Abstract

This paper is conducted to identify the determinants of profitability of Islamic banks operating in Malaysia and examine the effect of the global financial crisis on the profitability of these banks. Panel data estimation is employed with unbalanced data on seventeen Islamic banks, using quarterly data for the period of 2007 to 2010. The random effect model was specifically used to achieve the study objectives. The empirical results indicate that overhead expenses ratio, loans ratio, deposits ratio, technical efficiency and bank size have a positive significant effect in determining banks’ profitability. Meanwhile, the inflation rate has a negative significant effect in determining banks’ profitability. The findings of study indicate that capital and reserves, liquidity ratio, banks’ age, gross domestic product growth rate, Gross domestic product per capita and concentration ratio are not able to explain the variability of profitability of Islamic banks. The study also reveals that the profitability of Islamic banks is negatively affected by the global financial crisis. Keywords: Islamic Banks, Bank profitability, Malaysia, global financial crisis, panel data 

The influence of physical (external added weight) and neurophysiological (fatigue) factors on static and dynamic balance in sport related activities was typified statically by the Romberg test (one foot flat, eyes open) and dynamically by jumping and hopping in both horizontal and vertical directions. Twenty healthy males were participated in this study. In Static condition, added weight increased body-s inertia and therefore decreased body sway in AP direction though not significantly. Dynamically, added weight significantly increased body sway in both ML and AP directions, indicating instability, and the use of the counter rotating segments mechanism to maintain balance was demonstrated. Fatigue on the other hand significantly increased body sway during static balance as a neurophysiological adaptation primarily to the inverted pendulum mechanism. Dynamically, fatigue significantly increased body sway in both ML and AP directions again indicating instability but with a greater use of counter rotating segments mechanism. Differential adaptations for each of the two balance mechanisms (inverted pendulum and counter rotating segments) were found between one foot flat and two feet flat dynamic conditions, as participants relied more heavily on the first in the one foot flat conditions and relied more on the second in the two feet flat conditions.

The Muslim faith requires individuals to fast between the hours of sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan. Our recent work has concentrated on some of the changes that take place during the daytime when fasting. A questionnaire was developed to assess subjective estimates of physical, mental and social activities, and fatigue. Four days were studied: in the weeks before and after Ramadan (control days) and during the first and last weeks of Ramadan (experimental days). On each of these four days, this questionnaire was given several times during the daytime and once after the fast had been broken and just before individuals retired at night. During Ramadan, daytime mental, physical and social activities all decreased below control values but then increased to abovecontrol values in the evening. The desires to perform physical and mental activities showed very similar patterns. That is, individuals tried to conserve energy during the daytime in preparation for the evenings when they ate and drank, often with friends. During Ramadan also, individuals were more fatigued in the daytime and napped more often than on control days. This extra fatigue probably reflected decreased sleep, individuals often having risen earlier (before sunrise, to prepare for fasting) and retired later (to enable recovery from the fast). Some physiological measures and objective measures of performance (including the response to a bout of exercise) have also been investigated. Urine osmolality fell during the daytime on control days as subjects drank, but rose in Ramadan to reach values at sunset indicative of dehydration. Exercise performance was also compromised, particularly late in the afternoon when the fast had lasted several hours. Self-chosen exercise work-rates fell and a set amount of exercise felt more arduous. There were also changes in heart rate and lactate accumulation in the blood, indicative of greater cardiovascular and metabolic stress caused by the exercise in subjects who had been fasting. Daytime fasting in Ramadan produces widespread effects which probably reflect combined effects of sleep loss and restrictions to intakes of water and food.

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to identify the determinants of efficiency of Islamic banks operating in Malaysia. Panel regression analysis is employed with unbalanced data on seventeen Islamic banks, using quarterly data for the period of 2007 to 2010. In addition to that, this study uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to estimate the technical efficiency as the dependent variable. Also, Tobit multiple regression which allows limited dependent variables is used to analyze the factors that influence banks’ efficiency. The empirical results indicate that bank specifics and financial structure determinants are able to explain a significant part of efficiency of Islamic banks in Malaysia. The study reveals that domestic and foreign Islamic banks have different efficiency. The efficiency of Islamic banks is not affected by the global financial crisis

This study is aimed at investigating the interactive effects of reaction parameters such as temperature (330–370 °C), total pressure (30–50 bar) and liquid hourly space velocity LHSV (1–3 h⁻¹) on the performance of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activity. Experiments were performed based on the central composite rotatable design and analyzed using the response surface methodology (RSM). First, the equation model is used to predict HDS activity as a response. Second, the regression analysis of the HDS activity model is obtained from the output of this developed model. Finally, the RSM and canonical analysis is used to optimize this empirical regression model. R ² = 96.5 % showed that the RSM model fitted the observed data well with and is considered to be accurate and available for predicting HDS activity. The obtained equation for the canonical analysis with different signs of eigenvalues …