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The purpose of this study is to prepare various CeO₂-based carbon material (CNT, CB, GO) nanocomposites through a wet chemical process for the development of a sensor probe to detect various environmental toxins by using an electrochemical approach under room temperature conditions. A comparative study on sensitive and selective phenolic sensor (4-methoxyphenol; 4-MP) has been fabricated by modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with various nanocomposites (NCs) such as CeO₂, CeO₂–CNT (carbon nanotubes), CeO₂–CB (carbon black) and CeO₂–GO (graphene oxide) NCs.

The CeO₂–CNT NCs were prepared by the wet chemical method at low temperature. NCs were characterized by various methods such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR), ultra-violet/visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and XRD (X-ray diffraction). CeO₂–CNT NCs were immobilized as a film on the flat surface of the GCE by using binders (5% Nafion). The electrochemical measurements of the 4-MP detection with the CeO₂–CNT NCs/Nafion/GCE sensor were studied by the current-voltage method.

In the optimal conditions, the sensitivity, detection limit and limit of quantification of 4-MP sensor probe were found to be 47.56 µAcm-2 µM⁻¹, 12.0 ± 0.2 nM and 40.0 ± 0.5 nM (S/N of 3), respectively.

This electrochemical sensor showed an acceptable analytical performance in the detection of 4-MP with higher sensitivity, lower detection limit, large dynamic concentration range, good reproducibility and fast response time.

This electrochemical approach can be applied practically for the determination of selective 4-MP in real environmental and extracted samples.

CeO₂–CNT NCs/Nafion/GCE sensor probe was used for the safety of environmental and health-care fields at larger scales.

This electrochemical approach is a significant achievement on the development of sensor probe. The results are indicated as being technically detailed with an up-to-date account of recent chemical sensor research studies.

The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on the establishment of zakat (Islamic alms) on oil and gas in Malaysia. Being one of the five Islamic pillars, zakat contributes significantly to the country’s socio-economic development and prosperity. However, in Malaysia and other Islamic countries, there is not yet a proper mechanism for calculating zakat on extracted minerals. Similar to gold and silver, oil and gas are valuable minerals, which, upon extraction, are subject to zakat payment. In Malaysia, however, this is not the case.

This study uses a qualitative method. It presents a thorough review on the stipulation for paying zakat on minerals, specifically oil and gas. The deliberation is based on secondary data entailing a comprehensive content analysis of prominent books on the subject, current zakat rulings and legal acts on oil and gas.

Oil and gas are subject to zakat payment, as indicated in several Qurʾānic verses and based on the academic reasoning of Muslim scholars. The zakat calculation for oil and gas entails the nisāb (minimum threshold value of the assets) but not the ḥawl (the requirement for one full Islamic year of ownership for the assets), by analogy with zakat on agricultural produce. Despite the obligation to pay zakat on minerals under the zakāt al-māl (alms due on wealth) category, oil and gas is yet to be fully subject to this practice in Malaysia, although the country is known as an oil-producing Muslim country. Several legislative acts covering the managerial and business side of oil and gas operations have long been established, but the provision on zakat remains unclear. Hence, comprehensive legislation is needed to fine-tune the Malaysian oil and gas system, particularly with regard to zakat.

This study relies mainly on secondary data and literature without performing any empirical investigations.

In terms of academic implication, this study enriches the existing body of knowledge on zakat. Practical implications would include enhanced decision-making concerning zakat on oil and gas on the part of zakat institutions, policymakers and the government of Malaysia.

This study provides practical and academic contributions to the deep understanding of zakat on oil and gas, which has received very little attention in the existing body of literature. Despite being limited in literature, this is a breakthrough study that sheds light on zakat on oil and gas.

The level of mental alertness among students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University. The level of self-competence of female students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University. To learn about the relationship between mental alertness and self-competence among students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University.

The researchers used the experimental method by following the experimental design with two measurements, tribal and posterior, for two groups, one experimental and the other control, due to its suitability to the nature of this research. Research sample: the research community included female students stumbling in the scientific path of Rayyan, the second semester of the academic year 2020–2021 AD, where the researchers selected the research sample in a deliberate manner from the stalled students of 25 students and a random sample of 10 female students was withdrawn to conduct the exploratory study. The number of the basic research sample is 15 female students. Reasons for selecting the search sample: all of the sample members are female students stumbling in the scientific path of Al-Rayyan for the academic year 2020–2021 and all sample members agree to apply the research.

The researchers refer to this to the virtual psychological guidance program-specific objectives, as well as the follow-up of the scientific principles and principles and the legalization of the measurement tools used in the research and the diversity of the program within the parts of the program and the training sought to develop the ability to manage pressures and emotions and training in social skills, awareness and self-awareness and the use of exercises relaxation, breathing and modern self-help, as well as the use of different methods and techniques such as the method of dialogue, discussion, awareness of feelings and problem-solving, which led to a change in behavior and personal characteristics, which led to a change in behavior and personal characteristics, leading to the development of behavior and personal characteristics.

The study aims to design a hypothetical psychological counseling program as a method of health care and its effect on the level of mental alertness and the level of self-efficacy of students who have struggled to study at the Deanship of the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University. The researchers used the experimental approach and applied this study on a sample of 25 students from the students who failed to study at the Deanship of the preparatory year for the second semester of the academic year 2020–2021 AD and the most important results were that the psychological counseling program as a method of health care had a positive effect on improving the level of mental alertness and the level of self-efficacy among the students who had failed to study. There is a positive correlation between the level of mental alertness and self-efficacy of struggling students as a way of health care.

This study aims to investigate mustahiq business success using a newly developed index called asnaf muslimpreneur success index (AMSi).

Following Abu Zaharah theory of al-Maqasid al-Shariah, the authors developed the AMSi through literature analyses and expert judges involving three Shariah scholars for improved extensions and applications. Subsequently, the authors conducted the actual survey, which included 17 mustahiq who had been assisted by the zakat institution in running their small and halal businesses in Sabah, Malaysia.

Using the AMSi, the success of asnaf businesses was in the moderate index, implying the success meets the index score of more than 50%. All indexes capturing asnafs’ business experience, asnafs’ business justice, asnafs’ well-being and asnafs’ financial wisdom were greater than the threshold value of 0.5 or 50%, implying that the interaction of the battery items involved in those variables resulted in satisfactory results, indicating that they are relevant and essential in gauging the asnafs’ success level in the development business programme.

The results obtained were at the exploratory level, and for that, more studies related are expected to be conducted in the future, where the coverage of the respondents used is larger to extend the findings, at least.

The results obtained can become a yardstick to gauge the success of asnaf muslimpreneurs in Sabah, East Malaysia.

This study introduces new measures of asnaf muslimpreneur success model, where mustahiq business is brought into play.

The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured supply chain practices, lack of awareness of the implications of the sustainability concept and failure to recycle poultry wastes. The current research thus attempts to develop an integrated supply chain model in the context of poultry industry in Bangladesh. The study considers both sustainability and supply chain issues in order to incorporate them in the poultry supply chain. By placing the forward and reverse supply chains in a single framework, existing problems can be resolved to gain economic, social and environmental benefits, which will be more sustainable than the present practices.

The theoretical underpinning of this research is ‘sustainability’ and the ‘supply chain processes’ in order to examine possible improvements in the poultry production process along with waste management. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and ‘design science’ methods with the support of system dynamics (SD) and the case study methods. Initially, a mental model is developed followed by the causal loop diagram based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation techniques. The causal model helps to understand the linkages between the associated variables for each issue. Finally, the causal loop diagram is transformed into a stock and flow (quantitative) model, which is a prerequisite for SD-based simulation modelling. A decision support system (DSS) is then developed to analyse the complex decision-making process along the supply chains.

The findings reveal that integration of the supply chain can bring economic, social and environmental sustainability along with a structured production process. It is also observed that the poultry industry can apply the model outcomes in the real-life practices with minor adjustments. This present research has both theoretical and practical implications. The proposed model’s unique characteristics in mitigating the existing problems are supported by the sustainability and supply chain theories. As for practical implications, the poultry industry in Bangladesh can follow the proposed supply chain structure (as par the research model) and test various policies via simulation prior to its application. Positive outcomes of the simulation study may provide enough confidence to implement the desired changes within the industry and their supply chain networks.

Groundwater resources are the primary source of meeting the water demand in Bangladesh. In rural areas, hand-pumped tube wells have been the primary source of drinking water. Though studies claim that Bangladesh has the potential to achieve universal safe drinking water supply coverage, the presence of excessive arsenic in the shallow groundwater sources, and the encroachment of salinity in the coastal aquifers in coastal regions (Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barisal, Barguna etc.) hind the path. The concerned authorities of government and other non-government organizations assist the coastal people with alternative technologies like Desalination Plant, Arsenic-Iron Removal Plant, Pond Sand Filtration (PSF), Managed Aquifer Recharge, Rainwater Harvesting System, Installation of Shallow, and Deep Tube Wells. But based on case studies and surveys, this article shows how these existing technologies fail to ensure water safety within the coastal areas. The Singaporean water management policy is an example, this article advocates for necessary government intervention to ensure safe drinking water in coastal areas.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trade openness on the cost of financial intermediation and bank performance. Developed and developing countries are currently pursuing trade openness to achieve higher bank performance with less intermediation costs.

In attaining the study's objectives, several regression methodologies were employed (i.e. system generalized method of moments (GMM), fixed effect, pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and vector error correction model (VECM)). The authors tested the hypothesis on data of 885 banks from BRICS countries, which span 18 years (2000–2017).

The results from this robust study showed that embedding higher trade openness reduces financial intermediation costs and improves banks' performance. The results remain robust following the use of different estimation methods and alternative variables as proxies. In addition, results were still valid upon considering bank level, industry level and country level as control variables. It was also observed that the relation pattern holds its rigidity during “good” and “bad” times (i.e. the global financial crisis).

The results provide better references for bank regulators, academics and policymakers to take advantage of the low financial intermediation costs resulting from trade openness.

In the last decade, the concept of Islamic attributes of destination (IAD) has emerged due to Muslim tourists’ need to visit a destination that complies with Sharia law. Since then, the IAD concept has been popular to increase the destination’s attractiveness and travel satisfaction for Muslim tourists. This concept evolved from evaluating the Muslim tourists’ perception of IAD to non-Muslim tourists and from assessing the Islamic attributes in Muslim-majority destinations to non-Muslim majority destinations. Furthermore, the literature showed several measurement scales to assess tourists’ satisfaction with IAD, and scholars were varied in the methods of analysis used to assess tourists’ satisfaction with IAD. The purpose of this study is to perform a systematic mapping study on satisfaction with IAD by answering five research questions.

This study used the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses framework to guide the search process and search for relevant studies between 2012 and 2022 from two scientific databases, Scopus and Web of Science.

The search revealed 387 studies. In total, 31 articles met the eligibility criteria. This study indicates the journal considered research studies on tourists’ satisfaction with IAD the most, the method of analysis used in the previous studies, the Islamic destination attributes considered in the previous studies, the research distribution by counties, the research trend and the future direction.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic mapping study that delivers a summary of empirical research studies on tourists’ satisfaction with IAD.

In Bangladesh (BD), delays in infrastructure are common. Many previous studies have explored the causes of infrastructure delays. However, this study investigated the causes of delays by taking responses from the stakeholders who are responsible for planning, design, funding, approval and implementation. There are few studies that have related infrastructure project delays to heterogeneity in stakeholders’ perceptions.

A structural equation (SE) model is developed with 350 normally distributed data points to understand the heterogeneity in stakeholders’ perceptions regarding delays in infrastructure projects in BD. Additionally, the relative importance index (RII) approach is used to assess the responses, validating the SE model.

The study finds that among the three latent variables, “Project itself related delay” has more influence on delays in infrastructure projects. Among the observed variables under the “project itself related delay” latent variable, “DPP approval process” has the most significance. From the heterogeneity analysis, the study found differences in responses among the stakeholders from “the Engineering Department,” “the Planning Office” and “the Construction Firm/Industry.” An important class of stakeholders believes that their stage is not being delayed and that other stages require attention.

The data sample is 350. More data can improve the accuracy of the findings. Most of the respondents are civil engineers (74%) and represent the owner of the project. Sample data from more stakeholders’ will enhance the accuracy of the result.

This study addresses the requirements of Bangladeshi project stakeholders and how their interactions cause delays in projects. Furthermore, the opinions of other stakeholders are taken into consideration when determining the specific factors of individual stakeholders that are causing delays. Practically, the distance between stakeholders should be reduced. A project manager can play a role in this regard. Initiatives should be taken on how to complete the project quickly by eliminating the requirements discussed among the stakeholders and bureaucratic complications. Instead of placing blame on one another, stakeholders should take the initiative to figure out how to work together to finish the project on schedule. The Planning Commission’s approval of the Development Project Proposal (DPP) and Revised Development Project Proposal (RDPP) should be obtained as soon as possible by owner stakeholders. In order to avoid frequently changing the DPP, owners should also exercise greater caution when choosing contractors. Contractor stakeholders should use efficient and proper manpower and equipment so that unexpected delays are not created during the execution of work. Since the role of the contractor stakeholder is the most important among the three types of stakeholders, the contractor should raise awareness and urge the owners to get the RDPP approved quickly.

The findings from the study can help mitigate delays in infrastructure projects in BD, taking into account the perceptions of various stakeholders.