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Modified alkyd resins with different amounts of vegetable oil contents (sunflower oil) and different catalysts are synthesized with the incorporation of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a partial substitute for phthalic anhydride. It is found that the properties of the products obtained are directly related to the oil content. The polymerization reactions are followed by the acid value. The modified binder contains 50% oil and 10% PET in the presence of LiOH as the catalyst by using microwave irradiation. The AV value is attained in a short amount of time; it is found that the glass Transition Temperature (Tg) of the modified binder is -1.7 °C. The stiffness and roughness of the printed fabrics by using the modified binder are better than those of the commercial binder for both cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics. Moreover, it is clear that the overall fastness properties of the fabrics printed by using the modified binder in the formulation of printing pastes are higher or comparable to those that use commercial binders.

Islamic banking contributes significantly to the total assets of Malaysian banking sector. Yet, many argue that Islamic banking in Malaysia does not receive satisfactory support and participation from the public mainly due to poor awareness of its products and services and misconception about the Islamic banking system. It is timely to study consumers’ awareness of Islamic banking in the hopes of providing useful strategies for and assistance with marketing plans. This study is to explore consumer awareness towards Islamic banking products and services across a diverse set of demographic variables.

A quantitative approach was used in this study. A total of 1,000 questionnaires were distributed via convenience and snowballing sampling method to bank customers in a public university in Malaysia, and 817 responses from the survey were used for the analysis. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were employed to answer objectives of this study.

The findings of this study are anticipated to provide a holistic and comprehensive marketing insight to improve and strengthen Islamic banking in Malaysia.

This study examines the role of demographics such age, gender, race/religion, education level, occupation and income level in trying to understand the issues of Islamic banks’ product awareness. It is well accepted that the consumer’s attitude or behaviour should be studied among others through understanding customers’ demographics.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of various catalyst contents, resin solid contents, catalyst species and wood extract on urea‐formaldehyde (UF) curing by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The finding obtained would benefit the manufacturers of UF‐bonded composite panels.

The UF curing rate under each condition in terms of DSC peak temperature was measured by high‐pressure DSC at a heating rate of 15°C/min; the correlations of peak temperature with catalyst content, resin solid content, catalyst species and wood extract, respectively, were regressed via a model equation, which described the curing characteristics of the UF bonding system.

A model equation, T_p=A · EXP(−B · CC per cent)+D, was proposed to characterise the DSC peak temperatures or the rate of UF curing with regressing coefficients greater than 0.97 (commonly greater than 0.99). The constants A and B in the model equation were found to correspond to kinetic characteristics of UF resin curing reaction. The constant D in the model equation is believed to be associated with the utmost peak temperature, which implies that the DSC peak temperature will finally reach a maximum with catalyst content increasing. It was also found that the wood extracts having higher pH value and base buffer capacity had stronger catalyses on UF curing.

The catalysts commonly used in medium density fibreboard plants or particleboard plants are those having the utmost peak temperature of about 90‐95°C; the catalyses of wood extracts were much weaker than that of catalyst NH₄Cl.

The model equation could be used to predict the peak temperature or the curing rate of UF resin, and to quantify the effects of wood extracts on UF curing.

The study developed a model equation that can well characterise the UF curing, and quantified the effects of wood extracts on UF curing.

In this paper, the authors derive time-varying relative export competitiveness (REC) of the Cambodian rice sector from 1995 to 2018 and examine the key determinants of the REC.

Three different REC indexes are calculated in this paper. The authors also developed the relative symmetric export competitiveness (RSEC) index for calculation of comparative advantage. The short-run regression (SRR) model was applied for capturing the determinants of the REC.

The study results reveal that Cambodia's rice exports became relatively competitive over time. The key findings suggest the Cambodian REC was strengthened as a result of a successful implementation of rice policy and rectangular strategy. The benefits gained from EBA and BRI were found to be the factors contributed to the REC. The higher per capita income had a positive effect on the REC, while higher domestic prices reduced the REC in some phases of the sectoral development.

Further research is needed in two directions. First, the future studies might focus on other agro-products of Cambodia. Second, the development of the crop-specific factor endowment (CFE) model to consider the effect of endowment factors on the REC could be preferred in light of the data availability.

The research enriches the literature on the agricultural trade and provides a basis for further studies. This work makes a few contributions. First, it is the first study on the REC analysis for the Cambodian rice sector. Second, the latest 24-year data sets were covered. Third, a wide range of comparisons of REC among the world's top rice exporters was provided following implications of the various economic policies and foreign policy strategies, such as RS, EBA and BRI.

This study aims to find the determinants of internal and external customer satisfaction of Islamic banks of Pakistan through service quality indicators that are assurance, reliance, empathy, tangibility, responsiveness. Compliance has also been added as a determinant of customer satisfaction. In this study, customers are divided into two groups, internal customers are those who are an employee in the Islamic bank and also an account holder. While external customers are account holders only in Islamic banks of Pakistan.

In this study, a quantitative research approach is used for analyzing the behavior of internal and external customers of Islamic banks in Pakistan. The instrument which is used to analyze the study’s data, is a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. The structural model was analyzed with the help of the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach.

This study concluded that internal customers of Islamic banking are well aware and have full information and their level of satisfaction is positive toward the bank’s services. While external customers feel satisfied while using the Islamic banking services in Pakistan. Service quality indicators are positively and significantly related to customer satisfaction in the external customer model. On the other hand, some of the indicators are not showing a significant impact on the internal customer multi-group analysis shows a difference of coefficients are insignificant between internal and external customers.

This study helps policymakers, to understand the behavior of internal and external customers of Islamic banking in Pakistan for creating favorable policies for an interest-free banking service.

This research study provides an analysis of the customer satisfaction of Islamic banks in Pakistan by dividing Islamic bank customers into two groups (internal and external customers). The purpose for dividing Islamic bank customers into two groups is that this study wants to highlight that external customer’s perception is the same as internal customers or not? Before this study, it is difficult to find single research on this topic, whereas only one study is find-out on the factors that affect internet banking adoption among internal and external customers.

The purpose of this study is to successfully apply ultrasonic waves for the quick extraction of flax seed gum from flaxseed hull or whole seed and compare it to the standard technique of extraction.

The effect of the heating source, extracted time, temperature and pH of extracted solution on the extraction was studied. The obtained gum is subsequently used for silk screen printing on cotton, linen and viscous fabrics. Rheological properties and viscosity of the printing paste were scrutinized in the current study to get a better insight into this important polysaccharide. The output of this effort aimed to specify the parameters of the processes for printing textiles to serve in women’s fashion clothes by applying innovated handmade combinations of Islamic art motives using a quick and affordable method. Seven designs are executed, and inspiring from them, seven fashion designs of ladies’ clothes were designed virtually by Clo 3D software.

The result recorded that the new gum has excellent printing properties. In addition, they have better rheological properties, viscosity, chromatic strength and fastness qualities, all of which could help them in commercial production.

Flaxseed and three different fabric types (Cotton, Linen and Viscous) were used.

Synthesis of a new biodegradable thickener from a natural resource, namely, flaxseed, by applying new technology to save time, water and energy.

Synthesis of eco-friendly biodegradable thickener and used in textile printing alternative to the synthetic thickener.

Intellectual capital (IC) is a paramount resource for competitiveness in the knowledge-based financial sectors of the economy. As financial technology advances, specifically in the banking industry, it is vital to understand the effect of IC on financial performance. This study aims to investigate the effect of IC on return on equity (ROE), with a unique emphasis on the moderating role of board attributes. Previous studies have overlooked this moderating role.

The study sample consists of 17 banks and a panel data set spanning 2016–2021, extracted from annual reports. Antel Pulic’s value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) model is used to compute IC. To analyze the data, a generalized least squares analysis is conducted. The robustness of the analysis is ensured by using the two-stage least squares (2SLS) econometric technique.

The findings indicate that both the VAIC and human capital efficiency (HCE) have a significant impact on the ROE of banks. In terms of moderation, it is observed that board size (BS) exerts a negative effect on the association between VAIC, HCE, structural capital efficiency and ROE. Additionally, BS positively compounds the connection between capital employed efficiency and ROE. Similarly, the presence of independent directors (IND) significantly moderates the effects of VAIC and its components on the ROE of banks in Pakistan.

Banks should focus on the HCE for a higher ROE. Moreover, banks ought to prioritize appointing more independent directors in the boardroom for effective utilization of IC and greater ROE.

The findings of the study, which analyzed data from Pakistan’s banking sector, are original and provide additional insights into the literature on IC and board attributes.

This study aims to empirically examine the relationship between energy consumption and agricultural economic growth in Pakistan over the period from 1984 to 2016.

This study used the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to investigate the long-run and short-run determinants of agricultural economic growth in Pakistan.

The results of the ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration revealed that long-run linkage exists among the study variables. The findings of this paper showed that agricultural economic growth is positively affected by gas consumption and electricity consumption both in the long-run and short run. The long-run and short-run coefficients of gas consumption and electricity consumption were estimated to be 0.906, 0.421, 0.595 and 0.276, respectively. The estimated equation remains stable during the period from 1984 to 2016 as analyzed by the stability tests.

This study considers the relationship between energy consumption and agricultural economic growth in Pakistan by using an ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration. The study has three contributions to economic literature:this study used different unit root tests to test stationarity of the variables such as ADF unit root test by Dicky and Fuller and P-P unit root test by Philip and Perron; the ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration is applied to test the existence of long-run analysis between energy consumption and agricultural economic growth; and to check the robustness, the authors used the Johansen cointegration test to examine the long-run relationship between dependent and independent variables.

Due to herbs and plants’ therapeutic properties and simplicity of availability in nature, humans have used them to treat a variety of maladies and diseases since ancient times. Later, as technology advanced, these plants and herbs gained significant relevance in some industries due to their suitable chemical composition, abundant availability and ease of access. Aegle marmelos is a species of plant that may be found in nature. Yet, little or very little literature was located on the coloration behavior of this plant’s leaves. This study aims to focus on the effect of different parameters on the extraction of colorant from Aegle marmelos leaves.

Some factors that affected on the extraction processes were examined and found to have significant impacts on the textile dyeing such as the initial dye concentration, extracted temperature, extracted bath pH and extracted time were all changed to see how they affected color extraction. The authors report a direct comparison between three heating methods, namely, microwave irradiation (MWI), ultrasonic waves (USW) and conventional heating (CH). The two kinetic models have been designed (pseudo-first and pseudo-second orders) in the context of these experiments to investigate the mechanism of the dyeing processes for fabrics under study. Also, the experimental data were analyzed according to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.

From the result, it was discovered these characteristics were found to have a substantial effect on extraction efficiency. Temperature 90°C and 80°C when using CH and USW, respectively, while at 90% watt when using MWI, period 120 min when using CH as well as USW waves, while 40 min when using MWI, and pH 4, 5 and 10 for polyamide, wool and cotton, respectively, were the optimal extraction conditions. Also, the authors can say that wool gives a higher absorption than the other fabric. Additionally, MWI provided the best color strength (K/S) value, and homogeneity, at low temperatures reducing the energy and time consumed. The coloring follows the order: MWI > USW > CH. The adsorption isotherm of wool could be well fitted by Freundlich isotherm when applying CH and USW as a heating source, while it is well fitted by the Langmuir equation in the case of MWI. In the study, it was observed that the pseudo-first-order kinetic model fits better the experimental results of CH with a constant rate K₁ = −0.000171417 mg/g.min, while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model fits better the experimental results of absorption of both MWI (K2 = 38.14022572 mg/g.min) and USW (K₂ = 12.45343554 mg/g.min).

There is no research limitation for this work. Dye was extracted from Aegle marmelos leaves by applying three different heating sources (MWI, ultrasonic waves [USWW] and CH).

This work has practical applications for the textile industry. It is concluded that using Aegle marmelose leaves can be a possible alternative to extract dye from natural resource by applying new technology to save energy and time and can make the process greener.

Socially, it has a good impact on the ecosystem and global community because the extracted dye does not contain any carcinogenic materials.

The work is original and contains value-added products for the textile industry and other confederate fields.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of capital requirements and bank competition on banks' risk-taking behavior in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The study combines both descriptive and analytical approaches. It considers panel data sets and adopts panel data econometric techniques like fixed effects/random effects and generalized method of moments estimator.

Regulatory capital and market competition have different effects according to the bank’s type (Islamic or conventional). The results show that the capital adequacy ratio has a significant impact on the credit risk of conventional banks (CBs) while this effect is irrelevant for Islamic banks (IBs). However, market competition plays a significant role in shaping risk-taking behavior of Islamic banking institutions. Our results indicate that banks with strong market power may pursue risky strategies in the face of increased regulatory pressure (e.g. increased minimum capital requirements). The results were robust to alternative profitability measures and endogeneity checks.

The most important limitation is the lack of data for some banks and years, and this paper had to exclude some variables because of missing observations. The second limitation concerns the number of IBs in the sample. However, this can be overcome by including more countries from MENA and other regions where Islamic banking is a growing phenomenon.

Our findings call for a change in Islamic banking’s traditional business model based on the prohibition of interest. The analysis indicates that market concentration moderates the association between capital requirements and the insolvency risk of IBs but not CBs. Therefore, regulatory authorities concerned with improving financial stability in the MENA region should set up their policies differently depending on the level of banking market concentration. Finally, bank managers are requested to apply a more disciplined approach to their lending decisions and build sufficient capital conservation buffers to limit the impact of downside risk from the depletion of capital buffers during the pandemic.

This study addresses banks’ risk-taking behavior and stability in the MENA region, which includes banks of different types (Islamic and conventional). This paper also contributes to the literature on bank stability by identifying the most critical factors that affect bank risk and stability in the MENA region, which can be relevant in the context of the new global (COVID-19) crisis.