Blended learning has gained recognition and government support, but there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the application of blended learning in the Indian institutions of architectural education. This research seeks to identify important tools and teaching techniques to compare the effectiveness of the blended learning with traditional teaching methods, considering the unique requirements of architectural education. A critical aspect of this research is to investigate the current level of the adoption of the blended learning in Indian architectural institutions and to formulate practical recommendations for enhancing the quality of architectural education in India through implementing a blended learning approach in the light of the IPSIT framework for blended learning. The research methodology follows a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. To achieve the objectives, three questionnaires were developed and administered to a diverse group of participants, including students, faculty members and professional architects in India, along with a detailed literature review. The study also includes a case study with a separate questionnaire to assess the evaluation process using blended learning tools. While developing the research framework, significant attention was dedicated to aligning the research with the guidelines that shape architectural education in India, such as the IPSIT framework for blended learning, proposed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Model Curriculum for B Arch, proposed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). This study became especially relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted educational institutions to explore alternative teaching methodologies. The research reveals a substantial increase in the adoption of blended learning in the post-COVID-19 period. Most respondents have been exposed to blended learning and acknowledge its positive impact on architectural education. They reported that the blended learning significantly improved the quality of education. It offered the benefits such as flexibility, self-learning, software skills development, etc. The study highlighted the importance of the research-based approach to architectural education at the undergraduate level. Most respondents strongly supported this approach, particularly those with higher academic qualifications. The research findings also highlight the effectiveness of Google Classroom and rubrics in improving learning and assessment. The challenges encountered include the limitations of existing tools in facilitating architectural design and drawing. Technical issues, maintaining student engagement, and the need for faculty development are also identified. In conclusion, this research study underscores the potential of blended learning to transform architectural education and recognises its potential to meet the evolving needs of architectural education in India. The research findings offer practical recommendations for educators, policymakers, and institutions seeking to embrace innovative approaches.

This study explores Malaysian school leaders’ effective practices to solve problems and make decisions in times of crisis. The study employed a qualitative research design with a multi-site case study. The data is obtained through semi-structured interviews with six secondary school leaders in a northern Malaysian state. Each participant has at least 30 years of educational experience and has served as a school leader for at least three years. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) Six-Phase Thematic Analysis is utilised to analyse the interview data. The findings of the study are presented using Bazeley’s (2009) D-C-R: Describe, Compare, Relate. The findings reveal school leaders’ practices for responding to and managing crises. During the crisis, school leaders used a variety of effective problem-solving and decision-making strategies. The findings then revealed the use of an eclectic style of leadership during the crisis. The personalised leadership practices revealed a combination of models and theories that were helpful for effective problem-solving and decision-making during the crisis. Major challenges such as learning disruptions, digital gaps and ensuring equity in learning are also highlighted by school leaders. The findings also suggested that leading a school during a crisis requires significant moral, financial, and professional support. Additionally, school leaders need better training programmes on crisis management, problem-solving, and decision-making. The findings also revealed that school leaders need empowerment and autonomy to effectively solve problems and make decisions during a crisis. Overall, the study adds to the field of education by giving useful insights for school leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders looking to improve leadership effectiveness in crisis management and how to cope with crises in educational settings in the future. Keywords: School leaders, educational leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, crisis management, educational policy.

This research aims to conduct a comparative analysis on the fatawa concerning the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims that have been issued by muftun and fatwa institutions in Malaysia. Malaysia has a total of 15 fatwa institutions, each with its own jurisdiction over fatwa issuance and is not bound by fatwa issued by other institutions. Due to this circumstance, different fatawa have occasionally been issued in relation to the same issue, which leads to confusion among the general public. This is particularly crucial in light of the problems involving relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims, as issues related to this matter have always been a contentious topic in Malaysia and it affects how Muslims and non-Muslims interact with each other. Therefore, this study attempts to evaluate the conflicting fatawa by highlighting the causes for the differences as well as their evidences and arguments. In conducting this research, library research method is utilized in order to gain a better insight into the Islamic perspective in regard to Muslims and non-Muslims relationship. As this research requires data on the conflicting fatawa issued, inductive method is used by gathering all conflicting fatawa issued by both muftun and fatwa institutions. The data is analyzed by applying comparative method on the conflicting fatawa issued in this matter. The primary finding of this study is that there have been ten conflicting fatawa issued on this subject, some of which can be diminished if the root of the conflict is identified. While the contradiction may cause confusion to the public, especially when it comes to matters regarding Islamic belief, it also opens the door for the practice of ijtihad in choosing the better opinion in actualizing maṣlaḥah (common good) for the people in Malaysia.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) suffers from low energy gain yield (output/cost) and is unsuitable for most practical implementations. Microbial zinc/air cell employing freely suspended white rot fungal Phanerochaete chrysosporium fed with empty fruit bunch (EFB) has demonstrated promising prospects as a sustainable MFC. This work aimed to increase the energy gain yield of the system by minimizing external control features, implementing low-cost design, and increasing the energy output. To fulfil the power output for most low-power applications, multiple MFCs need to be connected in a stacking configuration. However, the variation in individual MFC’s electromotive force (e.m.f) due to living microbes activities induces parasitic currents in parallel configuration. This work introduced a novel open-parallel unit-cell configuration for MFC stacking. All unit cells were connected in parallel configuration but hydrodynamically connected i.e. they shared a common electrolyte. Using this configuration, the discharge capacity of the MFC stack was extended 3.4 times, the total power output was increased by 2.6 times compared to the common parallel configuration, and the parasitic current was effectively eliminated. The microbial zinc/air cell is an air-cathode MFC. The air cathode is the most expensive component in an air-cathode MFC and, in most cases, requires an air aeration system. Therefore, this work designed and fabricated a low-cost and easy-to-fabricate air cathode. It is low cost because it is non-catalytic and the fabrication did not require special processes, only mere mechanical press of the cell holders. Further, the air cathode components of carbon felt, carbon fibre sheet and nickel mesh, were designed for operating under submerged conditions and depending only on dissolved oxygen. Therefore, air aeration is not required. The proposed air cathode was capable of sustaining a discharge current of 1 mA for 42 days (1008 mAh) under submerged conditions thus supporting its viability. Aside from the low-cost design, the cylindrical air cathode configuration also offers the advantage of compact multipolar design. Since the microbial zinc/air cell was fed with lignin rich EFB as a substrate for Phanerochaete chrysosporium, this work assessed its efficacy as a lignin rich agrowaste degradation cell. The rates of lignin degradation were evaluated under self-generated current and externally supplied current. It was found that electric current stimulus enhances the lignin degradation. Externally supplied current induced higher lignin degradation. However, when the current supplied was 5 mA or higher, it disrupted the lignin degradation rates.

Ovarian cancer (OC) poses a significant risk as it usually remains asymptomatic until advanced stages, resulting in delayed diagnosis and lowering the chances of survival. This fifth most common cancer among women globally lacks efficient screening approaches for early stages OC (stage I and II), increasing the threat of OC progression and mortality. In this study, the in silico method was applied to design DNA aptamer hairpins for the detection of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), an OC biomarker. The in silico work outcome was supported by an in vitro assay. The work began with the HE4 protein modelling using AlphaFold, I-TASSER, and Robetta protein structure prediction servers. Subsequently, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted on each predicted model for 100 ns using the OPLS force field, for structure refinement. The tertiary structure quality was validated by PROCHECK and ERRAT, showing the refined model from AlphaFold, RF1, was the highest-quality HE4 tertiary conformation. All amino acids were located in the favoured regions of Ramachandran plot with ERRAT overall quality score of 97.701. Next, this HE4 structure was docked using AutoDock Vina with four HE4 aptamer candidates (A1, A2, A3, and A4). The HE4-A4 binding energy was -6.0 kcal/mol, and the complex formed 24 hydrogen bonds (H-bonds); 5 identified at the aptamer hairpin loop region. A4 was chosen as the most suitable candidate to be utilised in the designing of the DNA hairpin, as it exhibited good affinity with highest number of H-bonds at the hairpin loop. To initiate the in silico design of new hairpins, the 25-mer A4 aptamer was truncated at the hairpin region, 5’-CGCAAG-3’ and the stem was extended, forming the 5’-GCGCAAGC-3’ sequence. The loop nucleotides, -GCAA-, were substitutionally mutated, producing 256 sequences. These 256 hairpins were docked with HE4 individually, and H16, H101, and H256 have shown good binding affinities with binding energies ranging between -10.6 and -11.6 kcal/mol. Consequently, 100 ns MD simulation using CHARMM27 force field was applied to the HE4-H16, HE4-H101, and HE4-H256 complexes. Based on the RMSD, radius of gyration, number of H-bonds, H-bond occupancy, and the overall total energy, H256 was deduced as the most promising DNA hairpin against HE4 marker with great affinity and stability throughout the simulation. This H256 hairpin was synthesised and its binding with HE4 was analysed via in vitro electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Based on the DNA band intensities, the designed H256 (3.27 %) bound four times better to HE4 than the A4 aptamer (0.84 %). Finally, a preliminary study for future diagnostic potential was carried out by conjugating gold nanoparticle (GNP) with H256. The FTIR and Raman spectra confirmed the presence of amide group, formed by the successful conjugation of the carboxylated GNP with the aminated-H256. The GNP solution changed from red to purple-red, indicating the size increment after conjugation, that was confirmed by particle size analyser. In conclusion, H256 is a promising DNA hairpin in HE4 screening and is recommended for future development of a fully functional OC diagnostic kit, suitable to be used in routine screening for all women, with or without symptoms. This potentially improves the detection among early stages (I and II) patients, enhancing patients’ outcome.

ABSTRACT This research aims to address the gaps in the Omani Electronic Transactions Law (ETL), enacted in 2008. The law has not been developed to align with the technological advancements and the rapid growth in e-commerce witnessed in the contemporary world. It also seeks to assess how well the Omani ETL 2008 accommodates emerging E-Commerce issues and to evaluate the extent to which related Omani legal frameworks, such as the Cybercrime Law 2011, the Commercial Law 1990, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Law 2002, the Consumer Protection Law 2014, protect stakeholders. Furthermore, the research identifies necessary amendments to the Omani ETL of 2008 to ensure it keeps pace with digital and electronic developments and the current trends in e-commerce. The research relied on the descriptive, inductive, and implied approaches. The descriptive method was used to examine and present the research problem clearly and straightforwardly, making it easier for the reader to understand and visualize the issue. The inductive approach was adopted for collecting the information and opinions of the researchers related to the details of the research topic. It aimed to clarify the research problem by presenting various perspectives and deriving relevant theories from the details used to interpret legal materials concerning the legal protection of e-commerce in the Omani ETL 2008 and Omani judicial rulings on related cases. The applied approach included presenting judicial applications related to the research topic from the perspective of Omani and Arab judiciary. It involved discussing and analyzing cases and rulings of the Omani Supreme Court concerning e-commerce. The research concluded that the use of smart and digital contracts and currencies is still in its infancy and virtually non-existent in the Sultanate of Oman. This is evident from the lack of legal cases related to smart and digital contracts and currencies. The research suggests that Oman must benefit from legal cases discussed elsewhere. It emphasizes the need for Omani legislators to develop legal frameworks for smart and digital contracts and currencies introduced into Omani laws. The ETL 2008 does not address smart contracts specifically, and it would be beneficial to draw on other laws that have clarified the concept of smart contracts.

ABSTRACT This research aims to address the gaps in the Omani Electronic Transactions Law (ETL), enacted in 2008. The law has not been developed to align with the technological advancements and the rapid growth in e-commerce witnessed in the contemporary world. It also seeks to assess how well the Omani ETL 2008 accommodates emerging E-Commerce issues and to evaluate the extent to which related Omani legal frameworks, such as the Cybercrime Law 2011, the Commercial Law 1990, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Law 2002, the Consumer Protection Law 2014, protect stakeholders. Furthermore, the research identifies necessary amendments to the Omani ETL of 2008 to ensure it keeps pace with digital and electronic developments and the current trends in e-commerce. The research relied on the descriptive, inductive, and implied approaches. The descriptive method was used to examine and present the research problem clearly and straightforwardly, making it easier for the reader to understand and visualize the issue. The inductive approach was adopted for collecting the information and opinions of the researchers related to the details of the research topic. It aimed to clarify the research problem by presenting various perspectives and deriving relevant theories from the details used to interpret legal materials concerning the legal protection of e-commerce in the Omani ETL 2008 and Omani judicial rulings on related cases. The applied approach included presenting judicial applications related to the research topic from the perspective of Omani and Arab judiciary. It involved discussing and analyzing cases and rulings of the Omani Supreme Court concerning e-commerce. The research concluded that the use of smart and digital contracts and currencies is still in its infancy and virtually non-existent in the Sultanate of Oman. This is evident from the lack of legal cases related to smart and digital contracts and currencies. The research suggests that Oman must benefit from legal cases discussed elsewhere. It emphasizes the need for Omani legislators to develop legal frameworks for smart and digital contracts and currencies introduced into Omani laws. The ETL 2008 does not address smart contracts specifically, and it would be beneficial to draw on other laws that have clarified the concept of smart contracts.

The use of active methods and strategies for teaching writing skills, such as Metacognitive Regulation Strategies (MRSs), are extremely important in enhancing students` various capabilities in solving not only academic problems but also life issues. This is especially true for the pre-service student teachers who are learning English as a second language in Teacher Training Schools. In this regard, learning these strategies greatly impacts the development of the English language within the four skills in general and in writing in particular. Thus, teaching and training students on how to use these strategies play a vital role in the teaching and learning process. This study sought to explore the English language pre-service student teachers’ perspectives on Metacognitive Regulation Strategies (MRS) in essay writing at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah, Algiers, Algeria. The study was informed by the Metacognition Theory of Flavell. Three key research questions were developed: 1) How do pre-service student teachers conceptualise the meaning of MRS, its role, and the ways of using these strategies? 2) To what extent these students were aware of using MRS in their essay writing? 3) Their attitudes toward using MRS in essay writing at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah? The research paradigm chosen was mixed-method. For the qualitative part, a case study design was done involving twelve English students selected purposefully from the third, fourth, and fifth years, while the quantitative part was done through a survey questionnaire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data collection methods used were online in-depth interviews through the Google Meet platform, and about 300 survey questionnaires were distributed to the students via Google Forms. A total of 257 questionnaires were usable for the statistical analysis. Data were analysed thematically for the qualitative part while the SPSS 28 package and PLS Path Modelling were used for the quantitative part. The findings showed that the students hold multiple conceptual meanings of MRSs. The majority of them understood it as a conscious process guiding and regulating their essays. Most of them viewed MRS as having a great role in helping them write meaningful essays by setting clear plans for their essays, initiating their awareness in their pre-writing stage, and assisting them with the text structure and organization. In addition, the findings also showed that the students are highly aware of MRSs in writing their essays, making use of the evaluation strategy in the first place, then the planning strategy, followed by the monitoring strategy Thus, the results of the study show that MRS are useful tools to improve essay writing and increase motivation to write effectively in English as a second foreign language. This shows that MRSs are very useful in improving students` writing skills. Of all the writing tools, MRSs seem to be a higher order skill that involves monitoring, planning and self-assessment and is most needed by ESOL students to write a clear and meaningful essay. The results of the study also show that the more proficient the students become in MRS, the more skilful and independent they become. However, the study shows that English teachers are not assessing students fully in writing. Therefore, there is a need for teacher trainers in Algeria to revise their pedagogical courses to formally incorporate MRSs into teaching writing skills. The Ministry of Education should also provide adequate teaching and learning facilities in reconstructing the existing curriculum to professionally promote the use of the English language. This inadequacy has been identified as one of the key obstacles to the effective implementation of MRSs at the Teacher Training School of Bouzareah in Algiers, Algeria.

This study aims to develop a hierarchical model for Social Commerce Service Quality (SCSQ) in order to rank the quality dimensions necessary for measuring the performance of the Malaysian modest fashion industry. This study used a sequential mixed methods approach. Initially, online semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants where eight dimensions and 30 sub-dimensions were revealed. Then, 61 regular social commerce customers participated in a quantitative questionnaire survey whereby the SCSQ hierarchical model was created and the identified dimensions were prioritised using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) relative measurement. It has been discovered that Privacy and Security emerged as the most crucial dimensions, followed by Functional Quality and Design Quality, meanwhile Trustworthy Platform acts as a crucial sub-dimension. To operationalise the hierarchical model, AHP’ absolute measurement was used where a survey was conducted on 33 customers who had previous experience with social commerce purchases from three different Malaysian modest fashion brands. It is found that Malaysian modest fashion brands were at a good stage of SCSQ evaluation and also pointed out certain areas that could be enhanced. The developed model is unique and can be used not only by Malaysian modest fashion practitioners but most social commerce businesses to measure their SCSQ performance.

This research aims to study one of the Shari'a standards of the Accounting and Audit-ing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), the guarantees stand-ard. This standard will be compared with its counterparts in the Shari'a resolution is-sued by the Shari'a board of the Kuwait Finance House (KFH). This study aims to explain the types of financial guarantees. The research adopts the inductive approach by extrapolating the provisions of guarantees in the books of jurisprudence (Fiqh), the AAOIFI Shari'a standards, and the KFH Shari'a resolutions. Also, the analytical ap-proach was used to analyze the statements of early and contemporary jurists regard-ing guarantees, the AAOIFI standard of guarantees, and the KFH Shari'a resolutions related to guarantees. Moreover, a comparative approach was used to compare con-temporary applications of guarantees in the AAOIFI Shari'a standards and the KFH Shari'a resolutions. Among the results reached by this research is that contemporary applications of guarantees and most of their provisions are similar in AAOIFI and KFH. Both took many documentary guarantees and tried to create a kind of balance by preserving the rights of financial institutions and their clients together and within the legal controls of the provisions of guarantees, as both AAOIFI and KFH prohibit-ed the fees for the guarantee while allowing the actual costs to be charged. They did not consider the trustee a guarantor if he could prove that he did not violate it or was negligent. AAOIFI and KFH stated that the guarantee funds should be returned to their owners except to the extent of the actual damage that occurs to the institutions, with the preference of waiving some of their rights in some cases, such as in the �Ar-boun (Earnest money).

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between business risks and the quality of financial reporting. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of business risks as independent variables in the quality of financial reporting as a variable of the Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment and Development in Erbil, for the period (2005-2021). The study provided a comprehensive review of the literature related to the subject of the study and the formulation of the study's hypotheses based on the theoretical foundations. As for the practical side, it has been conducting empirical analysis based on the financial statements taken from the annual financial reports of Kurdistan International Islamic Bank to measure the variables of the study and to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between them by using the quantitative statistical method according to the STATA program. The researcher reinforced the study's results using the qualitative approach, by conducting interviews with experts. The study�s results confirmed the validity of its hypotheses based on the existence of a statistically significant relationship between (business risks) and (quality of financial reporting). The statistical analysis revealed negative transactions associated with liquidity risk, credit risk, operational risk and capital risk, indicating that higher levels of these risks coincide with lower quality of financial reporting. The results of business risks also showed statistical significance consistent with previous research that highlighted the impact of business risks on the quality of financial reports in banks in general. The results of the interviews confirmed the importance of integrating the audit approach with a comprehensive business risk assessment to ensure the quality of financial reporting, enhance banks� understanding of their challenges, and improve their effective risk management, which contributes to enhancing confidence in Islamic banks and achieving transparency in their financial reports. The study contributes to providing valuable insights and practical recommendations to professionals, regulators, decision-makers, and those responsible for the governance regulations of Islamic financial institutions. It also indicates that financial reports are of higher quality when there is an effective mechanism and an integrated framework between internal audit and risk management.

This thesis investigates the challenges and dynamics of Muslims and non-Muslims in India with a focus on the objectives laid down in the Maqasid al-Qur’an. The focus is on investigating the challenges that Indian Muslims have faced throughout history and today, especially the effects of Hindu fundamentalism and nationalism. The purpose of the study is to establish causes for conflict and miscommunication between these communities and advance recommendations for building more effective, mutual and positive relations. In accordance with the problem statement, the conflict of interest and hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims in India is escalating due to the active aggression of Hindu radicals. The research uses high inductive, descriptive, and analytical methodological approaches, which fall under the qualitative research category. The study highlights the historical advancement of Hindu nationalism and the fundamentals of Muslims in India. The threats, as outlined in this paper, unequivocally indicate the dangers these militant groups present to the social and economic lives of Muslims. Moreover, the research shows a practical utilisation of Maqasid al-Qur’an and its potential in resolving such concerns, promoting dialogue, and building understanding between different religious groups. All in all, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the relevance and importance of Maqasid al-Qur’an with respect to India. It emphasised compelling factors that are felt socially concerning Indian Muslims to foster a society for everyone in the country where their rights and dignity is protected.