information in the Museum of Jordanian Heritage in that the tested textile objects date back to the end of the 19^th century or the beginning of the 20^th century. The most dominantly identified colourants in samples collected from the Coptic Museum are alizarin, purpurin, and indigotin. The most dominantly identified dyestuffs are madder and indigotin. Based on this investigation, it is concluded that the tested dyed samples collected from the Coptic Museum belong to the 6-7^th centuries. This conclusion is in agreement with the initial dating of samples according to the style of the decorations.

This paper is a review article which presents brief historical information about natural dyes in different historical periods in Egypt. This information will assist archaeologists, dyers, artists and conservators who seek information about ancient dyes in Egypt. For example, the data will help conservators in choosing natural dyes that can be used in producing new models of dyed textile samples that simulate the original historical ones. These models of textile samples can be used as experimental samples in conservation research and training of young conservators. Also, this information can be used by technologists to conduct comparison studies on the technology of natural dyes in ancient Egypt. The dyes are presented according to their alphabetical names in this paper. All data in this paper have been collected from references related to this topic without any changes from the researcher.

The purpose of this paper was to determine the antifungal activities of different solvent extracts of common plants in vitro and in vivo against banana anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum musae (Berk & M.A. Curtis) Arx, and to investigate its effects on the pathogen and identify the bio active component(s).

Extracts were obtained from leaves, tender shoots, rhizomes, bulbs, seeds and fruits of 42 naturally growing plant species following hot sequential extraction. Preliminary screening of the solvent extracts was done based on the inhibition of radial mycelial growth of C. musae following poison food technique and conidial germination inhibition by cavity slide technique. The selected extracts were assessed for their effect on harvested banana in reducing anthracnose during storage. The active components in the bio-active fractions of plant extract were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy.

Methanol extracted a larger quantity of material (between 6.9 and 12.5 per cent) than hexane or chloroform, and all its extracts were active against the test pathogen with mycelial growth inhibition ranging from 13.70 to 88.89 per cent. Zingiber officinale rhizome extract as well as Polyalthia longifolia and Clerodendrum inerme leaf extracts exhibited more than 80 per cent inhibition of mycelial growth. Total inhibition of spore germination of C. musae was recorded in Z. officinale and P. longifolia extracts at 0.3 per cent w/v and 0.5 per cent w/v concentration, respectively, while only 68 per cent spore inhibition was recorded in C. inerme at 0.5 per cent w/v concentration. Of the three plant species, Z. officinale had the best antifungal activity (18.0 per cent disease incidence; 2.2 disease severity scale) when banana fruits were dipped in the extract at a concentration of 0.5 per cent w/v at 5 days of storage in ambient condition (80-82 per cent R.H., 27 ± 1°C). The bio-active compounds in the extract of Z. officinale were identified as alpha-curcumene and zingerone.

Based on the antifungal activity, plant extract of Z. officinale can be used as an effective alternative to chemicals in controlling anthracnose pathogen in harvested banana.

This paper aims to shed light on the risk structure in the presence of Islamic banking. The author concentrates on the relationship between Islamic banking and conventional banking in Turkey. Islamic banking and conventional banking are considered to be different kinds of sources for funding. Returns in the conventional banking are expected to be heavily influenced by the interest rate in the money market. However, Islamic banking returns are interest-free so that interest rate changes are not expected to affect the deposit returns in Islamic banks. Interest rates in the economy are a proxy to highlight the general risk level of the economy. By looking at the causal relationship between the deposit returns of both Islamic banks and conventional banks, it is possible to address the different types of banking in the general risk structure of the economy. This is one of the first studies to address the mentioned difference in banking sector in Turkish economy.

This paper tries to identify the direction of causality between Islamic and conventional banking term deposit rates by means of Granger Causality. Also, Granger Causality test results will guide to explore the Islamic and conventional banking deposit return linkages. The author has extended the study with vector autoregressive analysis to understand the correlation structure between conventional deposit rates and the profit–loss sharing ratio of Islamic Banks. The author has also extended this study with impulse response functions to see whether the shocks hitting into the conventional banking affect Islamic banking and vice versa.

The results suggest that there is no significant clear relationship between both banking sectors. This result can be interpreted, as Islamic banks do not adjust their profit–loss sharing (PLS) ratios pegged to the interest rate offered by conventional banks. Also, conventional banks determine their interest rate without any connection to the Islamic banking PLS ratios. Overall results of this study contradict the findings of studies which conclude that Islamic banking might not be different from the conventional banking. It is reported that inferences from pair-wise Granger causality alone might be spurious, as the analysis based on non-stationary series can be a consequence of time functional characteristics of the time series.

The results can be taken as counter evidence to the hypothesis “Islamic banks determine their PLS ratios based on the interest rates offered by conventional banks”. This address that the Islamic banks may offer alternative financing methodology which has different procedure. Hence, Islamic finance can be taken as an alternative method with its asset-based healthier structure.

This is one of the first studies to address the Islamic versus interest-based banking difference in banking sector in Turkish economy. This paper tries to identify the direction of causality between Islamic and conventional banking term deposit rates by means of Granger causality.