Bank level stability factors and consumer confidence – a comparative study of Islamic and conventional banks’ product mix

This study examines the behaviour of key bank level stability factors of liquidity, capital, risk-taking and consumer confidence in Islamic and conventional banks which operate in the same market. Using fixed effect sample of 194 banks of Gulf Cooperating Countries between 2000 and 2007, we found that liquidity is not determined by bank’s product mix but rather attributed to systematic factors. However, non performing assets (representing loans to sub prime borrowers) have positive and significant relationship with liquidity implying that during the crisis, Islamic banks tend to take stringent risk strategies compared to conventional banks. Furthermore, Islamic banks generally tend to provide higher consumer confidence levels as they were more capitalized than conventional banks, although conventional banks had carried higher averages of liquidity compared to Islamic banks. Consumer confidence levels or depositors’ discipline as proxied by deposits and customer funding over liabilities generally appear to be higher in Islamic banks than conventional banks

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Prevalence of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) and risk factors in Malay, Chinese and Indian school children in Malaysia

Introduction: The prevalence of SDB and contributing risk factors in Malaysian school children is unknown. Aim: To determine the prevalence of parental report of SDB and risk factors among school children aged 6 to 10 years old in three primary schools using the translated University Michigan Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire (UMPSQ). Method: All children whose parents responded to the questionnaire and consented undergone a physical examination documenting height, weight, skin-fold thickness, neck and abdominal circumference, tonsillar size, nostril examination and presence of micrognathia or retrognathia. Results: Data were analysed on a total of 1459 sets of questionnaires. The prevalence of parental reporting of SDB among Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan(SRJK) school children was 15%, Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) 13.7% and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) 15.7%. Obesity is a risk factor of SDB in all schools. Gender is a risk factor in SRJK and SJKC school children. Increased neck and abdominal circumference, increased skin fold measurements and enlarged tonsils are significant risk factors only in SRJK school children. Conclusion: Different schools representing different ethnicity may have different risk factors of SDB

A supernova remnant associated with the young gamma-ray pulsar PSR1706-44

THE Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory satellite recently detected1 pulsed -radiation from the radio pulsar PSR1706–44; this is only the fourth radio pulsar to be identified as a -ray source. The other three (Vela, the Crab and PSR1509–58) are all associated with supernova remnants (SNRs), whereas very few—perhaps four—of the remaining 500 or so galactic radio pulsars have convincing associations with SNRs2. We have mapped the field around PSR1706 – 44 at 843 MHz with a resolution of 44 arcsec using the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope, and have identified a shell-type SNR at a distance of about 3 kpc—consistent with the distance deduced for the pulsar. The pulsar is seen as a slightly variable point source, located in an enhanced knot on the arc of the SNR shell

Risk Factors of γ-Hydroxybutyrate Overdosing

The aim of this study was to identify in recreational drug users the factors which increase the risk of overdosing (OD) with γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). A purposive sample of 45 experienced GHB users was interviewed, equally divided into three groups (never OD, occasional OD, and repeat OD). The repeat OD group scored highest on many risk factors regarding GHB use, the occasional OD group scored intermediate, and the never OD group scored lowest. Participants, whether or not they had overdosed on GHB, most often perceived GHB use (e.g. using more GHB than usual, using GHB doses too closely together) as the main reason for GHB OD, and many participants who had overdosed on GHB reported that they had taken more GHB than usual at their most recent occasion of GHB OD. No significant differences in co-use of GHB with other substances were found between the three groups. Our findings indicate that using GHB in the company of groups of friends probably reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of OD

A Novel Mouse Model of <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> Egg-Induced Immunopathology

<div><p><i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> is the etiologic agent for urogenital schistosomiasis, a major source of morbidity and mortality for more than 112 million people worldwide. Infection with <i>S. haematobium</i> results in a variety of immunopathologic sequelae caused by parasite oviposition within the urinary tract, which drives inflammation, hematuria, fibrosis, bladder dysfunction, and increased susceptibility to urothelial carcinoma. While humans readily develop urogenital schistosomiasis, the lack of an experimentally-tractable model has greatly impaired our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie this important disease. We have developed an improved mouse model of <i>S. haematobium</i> urinary tract infection that recapitulates several aspects of human urogenital schistosomiasis. Following microinjection of purified <i>S. haematobium</i> eggs into the bladder wall, mice consistently develop macrophage-rich granulomata that persist for at least 3 months and pass eggs in their urine. Importantly, egg-injected mice also develop urinary tract fibrosis, bladder dysfunction, and various urothelial changes morphologically reminiscent of human urogenital schistosomiasis. As expected, <i>S. haematobium</i> egg-induced immune responses in the immediate microenvironment, draining lymph nodes, and systemic circulation are associated with a Type 2-dominant inflammatory response, characterized by high levels of interleukin-4, eosinophils, and IgE. Taken together, our novel mouse model may help facilitate a better understanding of the unique pathophysiological mechanisms of epithelial dysfunction, tissue fibrosis, and oncogenesis associated with urogenital schistosomiasis.</p></div