The Evolution Of Islamic Finance In Southeast Asia: The Case Of Malaysia

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to explain why the Islamic financial system was introduced in Malaysia; to outline how the Malaysian government has promoted this system; and to analyze the development of the Islamic financial system with a specific focus on the banking sector.  In Malaysia, the first Islamic bank, Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd., was established in 1983.  One turning point of the Islamic financial system in the country was the Financial Sector Master Plan presented by the central bank in 2001.  The government, in accordance with the plan, has taken a strong initiative in the development of an Islamic financial system.  As a result, the country has succeeded in promoting a comprehensive Islamic financial system, banking and insurance sectors and capital markets.  In the banking sector, this paper reveals that the profit-sharing system does not seem to be popular in this country although the reward system is central to Islamic Finance.  In order for further development of the Islamic financial sector, the reasons why the percentage of contracts under the profit-sharing system is small need to be analyzed.&nbsp

The Policy Approach In Promoting Small And Medium Sized Enterprises In Japan

The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) to investigate the role of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the economy, 2) to classify obstacles for SMEs’ growth, and 3)to review policy measures in Japan and problems to be solved as soon as possible. This study indicates that SMEs have played a significant role in the economy. SMEs create production linkages among companies in the economy by supplying goods and services. In addition, SMEs have been a main promoter of trade. Moreover, SMEs provide people with various job opportunities, which generate an important source of income. SMEs, however, face many obstacles to sustainable development. One major problem is that SMEs have limited financial resources compared with large enterprises. Due to this financial constraint, it is difficult for SMEs to upgrade production facilities and keep up with new technology. Furthermore, SMEs are suffering from a shortage of skilled labor. This becomes more serious when they try to expand business in the global market. In order for SMEs to compete with rivals in the international market, employees need a wide variety of knowledge and skills, such as foreign business know-how, human resource management, foreign language expertise, etc. Human resources of SMEs are often insufficient to meet their business needs. In Japan, both the central and local governments have implemented various policies to address these challenges. This research found that some policies worked well and supported SMEs, while others did not. The author, however, points out that some studies need to be carefully reconsidered because there is no consistent framework for policy evaluation. This means that the results of the evaluation of SMEs are likely to vary because of the different methodologies used. Thus, this paper recommends the government develop an appropriate system for assessing SME policies

Shape Perception by Active Touch and Passive Touch : The Effect of a Long Retention Interval-Pilot Study

The performance of recognition of shape in active touch and passive touch is an exploratory investigation using delays between acquisition and recognition tests. The results suggested that the type of touching effected the performance of recognition

Institutional Development of Capital Markets in Nine Asian Economies

This paper is conducting a comparative analysis of the development of securities markets in nine Asian economies: Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. This study focuses on two aspects: the history and institutional development of securities market, such as legal systems, payment systems, etc. From the analyses, this paper reveals several common features of the development of securities markets in nine Asian economies. First, most economies had an informal capital market in the early period of their history. Second, the background of the foundation of their official markets was influenced by experiences of colonization. Third, most governments recognized the importance of the capital market for economic development and had a positive attitude in promoting the market. Fourth, statistics clearly showed that most economies experienced several booms in their capital market from the late 1980s

PHB2 Protects Sister-Chromatid Cohesion in Mitosis

SummaryCohesion between sister chromatids is essential for proper chromosome segregation in mitosis. In vertebrate mitotic cells, most cohesin is removed from the chromosome arms [1–4], but centromeric cohesin is protected by shugoshin until the onset of anaphase [5]. However, the mechanism of this protection of centromeric cohesion is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that prohibitin 2 (PHB2) is involved in the regulation of sister-chromatid cohesion during mitosis in HeLa cells. PHB2 is an evolutionarily conserved protein in eukaryotes and has multiple functions, such as transcriptional regulation and cell viability and development [6–8]. However, its functions in mitosis have not yet been determined. We show that depletion of PHB2 by RNA interference (RNAi) causes premature sister-chromatid separation and defects in chromosome congression accompanied by mitotic arrest by spindle-checkpoint activation. In the absence of PHB2, cohesin is dissociated from centromeres during early mitosis, although the centromeric localization of shugoshin is preserved. Thus, our findings suggest that, in addition to the shugoshin, PHB2 is also required to protect the centromeric cohesion from phosphorylation by Plk1 during early mitosis and that its function is essential for proper mitotic progression

RBM10 in complete hydatidiform mole: cytoplasmic occurrence of its 50 kDa polypeptide

Background: RNA-binding motif protein 10 (RBM10), originally identified as S1-1 protein, is a nuclear protein with likely functions in transcription and RNA splicing. The RBM10 gene maps to the X chromosome and, in female cells, is inactivated in one of the two X chromosomes near the boundary with genes escaping inactivation. This study investigated the occurrence of the RBM10 gene product in complete hydatidiform mole, which is composed of cells with paternal diploid chromosomes (46, XX).Methods: Deparaffinized normal chorion or complete hydatidiform mole tissues were hybridized with a fluorescein-conjugated RBM10 gene probe in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy of the tissues were performed using an anti-RBM10 antiserum. Proteins from complete hydatidiform mole tissues and those separated by anti-RBM10-linked affinity chromatography were also examined by western blotting.Results: As expected, the RBM10 gene was detected by FISH as double spots in the nuclei of complete hydatidiform mole cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed a nuclear presence of RBM10 in normal chorion and complete hydatidiform moles, and a notable cytoplasmic presence in complete hydatidiform moles. Western blotting and immunoaffinity chromatography revealed that a 50 kDa protein was predominantly found in the cytosolic fraction of complete hydatidiform moles.Conclusions: A 50 kDa protein with common antigenicity to RBM10 was found in the cytoplasm of complete hydatidiform mole cells, and could represent one of the characteristics of the disease

Selective arterial embolization with gelatin particles for refractory knee hemarthrosis

PURPOSEWe aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of selective arterial embolization for refractory knee hemarthrosisMATERIALS AND METHODSTranscatheter arterial embolization for refractory knee hemarthrosis was performed on five female patients (median age, 77 years; range, 71–80 years) between May 2009 and September 2012. Selective arterial embolization of the feeding artery was performed using a 2.5 F microcatheter coaxially advanced from a 5 F catheter with its tip positioned in the superficial femoral artery. One- or two-millimeter gelatin particles were used as embolic agents.RESULTSIn all patients, transarterial embolization performed successfully after arteriography showed nontumorous staining around the knee joint. The feeding arteries were the lateral superior genicular artery in all five patients, the lateral inferior genicular artery in four patients, the medial superior genicular artery in one patient, the medial inferior genicular artery in one patient, the middle genicular artery in one patient, and the descending genicular artery in one patient. In all five patients, staining was remarkably diminished around the knee joint after the embolization procedure. No complication was observed. The hemarthrosis improved after the embolization, and the postoperative course has been uneventful with no recurrence in any patient.CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that selective arterial embolization for refractory hemarthrosis of the knee is safe and useful