This paper provides a comprehensive review of equity trading simulators, focusing on their performance in assuring pre-trade compliance and portfolio investment management. A systematic search was conducted that covered the period of January 2000 to May 2023 and used keywords related to equity trade simulators, portfolio management, pre-trade compliance, online trading, and artificial intelligence. Studies demonstrating the use of simulators and online platforms specific to portfolio investment management, written in English, and matching the specified query were included. Abstracts, commentaries, editorials, and studies unrelated to finance and investments were excluded. The data extraction process included data related to challenges in modern portfolio trading, online stock trading strategies, the utilization of deep learning, the features of equity trade simulators, and examples of equity trade simulators. A total of 32 studies were included in the systematic review and were approved for qualitative analysis. The challenges identified for portfolio trading included the subjective nature of the inputs, variations in the return distributions, the complexity of blending different investments, considerations of liquidity, trading illiquid securities, optimal portfolio execution, clustering and classification, the handling of special trading days, the real-time pricing of derivatives, and transaction cost models (TCMs). Portfolio optimization techniques have evolved to maximize portfolio returns and minimize risk through optimal asset allocation. Equity trade simulators have become vital tools for portfolio managers, enabling them to assess investment strategies, ensure pre-trade compliance, and mitigate risks. Through simulations, portfolio managers can test investment scenarios, identify potential hazards, and improve their decision-making process.

Purpose: Kindergartens are an important educational environment for the development of children at an early age, and they also play a crucial role in developing the values of sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to investigate kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of observable and sustainable development practices. Design, methodology, approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 302 Saudi kindergarten teachers. Additionally, observation cards were utilized to collect data on actual practices of sustainable development in kindergartens. Data were analyzed using Nvivo12, a qualitative data analysis software, and descriptive analysis methods. The main themes were produced first, and then the perspectives were organized around them. Finding: The impact of social and cultural factors on the development of values, the lack of resources available to implement educational activities, and teacher awareness and training gaps were found to be the main barriers to the development of sustainable development values in kindergartens. Originality, value: To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia that has looked into the environmental and social perceptions of early childhood teachers about sustainable development practices, so the study’s findings can highlight the importance of reorienting teacher education programs toward sustainability in order to bridge knowledge and practice gaps.

Micro-mobility has the potential to address first -mile challenges, improving transit accessibility and encouraging public transit usage. However, users’ acceptability of modal integration between various micro-mobility options and public transit remains largely unexplored in the literature. Our study investigates the user behavior for first-mile options, focusing on four alternatives: walking, bicycling, motorcycling, and bus, to access urban mass rapid transit (UMRT) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Based on data collected from 1380 individuals, a Nested Logit Model (NLM) was proposed to analyze the determinants of users’ acceptability under each access mode option as well as evaluate further impacts of shifts in access mode choice on vehicle-kilometer traveled and emissions. The analysis shows that the availability of access modes might increase UMRT use by 47.83%. While this increase further generates additional vehicle-kilometer traveled due to the increase in park-and-ride users, this is offset overall by the large number of motorcycle users shifting to UMRT. Under the most optimistic scenario, modal integration for transit-access trips leads to an average reduction of 17.7% in net vehicle-kilometer traveled or 14.5% in net CO₂ emissions or 10.9% in NO_x from private vehicles. Our findings also imply that the introduction of parking fees for bicycling- or motorcycling-access trips, while impactful, does not significantly change UMRT choice. Therefore, the pricing schemes should be a focus of parking planning surrounding stations. Finally, a number of policy suggestions for parking planning and first-mile vehicles are presented.

Islamic banking is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the financial industry. Several works have been written in this field, but none attempt to learn the entire Islamic banking and financial system. Furthermore, the study could not locate any publications investigating the conceptual and intellectual foundations of this emerging field of inquiry. The current study uses bibliometric methodologies to assess the current state of Islamic banking, financial research, and the upcoming trends. For the people who choose interest-free investments, the current research examines a conceptual research context on Islamic banking and finance at various planning and decision-making stages. One thousand research studies appearing in scholarly journals between 2005 and 2023 were reviewed for the purpose. In order to examine the works on Islamic banking and finance, bibliometric techniques were used, including analysis of citation network, content, co-citation, keyword, and publishing trends. By suggesting thirteen clusters, to enhance research on Islamic banking and finance to help interest-free investors learn more, the goal of the research is to promote the body of knowledge. The field of Islamic banking and finance has grown from a young lot to a prominent teaching and research tool. Investigating and identifying current research trends in this area is crucial. As institutions and society are placing more emphasis on Islamic banking to raise individual citizens’ responsibilities in developing interest-free investing strategies, the findings are crucial to the community of interest-free financiers. Further research urges with the studies not restricted to a thousand researches only.

Developing Asia’s infrastructure gap results from both inadequate public resources and a lack of effective channels to mobilize private resources toward desired outcomes. The public-private partnership (PPP) mechanism has evolved to fill the infrastructure gap. However, PPP projects are often at risk of becoming distressed, or worst, being terminated because of the long-term nature of contracts and the many different stakeholders involved. This paper applies survival-time hazard analysis to estimate how project-related, macroeconomic, and institutional factors affect the hazard rate of the projects. Empirical results show that government’s provision of guarantees, involvement of multilateral development banks, and existence of a dedicated PPP unit are important for a project’s success. Privately initiated proposals should be regulated and undergo competitive bidding to reduce the hazard rate of the project and the corresponding burden to the government. Economic growth leads to successful project outcomes. Improved legal and institutional environment can ensure PPP success.