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Purpose This paper aims to examine the determinants that influence the customer’s adoption towards the use of family takaful scheme by extending diffusion theory of innovation (DOI) in the context of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The published work allied to takaful studies and DOI was reviewed. Total of 282 respondents who are non-users of family takaful product were used for the purpose of primary data collection through convenience sampling. Findings The customer’s adoption towards Islamic insurance is determined not only by perceived relative advantage and perceived compatibility but also by awareness and religious belief. Perceived complexity, on the contrary, turns out not to be a predictor of family takaful adoption. Further, gender, age and education do not moderate the family takaful adoption by the customers. Research limitations/implications This research alike others have limitations in terms of sampling method used and only covers one city of Pakistan, namely, Karachi. Further studies need to be conducted in other cities as well with a large population. Originality/value Extended DOI is not used in the context of takaful in Pakistan as evident from scarce literature on the empirical studies. Therefore, the authors extend the DOI in the current work. Further, this paper will be a useful reference guide for the academicians, operators of takaful business and future researchers.

The article has two fold purpose; it proposes a revised technology acceptance model which includes usability dimensions and then tests revised model by measuring user acceptance of web-based transactional systems (WTS). Model was tested and validated through data obtained from 301 online users. The results suggest that the two important tenets, usefulness and ease of use have significant influence on intention to transact. Response time was found to have an effect on perceived usefulness. Accessibility and navigability had shown significant impact on perceived ease of use. Overall, results supported the proposed hypothetical model.

Nowadays, every internet user is part of cyber world. In this way, millions of users, knowledge seekers, and service provider organizations are connected to each other, a vast number of common people shifted their everyday activities to cyber world as they can save their time, traffic problem and gets effective and costless services by using various services such as, online banking, social networking sites, government services and cloud services. The use of Cyber services, eBusiness, eCommerce and eGovernance increases the usage of online/cyber services also increased the issue of cyber security. Recently, various cases have been reported in the literature and media about the cyber-attacks and crimes which seriously disrupted governments, businesses and personal lives. From the literature. It is noticed that every cyber user is unaware about privacy and security practices and measures. Therefore, cyber user has provided knowledge and fully aware them from the online services and also about cyber privacy and security. This paper presents a review on the recent cybercrimes, threats and attacks reported in the literature and media. In addition, the impact of these cyber breaches and cyber law to deal with cyber security has been discussed. At last, a defensive model is also proposed to mitigate cyber-criminal activities.

Aquaculture procedures usually induce stress that affects the physiological status of fish. For this reason, the inclusion of additives in fish feeds to palliate stress might be a good alternative. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) essential oil (CEO) against bacterial pathogens and to determine its dietary impact on the growth performance of Sparus aurata. In vitro tests confirmed that CEO possesses antimicrobial activity against several fish-specific pathogens. For the in vivo tests, three experimental groups were fed for 60 days with different concentrations of CEO: CTRL (0 mL kg−1 fish feed), CEO1 (1 mL kg−1 fish feed), and CEO2 (2 mL kg−1 fish feed). At the end of the experiment, the physiological status was characterized. Subsequently, the specimens of the CTRL and CEO2 groups were subjected to a challenge with an injection of Poly I:C for immune stimulation. Although S. aurata individuals tolerated CEO inclusion without compromising growth performance, it significantly reduced glycogen in the CEO2 group, concomitant to an increment of total peripheral leucocytes. Moreover, different hematological profiles’ responsive patterns against an inflammatory stimulus were observed. In conclusion, our results suggest that the use of CEO as a fish feed additive can prevent bacterial outbreaks and improve potential in vivo disease resistance in S. aurata without negatively affecting growth.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of dietary administration of two probiotic strains belonging to Shewanella genus (Pdp11 and Pdp13), on juvenile Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis, Kaup 1858). Fish were fed three experimental diets for 2 months: two diets supplemented with 109 cfu g−1 feed of Pdp11 and Pdp13 probiotics and one control group. At the end of the experiment, samples were collected to determine muscle and liver body composition and to study digestive tract and liver histology. A challenge with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (ip) was performed. Results showed a protection for fish receiving probiotic supplemented diets (Relative Percentage Survival 27.5 ± 2.5% for Pdp11; 32.5 ± 2.5% for Pdp13) and a better growth for control and Pdp11 diets. Higher total protein in muscle were detected for fish fed the probiotic diets and significant differences in muscle and liver fatty acid profiles were observed for Pdp11 and Pdp13 compared to the control. Light microscopy images from sole specimens fed the Pdp11 diet showed scarce presence of lipid droplets inside of enterocytes and hepatocytes while greater numbers were found in fish fed the control and Pdp13 diets. Finally, the DGGE technique results suggest that the addition of the probiotic strains of Shewanella genus highly influenced the intestinal microbiota of Senegalese sole specimens, although this effect may depend on the probiotic strain assayed.

Analysis of a model is always a hot area of research. The quality of a feature model plays a significant role in software production because it is being used in product development. In this paper, along with the verification of errors in feature models we are validating our previous work where we have presented algorithms for the detection of quality level for a given feature model. Here, we are presenting the linear formulas of the feature models that we use as input for the quality detection algorithms. Further, this version is validating our semantics based quality detection technique of feature models.

Seeds of a Chinese traditional medicine plant, Cochinchina momordica were used in the present study for the improvement of influenza vaccine (H5N1) in chicken. Crude extraction from Cochinchina momordica seed (ECMS) was obtained by ethanol extraction method. In experiment No. 1, two weeks old chickens were immunized with influenza vaccine (H5N1) alone or combined with ECMS (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 microg/dose). Serum IgG antibody levels (by ELISA) as well as effects on daily weight gain were measured on 0, 7, 14 and 28th day after immunization. Results revealed that all ECMS groups numerically increased the antibody levels while 10 and 20 microg/dose groups significantly (P0.05) enhanced total IgG antibody on day 28, when compared with control. Average daily weight gain was also significantly higher in 20 microg/dose ECMS group. Adjuvant effect was also confirmed in experiment No. 2 when chickens were immunized with 20 microg/dose ECMS and antibody titer was measured through hemagglutination inhibition (HI). It is concluded that ECMS has potential to improve the immune responses and deserve further study as an adjuvant.

Bacteria isolated from an outbreak with moderate mortalities in farmed sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup), in the south of Spain were identified as Vibrio harveyi and V. parahaemolyticus. Only bacterial strains showing swarming were virulent in sole and caused mortalities in experimentally inoculated fish. However, the signs of the disease were only reproduced with V. harveyi. The intramuscular inoculation of the extracellular products (ECPs) of both species produced mortalities in inoculated fish and the appearance of surface ulcers in the case of V. harveyi. However, the inoculation of sublethal doses of ECPs to fish showed a protective effect against V. harveyi.

Abstract Qatar Petroleum's supergiant Dukhan field located onshore Qatar has a mature well inventory of hundreds of wells. Mitigating well integrity risk without affecting crude oil production and water injection targets is critical to sustaining revenue streams from the field. This involves a large number of integrity repair wellwork with workover rigs. Performing such a wellwork campaign is time-intensive and without adequate prioritization has the potential of jeopardizing well integrity and causing safety/environmental issues besides adversely affecting the production and injection levels. This paper discusses a qualitative model that has been developed and used to prioritize repair wellwork in Dukhan field. The model is centered round integrity risk level and revenue potential of wells. A set of integrity parameters including status of surface and downhole barriers determines integrity risk level. Another set of reservoir management and well capability parameters determines revenue potential. Each of the wells is then assigned scores to reflect the risk level and the revenue potential. Cross-scaling of such scores defines the priority of a repair wellwork. Using the above approach for wellwork prioritization has been effective in mitigating integrity risk and maintaining revenue potential of the large inventory of mature wells.

The application of probiotics on aquatic animals is increasing for a better fish welfare status as well as an environment-friendly activity which are actual demands of modern aquaculture industry. A bacterium from skin mucus of healthy gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) has been isolated and identified as Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11. Different studies have been done to know its application as probiotic in the Senegalese sole and gilthead seabream farming. This article reviews the studies carried out with this probiotic microorganism focusing on the current knowledge of its in vitro and in vivo mechanisms of action. The results suggested that the probiotic S. putrefaciens Pdp11, due to its beneficial effects, could be used in the aquaculture activity of both species.

We propose a model-based approach to analysing the performance of mobile applications where physical mobility and state changes are modelled by graph transformations from which a model in the Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA) is derived. To fight scalability problems with state space generation we adopt a modular solution where the graph transformation system is decomposed into views, for which labelled transition systems (LTS) are generated separately and later synchronised in PEPA.We demonstrate that the result of this modular analysis is equivalent to that of the monolithic approach and evaluate practicality and scalability by means of a case study.

We propose a model-based approach to analysing the performance of mobile applications where physical mobility and state changes are modelled by graph transformations from which a model in the Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA) is derived. To fight scalability problems with state space generation we adopt a modular solution where the graph transformation system is decomposed into views, for which labelled transition systems (LTS) are generated separately and later synchronised in PEPA. We demonstrate that the result of this modular analysis is equivalent to that of the monolithic approach and evaluate practicality and scalability by means of a case study.

The effects of the dietary administration of two bacterial probiotic strains (Ppd11 and Pdp13) from the Alteromonadaceae family for 60 days, were assessed by measuring growth and feed efficiency, activities of leucine aminopeptidase and alkaline phosphatase and structural changes in the intestine of juvenile Senegalese sole. In addition, the profile of intestinal microbiota was studied by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis. Growth and nutrient utilization were significantly higher in fish receiving probiotics than in those fed the control diet. No differences were observed in proximal composition between treatments, though higher lipid muscle content was measured in fish receiving Pdp13. Those fish also exhibited higher activities of AP when compared to Ppd11 and control groups. The profile of intestinal microbiota clearly separated those fish receiving probiotics from those of the control group. Microscopical examination revealed accumulation of lipid droplets in the enterocytes of fish receiving the control diet, but not in those fed on probiotics. Interactions between those structural changes and growth performance are discussed

The medical and economic importance of ticks has long been recognized due to their ability to transmit diseases to humans and animals. Ticks cause great economic losses to livestock, and adversely affect livestock hosts in several ways. Loss of blood is a direct effect of ticks acting as potential vector for haemo-protozoa and helminth parasites. Blood sucking by large numbers of ticks causes reduction in live weight and anemia among domestic animals, while their bites also reduce the quality of hides. However, major losses caused by ticks are due to their ability to transmit protozoan, rickettsial and viral diseases of livestock, which are of great economic importance world-wide. There are quite a few methods for controlling ticks, but every method has certain shortcomings. The present review is focused on ticks importance and their control.