COMPARISON OF THE PERFORMANCE OF ISLAMIC MUTUAL FUNDS vs. ETHICAL AND CONVENTIONAL MUTUAL FUNDS

Mutual funds are one of the key contributors to the globalisation of financial markets and one of the main sources of capital flows to emerging economies. This study explores and measures the performance of global Islamic mutual funds through an econometric analysis. Specifically, this study conducted an empirical comparison of performances between Islamic, ethical, and conventional mutual funds using market indexes as benchmarks. In furthering the analyses, this study also explored the ‘Ramadan Effect’ and another comparison/or causality test between Islamic mutual funds and oil prices in the short/long run. Statistical techniques were used in analysing monthly net asset value (NAV), management fee, and Dow Jones Islamic market index (DJIMI), S&P 500 Index, FTSE4Good Global Index, MSCI AC World Index and oil prices include (i) the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and the Phillips-Perron (PP) test; (ii) Granger causality; (iii) cointegration, and (iv)the Generalized Method of Moments Regression. Findings of the study demonstrate that oil price did not cause Islamic mutual fund’s performance during the period covered, while Islamic mutual fund’s performance causes oil prices. Since demand and supply equilibrium on oil is unpredictable and oil is considered both as an investment commodity and a fuel, the stock market leads oil prices. Results also show that there is no significant difference between the performance of Islamic mutual funds and those of ethical and conventional mutual funds and between the Islamic mutual funds and the well-known Islamic indices during the whole period or during the bullish or bearish periods

Towards Measuring Learning Effectiveness considering Presence, Engagement and Immersion in a Mixed and Augmented Reality Learning Environment

The current era of advanced display technologies, such as a head mounted displays, smart glasses and handheld devices, have supported the usage of mixed-reality and augmented reality concepts in smart educational classrooms. These advanced technologies have enabled enhanced collaboration and an interactive communication between distance learners and local learners. Being present' is a key factor in both worlds (real and virtual) as it plays an important role in increasing the students' collaborative engagement during the learning activity. However, few studies have considered how much using such immersive interfaces with various learning scenarios may ultimately affect learning outcomes, and whether students feel fully engaged or not in such environments. This work-in-progress paper will demonstrate a MiRTLE+ prototype of how remote students can collaborate within mixed-reality environments by using an augmented reality approach. Secondly, it will explore the learning effectiveness based on the following factors: students' presence, engagement, and immersion in smart environments. With regard to the learning task, we will consider a card game task to measure the learners' progress as they progress from novice to expert player. To evaluate these factors, we utilise several existing frameworks which have been applied to our mixed-reality worlds that help us to examine the learning outcomes from using these environments

Teacher Perception of the School Nurses in Addressing Obesity Among School Children in Kuwait

Obesity in children is a global issue and it seems that no country has yet succeeded in addressing this issue. Therefore, investigating the current situation in regard to found new strategies in addressing the overweight and obesity in children by using qualitative research approaches was an important decision made at the beginning of the data collection. This study was conducted to examine the perceptions of school teachers towards the role of the school nurse in tackling obesity among children in Kuwait. Method: Twelve focus group discussions were used to collect the data to obtain in-depth details about the role of school nursing in addressing obesity among school children in sex provinces in Kuwait, The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. NVivo 10® qualitative analysis software was used during the process of coding and the development of themes. Result: The focus group findings revealed the following key theme and perceptions among participants: The possible important role of the school nurse is minimised due to limitations of availability (not in every school) and their current roles. focus groups reported that nurses were limited to providing first aid to students, whereas nurses are able to serve in a more proactive, preventative capacity, although not asked to do so. Conclusion: school nurses were under-recognised and not appropriately utilised, as most participants in the second phase did not consider the school nurse as a part of the solution and believed that nurses were employed for emergency needs only. This is not in line with several studies that found that the activities of school nurses, such as delivering health education and taking body weight measurements, is associated with school children having a healthy body weight. Also, school nurses play a major role in advocating for the creation of a healthy environment for school children. Therefore, the current study calls for school nurses to be a part of the solution. Keywords: Obesity, overweight, Kuwait, school children,school nurse, perception. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/85-10 Publication date: January 31st 202

Integrating spatial data and shorebird nesting locations to predict the potential future impact of global warming on coastal habitats: A case study on Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

AbstractOne of the expected effects of the global warming is changing coastal habitats by accelerating the rate of sea level rise. Coastal habitats support large number of marine and wetland species including shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers and allies). In this study, we investigate how coastal habitats may be impacted by sea level rise in the Farasan Islands, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We use Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus – a common coastal breeding shorebird – as an ecological model species to predict the influence of sea level rise. We found that any rise of sea level is likely to inundate 11% of Kentish plover nests. In addition, 5% of the coastal areas of Farasan Islands, which support 26% of Kentish plover nests, will be flooded, if sea level rises by one metre. Our results are constrained by the availability of data on both elevation and bird populations. Therefore, we recommend follow-up studies to model the impacts of sea level rise using different elevation scenarios, and the establishment of a monitoring programme for breeding shorebirds and seabirds in Farasan Islands to assess the impact of climate change on their populations

Multiple perspective of public-private partnership project success : the case of Kuwaiti public housing initiative

Increased urbanisation has led to the use of public-private partnerships (PPP) in the provision of quality housing. However, to get the desired value from PPP housing projects, close attention must be paid to the stakeholders of each project and their political-institutional rules. It is equally important to assess how the stakeholders perceive success and failure, which is an important critical success factor (CSF) in the measurement of the success of these projects. Thus, the aim of this research is to evaluate the key CSFs from the perspectives of various stakeholders in the PPP housing projects in Kuwait to determine which combination of factors has led to successful implementation.Stakeholders’ perspectives in this study are analysed using a multiple-perspective theory which by categorising perspectives into technical, organisational and personal perspectives provide the insights which are required to be integrated into the successful implementation of PPP projects in Kuwait. This research is based on qualitative methodology based on two case studies of Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) and Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW). This research has performed 30 semi-structured interviews and 3 focus group discussions.Findings of both interviews and focus groups confirmed that the investment environment was the most important CSF from stakeholders’ perspectives. Findings in this regard confirmed that the private sector was willing to invest in PPP projects provided that the public sector could improve the investment environment to enable PPP implementation. The second CSF which was identified via the findings of this research was the attractive project which contributed to the success of PPP housing projects as per the participants of this research. Findings confirmed that an attractive project meant a project which offered sufficient project profitability, had long-term demand for their products.The findings of this research identified the third CSF as the reliable consortium which contributed to the success of PPP housing sector projects. Findings in this regard confirmed that a reliable consortium from public sector TOP’s perspective comprised of strong and capable project teams, offered innovative and cost-effective technical solutions, had effective project organisational structures and were able to efficiently address environmental health and safety issues.The findings of this research identified the fourth CSF as a sound financial package which contributed to the success of PPP housing sector projects. The findings of this research identified risk allocation as the fifth CSF which contributed to the success of PPP housing sector projects. The findings in this regard confirmed that optimal risk allocation was one of the underlying reasons for implementing PPP projects

Parental cooperation in an extreme hot environment: natural behaviour and experimental evidence

One of the most apparent examples of cooperation between unrelated individuals is biparental care whereby the male and the female parent share the rearing of the offspring. Theoretical models of care predict that selection should favour biparental care if it substantially improves the survival of the offspring. Although various ecological factors have been proposed to necessitate biparental care, experimental evidence is scant given the challenges of manipulating ecological factors in the natural habitat of animals. We carried out one such experiment in a small shorebird, the Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, that breeds in an extreme desert environment. Nest cover and thus exposure to solar radiation vary between nests, and we show that parents at exposed nests spent more time incubating than those at nests shaded by a bush (covered nests). Experimental removal and supplementation of nest cover gave results consistent with the observational data; at experimentally exposed nests both males and females increased incubation effort and relieved each other more frequently whereas at experimentally covered nests we observed the opposite. We conclude that exposure to extreme solar radiation influences biparental care and this necessitates parental cooperation in the Kentish plover. Furthermore, since parental care often coevolves with mating strategies, we conjecture that where the environment puts less pressure on the parents and provides the opportunity for reduced care, both mating systems and parental care can diversify over evolutionary time. (C) 2011 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

How to screen for domestic violence against women in primary health care centers

Background: Violence against women is a major public health problem. Primary health care workers are involved in both detection and management of violence. Screening of women for violence is an important tool for early detection and prevention of violence through a valid and accepted screening tool.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the main elements and characteristics of a violence screening tool that can be used in primary health care centers.Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in primary health care centers located in two randomly selected health regions in Kuwait. The study involved all available physicians (210) and nurses (464) in the selected centers. The overall response rate was 54.3%. A selfadministrative questionnaire was used for data collection.Results: Physicians favored an indirect question about violence (79.7%), while a question about feeling safe (83.6%) was suggested by nurses. The most frequently suggested method was searching for signs of violence. The majority of both nurses (82.4%) and physicians (82.0%) suggested physicians to carry out the screening process for domestic violence against women. The primary health care level was suggested to be in charge of screening for violence by 88.7% of nurses and 82.0% of physicians. Both  nurses and physicians agreed that the examination should be carried out in complete privacy (95.0% and 91.4%), by an examiner of the same sex (89.1% and 89.8%), and not allowing a relative of the victim to attend the screening (85.3% and 78.9%). Opportunistic screening was preferred by both physicians (69.5%) and nurses (87.8%) when manifestations of violence are noticed.Conclusion: A short tool containing a question about safety and looking for signs of violence administered by a physician on opportunistic basis in the primary health care centers in complete privacy was suggested for screening of women.Keywords: Screening; Tool; Violence; Women; Primary Cente

Children and their parent's perceptions of overweight and obesity in Kuwait children

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children are a major public health concern internationally. Recognition of overweight and obesity status is an important step to prevent unhealthy weight. This study was designed to assess the prevalence and to explore the perceptions of children and their parents towards overweight and obesity in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study approach was utilized surveying 635 children aged 11 to 14 years (males and females) in 12 randomly selected public schools in Kuwait. Trained nurses performed measurements of children's height and weight to determine their Body Mass Index.Valid questionnaire were used to assess children and their parent perception of child's weight. Results: One quarter of the surveyed children 25.5% (N = 162) were overweight. Over one third of the participants 36.5% (N = 232) were classified as obese. The nurses' measurements did not coincide with the children's perceptions but were better aligned with parents' perceptions of overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The results indicated that there is high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti children. Furthermore, both the children and their parents underestimate the child weight status. Health education programs are highly recommended