The Determinants of Inward Foreign Direct Investment: the Case of Malaysia

This study empirically explores the role of corruption, and the impact of China joining the WTO in 2001 on inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia. From the empirical tests, this study suggests:- (1) FDI and its determinants are cointegrated; (2) Openness, interest rate, inflation rate, the joining of China into the WTO, and the level of corruption are the major determinants explaining inward FDI in Malaysia, both in the long-run as well as short- run. In general, these findings do provide the policymakers with empirical information about the policy formation on the variables those stimulating FDI in Malaysia.Corruption; Foreign Direct Investment; Malaysia

Wealth Inequality, Governance and Economic Growth in China

Recently, there has been an increasing interest from policymakers, advocates and researchers on the extent to which the growth of the economy can impact income inequality. This research has been focused on the relationship between these variables. The author has recognized the need to focus on wealth as the income indicator, as well as the importance of studying wealth inequality (WI). This is more viable and important than researching income inequality, as this has been studied extensively, as has the impact that governance policies have on the growth of a country’s economy. For the purpose of examining these variables, data from 30 selected Chinese provinces has been used. The panel dataset from 2000–2012 has been extracted from Credit Suisse. This study has predominantly investigated the impact of wealth inequality on economic growth (EG). The study has made use of the GMM estimation system in order to suggest that wealth inequality has a negative impact on the EG of China. Moreover, this empirical investigation has revealed the fact that the impact of wealth inequality on EG has been mitigated by an improved quality of governance

Epstein-Barr Virus episome replication and transcription

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Belief Amid Scepticism: Spirituality in Don DeLillo's Fiction

Master'sMASTER OF ART

Is there an optimal vitamin D status for immunity in athletes and military personnel?

Vitamin D is mainly obtained through sunlight ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure of the skin, with a small amount typically coming from the diet. It is now clear that Vitamin D has important roles beyond its well-known effects on calcium and bone homeostasis. Immune cells express the Vitamin D receptor, including antigen presenting cells, T cells and B cells, and these cells are all capable of synthesizing the biologically active Vitamin D metabolite, 1, 25 dihydroxy Vitamin D. There has been growing interest in the benefits of supplementing Vitamin D as studies report Vitamin D insufficiency (circulating 25(OH)D 75 nmol/L

Sintering behavior of hydroxyapatite ceramics prepared by different routes

The sintering behaviour of three different HA, i.e. a commercial HA(C) and synthesized HA by wet precipitation, HA(W) and mechanochemical method, HA(M) were investigated over the temperature range of 1000°C to 1350°C. In the present research, a wet chemical precipitation reaction was successfully employed to synthesize highly crystalline, high purity and single phase stoichiometric HA powder that is highly sinteractive particularly at low temperatures below 1100°C. It has been revealed that the sinterability and mechanical properties of the synthesized HA by this method was significantly higher than that of the commercial material and HA which was synthesized by mechanomical method. The optimum sintering temperature for the synthesized HA(W) was 1100°C with the following properties being recorded: 99.8% relative density, Vickers hardness of 7.04 GPa and fracture toughness of 1.22 MPam½. In contrast, the optimum sintering temperature for the commercial HA(C) and synthesized HA(M) was 1300°C with relative density of 98% and 95.5%, Vickers hardness of 5.47 GPa and 4.73 GPa, fracture toughness of 0.75 MPam½ and 0.82 MPam½ being measured, respectively

How early can myocardial iron overload occur in Beta thalassemia major?

BACKGROUND: Myocardial siderosis is the most common cause of death in patients with beta thalassemia major(TM). This study aimed at investigating the occurrence, prevalence and severity of cardiac iron overload in a young Chinese population with beta TM. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed T2* cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and serum ferritin (SF) in 201 beta TM patients. The median age was 9 years old. Patients received an average of 13 units of blood per year. The median SF level was 4536 ng/ml and 165 patients (82.1%) had SF>2500 ng/ml. Myocardial iron overload was detected in 68 patients (33.8%) and severe myocardial iron overload was detected in 26 patients (12.6%). Twenty-two patients ≤10 years old had myocardial iron overload, three of whom were only 6 years old. No myocardial iron overload was detected under the age of 6 years. Median LVEF was 64% (measured by CMR in 175 patients). Five of 6 patients with a LVEF<56% and 8 of 10 patients with cardiac disease had myocardial iron overload. CONCLUSIONS: The TM patients under follow-up at this regional centre in China patients are younger than other reported cohorts, more poorly-chelated, and have a high burden of iron overload. Myocardial siderosis occurred in patients younger than previously reported, and was strongly associated with impaired LVEF and cardiac disease. For such poorly-chelated TM patients, our data shows that the first assessment of cardiac T2* should be performed as early as 6 years old

The potential use of honey as a remedy for allergic diseases: a mini review

Honey has been conventionally consumed as food. However, its therapeutic properties have also gained much attention due to its application as a traditional medicine. Therapeutic properties of honey such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and wound healing have been widely reported. A number of interesting studies have reported the potential use of honey in the management of allergic diseases. Allergic diseases including anaphylaxis, asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD) are threatening around 20% of the world population. Although allergic reactions are somehow controllable with different drugs such as antihistamines, corticosteroids and mast cell stabilizers, modern dietary changes linked with allergic diseases have prompted studies to assess the preventive and therapeutic merits of dietary nutrients including honey. Many scientific evidences have shown that honey is able to relieve the pathological status and regulate the recruitment of inflammatory cells in cellular and animal models of allergic diseases. Clinically, a few studies demonstrated alleviation of allergic symptoms in patients after application or consumption of honey. Therefore, the objective of this mini review is to discuss the effectiveness of honey as a treatment or preventive approach for various allergic diseases. This mini review will provide insights into the potential use of honey in the management of allergic diseases in clinical settings