This study explores whether differences in levels of psychological well-being exist between the Orang Asli in Pertak and those in Gerachi Jaya. Field studies were conductecl on orang Asli in both these villages by using structured interviews. Psychological well-being questionnaires were modified by the researcher based on the Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff 1989). Psychological well-being was measured in terms of autonomy, control environment, personal development and positive relationships. This study involved 40 Orang Asli from Gerachi City and 35 Orang Asli from Pertak. Data were analyzed with SPSS software using t-tests. Results show that the levels of psychological well-being between the two groups were not significantly different (t= 0.339, k> 0.05). Implications are also discussed.
This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of false memory in preschool children aged 3 to 6 years old. Three experiments were conducted using the traditional measurements of memory: free recall (experiment 1), cued recall (experiment 2) and recognition (experiment 3). A total of 24 children who were divided into three groups of 8, participated in the study. Result of experiment 1 showed a significant effect of categorical information on false memory. Preschool children were more likely to be influenced by false memory when the information was carried object category. Results if experiment 2 showed a significant difference in types of questions. More false memories were created for misleading questions than leading questions. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the preschool children were more likely to choose distracter pictures that target pictures. Within the distracter pictures, participants chose more false distracters than leading distracters. Implication of the findings suggests a strong evidence for the occurence of false memory in preschool children. The size of false memory effect was determined by the type of information presented to the children.
The linear stability theory is applied to investigate the effects of rotation and feedback control on the onset of steady and oscillatory thermocapillary convection in a horizontal fluid layer heated from below with a free-slip bottom. The thresholds and codimension-2 points for the onset of steady and oscillatory convection are determined. The effect of feedback control on the parameter space dividing the steady and oscillatory convection regions is demonstrated.
The objective of the study was to compare the physiological responses among COPD patient to Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT). Twenty subjects were recruited for both 6MWT and ISWT that was carried out randomly. The readings of oxygen saturation (SpO2 ), heart rate (HR) and Modified Borg’s Score (MBS) were being taken before, during (each minute) and after each test. There were no significant difference observed in the peak HR and MBS between 6MWT and ISWT. There was no significant difference observed in the end SpO2 after both tests. In the two tests, HR and MBS increased linearly and were proportionate with time. However, our results showed that the distance walked in both test were significantly different and strongly related with more distance covered in 6MWT, with p < 0.05 (p = 0.01) and R = 0.58. Both 6MWT and ISWT elicited similar peak HRs and MBS suggesting both tests could be used to challenge patient to certain levels of cardiovascular and respiratory stress. There was no significant difference found in this study between the two tests. The two field tests could produce similar physiological responses in COPD patient.
The determination of variance of surface air temperature is very essential since it has a direct impact on vegetation, environment and human livelihood. Forecast of surface air temperature is difficult because of the complex physical phenomenon and the random-like behavior of atmospheric system which influences the temperature event on the earth surface. In this study, forecast models based on artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) approaches were proposed to predict lead seven days minimum and maximum surface air temperature using the weather parameters observed at the station Chennai, India. The outcome of this study stated that models formulated using ANN approach are more accurate than genetic programming for all seven days with the highest coefficient of determination (R2), least mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) on deployment with independent test dataset. ANN models give statistically acceptable mean absolute error of 0.59oC for lead day one in minimum temperature forecast and 0.86oC variance for lead day one in maximum temperature forecast. The study also clarified that the level of accuracy of the proposed prediction models were found to be better for smaller lead days when compared with higher lead days with both approaches.
A fracture, which mostly results from a fall, is fatal for the elderly. A fall occurred when a person cannot maintain the
body position. Most falls occurred when a person walks on a slippery surface or trips over an object on the ground during
a gait. Most people try to avoid falls instinctively and fall when their attempt fails. As such, this study investigated the
difference between two movements- a movement to avoid falls and a forward-falling movement without a fall-avoiding
movement- by analyzing the body movements of the subjects. A fast-moving fall-guiding device with a pneumatic actuator
was used to guide falls. The movement of the device could simulate a foot slip that may happen during daily activities.
A three-axis acceleration sensor and a Bluetooth module were used to avoid disturbing the body movement during a fall
as a wire sensor or a movement analysis system does.
Distraction osteogenesis allows superior skeletal advancement compared to conventional surgical osteotomy. It can be considered as a reliable and predictable surgical procedure and is widely used to correct the craniomaxillofacial bone discrepancy. Nevertheless, the outcome is technically dependent and requires comprehensive peri-operative assessment, preparation, and precision in application. The objective of this study is to highlight some important technical issues in distraction osteogenesis when the technique is indicated in various craniomaxillofacial regions and at the same time to discuss the options of preventing and overcoming these technical complications based on our experience and relevant literature. Important technical issues on the application of distraction osteogenesis in 5 different craniomaxillofacial regions were selectively highlighted based on the completed cases in one centre. Potential complications and its prevention methods were documented and discussed. The 5 highlighted regions of craniomaxillofacial distraction osteogenesis were alveolar, mandibular, cleft maxilla, craniofacial and facial cleft. Technical issues and complications were mostly device related and associated with anatomical limitations and surgical technique. Nevertheless, these complications are preventable and can be appropriately managed. From the literature and our experience, the technical aspects vary according to its application in different craniomaxillofacial regions. Preventing the potential complications contribute to the success of its application. This article also discussed the concept of Ihsan application in the medical field, to achieve the best of treatment in terms of delivery and technical preparation for the patients.
Citation: National Health Morbidity Survey 2015: Kuala Lumpur: Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 2015
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2015)
Volume I - Methodology & General Findings
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/nhmsreport2015vol1.pdf
Volume II. Non-Communicable Diseases, Risk Factors & Other Health Problems
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/nhmsreport2015vol2.pdf
Volume III. Healthcare Demand
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2015-VolumeIII.pdf
Volume IV. Traditional and Complementary Medicine
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2015-VolumeIV.pdf
Volume V. Report on Smoking Among Malaysian Adults
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2015-VolumeV.pdf
Citation: National Health Morbidity Survey 2011. Kuala Lumpur: Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 2011
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2011)
Volume I: Methodology and General Findings.
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2011-VolumeI.pdf
Volume II: Non-Communicable Diseases
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2011-VolumeII.pdf
Volume III: Healthcare Demand and Out-of-pocket Health Expenditure http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2011-VolumeIII.pdf
Citation: National Health Morbidity Survey 2017: Adolescent Mental Health Survey. Kuala Lumpur: Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 2017
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2017)
Citation: National Health Morbidity Survey 2016: Maternal Child Health Survey. Kuala Lumpur: Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 2016
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2016)
Volume I.
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/2016/NHMS2016ReportVolumeI.pdf
Volume II.
http://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/2016/NHMS2016ReportVolumeII-MaternalChildHealthFindingsv2.pdf
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of disability and significantly reduce quality of life (QOL). There is limited information about knee associated problems and functional mobility among Malaysian adults with KOA. The aim of our study was to examine knee associated problems and functional mobility among this population. Forty-five (45) adults with KOA with mean age of 65.02 ± 8.083 were recruited from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, UKM. Knee associated problems and functional mobility were measured using Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) and Timed-Up and Go (TUG) test respectively. The mean score and standard deviation for TUG test was 11.44 ± 2.69 seconds. Median scores (with interquartile ranges [IQR]) for the KOOS subscale domains were; Symptoms: 80.56, (69.44 to 91.67); Pain: 71.43 (50 to 78.57); Functional Activities of Daily Living: 82.3 (67.65 to 86.76); Sports and Recreation Function: 30 (20 to 60); and Knee-Related Quality of Life: 50 (25 to 75). Generally, participants’ TUG test performance showed that time taken to complete the test was higher than the reference values (7.14 to 8.43 seconds) identified among Malaysian community dwelling older adults with low to high risk of falls. The KOOS scores in adults with KOA in our study is similar to previous reports with Sport and Recreation Function and QOL domains been the most affected. It is important to improve functional mobility and balance in order to decrease falls risk and optimise sport and recreation function and QOL among adults with KOA.
Study site: Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is primarily hinged on the presence of either low mood and/or anhedonia to previously pleasurable events for a minimum of 2 weeks. Other clinical features that characterize MDD include disturbances in sleep, appetite, concentration and thoughts. The combination of any/both of the primary MDD symptoms as well as any four of the other clinical features has been referred to as MDD. The challenge for replicating gene association findings with phenotypes of MDD as well as its treatment outcome is putatively due to stratification of MDD patients. Likelihood for replication of gene association findings is hypothesized with specificity in symptoms profile (homogenous clusters of symptom/individual symptoms) evaluated. The current review elucidates the genetic factors that have been associated with insomnia symptom of MDD phenotype, insomnia symptom as a constellation of neuro-vegetative cluster of MDD symptom, insomnia symptom of MDD as an individual entity and insomnia feature of treatment outcome. Homozygous CC genotype of 3111T/C, GSK3B-AT/TT genotype of rs33458 and haplotype of TPH1 218A/C were associated with insomnia symptom of MDD. Insomnia symptom of MDD was not resolved in patients with the A/A genotype of HTR2A-rs6311 when treated with SSRI. Homozygous short (SS) genotype-HTTLPR, GG genotype of HTR2A-rs6311 and CC genotype of HTR2A-rs6313 were associated with AD treatment-induced insomnia, while val/met genotype of BDNF-rs6265 and the TT genotype of GSK-3beta-rs5443 reduced it. Dearth of association studies may remain the bane for the identification of robust genetic endophenotypes in line with findings for genotypes of HTR2A-rs6311.
In this paper, a direct integration implicit variable step size method in the form of Adams Moulton Method is developed for solving directly the second order system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using variable step size. The existing multistep method involves the computations of the divided differences and integration coefficients in the code when using the variable step size or variable step size and order. The idea of developing this method is to store all the coefficients involved in the code. Thus, this strategy can avoid the lengthy computation of the coefficients during the implementation of the code as well as to improve the execution time. Numerical results are given to compare the efficiency of the developed method with the 1-point method of variable step size and order code (1PDVSO) in Omar (1999).
This study was conducted to examine the vulnerability of Malaysian children towards online sexual grooming by ascertaining the level of vulnerability and the relationships with social media profiles and demographical factors. To achieve the objectives of this study, a quantitative method using a cross-sectional research design with the aid of electronic questionnaire via Google Form was used to gather the data. A total of 205 Malaysian children from the age of 10 to 17 years old participated in this study with their parents’ consent. Based on the analyses of the items, it was found that each child was vulnerable towards sexual grooming at different levels. This study also found that the frequency of social media usage was directly correlated with online sexual grooming vulnerability (r = 0.14, p = 0.05) and age of the respondents (r = 0.20, p = 0.006). Children with more social media accounts were also found to be more vulnerable towards online sexual grooming compared to those with lower number of social media accounts (F (2, 191) = 7.30, p = 0.001). Findings also revealed that there was no significant difference on online sexual grooming vulnerability in terms of gender (t (191) = -0.39, p = 0.149). As a conclusion, this study provide in-depth exposure related to online sexual grooming vulnerability to public
Hantaviruses are infectious agents that can cause diseases resulting in deaths in humans and are hosted by rodents without affecting the hosts themselves. A simple mathematical model describing the spread of the Hantavirus infection in rodents has been proposed and developed by Abramson and Kenkre where the model takes into account the temporal and spatial characteristics of this infection. In this paper, we extended this model to include the process of harvesting and study the impact of different harvesting strategies in the spread of the Hantavirus infection in rodents. Several numerical simulations were carried out and the results are discussed.
At the contemporary workplace, employees are expecting non-tangible resources on top of economic benefits, which suggests the importance of psychological contract. However, studies to date are inclined to focus on outcomes of psychological contract. Given that psychological contract is a perception and involves fulfilment of obligations, employees’ grit and the ability of utilisation of emotion in facilitating cognitive processes might influence psychological contract. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between grit and psychological contract with emotional utilisation acting as the mediator in the relationship. Therefore, a cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data were collected from 194 university staff using three measures: Psychological Contract Inventory, Short Grit Scale, and Assessing Emotions Scale. Correlation was conducted to examine the relationships between the three constructs. Regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 23 to test for mediation effect of emotional utilisation. The results revealed that grit and utilisation of emotion had significant relationships with psychological contract respectively, and grit was also significantly related to utilisation of emotion. Moreover, utilisation of emotion mediated the relationship between grit and psychological contract. The findings provide implications for employers to take into account of grit and utilisation of emotion in addressing psychological contract of employees.