Search

Ficus deltoidea (FD) is used in traditional Malay medicine to treat various ailments and has been shown to be safe in toxicity studies. However, the information on the safety and efficacy of FD in the atherosclerosis-induced animal model is limited. This study aims to investigate the safety of FD var. kunstleri (FDK) extract on high cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced atherosclerotic rabbits and its efficacy in treating atherosclerosis. New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: G1 (1% HCD for 4 weeks) and G2 (1% HCD for 8 weeks). Each group was randomised into FDK700 (700 mg FDK/kg/day for G1 and G2), FDK800 (800 mg FDK/kg/day for G2), simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) and placebo. The body weight, blood pressure, serum biochemistry and histopathological examination were obtained to assess any toxicity signs. Fasting lipid profile, soluble c-reactive protein (sCRP) level and atherosclerotic plaque formation were compared between treated and placebo groups to evaluate treatment efficacy. Results: No significant differences were observed in all safety parameters between the treated and placebo groups (p

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of system quality, service quality and information quality on the Zakat websites from the visitors' perspectives by utilising Delone and Mclean's information system success (ISS) model. This study collected data from 150 respondents who had prior experience visiting Zakat institutions' websites in Malaysia using an online survey technique. The data were analysed using the partial least square–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The result shows the importance of system quality, service quality, and information quality in influencing the satisfaction level among visitors of Zakat websites. The result also indicates that information quality is the most substantial factor in visitors' satisfaction compared to other quality dimensions. The results of this study can help Zakat institutions improve their service delivery by enhancing the quality dimensions of their websites, particularly on the information displayed about Zakat collection and distribution. An improvement in the quality of Zakat institution's website can promote accountability and transparency of the Zakat collection and distribution system in Malaysia and boost the potential of the Zakat system as a mechanism for society development.

Zakat merupakan satu bentuk bantuan kepada penerima zakat untuk membantu mereka meneruskan kehidupan dan meningkatkan taraf hidup. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menilai impak ekonomi dan sosial agihan zakat oleh Lembaga Zakat Negeri Kedah (LZNK) kepada sekumpulan penerima melalui skim bantuan perniagaan yang dipanggil Bantuan Jayadiri. Kaedah penyelidikan kualitatif digunakan untuk mengumpul dan menganalisis data. Impak ekonomi dan sosial diukur menggunakan formula Pulangan Sosial atas Pelaburan (SROI). Kajian mendapati bahawa bantuan ini secara umumnya telah meningkatkan tahap pendapatan asnaf. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pulangan sosial bagi skim ini kepada penerima zakat adalah sebanyak RM3.22 bagi setiap RM1 yang dilaburkan. Kadar pulangan ini adalah tinggi dan menunjukkan bahawa skim bantuan perniagaan ini telah mencapai matlamatnya, iaitu untuk meningkatkan pendapatan dan kesejahteraan asnaf melalui bantuan perniagaan ini. Pada masa akan datang, dicadangkan bahawa sistem pemantauan dan pelan penambahbaikan tahap peringkat perniagaan penerima bantuan dapat dibangunkan untuk mengekalkan kelestarian program bantuan ini dalam jangka panjang. Kajian ini adalah salah satu kajian terawal yang menggunakan formula impak sosial yang melibatkan pelaburan oleh institusi zakat.

Background: Membrane technology demonstrated a sustainable methodology for water reclamation from oily-wastewater, but it is prone to fouling during longer filtration runs. In this study, fouling resistant polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) containing nanoclays such as halloysite (HT) and montmorillonite (MMT) were fabricated for the effective treatment of oily wastewater. Methods: Phase inversion technique was followed for the fabrication of HT-PVDF and MMT-PVDF MMMs. Physiochemical characterization and filtration experiments were studied to evaluate the influence of nanoclays on PVDF membrane performance. Results: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and morphology analyses indicated that both nanoclays are layered structured with abundant hydrophilic functional groups. The dispersions of HT and MMT were confirmed by surface morphology and topography analysis of PVDF MMMs. The hydrophilicity property was improved in HT-PVDF and MMT-PVDF MMMs, which was evident in the contact angle analysis. Among the membranes, MMT-PVDF MMMs held the higher water permeability of 2.59 x10-8 m/s.kPa. For oil-water filtration, HT-PVDF and MMT-PVDF MMMs displayed higher normalized flux with maximum rejection of more than 95%. Conclusion: Overall, MMT would be cost-effective nanofiller for the development of antifouling PVDF MMMs against oil-water filtration.

The advancement of e-wallet systems, including Alipay, has led consumers to embrace digital payment with financial technologies. Yet, limited research focused on the usage of e-wallets in the context of emerging economies. This research is aimed at investigating the predictors of consumers’ use behavior of the Alipay e-wallet system in an emerging market and moderating role of perceived trust and perceived service quality on this relationship. The technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) were applied as the guiding principle. Data gathered via online surveys among 378 Malaysian Alipay users were analyzed using the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results reveal that all hypotheses were significant towards consumers’ intention to use Alipay in an emerging market except for the moderating role of perceived trust. Perceived usefulness was the strongest predictor factor towards consumers’ intention to use Alipay in an emerging market. This is followed by perceived ease of use. They heavily emphasize the superiorities of Alipay over other e-wallet systems such as efficiency and convenience for conducting financial activities. This study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a comprehensive integrated research model. The research outcome can serve as a guideline for service providers towards enhancing consumers’ adoption of e-wallets for digital payment with financial technologies.

Prosthetic rehabilitation offers an alternative to surgical procedures for repositioning implant-retained auricular prosthesis. This report illustrates a prosthetic rehabilitation of a 15-year- old male with a unilateral microtia who presented with an unfavorable implant-retained left auricular prosthesis. The implants placed seven years ago were drifted posterosuperior away from the ideal ear canal position. The fabrication of a new prosthesis on the existing bar-clip attachment using a custom acrylic base was planned to correct the location. A skin-colour perforated custom acrylic base was fabricated and designed to extend anteriorly, therefore, shifting the prosthesis forwards into a more natural location. The custom base was able to relocate the prosthesis’ position without compromising its retention whilst engaging the existing implant attachment. This in turn enhanced prosthesis acceptability and improved the patient’s confidence. The custom acrylic base serves as a viable option to reposition the prosthesis influenced by age related growth and development.

The Financial Stability Review Second Half 2021 of Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) has reported that the number of unsold houses in Malaysia remained elevated at 180,702 units in the third quarter of 2021 (Q3’21). This has attracted the researcher to explore more on House Price Index (HPI) in Malaysia. HPI measures volatility prices of residential housing in Malaysia over time. The objective of this study is to identify whether there is a relationship among interest rate, inflation rate, population, and house price index in Malaysia by using STATA software. The annual time series data spanning from 2003 to 2021 is used to achieve the objective of this research. The analysis of such times series data was made through the Johansen Test and it was discovered that all explanatory variables were related to HPI in a long run; in which it is negatively related to interest rate, inflation rate and population. However, when the Granger Causality Test was applied to the same time series data, HPI was found to be affected by both the interest and the inflation. Population, on the other hand, does not influence HPI in the short run dynamics. Therefore, it is concluded that most variables used in the study are significant in determining HPI. It is recommended that more independent variables such as real GDP per capita, real domestic credit, construction costs and land supply that can influence HPI should be added for future studies .