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Fulltext Sustainable management using recycle and reuse of construction waste materials in Malaysia

Shaharin Hamid, Che Maznah Mat Isa, Shamer N. Felix, Nur Kamaliah Mustaffa

ESTEEM Academic Journal, 2020;16(1):47-58.
MyJurnal

Ineffective construction waste management has become a serious problem that impacted significantly to environmental pollutions especially in a developing country like Malaysia. Despite the enactment of law by the government, Malaysia is still far behind as compared to other countries like Denmark and Hong Kong in terms of implementation of recycling and reuse of construction waste. Recycling and reuse of waste materials seems to be a profitable method that will boost the
lifetime of landfills and cut down the usage of virgin natural resources. This paper discusses the practices of recycling and reuse of construction waste materials in the Klang Valley. A questionnaire survey was administered to 117 respondents from construction companies. The most common types of construction waste materials that can be recycled and reused are concrete, metal, asphalt, brick, plastic, cardboard, timber and glass. A descriptive analysis using Relative Important Index (RII) was used to rank the items asked in the survey. It was found that the most frequent types of recycling and reuse of construction waste materials based on ranking is timber,
while the key benefit of recycle and reuse of construction waste is reduction of landfill space. On the other hand, the key challenge that affects recycling and reuse of construction waste is the risk of contamination. This study is beneficial for all parties involved in construction activities to achieve a more sustainable construction in Malaysia and throughout the world.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Understanding employees' perception towards personal data protection through their work processes in privacy enhancing technologies (pets) adoption

May, Fen Gan, Hui, Na Chua, Siew, Fan Wong, Irene, Ai Lian Tan

Malaysian Journal of Qualitative Research, 2019;5(2):6-21.
MyJurnal

With the increase of consumers’ privacy concerns and the government-enforced regulations on data protection, it is necessary for organizations to implement Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) to protect consumers’ personal data. PETs refer to any protection in the form of technology. Since employees are the main stakeholders who are directly involved in the PETs implementation and execution process, it is important to understand employees’ perceptions especially those daily tasks involving the process of collecting and processing consumers’ data. Prior literature showed limited research on the effects of PETs implementation through employees’ work process and their perception on the implementation in protection personal data. Hence, the purpose of this research is to explore how PETs adoption affects employees’ work process and their perception. A qualitative single case study was adopted in a telecommunications company in Malaysia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from nine respondents who were involved in data collecting, data processing and data controlling in their daily tasks. The results showed that employees experience difference levels of change depending on their work nature. The affected areas of change in implementing PETs are workload, communication level and data access. Employees also raised their concerns on vendors’ accountability. This research provides an insight into employees’ perception towards personal data protection based on their experience in implementing PETs. Continuous awareness, updates, monitoring and evaluating of system are perceived as the key to successful PETs implementation in protecting personal data.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Factors associated with falls among the elderly attending a government clinic in Kuala Lumpur

Leong Joyce W.S, Intan Nadia Mohd Zukri, Siew Mooi Ching, Navin Kumar Devaraj

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(1):183-190.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Falls among the elderly can be associated with serious complications such as fractures, injuries and death. This study aims to ascertain the factors associated with falls among the elderly patients attending a government clinic located in Kuala Lumpur. Method: This was a cross-sectional study using a convenience sampling method. Data collection in 2017 from 322 elderly who attended the above clinic. A modified assisted self-administered ques- tionnaire was used that contained the socio-demographic data, falls profile as well as extrinsic and intrinsic factors associated with falls. Analysis was done with SPSS v20.0. Results: 120 (37.27%) elderly reported falls in the past one year. The majority who had falls were females (n=76, 41.8%) and between the age of 80-89 years old (n=29, 44.6%). Malay ethnicity group, reported more falls compared to other ethnicities (n=93,44.5%). Significant associations were found between age, ethnicity and history of falls with falling (p

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Coronavirus pandemic and spirituality in southwest Nigeria: A sociological analysis

Olonade OY, Adetunde CO, Iwelumor OS, Ozoya MI, George TO

Heliyon, 2021 Mar;7(3):e06451.
PMID: 33786389 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06451

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic outbreak is wreaking much havoc across the globe, with many nations shutting down their economy and social life with the hope of flattening the curve while health practitioners are also gearing efforts in providing a cure for it. Part of the coronavirus challenges is the various spiritual undertones attributed to it in many quarters. Hence, this study seeks to understand the various spiritual undertones attributed to the coronavirus incidence in southwest Nigeria.
Methodology: This paper examined the coronavirus pandemic and spirituality sociologically in southwest Nigeria, using secondary and primary data. Secondary data includes a review of literature, social media comments, official records, and newspaper reports. Primary data entails using google form (questionnaire) circulated via social media with 221 responses retrieved and analyzed using the frequency distribution tables and bar charts. Also, a one-sample t-test was used for further statistical analysis.
Results: Findings show that rather than attributing coronavirus incidence to spirituality alone, most of the respondents also see it as a public health concern, and precautionary measures should adhere. They see the government ban on social gathering, which affected the religious houses as the right thing to do and not solely targeted as religious houses. However, most believe that religious houses provide 'essential' emotional and spiritual support to the people. Respondents also believe they can get their healing from their place of worship even if infected with the coronavirus.
Conclusion: Based on the findings it was recommended that religious organizations should source valid data so that policy-makers can make informed decisions. Also, there is a need to have an accurate record of the number of infected persons and death rates to know the right time to ease lockdown and lift the social gathering measures. There should also be a place for easy and free testing for people. This will help the government ascertain the number of infected persons, reduce the associated fear with the pandemic, and lessen the people's economic, social, and religious effects.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Chemical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersion Derived from Jatropha Oil

Saalah S, Abdullah LC, Aung MM, Salleh MZ, Awang Biak DR, Basri M, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Mar 05;13(5).
PMID: 33807622 DOI: 10.3390/polym13050795

Nowadays, there is a significant trend away from solvent-based polyurethane systems towards waterborne polyurethane dispersions due to government regulations requiring manufacturers to lower total volatile organic compounds, as well as consumer preference for more environmentally friendly products. In this work, a renewable vegetable oil-based polyol derived from jatropha oil was polymerized with isophorone diisocyanate and dimethylol propionic acid to produce anionic waterborne polyurethane dispersion. Free standing films with up to 62 wt.% bio-based content were successfully produced after evaporation of water from the jatropha oil-based waterborne polyurethane (JPU) dispersion, which indicated good film formation. The chemical and thermo-mechanical properties of the JPU films were characterized. By increasing the OH numbers of polyol from 161 mgKOH/g to 217 mgKOH/g, the crosslinking density of the JPU was significantly increased, which lead to a better storage modulus and improved hydrophobicity. Overall, JPU produced from polyol having OH number of 217 mgKOH/g appears to be a promising product for application as a binder for wood and decorative coatings.

Matched MeSH terms: Government Regulation
Fulltext Responding to extremes: managing urban water scarcity in the late nineteenth-century Straits Settlements

Williamson F

Water Hist, 2020 Oct 29.
PMID: 33144897 DOI: 10.1007/s12685-020-00260-6

In 1877, the major towns of the Straits Settlements-Singapore, George Town, Penang Island and Malacca-suffered a drought of exceptional magnitude. The drought's natural instigator was the El Niño phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, a climatic phenomenon then not understood by contemporary observers. The 1877 event has been explored in some depth for countries including India, China and Australia. Its impact on Southeast Asia however is less well-known and the story of how the event unfolded in Singapore and Malaysia has not been told. This paper explores how the contemporary British government responded to the drought, arguing that its impact on hydraulic management was at best minimal yet, it did have impact on other areas, such as forest reservation with the hope of preserving future rainfall. It also highlights how, in contrast to studies on urban water plans in other British Asian colonies, the colonial authorities in the Straits Settlements had a far less coherent and meaningful relationship with water in their town planning schemes. As this paper is part of a special issue, Water History in the time of COVID-19, it has undergone modified peer review.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Prevention of oral health disease: knowledge and practices among pregnant women in Kuantan, Malaysia

Nurjasmine Aida Binti Jamani, Karimah Hanim Binti Abd. Aziz, Zurainie Binti Abllah

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2019;3(4):923-932.
MyJurnal

Background: Oral disease in association of pregnancy outcome has been long researched.
Most pregnant women perceived that oral disease in pregnancy are expected and considered
to be normal. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of pregnant women and
their practices towards oral disease. Methods: 296 pregnant mothers were recruited from
government clinics in Kuantan, Malaysia. A validated and self -administered questionnaire
assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices towards oral health was used. Results were
analysed by descriptive analysis, chi square test and multiple logistic regression. Results:
Most respondents showed poor knowledge on oral health problem with its pregnancy
outcome (66.6%) and poor attitude about dental health during pregnancy (53.4%). Half of
them had good practice on oral health. Tooth cavity (46.3%) and gum bleeding (29.4%) were
the commonest problem reported by them. Only one third of the mothers utilize dental
service. Higher level of education was associated with better oral health practice [OR:0.02 CI
(1.12,3.92)] Conclusions: Knowledge on the relationship between oral health and pregnancy
outcome is still low among pregnant mothers. Utilization of dental service was also low. High
level of education is proven to give better oral health care.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Spending on Research and Development to Address the Needs for Innovative Therapeutic Products in Indonesia

Suwantika AA, Kautsar AP, Zakiyah N, Abdulah R, Boersma C, Postma MJ

Ther Clin Risk Manag, 2020;16:969-977.
PMID: 33116546 DOI: 10.2147/TCRM.S260377

Background: The annual gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) per capita of Indonesia ($24) remains relatively lower than the annual GERD per capita of neighboring countries, such as Vietnam ($36), Singapore ($1804), Malaysia ($361), and Thailand ($111).
Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of spending on healthcare R&D to address the needs of developing innovative therapeutic products in Indonesia.
Methods: A decision tree model was developed by taking into account four stages of R&D: stage 1 from raw concept to feasibility, stage 2 from feasibility to development, stage 3 from development to early commercialization, and stage 4 from early to full commercialization. Considering a 3-year time horizon, a stage-dependent success rate was applied and analyses were conducted from a business perspective. Two scenarios were compared by assuming the government of Indonesia would increase GERD in health and medical sciences up to 2- and 3-times higher than the baseline (current situation) for the first and second scenario, respectively. Cost per number of innovative products in health and medical sciences was considered as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Univariate sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of different input parameters on the ICER.
Results: There was a statistically significant association (P-value<0.05) between countries' GERD in medical and health sciences with the number of innovative products. We estimated the ICER would be $8.50 million and $2.04 million per innovative product for the first and second scenario, respectively. The sensitivity analysis showed that the success rates in all stages and total GERD were the most influential parameters impacting the ICER.
Conclusion: The result showed that there was an association between GERD in medical and health sciences with the number of innovative products. In addition, the second scenario would be more cost-effective than the first scenario.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Alteration of the Gut Microbiome in Normal and Overweight School Children from Selangor with Lactobacillus Fermented Milk Administration

Joseph N, Clayton JB, Hoops SL, Linhardt CA, Mohd Hashim A, Mohd Yusof BN, et al.

Evol Bioinform Online, 2020;16:1176934320965943.
PMID: 33281440 DOI: 10.1177/1176934320965943

Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem worldwide. Perturbations in the gut microbiota composition have been associated with the development of obesity in both children and adults. Probiotics, on the other hand, are proven to restore the composition of the gut microbiome which helps reduce the development of obesity. However, data on the effect of probiotics on gut microbiota and its association with childhood obesity is limited. This study aims to determine the effect of probiotics supplement intervention on gut microbiota profiles in obese and normal-weight children. A total of 37 children, 17 normal weight, and 20 overweight school children from a government school in Selangor were selected to participate in this study. Participants were further divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention groups received daily probiotic drinks while the control groups continued eating their typical diet. Fecal samples were collected from the participants for DNA extraction. The hypervariable V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. No significant differences in alpha diversity were observed between normal weight and obese children in terms of the Shannon Index for evenness or species richness. However, a higher intervention effect on alpha diversity was observed among normal-weight participants compared to obese. The participants' microbiome was found to fluctuate throughout the study. Analysis of the taxa at species level showed an increase in Bacteroides ovatus among the normal weight cohort. Genus-level comparison revealed a rise in genus Lachnospira and Ruminococcus in the overweight participants after intervention, compared to the normal-weight participants. The probiotics intervention causes an alteration in gut microbiota composition in both normal and overweight children. Though the association could not be defined statistically, this study has provided an improved understanding of the intervention effect of probiotics on gut microbiome dysbiosis in an underrepresented population.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Global health film club - bringing global health issues and activism to local communities

Nicholas Pang, Jiann Lin Loo

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):50-50.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Global health awareness is sorely lacking in medical curricula and the general public, leading to increasing apathy and decreased levels of volunteerism. Much knowledge about pertinent global health issues is sequestered with academicians and researchers, with little public trickle down. The aim of the study was to increase awareness among Sabahan public about global health issues and promote discussion. Methods: A global health film club was established at community level and discussions about issues and potential individual action points was conducted. Films were screened every month in both UMS and Palliative Care Center Sabah. Global health issues ranging from First World manipulation of HIV/AIDS medication prices, deregulation of medical devices industries, heroin addiction, ADHD drug abuse, and stigma in psychiatry were covered. Public participants’ responses were collected qualitatively. Results: The films largely were well received by participants, with most participants prefer-ring the expose-type films over the more narrative approaches. Films spurred discussion about how foreign or global issues were related to local level, for example unscrupulous sale of medical devices in Malaysian populations and abuse of sleeping medications from local health providers. Also each film screening vastly increased participants’ awareness of pertinent issues, and spurred them to evangelise about said issues to others and take small actions. Conclusion: Global health is a somewhat neglected part of medical and community curricula. Lack of awareness about global health issues reduces the public’s capacity for collective action in exerting pressure on stakeholders, governments, and civil society in taking action. It is hoped such regular global health film screenings at local level brings literacy on urgent public health issues to the people for whom it matters most – the communities where ad-verse global health consequences eventually arise.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Impact of COVID-19 on Psychology among the University Students

Dhar BK, Ayittey FK, Sarkar SM

Glob Chall, 2020 Sep 28.
PMID: 33042575 DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202000038

The purpose of the study is to find out the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students. The study focuses on the university students from different public and private universities of Bangladesh through a set of questionnaires according to the guideline of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). The result among 15 543 respondents shows that 44.59% are suffering from severe anxiety, 48.41% moderate anxiety, and only 3.82% mild anxiety. The results highlight that all epidemic-related stressors are positively correlated with the level of anxiety. Among the epidemic-related stressors, worry about economic influences during and after COVID-19 (r = 0.342, p < 0.001) and worry about the influence of COVID-19 on daily life (r = 0.340, p < 0.001) have a highly positive impact on the level of anxiety. Following these stressors, worry about academic delays due to COVID-19 (r = 0.326, p < 0.001) and worry about the social support during COVID-19 (r = 0.321, p < 0.001) have moderately and positively correlated with the level of anxiety. The study suggests that proper government support, as well as social awareness, should be monitored during epidemics for decreasing anxiety and maintaining a good mental health of the university students.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext The relationship between the impacts of telecommuting engagement and employee performance in oil and gas industry in Kuantan, Pahang

Fatin Fazrida Peros Khan, Nasrudin Mohammed, Nor Hafizah Mohamed Harith

Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2018;3(5):1-9.
MyJurnal

Telecommuting refers to the work option that enables telecommuters to work outside of the office. It
allows telecommuters to have a direct contact with those inside and outside of the organization by
using information and communication technologies. Despite the continuous effort by Malaysia’s
government, the implementation and occurrence of telecommuting practice in Malaysia had not gained
full support from many local companies. Consequently, the Malaysian workforce has suffered from
low-level performance and poor productivity due to the lack of flexibility in task accomplishment.
Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate whether the impacts of telecommuting
engagement (i.e. job autonomy, work-family balance, work productivity, and level of occupational
stress) lead to employee’s performance. This research aims to identify the most dominant impact of
telecommuting engagement that leads to the employee performance. The study has adopted a
correlational research and cross-sectional survey research design to explore the relationship between
variables. There were 229 respondents who practice telecommuting work arrangement. They were
chosen from 11 oil and gas companies located in Kuantan, Pahang. The findings of the study had
revealed that all of the telecommuting impacts which consists of the job autonomy, work-family
balance, work productivity and level of occupational stress have a significant relationship with the
employee performance at r = .923, p < 0.05, r = .734, p < 0.05, r = .817, p < 0.05, and r = .408, p < 005
respectively. Job autonomy was found the most dominant impact of telecommuting engagement that
leads to the employee performance with r = .923, p < 0.05. The positive experiences and knowledge
possessed by the telecommuters in the oil and gas industry helped to increase the level of motivation
and maintain the good mental and physical state of employees. The exercise of the proper balance
between the personal and professional life could guarantee the high employees’ performance among
the telecommuters. Hence, it is suggested for the government to promote and develop more appropriate
policies regarding telecommuting practice in Malaysia. The purpose is to enhance the level of
acceptance towards the work arrangement among the local society. Moreover, the active approaches by
the government can stimulate the implementation of telecommuting in this country as people will have
more proper guidelines to assist the work practices. Telecommuting work arrangement helps to achieve
excellent performance in an organization.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Moving Towards Optimized Noncommunicable Disease Management in the ASEAN Region: Recommendations from a Review and Multidisciplinary Expert Panel

Castillo-Carandang NT, Buenaventura RD, Chia YC, Do Van D, Lee C, Duong NL, et al.

Risk Manag Healthc Policy, 2020;13:803-819.
PMID: 32765135 DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S256165

Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. Progress has been slow despite the World Health Organization action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs in the region. This paper presents recommendations focused on practical strategies for optimizing NCD management in the ASEAN region.
Methods: A multidisciplinary group of experts from six ASEAN member states convened for two face-to-face meetings to discuss barriers and possible recommendations for optimizing NCD management, focused on cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders, in the region. Multiple approaches, ie, analysis of insights from the meetings and a review of existing literature on NCD programs in the ASEAN region were followed. The proposed recommendations were also based on selected successful interventions in ASEAN member states, thus providing actionable strategies.
Results: The gaps identified in NCD management for cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders in the ASEAN region were classified into gaps relating to policies and to clinical and public health practice. The proposed solutions addressing policy gaps include fostering multisectoral public-private partnerships, employing "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approaches and promoting "health-in-all policies approach" to manage issues with financing, accessibility, efficiency and quality of health services. Whereas proposed solutions to bridge clinical and public health practice gaps entail strengthening primary care services, building the capacity of trained healthcare workers and employing collaborative care for holistic management of patients.
Conclusion: The scale of premature and preventable deaths from NCDs in the ASEAN region remains a serious public health concern and requires a "whole-of-system approach". The interventions proposed in this paper build on regional collaborations and knowledge sharing to help develop a concerted and targeted response to NCDs.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext An Early Reading Assessment Battery for Multilingual Learners in Malaysia

Lee JAC, Lee S, Yusoff NFM, Ong PH, Nordin ZS, Winskel H

Front Psychol, 2020;11:1700.
PMID: 32754104 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01700

The aim of the study was to develop a new comprehensive reading assessment battery for multi-ethnic and multilingual learners in Malaysia. Using this assessment battery, we examined the reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the factors associated with reading difficulties/disabilities in the Malay language, a highly transparent alphabetic orthography. In order to further evaluate the reading assessment battery, we compared results from the assessment battery with those obtained from the Malaysian national screening instrument. In the study, 866 Grade 1 children from multi-ethnic and multilingual backgrounds from 11 government primary schools participated. The reading assessment battery comprised 13 assessments, namely, reading comprehension, spelling, listening comprehension, letter name knowledge, letter name fluency, rapid automatized naming, word reading accuracy, word reading efficiency, oral reading fluency, expressive vocabulary, receptive vocabulary, elision, and phonological memory. High reliability and validity were found for the assessments. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three main constructs: phonological-decoding, sublexical-fluency, and vocabulary-memory. Phonological-decoding was found to be the most reliable construct that distinguished between at-risk and non-at-risk children. Identifying these underlying factors will be useful for detecting children at-risk for developing reading difficulties in the Malay language. In addition, these results highlight the importance of including a range of reading and reading-related measures for the early diagnosis of reading difficulties in this highly transparent orthography.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Does good knowledge on dengue correlates to the practice of dengue prevention? a survey among a rural community in Negeri Sembilan

Nuurain Amirah Mohd Razi, Nizam Baharom, Zairina A. Rahman, Nadeeya Mohamad Nor, Mohd Dzulkhairi Mohd Rani, Akmal Aizat Rosman, et al.

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):2-2.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The persistently increasing number of dengue cases costs a significant amount of health financial ex-penditure by the government. Communities throughout the country should be equipped with adequate knowledge and have a good practice in the avenue of reducing dengue infection incidence. This study aims to describe the knowledge and practice levels on dengue fever and their associated factors among adults in a rural village in Negeri Sembilan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a village of Tampin District using a pretested struc-tured questionnaire. Face-to-face interview was conducted among participants whose houses were randomly select-ed. The questionnaire consisted of sections identifying the socio-demographic factors and assessing their knowledge and practice on dengue fever. Knowledge that was assessed includes the sign and symptoms of dengue fever, knowl-edge on the vector, preventive measures and legislation related to it while practice includes their routine action in preventing dengue fever. Results: A total of 221 respondents responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of re-spondents ever had dengue fever was 10.4% (n=23). Out of 100, the mean (s.d.) knowledge and practice score was 77.2(13.1) and 75.8(16.7) respectively. Good knowledge and practice on dengue fever was found among 52.0% and 47.5% of the respondents respectively. Good knowledge was associated with being middle aged (p=0.001), married (p=0.010) and having higher household income (p= 0.037). There was a significant but weak positive correlation between knowledge and practice of dengue fever (r=0.237, p

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext The relationship of socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge of breast cancer on stage of behavioral adoption of breast self-examination

Moey SF, Mutalib AMA, Mohamed NC, Saidin N

AIMS Public Health, 2020;7(3):620-633.
PMID: 32968682 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2020049

Background/aim: In Malaysia, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. As such, early diagnosis and screening practices are important to increase the survival rate. Breast self-examination (BSE) is one of the main screening methods for breast cancer. Socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge of breast cancer are amongst the crucial roles in determining women's behavioral adoption in performing BSE. This study aims to assess the relationship of socio-demographic factors and knowledge of breast cancer on the stage of behavioral adoption of BSE among Malaysian women in Kuantan, Pahang.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 women from three different government health clinics in Kuantan and IIUM Family Health Clinic from February to April 2018. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire on socio-demographic factors and knowledge of breast cancer and its effect on the behavioral adoption of BSE.
Results: Significant difference was found between socio-demographic characteristics and behavioral adoption of BSE. However, only breast screening and the best time for screening were found to be significant with the behavioral adoption of BSE and knowledge of breast cancer.
Conclusion: It is found that most women in Kuantan, Pahang perform BSE but were still unaware of the importance of performing BSE for early breast cancer detection. This study was expected to enhance women's awareness of the benefits of performing BSE.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Non-tenera Contamination and the Economic Impact of SHELL Genetic Testing in the Malaysian Independent Oil Palm Industry

Ooi LC, Low ET, Abdullah MO, Nookiah R, Ting NC, Nagappan J, et al.

Front Plant Sci, 2016;7:771.
PMID: 27446094 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00771

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is the most productive oil bearing crop worldwide. It has three fruit forms, namely dura (thick-shelled), pisifera (shell-less) and tenera (thin-shelled), which are controlled by the SHELL gene. The fruit forms exhibit monogenic co-dominant inheritance, where tenera is a hybrid obtained by crossing maternal dura and paternal pisifera palms. Commercial palm oil production is based on planting thin-shelled tenera palms, which typically yield 30% more oil than dura palms, while pisifera palms are female-sterile and have little to no palm oil yield. It is clear that tenera hybrids produce more oil than either parent due to single gene heterosis. The unintentional planting of dura or pisifera palms reduces overall yield and impacts land utilization that would otherwise be devoted to more productive tenera palms. Here, we identify three additional novel mutant alleles of the SHELL gene, which encode a type II MADS-box transcription factor, and determine oil yield via control of shell fruit form phenotype in a manner similar to two previously identified mutant SHELL alleles. Assays encompassing all five mutations account for all dura and pisifera palms analyzed. By assaying for these variants in 10,224 mature palms or seedlings, we report the first large scale accurate genotype-based determination of the fruit forms in independent oil palm planting sites and in the nurseries that supply them throughout Malaysia. The measured non-tenera contamination rate (10.9% overall on a weighted average basis) underscores the importance of SHELL genetic testing of seedlings prior to planting in production fields. By eliminating non-tenera contamination, comprehensive SHELL genetic testing can improve sustainability by increasing yield on existing planted lands. In addition, economic modeling demonstrates that SHELL gene testing will confer substantial annual economic gains to the oil palm industry, to Malaysian gross national income and to Malaysian government tax receipts.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON SELECTED SECTORS TOWARDS ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MALAYSIA

NURUL FARHANA SENAWI, NOR FATIMAH CHE SULAIMAN, NOR FATIMAH CHE SULAIMAN

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2020;2(3):83-92.
MyJurnal

Government expenditure plays an important role in the country’s economic growth. Budget allocations through the annual budget presented have their strategies to ensure that the allocated budget can improve the growth and development in Malaysia and also can be enjoyed by all Malaysian. The government’s expenditure has contributed to the expansion of this country’s development from various sectors. However, there are various problems involving government expenditure such as low level of health, homeless poor people, weak public transportation and illegal immigrants. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between government expenditure on health, education, housing, transportation and defence sectors towards economic growth. The data used is secondary data from 1980-2017 for 38 years from the Department of Statistics, Malaysia and World Bank Data. The method used in this study is Descriptive Analysis and Autoregressive Distributed Lagged Model (ARDL). The result showed that economic growth and government expenditure on health, education, transportation, and defence has a long-run relationship. Therefore, the government should increase more expenditure on crucial sectors such as education, transportation, defence and health that will strengthen economic growth in the long run.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Environmental and socioeconomic impacts of pipeline transport interdiction in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Umar HA, Abdul Khanan MF, Ogbonnaya C, Shiru MS, Ahmad A, Baba AI

Heliyon, 2021 May;7(5):e06999.
PMID: 34027190 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06999

Over the years, pipelines have been the most economic medium for transporting crude oil to production and distribution facilities in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. However, damages to the pipelines in this area by interdiction have hampered the continuous flow of crude oil to the facilities. Consequently, the revenue of the government dwindles, and the environment is severely degraded. This study assesses the economic and environmental impacts of pipeline interdiction in the Niger Delta region. Data from National oil spills detection and response agency, Nigeria is used to map spatial distribution of oil spills using Kernel Density Estimation with Geographic Information System. Literature was assessed to synthesize the historical, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts of oil spills and pipeline interdiction. Soil samples were collected from study area to determine the types of hydrocarbon pollutants and their concentrations in comparison with uncontaminated sites in the area. Results show that the range of concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) for the impacted soil (IMP) was 17.27-58.36 mg/kg; remediated soil (RS) was 11.73-50.78 mg/kg which were higher than the concentrations of 0.68 mg/kg in the control samples (CS). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations were in the range of 0.43-77.54 mg/kg for IMP, 0.42-10.65 mg/kg for RS, against CS value of 0.49 mg/kg while BTEX ranged between 0.02 - 0.38 mg/kg for IMP, 0.01-2.7 for RS against CS value of 0.01. The values of the PAH were higher than the limits of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria. This study also revealed that pipeline interdiction has affected the livelihood of the inhabitants of the study area and the revenue of the Nigerian government. The major hotspots for oil spills in the Niger Delta region are Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states.

Matched MeSH terms: Government
Fulltext Vicarious traumatization in healthcare providers in response to COVID-19 pandemic in Kelantan, Malaysia

Norhayati MN, Che Yusof R, Azman MY

PLoS One, 2021;16(6):e0252603.
PMID: 34086747 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252603

BACKGROUND: In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare providers who are engaged in the direct diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients face a high risk of infection yet receive inadequate protection from contamination and minimal support to cope with overwork, frustration, and exhaustion. These problems have created significant psychological and mental health concerns for frontline healthcare providers. This study aimed to compare the levels of vicarious traumatization between frontline and non-frontline healthcare providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODOLOGY: All the subjects who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for this comparative cross-sectional study, which was conducted from May to July 2020 in two hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire, namely, the Malay-version Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire and the Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey were utilized. A descriptive analysis, independent t-test, and analysis of covariance were performed using SPSS Statistics version 26.
RESULTS: A total of 160 frontline and 146 non-frontline healthcare providers were recruited. Vicarious traumatization was significantly higher among the non-frontline healthcare providers (estimated marginal mean [95% CI]: 79.7 [75.12, 84.30]) compared to the frontline healthcare providers (estimated marginal mean [95% CI]: 74.3 [68.26, 80.37]) after adjusting for sex, duration of employment, and social support.
CONCLUSION: The level of vicarious traumatization was higher among non-frontline compared to frontline healthcare providers. However, the level of severity may differ from person to person, depending on how they handle their physical, psychological, and mental health. Hence, support from various resources, such as colleagues, family, the general public, and the government, may play an essential role in the mental health of healthcare providers.

Matched MeSH terms: Government

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