International Islamic Research Articles

DYNAMIC ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OF PAKISTANI ENGLISH: A DESCRIPTION OF FORMANT VARIATIONS OF F1 & F2 PRODUCED BY PAKISTANI SPEAKERS

The current study explores the variations of formant frequency of English vowels produced by eighty students of BS English and English language at NUML and International Islamic University Islamabad. The research defines the acoustic monophthongal variations under the influence of gender and four standard regional varieties of Pakistan and presents a macro-level description of Monophthongs of Pakistani English. The respondents belong to Balochi, Pushto, Punjabi, and Sindhi languages. This study explores monophthongal formant variations among these speakers through the lenses of the ‘Formant Frequency Model’ (Lindblom, 1979). For this purpose, the poem entitled, “The North Wind and the Sun” has been used to collect the required data. The formant values have been extracted from PRAAT, a software presented by (Boersma & Weenink, 2019). The manually extracted data from PRAAT were analyzed via statistical tools of SPSS and ANOVA. The findings of this research disclose that monophthongal formant variations are related to the unclear realization of sounds like /ə / and /ʌ/, paucity in realizing the vowel pairs of English, identical articulation of /ɒ/ and /ͻ:/ among the groups. The findings of the research would contribute to the phonological system of Pakistani English, which is an Asian- variety of the Outer-Circle. The findings would assist English language teachers to teach pronunciation of English with an acoustic-phonetic perspective. Keywords: PakE, Acoustic & Statistical Analysis, Formant Frequencies, Monophthongs

Religiosity and Time Displacement: An Examination of the Effect of Social Media and Education Background on Islamic University Students’ Religiosity

This study explores the influence of increased social media activity on changes in conventional communication and time allocation. The excessive use of social media and its susceptibility to changes in religiosity are examined. At International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), students actively utilize social media as a means of communication and information gathering. This research aims to examine how social media usage duration and educational background among students contribute to the enhancement of religiosity. The research hypothesis is supported through statistical analysis in a quantitative approach, employing a cross-sectional online survey involving 321 IIUM students. The findings indicate a positive correlation between social media usage and Islamic religiosity among IIUM students. Consequently, these students are more inclined to access positive rather than negative content on social media. Significantly, the study found that IIUM students have a higher Islamic religiosity. The impact of social media usage among IIUM students is predominantly positive rather than negative. Furthermore, the research paper addresses the discussions and limitations and provides suggestions for further research.

Audience Experience to Series Ertugral and Fulfillment of Social and Psychological Needs Gratification

The study focuses on Audiences’ Exposure to Series Ertuğrul and fulfillment of social and psychological Needs Gratification; moreover, the article thesis calls attention to the age group and gender of youth which is comparatively more fulfilling their social and psychological needs. The age has been grouped under 20 years of age and above. The study explores the needs fulfilled by audience by watching the drama. Frequency of the most Popular Turkish dramas viewership has also been found. Quantitative Survey research method has been used in which total of 251 Responses are collected from National university of Modern languages, Bahria University Islamabad Campus, National University of Science and Technology Quaid e Azam University and International Islamic University via hand-to-hand questionnaires and Online Surveys. Data has been assembled, entered, and tested on SPSS software. Findings and discussions show that Turkish Drama Ertuğrul is being utilized differently by people with different Age groups, Genders, Universities, preference of viewing and frequency of viewing. According to the findings, the respondents gratify most of the needs most likely. The audiences most likely relate the drama to Islam, and they find it as a source of Spiritual maintenance. The researcher further found out that audiences are more likely to learn about and patience and Strength. The drama overall is a good source of social and psychological needs gratification.

DYNAMIC ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OF PAKISTANI ENGLISH: A DESCRIPTION OF FORMANT VARIATIONS OF F1 & F2 PRODUCED BY PAKISTANI SPEAKERS

The current study explores the variations of formant frequency of English vowels produced by eighty students of BS English and English language at NUML and International Islamic University Islamabad. The research defines the acoustic monophthongal variations under the influence of gender and four standard regional varieties of Pakistan and presents a macro-level description of Monophthongs of Pakistani English. The respondents belong to Balochi, Pushto, Punjabi, and Sindhi languages. This study explores monophthongal formant variations among these speakers through the lenses of the ‘Formant Frequency Model’ (Lindblom, 1979). For this purpose, the poem entitled, “The North Wind and the Sun” has been used to collect the required data. The formant values have been extracted from PRAAT, a software presented by (Boersma & Weenink, 2019). The manually extracted data from PRAAT were analyzed via statistical tools of SPSS and ANOVA. The findings of this research disclose that monophthongal formant variations are related to the unclear realization of sounds like /ə / and /ʌ/, paucity in realizing the vowel pairs of English, identical articulation of /ɒ/ and /ͻ:/ among the groups. The findings of the research would contribute to the phonological system of Pakistani English, which is an Asian- variety of the Outer-Circle. The findings would assist English language teachers to teach pronunciation of English with an acoustic-phonetic perspective. Keywords: PakE, Acoustic & Statistical Analysis, Formant Frequencies, Monophthongs

EDITORIAL

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Dear All, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management (JAPCM), Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design is one the official journals of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), under IIUM Press. It embarked in 2011 and is dedicated to the publication of original articles on the specialized fields of Architecture, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Building Technology and Engineering, Applied Arts and Design, Construction Management and those related to the Built Environment. JAPCM is also the ardent forum for the reports of research that bridged the Built Environment and the Islamic worldview. Prof. Ar. Dr. Abdul Razak Sapian Editor-in-Chief

Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Association with Glycemic Control: A Hospital-Based Study from Pakistan

Objective: To determine the frequency of type 2 diabetic-hypertensive patients who fail to achieve target blood pressure goals despite treatment and to find the association between uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control. Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Place and Duration: The study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Pakistan Railways Hospital, Islamic International Medical College/Riphah International University, from 1st August 2022 to 31st January 2023. Methodology: A total of 200 diabetic patients were included. Study variables included age, gender, duration of diabetes/hypertension, glycemic/blood pressure control, target organ damage, compliance to treatment and life style modification, regular follow ups and awareness of target blood pressure goals. Data was recorded on a self-developed proforma. Diabetic patients with hypertension were classified into those with optimally controlled blood pressure (< 140/90 mmHg) and those with uncontrolled hypertension despite treatment (BP > 140/90 mm Hg). Results: Prevalence of hypertension in our diabetic population was 68.5%. Blood pressure was optimally controlled in 50.4%. Poor glycemic control was observed in 56.5% patients. Patients with sub-optimal glycemic control were more likely to be hypertensive (77.8%) as compared to their normoglycemic counterparts (56.3%). There was a significant correlation between uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control (p-Value 0.202). Older age, female gender, duration of hypertension, lack of awareness of target BP goals and non-adherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures were independent predictors for uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusion: Blood pressure is not optimally controlled in half of the diabetic hypertensive patients despite treatment. Uncontrolled hypertension correlates significantly with poor glycemic control. Keywords: Frequency; Diabetes; Blood Pressure; Goals; Association; Hypertension How to Cite This: Burney S, Asad M, Fazal M, Zulfiqar A. Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Association with Glycemic Control: A Hospital-Based Study from Pakistan. Isra Med J. 2023; 15(1): 30-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55282/imj.oa1392. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Association with Glycemic Control: A Hospital-Based Study from Pakistan

Objective: To determine the frequency of type 2 diabetic-hypertensive patients who fail to achieve target blood pressure goals despite treatment and to find the association between uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control. Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Place and Duration: The study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Pakistan Railways Hospital, Islamic International Medical College/Riphah International University, from 1st August 2022 to 31st January 2023. Methodology: A total of 200 diabetic patients were included. Study variables included age, gender, duration of diabetes/hypertension, glycemic/blood pressure control, target organ damage, compliance to treatment and life style modification, regular follow ups and awareness of target blood pressure goals. Data was recorded on a self-developed proforma. Diabetic patients with hypertension were classified into those with optimally controlled blood pressure (< 140/90 mmHg) and those with uncontrolled hypertension despite treatment (BP > 140/90 mm Hg). Results: Prevalence of hypertension in our diabetic population was 68.5%. Blood pressure was optimally controlled in 50.4%. Poor glycemic control was observed in 56.5% patients. Patients with sub-optimal glycemic control were more likely to be hypertensive (77.8%) as compared to their normoglycemic counterparts (56.3%). There was a significant correlation between uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control (p-Value 0.202). Older age, female gender, duration of hypertension, lack of awareness of target BP goals and non-adherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures were independent predictors for uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusion: Blood pressure is not optimally controlled in half of the diabetic hypertensive patients despite treatment. Uncontrolled hypertension correlates significantly with poor glycemic control. Keywords: Frequency; Diabetes; Blood Pressure; Goals; Association; Hypertension How to Cite This: Burney S, Asad M, Fazal M, Zulfiqar A. Hypertension in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Association with Glycemic Control: A Hospital-Based Study from Pakistan. Isra Med J. 2023; 15(1): 30-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55282/imj.oa1392. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

International Islamic Boarding School Strategy for Realizing Superior Islamic Boarding School Management

This study aims to analyse the strategy of international Islamic boarding schools and the realization of continuous improvement in realizing superior Islamic boarding school management. This study employed qualitative research. The research describes various empirical phenomena implemented regarding excellent Islamic boarding school management at international Islamic boarding schools. The research setting was the Aqobah International School (AIS) Islamic boarding school, Jombang. The researchers analyzed the data using Miles Huberman's interactive analysis. The study results show that the strategy of international Islamic boarding schools in realizing superior Islamic boarding school management accepts all new students based on equality and equity. It believes that every child is special and can be a champion. Moreover, the management of students is based on data and research, standardization of the quality of teaching staff, standardization of infrastructure, and standardization of student personal service. As for the realization of continuous improvement in superior Islamic boarding school management – integrating school and Islamic boarding school learning, specialization programs and checkpoint examination & IGCSE, and Cambridge curriculum.

A Comparative Histological Study of Effects of Cigarette and Shisha Smoke on Lungs of Mice

Background: The most popular way to take in tobacco is as cigarettes, which are now frequently accessible as vaporizers. When inhaled for an extended period of time, the smoke's respiratory tract irritants cause fibrosis, inflammation, and precancerous diseases. Nicotine is the main alkaloid found in both commercial and home-made tobacco products, making up 0.6-3.0% of the dry weight of the tobacco plant. Aim: To compare the histological effects of cigarettes and shisha on the lungs of experimental animals. Study design: Randomized control trial. Methodology: A randomised control trial was used. In partnership with the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, the Department of Anatomy at the Islamic International Medical College in Rawalpindi developed and carried out this six-month study. 40 mature male BALB/c mice were allocated into three groups at random. Mice from the Control group C were housed in a fresh air- and smoke-exposed environment. Third Group CS was exposed to cigarette smoke, while Experimental Group SS was subjected to shisha smoke. Two exposures per day, five days per week, were administered. After a total of eight months of exposure, the subjects were dissected, the lung tissue was evaluated under a microscope, and the outcomes were compared across experimental groups. The quantity of carbon-loaded alveolar macrophages per unit was measured in the lung tissues. SPSS 20.0 was utilized to analyze the data. For quantitative histology data, mean and standard deviation were provided, while frequencies and percentages were provided for qualitative factors. The Pearson Chi Square test was used to determine the p value when comparing two groups and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the mean differences between the control and experimental groups. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value of 0.05. Results: In comparison to group CS, group SS showed significantly more fibrosis, peribronchiolar inflammation, and bronchiolar constriction. Additionally, there were more carbon-loaded alveolar macrophages in group SS than in group CS, and this difference was statistically significant. Practical implication: As sheesha and vaping are now popular trends, this study will aid researchers in determining the risk linked with sheesha smoking. Conclusions: Shisha use is not a risk-free substitute for cigarette use. Compared to cigarette smoke, it has a larger concentration of toxicants that alter tissue at a far higher rate. Keywords: Shisha Smoke, Cigarette Smoke, Lungs Tissue, Mice and Histology.

Cross-Cultural Conversational Strategies Used by Chinese Students in Pakistan

Cross-cultural communication is the study of ways people from multi-cultural backgrounds interact, in similar and different manners among themselves, and how they strive to converse cross culturally. This becomes particularly significant given potential frequency of interaction and/or the nature of relationship. The claim of Pakistan-China friendship with new economic agreements in the form of CPEC is opening up new avenues requiring effective cross-cultural communication. One of which is in the academic domain with an increased students exchange. The aim of the present research is to explore the cross-cultural conversational strategies used by female Chinese Students studying at International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan while conversing in English. The current study focuses to depict their cultural context i.e. high context culture or low context culture by exploring their method of developing the topic; ways of responding difficult questions and participation in term of interaction; and their promptness of disagreement through verbal and nonverbal indications. A Popular cultural framework of Hall (1976, 2000) is used as a theoretical framework for this research. For the elicitation of linguistics data, questionnaires (adapted from Xu Lin (2007) and interviews are used as a data collection tool. The study concludes that the Chinese female students are low context people, who rely on words, as they avoid silence and actively participate in the conversation for clear understanding of the topic. It is clear from their responses of interviews as well as questionnaires that they interact during conversation and immediately disagree through verbal and nonverbal indications. They don’t only give short answers but try to develop the topic raised in the questions and even try to respond difficult questions.

A Case Study of Waqf Fund in Tertiary Education

Rise in cost for higher education have been causing less privilege and self-financed students who wanted to further their studies in tertiary education unable to do so due to the less affordability and lack of availability of financial assistance. However, waqf is the most effective ways that have been used to solve the problem. This study aims to examine how universities established their own waqf or endowment fund to help students that are in dire need of financial assistance and at the same time becomes an alternate supply of funds to finance academic activities in university. The study also explained the challenges facing by universities’ waqf bodies. For that, two public universities have been chosen in this study i.e., Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). This research uses a qualitative approach by applying interviews and library research in the process of collecting data. The finding has shown that waqf undoubtedly offers a great benefit in ensuring the opportunity and access to education at both universities – IIUM and UTM. The challenge, however, is that it requires the continuous societal support in order for it to sustain its operation

Cryptocurrency According to The Principles of Usul Al-Fiqh: A Critical Analysis by Mohd Daud Bakar

There are various views concerning the cryptocurrency issue. The majority of scholars and world Islamic bodies, such as Dar al-Iftā 'al-Miṣriyyah (Egypt), Dar al-Iftā' al-Falasteeniyya (Palestine) and the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, do not permit cryptocurrency for various reasons, including the existence of uncertainty (gharar), risk (khatar) and the fact that it facilitates (wasilah) the crime of fraud and money laundering. However, some Islamic financial and religious scholars do permit it. One scholar who views cryptocurrency positively and believes that it should be permitted is Mohd Daud Bakar, who is the Chairperson of the Shariah Advisory Council of Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and former Chairperson of the Shariah Advisory Council for Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). He is also former President of the International Islamic University (IIUM) and the chairperson or international Shariah advisor at various financial institutions around the world, including the S&P Islamic Index and Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (New York). His extensive experience of more than 25 years in this dynamic field has made him a leading and important reference expert. In 2015, in a report released by the Global Islamic Finance Report (GIFR), he ranked sixth among the world’s 10 Islamic finance experts. This success has made him an expert, not only in the field of Usul al-Fiqh which is the core knowledge base of Islam, but also beyond the field of Islamic finance and law. This paper analyses the validity of Mohd Daud Bakar’s views on cryptocurrencies within the scope of Usul al-Fiqh according to the ‘illah, ‘urf, sad zarai’ and fatḥ zarāi’ methods. This qualitative study had obtained data from Facebook Live video recordings, reports and articles, which were then analysed using the descriptive content analysis method. It can be concluded from an ‘illah (legal operative cause) aspect that there is no acceptable ‘illah for banning this currency. From the point of view of al-’urf, cryptocurrencies are acceptable and do not contradict the principles of Shariah. Whereas from the point of view of sad zarāi’, this study found no solid evidence that it could lead to deleterious circumstances other than mere conjecture and assumption, hence, the introduction of cryptocurrencies should be permitted or made accessible. He also suggested the use of the fath zarāi’ method, which is better suited for creating opportunities for innovation and creativity of financial products based on financial technology (fintech). Finally, he mentioned about the permissibility of cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange even if it does not become the legal currency of a country.

Trends in the Cost of Medicines, Consultation Fees and Clinic Visits in Malaysia's Private Primary Healthcare System: Employer Health Insurance Coverage.

To examine trends in the cost of medicines, consultation fees and clinic visits among the employees covered by the employer health insurance in Malaysia's private primary healthcare system in Malaysia. Retrospective cross-sectional study. PMCare claims database from January 2016 to August 2019. A total of 83,556 outpatient clinic visits involving 10,150 IIUM employees of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to private general practitioners (GPs). During the study period, IIUM adopts the incentive structure of capping coverage at Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 45/outpatient visit (USD 10.58) to cover for consultation fees and medicine costs. The monthly percentage change in the number of clinic visits, medicine costs, consultation fees and total costs between January 2016 and August 2019. A simple linear regression using Stata v15.1 was also performed to measure the association between the characteristics of the prescribed medicines and medicine charges. The number of clinic visits per patient increased by 17% from January 2016 to August 2019, with consultation fees increasing by 113.9% and total costs by 7.9% per clinic visit per patient. Conversely, the cost of medicines and the number of medicines prescribed per clinic visit per patient decreased by 39.7% and 6.3%, respectively. Within the incentive structure of capping the total amount of coverage per clinic visit, medicine costs were reduced by decreasing the number of medicines prescribed, to offset the increased consultation fees. This may create perverse incentives that affect medicine use with negative consequences for the health system and health insurers.

Exploring the Needs for Developing MOOC Module on Risk Communication in Global Health Emergencies for Continuing Nursing Education Programme: A Qualitative Study

To support the learning process, it is essential to conduct a needs analysis to identify appropriate instructional materials that fit the learners’ characteristics and learning environment. This study aimed to identify the need for developing a MOOC module on risk communication in global health emergencies to use as a teaching tool for continuing nursing education programmes. Following the principles of a qualitative research design, a total of 14 participants, including two nursing lecturers from Kulliyyah of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), two nurse managers (matrons), two emergency physicians, and eight registered nurses (RN) from SASMEC @ IIUM, were selected through purposive sampling method and interviewed using semi-structured interview-guided questions. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. The participants stated that continuing nursing education (CNE) was essential for professional development (PD) and a resource for enhancing existing skills and knowledge. Risk communication skills were crucial for nurses in emergency healthcare contexts. The majority of this study’s participants were unfamiliar with MOOC courses and stated that support and motivation from their institution, as well as monitoring of participation and course completion, were needed to implement MOOC courses successfully. To sum up, understanding of continuing education, current risk communication knowledge and literacy, and awareness of MOOCs were explored. These realities will support thedevelopment of the risk communication MOOC module that will help improve nurses’ risk communication skills and better prepare them for future global health emergencies.

THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS COVID-19 IMMUNISATION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN PUBLIC MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020. Medical students are public advocates for COVID-19 vaccination to achieve herd immunity. Our objective is to ascertain the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 immunisation among medical students in Malaysia. The online study included four public universities in Peninsular Malaysia: Universiti Putra Malaysia, International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. Data collected include sociodemographic characteristics, history of COVID-19 infection, knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 immunisation. Analytical statistics were analysed with IBM Statistical Package Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) v27.0 using Pearson chi-square or Fisher’s exact test (significant if p < 0.05). From the total of 427 respondents, 60.2% had good knowledge whereby clinical students 67.0% had a higher proportion of good knowledge as compared to preclinical students 53.5% (p = 0.004). Respondents in the age group of 21 to 24 years old (p < 0.001) and 25 to 29 years old (p = 0.016), and Indian ethnicity (p = 0.006) were more likely to have good knowledge. Respondents registered in Malaysia’s National COVID-19 vaccination program were considered as having a positive attitude (n = 264, 61.8%). A vaccination rate of 100% was observed. In conclusion, 60.2% of medical students had good knowledge, 61.8% had a positive attitude and 100% were vaccinated in these four public medical schools in Malaysia. Sociodemographic factors (age group and Indian ethnicity) have an association with only good knowledge but none with the level of attitude and practice towards COVID-19 immunisation.

Cosmetic Operations and Controls

In light of the problems and rapid changes in our contemporary reality, and the fashion struggles. Clinics and beauty centers have spread to tighten the body, scrub the skin, and remove tattoos. So everyone who enters these clinics comes out in a different way. This research comes as an original attempt for some of the new medical issues to reach a medical jurisprudential opinion, and the researcher's approach In such controversial issues is to Investigate the correct Sharia evidence, guided by the texts of the early jurists, and the two graduations of the later ones, taking into account the rules and colleges of Sharia In preserving oneself and one's money. The nature of the research required me to make it into an introduction and three chapters: A-Introduction: It deals with the importance of this topic (plastic surgery) and the research problem and plan. B- First chapter: it dealt with an explanation and the research vocabulary and terms, so I clarified what the controls are linguistically and idiomatically, then talked about the nature and definition of cosmetic operations. Finally, I concluded this chapter by explaining what is meant by the legal controls for cosmetic operations. C - Second chapter: Dealt with the types of cosmetic operations and their legal ruling in consideration of the purpose of surgery, and concluded this chapter by talking about the types and forms of cosmetic operations in consideration of the medical framework. D- Chapter Three: talked about the most important legal controls for plastic surgery, and concluded this chapter by explaining the controls for medical operations in general, then I mentioned the decision of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy regarding plastic surgery and its rulings.

The Collaborative Effort and Efficiency of Inquiry-Based Learning

This study investigates the effect on the teacher's performance of collaborative effort and efficiency of inquiry-based learning. It also determines the impact of the mediating role of student performance. The research framework was constructed based on the unified technology acceptance and use of technology theory. A quantitative analysis was done with surveys to collect primary data from the teacher and lecturers of Malaysia. The researcher used a Likert scale of 7 to evaluate elements of the building. This study focuses on the top 10 public university students in Malaysia. The universities are University Malaya (UM), University Kembangan Malaysia, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), University Since Malaysia (USM), University Technology Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), University Technology Mara (UiTM), University Malaysia Perlis (UniMap), and University Tun Hossain (UTHM). Finally, researchers selected the total number of students, 368,881, which is the population of this study. Using systematic random sampling with an interval, researchers sent students an electronic link to respond to a Google Doc questionnaire. This is a unique study in the field of teacher performance that used a diverse and necessary variable known as teaching pedagogy. Therefore, it uniquely integrates leading pedagogy variables into teacher performance. The result of this study helps to meet the education qualification requirement (EQR), and the newly acquired knowledge from this study may help spur the development of the education sector. In addition, it may provide an extensive understanding of making government policies for educational institutions.

Examining the causal factors of banking achievements for Islamic banks in Jordanian Islamic banks: An analytical study

This study focuses on examining the causal factors and determinants of financial banking achievements and performances for the working Jordanian Islamic Banks, including Safwa Islamic bank, International Islamic Arab Bank (IIAB), and Jordan Islamic Bank (JIB) during (2011 – 2021). The study considered the most popular measurements for financial banking performances, namely Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Assets (ROA), and dividend yield (DY) as dependent variables. Additionally, the factors of independent variables were measured by quick liquidity ratio, investments and cash to the summation of total deposits, shareholders’ equity to facilities of credit, and equity ratios. The findings showed a positive and significant influence and impact of investments and currency to the summation of aggregate deposits and equity ratio on return on equity, and a negative significant impact of shareholders’ equity on return on equity. However, there was a negative but not significant influence of liquidity (quick) ratio on ROE. Furthermore, the findings indicated a positive and significant impact of investments and currency (cash) to aggregate banking deposits and equity ratio on return on assets, but there was a negative but not significant impact for liquidity quick ratio and shareholders’ equity to credit facilities on return on assets. The liquidity (quick) ratio had a significant and negative impact on dividend yield. Although there was a positive but insignificant impact of investments and cash to the summation of total deposits and equity ratios on dividend yield, there was a greater negative and insignificant impact from shareholders’ equity to credit facilities on dividend yield.

Antimicrobial resistance of methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococcal species in two government hospitals in Kuantan, Malaysia

The emergence of nosocomial infections caused by CoNS has led clinicians and researchers to reconsider the role of CoNS and methicillin-resistant CoNS (MR-CoNS) as important agents of nosocomial infections. This study was conducted on clinical isolates of MR-CoNS obtained from inpatients in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) and International Islamic University Malaysia Medical Center (IIUM-MC) to determine their antimicrobial resistance profile. The isolates were cultured from clinical samples of blood, tissues, and swabs. Forty isolates (33 blood, 4 tissues, and 3 swabs) of MR-CoNS were collected through venepuncture, biopsy, and swabbing techniques respectively, and processed by conventional cultural, biochemical methods and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Methicillin- and vancomycin-resistance profile of the isolates was performed by E-test and broth micro-dilution methods. Of the 40 isolates, 38 were identified to be methicillin-resistant (MIC ³ 0.5 µg/mL). The remaining 2 isolates were considered as susceptible to methicillin (MIC ≤ 0.25). All 40 isolates were found to be susceptible to vancomycin (MIC=1-4 µg/mL). All 40 isolates were also tested for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profile using the Kirby and Bauer disc diffusion method. Resistance rates to linezolid, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftaroline were found to be 100%. Resistance rates to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, teicoplanin, and clindamycin were found to be 82.5%, 92.5%, and 97.5% respectively. Thus, all the isolates revealed multi-drug resistance profiles to more than 3 antimicrobials; the highest being resistance to 9 antibiotics, except one isolate from swab. This points toward the need for periodic antibiogram surveillance as they are identified to cause difficult to treat infections.

Prevalence of Mental Health Problems Among University Students and Association With Body Mass Index (BMI) and Diet Quality

Introduction: Numerous factors contributed to the susceptibility of university students to develop mental health issues. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of mental health problems among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) students and their relationships with diet quality and body mass index (BMI). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 104 students. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess students’ depression, anxiety, and stress levels. The Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (M-HEI) was used to assess diet quality. Spearman Rho was used to determine the relationships between variables. Results: Approximately 69.4% (n = 34), 71.4% (n = 35), and 48.9% (n = 34) of male students experienced moderate to extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. In contrast, 85.4% (n = 47), 89.1% (n = 49), and 54.6% (n = 30) of female students had moderate to extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. No correlations were found between diet quality and BMI with students’ mental health problems. For male students, there were negative significant associations reported between fat-rich foods (r = -0.447, p-value = 0.001) and sugar-rich foods (r = -0.332, p-value = 0.020) intake with depression; a positive significant relationship between fruit intake and anxiety (r = 0.284, p-value = 0.048); a positive relationship between fruit intake and stress (r = 0.300, p-value = 0.036); and a negative relationship between fat-rich foods and stress (r = -0.293, p-value = 0.041). Female students only had a significant negative correlation between fish intake and anxiety (r = -0.376, p-value = 0.005). Conclusion: No associations were found between diet quality, BMI, and mental health problems. A more profound comprehension of the connections between risk factors and mental health could lead to new intervention strategies.