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Organizations in many domains generate a considerable amount of heterogeneous data every day. Such data can be processed to enhance these organizations’ decisions in real time. However, storing and processing large and varied datasets (known as big data) is challenging to do in real time. In machine learning, streaming feature selection has always been considered a superior technique for selecting the relevant subset features from highly dimensional data and thus reducing learning complexity. In the relevant literature, streaming feature selection refers to the features that arrive consecutively over time; despite a lack of exact figure on the number of features, numbers of instances are well-established. Many scholars in the field have proposed streaming-feature-selection algorithms in attempts to find the proper solution to this problem. This paper presents an exhaustive and methodological introduction of these techniques. This study provides a review of the traditional feature-selection algorithms and then scrutinizes the current algorithms that use streaming feature selection to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The survey also sheds light on the ongoing challenges in big-data research.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to study the concept of infaq in Islam, investigate its practice in Malaysia, analyse its role in public universities (PUs), investigate the issues and constraints of infaq for financing of higher education in Malaysia and suggest recommendations for improvement.

Methodology/approach – This study used a qualitative methodology and was conducted to obtain information on the practice of infaq in financing tertiary-level education in Malaysia, to learn about the recommended practice of infaq in Islam, to analyse its implementation and to explore the constraints faced in the financing of higher education in Malaysia.

Findings – This study indicated that the practice of infaq helps to ease the burden of rising fees and the cost of living for university students.

Research limitations/implications – The study only focused on the role of infaq in financing higher education in Malaysia. The sample for this study involved four PUs in the Klang Valley.

Originality/value – This study provides new contributions to the field of education infaq in Malaysia.

This study aimed to analyse the role of the Waqf Fund Scheme, by taking Penang (or Pulau Pinang) as one of the states in Malaysia as a sample of the study. Waqf Fund Scheme was established by the Islamic Religious Council of Penang, Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP), in an effort to develop the economy of the Muslim community in the state.

This study analysed the contribution that this endowment fund makes towards a comprehensive scheme of economic development, namely, in terms of the economic, spiritual and social welfare of the Muslim community in Penang. The primary source of data was obtained through interviews conducted by the researcher with the Manager of the Waqf Fund Scheme, the Head of Administration and Finance Section and the Account Executive of MAINPP. The researcher also interviewed respondents from four institutions that were beneficiaries of the Waqf Fund Scheme.

The findings of this research show that the endowment fund scheme plays an important role in the economic development of the Muslim community in Penang. The Waqf Fund Scheme contributes by way of providing a financing facility towards the acquisition of waqf assets or through cash support channelled to associations or committees of a masjid.

This study only focuses on Waqf Fund Scheme which was established by MAINPP.

This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of the Waqf Fund Scheme management.

The paper is the first attempt to address the Waqf Fund Scheme contributions by MAINPP, particularly in Penang.