Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 76 in total

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  1. Global trends in chemistry research and the challenge for Malaysian scientists: a perspective review
    Kumar Das, V.G.
    ASM Science Journal, 2013;7(2):173-220.
    MyJurnal
    Malaysia is currently poised to introduce its Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy and Act to bolster the nation's efforts at economic and social transformation. In championing this initiative, the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, while continuing to advise the Government on STI issues of the day, has made major strides in taking stock of the country's STI strengths in the various sectors of the economy as well as weaknesses that need to be addressed in terms of human capital development. In this article, the author examines the level of research expertise presently in the country in the field of chemistry, and elaborates on the four key areas of energy, catalysis and chemical synthesis, materials science and biological chemistry which will be researched globally in the next few decades that we would also need to be engaged upon to remain competitive. Intended for a wider audience than chemists alone, the descriptive sections in the article by and large belie an interdisciplinary flavour. The article also advocates the need for a more thorough road mapping exercise of the STI efforts in chemistry across the spectrum of academia and industry and makes some recommendations towards forging strong collaborations in research between the universities, public research institutes and the industry which are seen as vital in providing cross-cutting chemical solutions throughout the value chains and to the success of technologies identified as critical to the nation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  2. Fulltext Making the third science policy work
    Omar, A.R.
    ASM Science Journal, 2011;5(1):71-72.
    MyJurnal
    The government’s science and technology (S&T) apparatus is now in active consultation to formulate the third national S&T policy (NSTP3) and I have been involved in some of these meetings and have benefitted from them. In an earlier article (New Straits Times, 9 July 2011, p. 18) I had briefly described the two previous policies and given some thought on what the essentials of the NSTP3 should be. I am now offering some further thoughts on the subject. (Copied from article).
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  3. Fulltext Education programme on science of microgravity in commemoration of the first Malaysian astronaut in space
    Khalijah, M.S., Helmy, M.H.M.
    ASM Science Journal, 2007;1(2):177-180.
    MyJurnal
    The Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Angkasawan (Astronaut) Programme achieved its mission to send the first Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukur by Soyuz TM11 to the International Space Ship (ISS) on 10 October 2007. He returned to earth, landing safely on 21 October 2007. Such a momentous event has carved out yet another milestone in the country’s
    history and development of a civilisation based on science and technology for its people. This mission has provided the educational sector with an opportunity to initiate a curriculum innovation. Together with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the initiative was undertaken to improve techniques of teaching and learning (TL) and to broaden its scope to include space science and technology.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  4. Fulltext A science framework (SF) for agricultural sustainability
    Ahmed F, Al-Amin AQ, Masud MM, Kari F, Mohamad Z
    An Acad Bras Cienc, 2015 Sep;87(3):1887-902.
    PMID: 26221988 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201520130368
    The significance of Science Framework (SF) to date is receiving more acceptances all over the world to address agricultural sustainability. The professional views, however, advocate that the SF known as Mega Science Framework (MSF) in the transitional economies is not converging effectively in many ways for the agricultural sustainability. Specially, MSF in transitional economies is mostly incapable to identify barriers in agricultural research, inadequate to frame policy gaps with the goal of strategizing the desired sustainability in agricultural technology and innovation, inconsistent in finding to identify the inequities, and incompleteness to rebuild decisions. Therefore, this study critically evaluates the components of MSF in transitional economies and appraises the significance, dispute and illegitimate issue to achieve successful sustainable development. A sound and an effective MSF can be developed when there is an inter-linkage within principal components such as of (a) national priorities, (b) specific research on agricultural sustainability, (c) adequate agricultural research and innovation, and (d) alternative policy alteration. This maiden piece of research which is first its kind has been conducted in order to outline the policy direction to have an effective science framework for agricultural sustainability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  5. Tobacco Use Prevention for the Young (TUPY-S): Development, Validity and Reliability of an Interactive Multimedia Strategy from the Adolescents’ Perspective in Malaysia
    Mohd Zin F, Hillaluddin AH, Mustaffa J
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2017 05 01;18(5):1435-1443.
    PMID: 28612599
    Objective: This study aims to develop, validate and determine the reliability of an interactive multimedia strategy
    to prevent tobacco use among the young (TUPY-S) from an adolescents’ perspective. Methods: A descriptive study
    design was utilized. A modular instruction guideline by Russel (1974) was followed in the entire process, comprising
    a feasibility study, a review of existing modules, specification of the objectives, identification of the construct criterion
    items, learner analysis and entry behavior specification, establishment of the sequence instruction and media selection,
    a tryout with students and a field test. Result: Feasibility was agreed among the researchers and the school authorities.
    Culturally suitable rigorously developed tobacco use preventive strategies delivered using information technology (IT)
    are lacking in the literature. The objective of TUPY-S is to prevent tobacco use among adolescents living in Malaysia.
    Identified construct criterion items include knowledge, attitude, intention to use, self-efficacy, and refusal skill. The target
    population was early adolescents belonging to generation-Z. Content was developed from the adolescents’ perspective
    and delivered using IT in Malay language. Content validity, assessed by six experts in the field and module development,
    was good at 86%. The students’ tryout showed satisfactory face validity subjectively and objectively (85.5%) and
    high alpha Cronbach reliability (0.91). Conclusion: TUPY-S was confirmed to suit early adolescents of the current
    generation living in Malaysia. It demonstrated good content validity among the experts, satisfactory face validity and
    reliability among the target population. TUPY-S is ready to be evaluated for its effectiveness among early adolescents.
    Matched MeSH terms: Information Science
  6. Fulltext 100 top-cited scientific papers in limb prosthetics
    Eshraghi A, Osman NA, Gholizadeh H, Ali S, Shadgan B
    Biomed Eng Online, 2013;12:119.
    PMID: 24237942 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-12-119
    Research has tremendously contributed to the developments in both practical and fundamental aspects of limb prosthetics. These advancements are reflected in scientific articles, particularly in the most cited papers. This article aimed to identify the 100 top-cited articles in the field of limb prosthetics and to investigate their main characteristics. Articles related to the field of limb prosthetics and published in the Web of Knowledge database of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) from the period of 1980 to 2012. The 100 most cited articles in limb prosthetics were selected based on the citation index report. All types of articles except for proceedings and letters were included in the study. The study design and level of evidence were determined using Sackett's initial rules of evidence. The level of evidence was categorized either as a systematic review or meta-analysis, randomized controlled trial, cohort study, case-control study, case series, expert opinion, or design and development. The top cited articles in prosthetics were published from 1980 to 2012 with a citation range of 11 to 90 times since publication. The mean citation rate was 24.43 (SD 16.7) times. Eighty-four percent of the articles were original publications and were most commonly prospective (76%) and case series studies (67%) that used human subjects (96%) providing level 4 evidence. Among the various fields, rehabilitation (47%), orthopedics (29%), and sport sciences (28%) were the most common fields of study. The study established that studies conducted in North America and were written in English had the highest citations. Top cited articles primarily dealt with lower limb prosthetics, specifically, on transtibial and transradial prosthetic limbs. Majority of the articles were experimental studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science/statistics & numerical data*
  7. Fulltext Molecular Epidemiology: Application and Challenges for the 21st Century
    Z. Chin, Abraham
    Borneo Journal of Medical Sciences, 2018;12(101):19-20.
    MyJurnal
    Since the 1970s, people’s understanding of life has gradually deepened into the basic material nucleic acid and protein levels of life. The life sciences have entered the era of “molecules†and produced a large number of new and interdisciplinary subjects. An important direction has had a major and profound impact on the development of epidemiology itself and on disease control.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines
  8. Fulltext Engaging actively with issues in the responsible conduct of science: lessons from international efforts are relevant for undergraduate education in the United States
    Clements JD, Connell ND, Dirks C, El-Faham M, Hay A, Heitman E, et al.
    CBE Life Sci Educ, 2013;12(4):596-603.
    PMID: 24297287 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.13-09-0184
    Numerous studies are demonstrating that engaging undergraduate students in original research can improve their achievement in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and increase the likelihood that some of them will decide to pursue careers in these disciplines. Associated with this increased prominence of research in the undergraduate curriculum are greater expectations from funders, colleges, and universities that faculty mentors will help those students, along with their graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, develop an understanding and sense of personal and collective obligation for responsible conduct of science (RCS). This Feature describes an ongoing National Research Council (NRC) project and a recent report about educating faculty members in culturally diverse settings (Middle East/North Africa and Asia) to employ active-learning strategies to engage their students and colleagues deeply in issues related to RCS. The NRC report describes the first phase of this project, which took place in Aqaba and Amman, Jordan, in September 2012 and April 2013, respectively. Here we highlight the findings from that report and our subsequent experience with a similar interactive institute in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our work provides insights and perspectives for faculty members in the United States as they engage undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, to help them better understand the intricacies of and connections among various components of RCS. Further, our experiences can provide insights for those who may wish to establish "train-the-trainer" programs at their home institutions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science/education*
  9. Malaysian-based science process skills inventory: development, validation and utilisation
    Ong, Eng Tek, Wong, Yew Tuang, Sopia Md Yassin, Sadiah Baharom, Asmayati Yahya, Zahid Md Said
    CREAM : Current Research in Malaysia (Penyelidikan Terkini di Malaysia), 2012;1(1):125-149.
    MyJurnal
    This study aimed to develop and validate an inventory that measures the whole range of basic and integrated science process skills as stipulated in the Malaysian science curricula and that is suitable for Malaysian lower secondary school students. The validated inventory was subsequently utilised to determine the differential acquisition of science process skills by gender, location, and ethnicity. In the instrument development phase which involves item generation and field testing, a reliable 60-item Malaysian-Based Basic and Integrated Science Process Skills Inventory (MB-BISPSI) that has a KR-20 reliability of 0.88, difficulty indices of items that range between 0.25-0.75 and discrimination indices which are above 0.4 was produced. In the main causal-comparative study using a sample of 1021 Form 2 students (548 girls and 473 boys) from seven (four rural and three interior) out of the eight secondary schools in Kapit Division, Sarawak, the findings indicate that the students achieved a mastery level which fell short of the two-third benchmark (e.g., 66.7%) for the overall science process skills, basic and integrated science process skills, and also for each of the 12 science process skills. Additionally, it was found that, while female students generally achieved a markedly higher mean percentage score in the overall Science Process Skills than did the male students, such phenomenon was only observed amongst the Kenyah ethnicity. There were no significant differences in science process skills acquisition between rural and interior students. Implications for a more thoughtful inculcation of science process skills are proffered alongside recommendations for future research using a more nationally representative sample to examine the validity of such generalisation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  10. Biomedical applications of chitosan electrospun nanofibers as a green polymer - Review
    Kalantari K, Afifi AM, Jahangirian H, Webster TJ
    Carbohydr Polym, 2019 Mar 01;207:588-600.
    PMID: 30600043 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.12.011
    This review outlines new developments in the biomedical applications of environmentally friendly ('green') chitosan and chitosan-blend electrospun nanofibers. In recent years, research in functionalized nanofibers has contributed to the development of new drug delivery systems and improved scaffolds for regenerative medicine, which is currently one of the most rapidly growing fields in all of the life sciences. Chitosan is a biopolymer with non-toxic, antibacterial, biodegradable and biocompatible properties. Due to these properties, they are widely applied for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds, wound dressings, and antibacterial coatings. Electrospinning is a novel technique for chitosan nanofiber fabrication. These nanofibers can be used in unique applications in biomedical fields due to their high surface area and porosity. The present work reviews recent reports on the biomedical applications of chitosan-based nanofibers in detail.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines
  11. Tailoring teaching instructions according to student’s different learning styles: are we hitting the right button?
    Chew, Keng-Sheng
    Education in Medicine Journal, 2016;8(3):0-0.
    MyJurnal
    To address the diverse preferred learning styles, one of the oft-cited recommendations for educatorsis to tailor teaching instructions accordingly. This pedagogy however, lacks scientific evidences.Furthermore, in medical curriculum, tailoring instructions according to preferred learning styles isnot pragmatic. This is because different subjects and in different settings matter may be best deliveredin specific delivery mode. Furthermore, patients’ presentations are often multi-sensorial. As such, theonus is on the students themselves to adjust the amount of learning efforts they put in according totheir preferred or not preferred learning styles.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  12. Fulltext Scientometric properties of education in medicine journal
    Yusoff MSB
    Education in Medicine Journal, 2014;6(3):1-4.
    MyJurnal
    Evaluating scientific quality of a journal is a notoriously cumbersome problem that so far no standard consensus. Preferably, scientific journals should be examined by real experts in the field and given scores on quality according to standard guidelines. Nevertheless, information scientists (i.e. scientometricians) have developed a diverse range of tools to examine scientific merits of scientific publications that mainly depending on various indexes that counting citations. The impact factor (IF) is commonly used to examine the visibility of a journal. It is the average number of citations a paper of a journal attracts in the two years following its publication.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  13. Fulltext BioHackathon 2015: Semantics of data for life sciences and reproducible research
    Vos RA, Katayama T, Mishima H, Kawano S, Kawashima S, Kim JD, et al.
    F1000Res, 2020;9:136.
    PMID: 32308977 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.18236.1
    We report on the activities of the 2015 edition of the BioHackathon, an annual event that brings together researchers and developers from around the world to develop tools and technologies that promote the reusability of biological data. We discuss issues surrounding the representation, publication, integration, mining and reuse of biological data and metadata across a wide range of biomedical data types of relevance for the life sciences, including chemistry, genotypes and phenotypes, orthology and phylogeny, proteomics, genomics, glycomics, and metabolomics. We describe our progress to address ongoing challenges to the reusability and reproducibility of research results, and identify outstanding issues that continue to impede the progress of bioinformatics research. We share our perspective on the state of the art, continued challenges, and goals for future research and development for the life sciences Semantic Web.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines*
  14. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Antimicrobial Uses and Resistance Among Public University Students in Bangladesh
    Marzan M, Islam DZ, Lugova H, Krishnapillai A, Haque M, Islam S
    Infect Drug Resist, 2021;14:519-533.
    PMID: 33603416 DOI: 10.2147/IDR.S289964
    Background: Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs, and inappropriate uses lead to the resistance that renders them ineffective. This study aims to understand knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) concerning antibiotic use and resistance among university students in Bangladesh.

    Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from January to April 2020 among students at Jahangirnagar University (JU), Bangladesh. Purposive sampling was conducted through an in-person interview using a structured questionnaire. Students from the faculties of biological sciences and non-biology background were included. The univariate ordinal regression technique was used to analyze the relationship between predictors and good knowledge about the antibiotics. A two-tailed p-value was calculated to determine statistical association.

    Results: Out of 205 study participants, 92 and 113 responders were from biological science faculty and non-biology disciplines, respectively. Less than half of the students (42.4%) showed a good knowledge level (scores higher than 80%). Biology-background students possess better knowledge than non-biology students [odds ratio (OR) = 4.44, 95% confidence level (CL) (2.56, 7.70), p < 0.001]. A better attitude was noticed among all students. The self-medication rate was quite low, and more than 90% of students were found to consume antibiotics according to the physician's prescription. Lack of treatment adherence was recorded, and students admitted to stop-taking antibiotics when symptoms disappeared (48.67% biology and 36.26% non-biology). Multivariate regression analysis was unable to detect any significant association between self-medication and gender, student category or the level of knowledge about antibiotics.

    Conclusion: Students of biological science background possessed better knowledge indicating the importance of appropriate curriculum imparted in knowledge buildup. Introducing a short course about the risk and development of antibiotic resistance will grow the students' awareness to avoid the resistance phenomenon.

    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines
  15. Fulltext Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Towards Road Traffi c Regulations Among University Students, Malaysia
    Redhwan, A.A., Karim, A.J.
    International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2010;9(2):29-34.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Each year, more than 20 million people are injured and 1.17 million are killed due to road
    traffi c accidents. Developing countries account for over 85% of the deaths, and close to 90% of the disability caused by road traffi c crashes worldwide. The objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practice and the factors infl uencing university students in Malaysia concerning road traffic accident. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among the students of Management and Science University, Malaysia. The questionnaire was distributed randomly to the students of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 13, T-test and ANOVA. Results: The total number of 109 students with the mean age of 20.94±1.89 years participated in this study. Approximately 39 (35.7%) of the participant had been involved in one or more than one road traffi c accident. About 93.6% of them were very strongly/strongly convinced of seat belts importance. Multivariate analysis using the multiple linear regression method showed that age and attitude were signifi cantly associated with the exposure to the accident. Conclusion: The study participants had moderate knowledge about road traffic regulations and most of them mentioned that high speed, drivers’ lack of awareness about traffi c regulation and laws, and drivers’ non-compliance with traffi c rules and regulation were the most important cause of road traffic accidents. Almost all students were very strongly/strongly convinced of seatbelts importance. Age and attitude were signifi cantly associated with the exposure to the accident.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines
  16. Fulltext Mentorship in the research setting
    Mak, Joon-Wah
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2012;6(1):11-14.
    MyJurnal
    The research mentorship programme is unique in that it is a planned journey undertaken by the mentor and mentee, preferably with well-defined milestones along the journey. During the journey, familiar landmarks will be pointed out by the mentor. In path-finding situations the experience and wisdom of the mentor and the critical appraisal of both mentor and mentee will contribute to learning from the encounter. In most mentor-mentee partnerships, a formal acceptance to the relationship, well-defined landmarks measuring progress in the journey, regular appraisal of the skills developed and acquired, and phased, judicious modification in the individual roles of that relationship will be required. Although there is no consensus on the elements of mentorship, there are some strategies which can contribute to the success of the relationship. Critical success factors include convergence of the research area within the broad expertise of the research mentor. The research mentor should have a proven research track record and is committed to serve in that official capacity. The research mentoring process is dynamic and characteristics of both mentor and mentee contribute to the robustness of that relationship. The mentee would have identified some attributes of the mentor that are desirable and is willing to work hard to achieve, build on, and improve upon. In the research setting endpoint measurements of success will be based on recognition of the research standing of the mentee, measurable outcomes such as number of papers in top tier journals, citation indices, etc. consultancies attracted as well as invitations to deliver plenaries in scientific conferences, patents filed and research findings translated and applied, and other measures of research productivity. In the pursuit of research excellence the mentee would have imbibed values of professionalism and ethics in research and would have constantly kept in mind that to be successful, the mentee would be able to excel beyond his mentor and that the next generation of researchers will seek mentorship from him.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  17. Fulltext The influence of admission qualifications on the performance of first and second year medical students at the International Medical University
    Radhakrishnan, Ammu Kutty, Lee, Nagarajah, Young, Mei-Ling
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2012;6(2):10-17.
    MyJurnal
    Background: Medical schools have long been concerned with establishing a suitable process of
    admission. The criteria used to select students have traditionally focussed on high academic achievement. Method: The International Medical University (IMU) accepts students from a wide range of pre-university entry qualifications for admission into the medical programme. The criteria for the various pre-university entry qualifications used by the IMU were agreed and accepted by the IMU Academic Council (AC), which consist of deans of the IMU’s partner medical schools (PMS). In this study, the various entry qualifications were first grouped into five categories based on the educational pedagogy. Then, this was aligned with the entry qualification data of all students who had been admitted into the IMU medical programme for the period of December 1993 to March 2000. During this period 1,281 students were enrolled into the IMU medical programme. The relationship between the five groups of pre-university entry qualifications and the students’ academic achievement in three end-ofsemester (EOS) examinations namely EOS 1, EOS 3, and EOS 5 were analysed. Results: Students with better grades in their preuniversity examinations showed better performance in their EOS examinations, regardless of the subjects that they took at the pre-university level. Cluster analysis revealed that students who came in with certain preuniversity qualifications generally performed poorly than the more conventional qualifications. However,
    after their first year in medical school, there were no significant differences in the clustering of the students. Conclusion: Students with better grades in their preuniversity examinations showed better performance in their EOS examinations, regardless of the science subjects that they took at the pre-university level.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  18. Fulltext In search of Malaysia: Pubmed, Google scholar or Scopus?
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2008;2(2):-.
    MyJurnal
    In this review article, the author illustrates the advanced searches for “Malaysian” health and life sciences publications. Examples of searching are made on PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus. The strengths and weaknesses of these services are compared.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines
  19. Fulltext Gathering momentum
    Loh, Li-Cher
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2007;1(2):54-54.
    MyJurnal
    It has been decided that IeJSME should be a general rather than specialty medical journal in that it would cover work ranging from bench science to clinical and medical education research. While this is to ensure the ease of soliciting sufficient manuscripts for sustainability of the journal, the other important reason is to provide learning opportunities for novice researchers, including undergraduate medical students, to improve their work in such a way that are publishable at a certain research quality. This intention is being birthed primarily with our 16-year old medical university and Malaysia in mind, although, as the journal title suggests, we aim that the work published in IeJSME will have international relevance and importance. (Copied from article).
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
  20. Fulltext Current concepts in cancer research
    Ivan Kok Seng Yap, Ammu Kutty Radhakrishnan, Chee Onn Leong
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2013;7(11):19-31.
    MyJurnal
    Cancer research is an extremely broad topic covering many scientific disciplines including biology (e.g. biochemistry and signal transduction), chemistry (e.g. drug discover and development), physics (e.g. diagnostic devices) and even computer science (e.g. bioinformatics). Some would argue that
    cancer research will continue in much the same way as it is by adding further layers of complexity to the scientific knowledge that is already complex and almost beyond measure. But we anticipate that cancer research will undergo a dramatic paradigm shift due to the recent explosion of new discoveries in cancer biology. This review article focuses on the latest horizons in cancer research concerning cancer epigenetics, cancer stem cells, cancer immunology and cancer metabolism.
    Matched MeSH terms: Science
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