The impact of food quality and its attributes on customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions at Malay restaurants / Muhammad ‘Arif Aizat Bashir

The foodservice business today is a complex and fast-changing industry. This can clearly be seen from the assortment of foodservice establishments escalating in all subsectors of the industry, including restaurants. Food quality appears to be acknowledged as an elemental factor to satisfy restaurant customers; yet, most restaurant quality-related studies have focused on atmospherics and service delivery, often neglecting the significance of food itself as the foundation of a restaurant. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how food quality is perceived in relation to satisfaction and post-dining behavioral intentions in Malay restaurants. This study also attempted to identify which attributes among food related qualities are critical in improving satisfaction and heightening revisit intention. Through regression analyses, this study shows that overall food quality significantly affects customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions and also revealed that the relationship between food quality and behavioral intentions is partially mediated by customer satisfaction. Subsequent regression analyses demonstrated that food taste was the greatest contributor to customer satisfaction; on the other hand, food freshness was the utmost contributor to behavioral intentions. Thus, restaurant operators should pay attention to the key food quality attributes that elicit customer satisfaction and enhance return visits in the restaurant business

Antifungal and antispasmodic activities of the extracts of Euphorbia granulata

The dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of the plant Euphorbia granulata were investigated for their antifungal, antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant, spasmolytic (antispasmodic) and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities. The dichloromethane extract showed strong inhibition against Microsporum canis (90%) and against Aspergillus flavus (50%). Both the extracts inhibited the spontaneous contractions in rabbit jejunum preparations with EC50 value of 0.17 and 1.3 mg/mL, respectively and also relaxed the K+-induced contractions with EC50 0.2 and 2.8 mg/mL, respectively, suggesting a calcium channel blocking activity. However, the extracts did not show antibacterial, phytotoxic, brine-shrimp cytotoxic, antioxidant and acetylcholinestrase inhibitory activities

Role of Managerial Innovation Behavior for moderating the effect of the Dynamic Innovation Capability on Banking Performance: Evidence from Pakistan

The current study attempts to address the role of dynamic innovation capabilities, along with innovative work behavior of managerial employees, to explain banking performance in Pakistan. Furthermore, it also examines the moderating role of innovative work behavior. For testing the set of proposed hypotheses, the data was collected from 413 participants working at managerial positions in different banks across Pakistan. The study employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to achieve the research objectives. The results revealed internal and external reliability and validity along with a statically fit model. It was found that innovation capabilities, especially organizational innovation and process innovation, along with managerial innovation behavior have a strong optimistic effect on banks’ performance in Pakistan. Furthermore, innovative work performance strongly moderates the impact of dynamic innovation capabilities on banking performance in Pakistan. The study has managerial and practical implications for policymakers, leaders, higher management, and decision-makers in the banking sector of Pakistan. Furthermore, limitations and suggestions for future research are also incorporated

The role of environmental systems knowledge attributes and moderating effect of religiosity toward pro-environmental attitudes and households’ food waste prevention behaviour / Muhammad ‘Arif Aizat Bashir

Like many other countries, Malaysia is facing the household food waste issue, and it is expected to exacerbate in years to come continuously. The efforts to improve the quality of environmental situations, coupled with detrimental impacts of food waste that worsen from time to time, demand new ways of thinking about the antecedents of food waste prevention behaviour. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the role of environmental systems knowledge attributes on households’ food waste prevention behaviour, with pro-environmental attitudes as a mediator and religiosity as a moderator between the linkages. In answering and validating the research objectives, questions, and hypotheses, a quantitative approach with descriptive analyses and hypotheses testing was employed as the methodology. A survey questionnaire among Malaysian households from several states was undertaken with a total of 935 respondents, with 918 data found usable. The findings demonstrated that environmental systems knowledge attributes with its underlying dimensions of human-environmental system knowledge and geography-environmental system knowledge not only influence the proenvironmental attitudes, but it acts as a precursor or predictor of the households’ food waste prevention behaviour. Additionally, pro-environmental attitudes played a significant mediating role in the intended relationship between environmental systems knowledge attributes and Malaysian households’ food waste prevention behaviour, whereas religiosity played a moderating role in the relationship between environmental systems knowledge attributes and households’ pro-environmental attitudes. The findings also proved a convergence between Environmentally Responsible Behaviour Theory and Behavioural Learning Theory (Operant Conditioning) that is applicable to provide a viable and useful theoretical framework for examining households’ food waste prevention behaviour. To summarize, this study certainly offers fresh insight into the current works of literature on food waste prevention behaviour. It specifically provides consumers, non-governmental organizations, and relevant authorities with an in-depth understanding of Malaysian households in terms of what types of information or knowledge should be imparted to motivate them to act environmentally responsible and, most importantly, the formation of food waste prevention behaviour

Perspectives on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Women in Azad Jammu and Kashmir: A Legal Analysis

This article focuses on women’s economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The Key human right issues concerning three ESC rights, namely education, employment and health, are targeted and discussed here. The article argues that towards fulfilment of its state-like national and international human rights obligations, AJK may progressively realize for its women population, its ESC rights through legal and policy measures. At the outset, the article discusses key human rights of women in the AJK, reflecting on both law and policy issues. While discussing the three rights mentioned above, the main focus remains on equality and non-discrimination. An analytical method is adopted to analyse relevant laws and policies. The article will, however, note deficiencies, if any, in the relevant laws and policies pertaining to the three targeted rights

Nucleoporin153: Engineering a mammalian expression vector to study its biological role

Compartmentalization is the hallmark of eukaryotic cell characterized by the presence of DNA as genetic material inside the nucleus. Restricting the accessibility of large cytosolic proteins to the nucleosol with the barrier of nuclear envelope (NE) equipped with nanopore channel formed by NPCs (Nuclear Pore Complexes) which acts as gatekeeper between the two boundaries. Eukaryotes have achieved a complexity in transcriptional regulation not found in prokaryotic cells. Furthermore, the NE also serves as additional levels of regulation of gene expression e.g selective export of newly synthesized mRNA into the ribosome as well as the epigenetic control on gene expression and the establishment of higher levels of organization of the nuclear genome. Furthermore, NPCs being itself a supra-molecular complex of different nucleoporins gets formed in orderly orchestrated events during cell cycle. NPCs have been attributed with different functions ranging from transport of viral proteins to age dependent cell deterioration. NUP153 is an essential, indispensible and dynamic component of NPCs. It is a 153 kDa glyco-protein and in association with other nucleoporin proteins forms a stable 3D supra-molecular assembly within the bilayer nuclear membrane. NUP153 has been found to occur peripherally towards the nucleoplasmic side of nuclear membrane. NUP153 has been implicated in so many cellular processes ranging from the transport of viral proteins to the activation of apoptosis cascade in cells. We successfully cloned our gene of interest in two mammalian expression vectors viz pcDNA3 and pCMV-HA. We generated these two constructs to see the role of NUP153 in the transport of protein phosphate 2A (PP2A) (Normally, a resident of cytosol) and small T (ST) of Polyoma virus into the nucleus as our prospective study

MACROECONOMICDETERMINANTS OF FOREIGNINDEBTEDNESS: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

The intention of conducting this research is to inspect the key macroeconomic determinants of foreign indebtedness in Pakistan. ARDL bound test is applied to annual dataranging from 1976-2018.This paper finds that debt service payment, military spending, and trade openness provoke furtherexternal borrowing, whereas growth in economic activity, depreciation of currency and capital inflow help in curtailing the overseas borrowing of our economy. The findings of this study also highlight the role of government revenue and inflation in reducing the debt burden liability. This study recommends that policy making departments should focus on relaxing the trade barriers, enhancing the overall productivity and competitiveness of the markets, stabilizing the exchange rate and designing an optimal level of military budget as all of them are contributing towards reducing the external financial liabilities.Appropriate use of foreign reserves, creating attractive environment for investment and utilization of funds in revenue-oriented projects are also necessary for combating with the issue of foreign indebtedness. Taken together, the assurance of these recommendations will help in meeting the government's financial needs and curtailing the demand for accumulation of external debt

Boron, zinc and microtone effects on growth, chlorophyll contents and yield attributes in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar

The micronutrient required in minute quantity and their deficiency leads to diminished growth and yield of crops. The effect of soil application of Zinc (Zn), Boron (B) and Microtone (MT) on growth, chlorophyll contents, mineral profile and yield components were investigated in rice at Chakkanwali Reclamation Research Station District, Gujranwala, Pakistan in the year 2011. Seven treatments which includes Zn 33% at 3 kg/acre, Zn 33% at 6 kg/acre, B 11.3% at 1.5 kg/acre, B 11.3% at 3 kg/acre, Zn + B at 3 + 1.5 kg/acre, Zn + B at 6 + 3 kg/acre and MT + Zn 6% + B + Fe + Mn + Cu 1% each at 500 ml/acre, and F0 considered as the control were used. The results reveal that foliar application of Zn and B (Zn + B at 6 + 3 kg/acre) were proved as the best balanced fertilizer dose for higher growth and yield response. The plant height, tiller/plant, panicle length, kernels/plant, filled kernel/plant, productive kernel, straw, paddy and biological yield increased up to 29.75, 38.40, 28.19, 25.81, 36.52, 38.52, 32.47, 38.27 and 31.79%, respectively. The chlorophyll contents, B and Zn contents in rice plant also increased significantly as compared to the control. However, the B, Zn and MT application reduced the amylase and protein contents of rice plant at all treatment levels.Keywords: Micronutrients, rice crop, growth, chlorophyll contents, Oryza sativa L., yield attribute

Crossing culinary borders: UiTM Pulau Pinang Branch global engagement at Universitas Negeri Malang / Muhammad ‘Arif Aizat Bashir and Hashim Fadzil Ariffin

In the dynamic world of international academia, the sharing of knowledge knows no boundaries, fostering understanding and cooperation among universities. Universiti Teknologi MARA Pulau Pinang Branch, through the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management (FHTM), took a significant step towards this goal on 30 November 2023 with a cultural and academic exchange through a Guest Lecture (Dosen Tamu) delivered by Dr. Muhammad 'Arif Aizat Bashir on "Culinary and Molecular Gastronomy for Food Innovation" at Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia

DYNAMICS OF NOMINAL EXCHANGE RATE WITH PRICE LEVELS: WHAT HAPPENS IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS?

Since inception exchange rate determination in Pakistan has been studied extensively but under various approaches. Current study explores empirically the relationship of the domestic price level & foreign price level with nominal exchange rate in Pakistan, using a daily data set for 13 years (July 2000- June 2013) as provided by State Bank of Pakistan. Variables are analyzed for stochastic properties and existence of unit root, for this purpose ADF is used. Along with regression analysis the co-integration is tested to detect long term co-movement between variables. It has been found that domestic price level has positive relationship with nominal exchange rate, whereas, foreign price level has a negative relationship with nominal exchange rate in the long run