From Structure to Purpose: Green and Social Narratives, and the Shifting Morality of Islamic Finance in Kuala Lumpur

Background: The anthropology of sustainability documents and interprets diverse visions of sustainable and liveable futures. Islamic scholars and financiers are now debating the distinctive contribution of Islamic finance to global sustainability. While mainstream global finance has only recently begun to pay explicit attention to social and environmental sustainability, Islamic economics has always emphasised the need to benefit society, the community, and the environment. Objectives: We ask what has been the influence of the emergence of green and social finance upon Islamic finance in Malaysia, the global centre of Islamic finance. Methods: The study is based on collaborative, co-productive ethnography and autoethnography, and textual analysis of working documents of the Securities Commission Malaysia, focusing on how environmental requirements are expressed in new financial products, known as green sukuks, or green Islamic bonds. Results and conclusions: We have found that much of the moral debate in Islamic finance has revolved around the distribution of financial risk: when investors share the risk of failure, they can participate in society rather than merely exploiting social relations, yet the emergence of ‘green’ Islamic finance appears to shift the centre of moral gravity away from risk structuring towards technical criteria of sustainability, replicating the growth-oriented anthropocentric managerialism of mainstream finance

Profiling of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant and anticancer activity in pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.) extracts from different locations of Malaysia.

Background Phytochemicals and antioxidants from plant sources are of increasing interest to consumers because of their roles in the maintenance of human health. Most of the secondary metabolites of herbs are used in a number of pharmaceutical products. Methods Secondary metabolites composition and content of five flavonoids and three phenolic acids were evaluated and determined in Pandanus amaryllifolius extracts from three different locations of Malaysia by RP-HPLC; Total phenolic and total flavonoid content were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and aluminum chloride colorimetric assay; The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by the ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) Assay was employed to screen anticancer activity of extracts against MCF-7 cancer cell line. Results Highest value of total flavonoids (TF) and total phenolics (TP) was observed in pandan extract from Bachok locattion (1.87 mg/g DW and 6.72 mg/g DW) followed by Klang (1.32 mg/g DW; 5.07 mg/g DW) and Pontian (1.12 mg/g DW; 4.88 mg/g DW). Rutin just detected from Bachok location with value of 0.082 mg/g DW. High content of epicatechin (0.035 mg/g DW) and naringin (0.325 mg/g DW) were observed from Bachok location while, highest content of catechin (0.613 mg/g DW) and kaempferol (0.278 mg/g DW) was observed in pandan extract from Klang location. The extract of pandan from Bachok exhibited highest value of gallic acid (0.423 mg/g DW) and cinnamic acid (0.084 mg/g DW). Ferrulic acid just detected from pandan extract of Bachok location with concentration of 0.281mg/g DW. Between studied locations Bachok exhibited highest value of DPPH (64.27%) and FRAP (517.2 μm of Fe (II)/g) activity followed by Klang (52.16%; 448.6 μm of Fe (II)/g) and Pontian (50.10%; 314.8 μm of Fe (II)/g). The preliminary screening showed pandan extracts from 3 locations possessed anticancer promoting activity against MCF-7 cell line, with 78.3%, 70.5% and 67.4% inhibition rate, respectively. Maximum MCF-7cell line inhibition was observed in pandan extract from Bachok location. Conclusions The samples collected from the North (Bachok) exhibited the highest TP, TF antioxidant and anticancer activity while those from the Southern portion (Pontian) appeared to have the lowest content of TP, TF and antioxidant activity

Knowledge Of Ergonomics Among Technical Staff In University Technology Mara Penang Malaysia

Ergonomics is the scientific study of human work. Ergonomics knowledge helps in its right application and contributes significantly to the general wellbeing and safety worker’s at the workplace. Even though ergonomics in Malaysia was introduced in 1992, but it is a relatively new concept and yet to be considered an essential component of most enterprises. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of ergonomics knowledge among technical staff in University Technology MARA (UiTM), Penang Malaysia. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all technical staff of UiTM and the responses were analyzed using SPSS version 15. The evaluation showed that the score of average mean and standard deviation obtained are 3.16 and 0.96 respectively. The result shows that their level of ergonomic knowledge is moderate. The mean score obtained from the awareness of the effect if the ergonomics aspects are not practiced in the workplace is 4.37 which is a high level. It means that they don`t want to get injured and experience an unhealthy condition in the workplace. Regular ergonomic educations and practices in UiTM are advocated to increase ergonomics knowledge and practice to better leve

Removal of pharmaceutical compound (ibuprofen) using a novel modified polyacrylonitrile grafted palm seed powder

Adsorption of ibuprofen onto a low cost amidoxime-modified poly(AN-g-PSP) has been investigated. Poly(acrylonitrile-grafted-palm seed powder) (poly(AN-g-PSP)) was chemically modified with hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH2OH.HCl) to convert the nitrile groups into oxime functional groups. The PSP and amidoxime-modified poly(AN-g-PSP) were characterized by Brauner-Emmet-Teller (BET). It was observed that the specific surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter of were significantly increased after modification with NH2OH.HCl. The influence of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and initial metal concentration towards the adsorption of ibuprofen onto amidoxime-modified poly(AN-g-PSP) were carried out via HPLC coupled with UV. The adsorption kinetic study showed that the maximum time required for the removal of ibuprofen to reach equilibrium was found to be 40 min., at pH 6.0 , adsorbent dose 0.30 g with initial concentration of ibuprofen of 100pm at room temperature

The relationship of nitrogen and C/N ratio with secondary metabolites levels and antioxidant activities in three varieties of Malaysian Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila Blume).

Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila Blume), one of the most famous and widely used herbs, especially in Southeast Asia, is found to have interesting bioactive compounds and displays health promoting properties. In this study, the antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts of leaves, stems and roots of three varieties of L. pumila (var. alata, pumila and lanceolata) were evaluated in an effort to compare and validate the medicinal potential of this indigenous Malaysian herb species. The antioxidant activity determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, as well as the total amount of phenolics and flavonoids were the highest in the leaves, followed by the stems and roots in all the varieties. A similar trend was displayed by the ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) activity, suggesting that the L. pumila varieties possess high foliar antioxidant properties. At low FRAP activity concentrations, the values of the leaves' inhibition activity in the three varieties were significantly higher than those of the stems and roots, with var. alata exhibiting higher antioxidant activities and total contents of phenolics and flavonoids compared to the varieties pumila and lanceolata. The high production of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activities in var. alata were firmly related to low nitrogen content and high C/N ratio in plant parts. The study also demonstrated a positive correlation between secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activities, and revealed that the consumption of L. pumila could exert several beneficial effects by virtue of its antioxidant activity

Relationship between extractable chlorophyll content and SPAD values in three varieties of Kacip Fatimah under greenhouse conditions

Relationship between extractable chlorophyll and relative chlorophyll values obtained using Soil Plant Analytical Development (SPAD)-502 meter were determined in three varieties of Labisia pumila (alata, pumila, lanceolata) under greenhouse conditions using fresh weight basis. The experiment was arranged as a complete randomized design replicated three times with each experimental unit containing five plants. There were no significant differences (P ≥ 0.05) for all the three varieties in their chlorophyll a, b and total. Best fit relationship was found to be linear in chlorophyll a, b and total (P ≤ 0.01) with ascending slope as SPAD values intensified. Chlorophyll b was higher than chlorophyll a in all the varieties indicating species as shade-loving plants. The chlorophyll content of L. pumila leaves can be conveniently determined using SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter, a technique providing simple, rapid, and nondestructive method to estimate leaf chlorophyll content which could also be an indicator of leaf nitrogen (N) status

Photosynthetic capacity, photochemical efficiency and chlorophyll content of three varieties of Labisia pumila Benth. Exposed to open field and greenhouse growing conditions.

Three varieties (Alata, Pumila and Lanceolata) of Malaysian indigenous medicinal herb Labisia pumila Benth. grown in greenhouse and open field were tested to evaluate and compare their photosynthetic and maximal quantum efficiency of photosystem II (F v/F m) reactions. Every variety grown in greenhouse demonstrated higher light-saturated photosynthetic capacity than in the open field. The diurnal net photosynthesis (A) curve in the open field also displayed dual peaks with lower daily average A compared to the greenhouse. Varieties Alata and Pumila were found to acclimatize better under both growing conditions. The diurnal patterns of F v/F m indicated that plants grown under greenhouse encountered less photoinhibition than in open field condition. A decrease in chlorophyll (chl) a/b ratio in leaves of greenhouse plants with significant increase in chl b was observed. This study indicates that var. Alata and var. Pumila have the capacity to acclimatize to greenhouse growth condition

Elevated carbon dioxide increases contents of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities in Malaysian young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.) varieties.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (Family Zingiberaceae) is well known in Asia. The plant is widely cultivated in village gardens in the tropics for its medicinal properties and as a marketable spice in Malaysia. Ginger varieties are rich in physiologically active phenolics and flavonoids with a range of pharmacological activities. Experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of increasing levels of flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, naringenin, fisetin and morin) and phenolic acid (gallic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, tannic acid, cinnamic acid and salicylic acid), and antioxidant activities in different parts of Malaysian young ginger varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) with CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment system. Both varieties showed an increase in phenolic compounds and flavonoids in response to CO2 enrichment from 400 to 800 μmol mol-1 CO2. These increases were greater in rhizomes compared to leaves. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results showed that quercetin and gallic acid were the most abundant flavonoid and phenolic acid in Malaysian young ginger varieties. Under elevated CO2 conditions, kaempferol and fisetin were among the flavonoid compounds, and gallic acid and vanillic acid were among the phenolic compounds whose levels increased in both varieties. As CO2 concentration was increased from 400 to 800 μmol mol-1, free radical scavenging power (DPPH) increased about 30% in Halia Bentong and 21.4% in Halia Bara; and the rhizomes exhibited more enhanced free radical scavenging power, with 44.9% in Halia Bentong and 46.2% in Halia Bara. Leaves of both varieties also displayed good levels of flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activities. These results indicate that the yield and pharmaceutical quality of Malaysian young ginger varieties can be enhanced by controlled environment production and CO2 enrichmen

Effects of solvent type on phenolics and flavonoids content and antioxidant activities in two varieties of young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) extracts

The extractive capability of phenolic components from herb material is considerably depended on the type of solvent. In our research three kinds of solvents (methanol, acetone and chloroform) extracts from different parts (leaves, stems and rhizomes) of two Malaysian young ginger varieties (Halia Bara and Halia Bentong) were used to examine the effects of extraction solvent on total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), quercetin, catechin and rutin content and antioxidant activity [1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay]. Results showed that extraction solvent had significant effects on TP, TF, quercetin, catechin and rutin content and antioxidant activity. The highest content of TP, TF and DPPH scavenging activities were found in methanol extracts. Additionally, High performance liqouid chromatography results shown that methanol had the highest extraction capacity for quercetin, rutin and catechin. Between varieties Halia Bara had high content of TP, TF and antioxidant activities to compare with Halia Bentong. Accumulation and partitioning of TP and TF in both varieties were: leaves > rhizomes > stems in all the three solvent extracts. However, according to the results extraction yield of phenolic compounds is greatly depending on the solvent polarity. With increased in solvent polarity from chloroform to methanol, amount of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities increased in both varieties. Thus, for routine screening of young ginger varieties with higher antioxidant activity, methanol was recommended to extract phenolic compounds from young ginger