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In additive manufacturing processes such as stereolithography and fused deposition modeling, optimal part orientation is pivotal in improving the quality of the part. This paper aims to propose an automatic and optimal part orientation system to improve part quality/accuracy in additive manufacturing, which minimizes the production time and hence reduces the cost of product.

The developed system reads STEP AP 203 E2 file from CATIA V5 and generates data extraction output file by extracting the relevant geometrical and topological data using an object-oriented approach. Afterwards, the algorithms and rules are developed to extract and recognize feature faces along with their geometric properties such as face type, face area, parallelism and perpendicularity. The feature data obtained that are used to develop feasible part orientations depend on the maximization of G&DT for all part faces. The automatic slicing is then achieved by creating slicing file using CATVBA editor inside CATIA V5.

After slicing, output data are exported in Excel data sheet to calculate the total additive volume of the part. The building time of the part is then calculated on the basis of machine parameters, part geometry, part height, layer thickness and amount of support volume needed to build the part. The optimal orientation of the part is achieved by maximization of G&DT value and minimization of production time. The proposed methodology is tested using an illustrative example.

Although lot of approaches have been discussed in the literature, automation of setup planning/orientation of the part in additive manufacturing is not fully attained. Therefore, the article focuses on the automation of setup planning by adding automatic feature extraction and recognition module along with the automatic slicing during setup planning. Moreover, the significance of adding feature extraction and recognition module is to achieve best accuracy for form feature faces and hence reduction in post processing machining/finishing operations.

Winglets play a major role in saving fuel costs because they reduce the lift-induced drag formed at the wingtips. The purpose of this paper is to obtain the best orientation of the winglet for the Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA) M6 wing at Mach number 0.84 in terms of lift to drag ratio.

A computational fluid dynamics analysis of the wing-winglet configuration based on the ONERA M6 airfoil on drag reduction for different attack angles at Mach 0.84 was performed using analysis of systems Fluent. First, the best values of cant and sweep angles in terms of aerodynamic performance were selected by performing simulations. The analysis included cant angle values of 30°, 40°, 45°, 55°, 60°, 70° and 75°, while for the sweep angles 35°, 45°, 55°, 65° and 75° angles were used. The aerodynamic performance was measured in terms of the obtained lift to drag ratios.

The results showed that slight alternations in the winglet configuration can improve aerodynamic performance for various attack angles. The best lift to drag ratio for the winglet was achieved at a cant angle of 30° and a sweep angle of 65°, which caused a 5.33% increase in the lift to drag ratio. The toe-out angle winglets as compared to the toe-in angles caused the lift to drag ratio to increase because of more attached flow at its surface. The maximum value of the lift to drag ratio was obtained with a toe-out angle (−5°) at an angle of attack 3° which was 2.53% greater than the zero-toed angle winglet.

This work is relatively unique because the cant, sweep and toe angles were analyzed altogether and led to a significant reduction in drag as compared to wing without winglet. The wing model was compared with the results provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration so this validated the simulation for different wing-winglet configurations.

The main purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of mushārakah mutanāqisah (MM; diminishing partnership) technique and its potentials for Islamic financial institutions.

Based on an extensive literature review, this paper aims to highlight, explain and discuss the basic principles underlying implementation of MM and its distinctive features when compared to other modes of finance.

Islamic banks, throughout the years, developed several modes of finance which are more or less similar to their conventional counterparts. In fact, al‐Bay^c bithaman al‐ājil (BBA) and murābahah are the two instruments most commonly used by Islamic banks and financial institutions. Investment and financing through the profit and loss sharing instruments is almost nonexistent within the Islamic financial system. MM technique is an alternative financial instrument available for Islamic banks. It is a relatively new and very little used product available for Islamic banks. The paper claims that MM is more in line with Shari'ah teachings and as such should be used more by Islamic financial institutions. The study indicates that MM possibly has a comparative advantage for both financier and the customer when compared with conventional loans and BBA.

As a relatively new and untested mode of finance, the paper offers a theoretical overview only. Further studies should discuss more practical issues that keep banks away from utilizing MM more efficiently.

The comprehensive overview of the MM and underlying issue discussed in this paper is a very good foundation for further studies on the topic. It gives a clear theoretical base for practical implementation of MM.

Islamic banking as a financial institution has always been proclaimed to be different from conventional banking systems. This is mainly due to the prohibition of interest and emphasis on achieving social economic responsibility in society. However, in practice, Islamic banking practices in the UK seem to be far away from its paradigm version. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate user perceptions of Islamic banking practices in the UK.

To explore the understandings and perceptions of customers about Islamic banking practices in the UK an online questionnaire survey is used as the research approach in this study. The survey was conducted through a closed‐ended structured questionnaire.

The overall findings of this study suggest that Islamic banking in the UK is not fully aligned with the paradigm version of Islamic finance. The respondents generally agree with the view that the principle of profit and loss sharing element represents the true spirit of Islamic banking practices, however, due to the complex nature of Islamic banking products, they are unsure about the full benefits of this system. There is a high expectation among the respondents about the commitment and strong welfare role of Islamic banks in society. It is therefore suggested that through research, effective marketing and generating more awareness in users about Islamic finance, it is possible to achieve more from the Islamic banking paradigm.

This study is not only relevant to Muslims, but also to the banking regulators in the UK, as many conventional banks are now offering Islamic products and services alongside their routine interest‐based transactions. Hence there is a need for the regulators to understand the real nature of such practices by both the Islamic and conventional banks and establish a uniform regulation so that users are not ill‐treated by banks in the UK.

This paper examines the Pakistani state's shift from the accommodation to exclusion of the heterodox Ahmadiyya community, a self-defined minority sect of Islam. In 1953, the Pakistani state rejected demands by a religious movement that Ahmadis be legally declared non-Muslim. In 1974 however, the same demand was accepted. This paper argues that this shift in the state's policy toward Ahmadis was contingent on the distinct political fields in which the two religious movements were embedded. Specifically, it points to conjunctures among two processes that defined state–religious movement relations: intrastate struggles for political power, and the framing strategies of religious movements vis-à-vis core symbolic issues rife in the political field. Consequently, the exclusion of Ahmadis resulted from the transformation of the political field itself, characterized by the increasing hegemony of political discourses referencing Islam, shift toward electoral politics, and the refashioning of the religious movement through positing the “Ahmadi issue” as a national question pertaining to democratic norms.

The purpose of this paper is to identify what lifestyles best explain and impact ecological behavior among young Indian consumers.

This paper adapts the lifestyle scale developed by He et al. (2010) and the Actual Commitment scale to the Indian context to describe its impact on the young consumer’s ecological profile. The study is based on an extensive literature review. The data were obtained from a questionnaire handed out to a sample of 250 students. With the information obtained, and after the scale validation process, a structural equation analysis has been conducted.

Findings of the study highlight that environmental patterns and lifestyle factors are those that best characterize the ecological market segment. This group of young consumers is characterized by their self-identity and a feeling of uniqueness. They are people who always try to improve themselves and take actions which pose a new challenge for them. They are also characterized by having an ecological lifestyle, selecting and recycling products and taking part in events to protect the environment. This type of consumer is a present and future investment for firms that are committed to the environment.

The results of this study might interest consumer behavior researchers and those firms that care about the ecological consumers. Moreover, previous studies have not dealt with young consumers. Further research is needed including new psychographic variables.

Analyzing and reducing entropy generation is useful for enhancing the thermodynamic performance of engineering systems. This study aims to explore how polymers and nanoparticles in the presence of Lorentz forces influence the fluid behavior and heat transfer characteristics to lessen energy loss and entropy generation.

The dispersion model is initially used to examine the behavior of polymer additives over a magnetized surface. The governing system of partial differential equations (PDEs) is subsequently reduced through the utilization of similarity transformation techniques. Entropy analysis is primarily performed through the implementation of numerical computations on a non-Newtonian polymeric FENE-P model.

The numerical simulations conducted in the presence of Lorentz forces provide significant insights into the consequences of adding polymers to the base fluid. The findings suggest that such an approach minimizes entropy in the flow region. Through the utilization of polymer-MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) interactions, it is feasible to reduce energy loss and improve the efficiency of the system.

This study’s primary motivation and novelty lie in examining the significance of polymer additives as agents that reduce entropy generation on a magnetic surface. The author looks at how nanofluids affect the development of entropy and the loss of irreversibility. To do this, the author uses the Lorentz force, the Soret effect and the Dufour effect to minimize entropy. The findings contribute to fluid mechanics and thermodynamics by providing valuable insights for engineering systems to increase energy efficiency and conserve resources.

The current study provides new insights into the relationships between knowledge development (KD) and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) by exploring the mediating effects of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in terms of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking.

Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 242 manufacturing organizations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

The results reveal that innovativeness and proactiveness have full mediating effects on the relationship between KD and SSCP. Though KD is negatively related to risk taking and has insignificant indirect effect on SSCP via risk taking, the mediating effect of risk taking remains moderate positive on the relationship between KD and SSCP.

Given that the current study focuses on manufacturing sector, future research is needed for more comparative studies conducted in different sectors and cultural contexts. The negative link between KD and risk taking also warrants future investigation.

Organizations may reduce their level of risk taking due to the increase in KD. However, in order to enhance SSCP, risk taking is still needed as it mediates the relationship between KD and SSCP.

The mediating effects of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking on the relationship between KD and SSCP are unknown. Current study aims to address this gap.

This paper aims to discuss the views of scholarship in South Asia regarding Riba and Riba-free finance, including the conservative and realist schools in mainstream thought and the assimilative and interpretive schools in liberal thought.

The paper uses textual analysis to critically review the writings of scholars in South Asia on contemporary issues regarding Riba and Riba-free finance. It provides a critical review in the light of Islamic jurisprudence and extant Islamic economics literature.

There are several characteristics in conventional banking and finance products that do not comply with Islamic teachings. In this scenario, Islamic banking is comparatively a better alternative to conventional banking and finance products to achieve Shari’ah compliance and avoid indulging in Riba.

Voluntary financial exclusion to avoid Riba is significant in Muslim-majority countries. Increased penetration of Islamic finance requires clarity on what is Riba and confidence in Riba-free alternatives. Outreach efforts of Islamic financial institutions use conventional banking as a frame of reference to provide a critique of interest-based banking. However, the apprehensions within the Islamic finance literature also need to be answered to change perception and enhance people’s willingness to use Islamic banking. Doing this can expedite the process of financial inclusion as well as help in the transformation of the economy on Riba-free foundations in a reasonably quick timeframe.

This is the first study to critically evaluate the financial proposals presented and propagated by the contemporary interpretive school in South Asia.

This study attempts to quantify the degree of independence of Central Bank of India from both legal and behavioural contexts over the period 1990–1991 to 2018–2019, a period encompassing major developments in the operation and regulation of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

We followed Jasmine et al. (2019) to calculate the magnitude of de jure independence of RBI and for de facto independence, “turnover rate (TOR) of CB governor” as proposed by Cukierman et al. (1992) is applied.

The results report that the legal autonomy of RBI increased specifically after the reforms and post formulation of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). However, the actual independence of RBI remains more or less in line within the critical threshold limit of 0.2.

The study proposes effective implementation of laws and procedures designed to promote the independence of Central Bank of India imperative for an effective monetary operation along with a coordinated fiscal policy.

Targeted study of a particular central bank on its “independence” aspect in general and of the Reserve Bank of India in particular has not been attempted as on date. It is to this end that the present study contributes.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0098.