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  1. Jamil H, Din MFU, Tahir MJ, Saqlain M, Hassan Z, Khan MA, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2022 Dec;16(12):e0010988.
    PMID: 36480553 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010988
    BACKGROUND: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) continues to pose a serious threat to the fragile healthcare system of Pakistan with a continuous increase of morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF among general people who resided in Pakistan.

    METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey design was applied, and a convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 1039 adult people from Pakistan. Data were collected from September 08 to October 12, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 32 questions in four parts assessing socio-demographics, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF. All statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices.

    RESULTS: Alarmingly, 51.5% of participants heard about CCHF infection before administering the survey. Among these, 20.2%, 33.3%, and 48.2% of the study participants had demonstrated good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that education and income status had a significant impact on knowledge and attitudes (p<0.05). Similarly, the mean attitude scores differed significantly by age, education, and income status (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings reflected inadequate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF among general people in Pakistan which may regard as lower than expected. As CCHF is a highly contagious disease, it's urgent to initiate a comprehensive approach to handle the situation before it spreads further in Pakistan.

  2. Sayed IS, Zamri MH
    Cureus, 2022 Nov;14(11):e32077.
    PMID: 36600822 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.32077
    To preserve public health and prevent the spread of COVID-19, academic institutions curtailed face-to-face instruction and learning after the outbreak. The traditional techniques for education were modified, and new ways of instructing students were implemented. It presented a number of difficulties for the educational system, particularly for universities offering healthcare education. Therefore, the aim of this research was to look into how COVID-19 affected the teaching and learning of undergraduate medical imaging students. The ScienceDirect, Oxford University Press Journals, Cambridge University Press Journals, and Taylor & Francis Online databases were searched, and a total of 14 papers met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were selected for further analysis. The literature was analyzed using a thematic approach, with recurring themes brought to light. The effects of COVID-19 on medical imaging education include but are not limited to the more rapid adoption of online education and new approaches to assessing and guiding students. Online teaching for medical imaging students influenced their learning environment, interaction, and motivation. The new COVID-19 safety requirements and procedures in hospitals have profoundly impacted clinical practice. Additionally, students' research activities were also affected. We anticipate that the findings of this study will enable us to be better equipped to assist students in comparable circumstances in the future.
  3. Hamzah MI, Othman AK
    Front Psychol, 2022;13:958911.
    PMID: 36687850 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.958911
    This research aims to assess the influence of locus of control on the expression of entrepreneurial competency in a small business setting. Specifically, it predicts how this can generate positive outcomes in terms of business growth, quality of life, and sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Survey responses were collected from 102 small-sized firms in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling was performed to validate a mediation model and test nine research hypotheses. The results suggested that internal locus of control indirectly affects the venturing outcomes via entrepreneurial competency, whereas external locus of control has no such consequences. Thus, it can be deduced that beliefs based on internal attributions-rather than external forces, define entrepreneurs' destiny, and their competencies serve a perpetual role in linking these beliefs to positive business performance, life satisfaction, and sustainable entrepreneurial behavior. In practical terms, policymakers may gradually shift their focus from supplying direct financial relief assistance to the owner-managers to empowering them with core competencies building programs, especially during disasters and recessions. This study unravels the complexities of the entrepreneurial psychology-competency interface and fills a gap in the literature by providing compelling evidence of the adverse consequences of relying too heavily on fate or external assistance.
  4. Ling ANB, Mahmud MS
    Front Psychol, 2022;13:1074202.
    PMID: 36817370 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1074202
    Sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills are essential as the skills can improve the ability to deal with various mathematical problems in daily life, increase the imagination, develop creativity, and develop an individual's comprehension skills. However, mastery of these skills among students is still unsatisfactory because students often find it difficult to understand mathematical problems in verse, are weak at planning the correct solution strategy, and often make mistakes in their calculations. This study was conducted to identify the challenges that mathematics teachers face when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches used to address these challenges. This study was conducted qualitatively in the form of a case study. The data were collected through observations and interviews with two respondents who teach mathematics to year four students in a Chinese national primary school in Kuala Lumpur. This study shows that the teachers have faced three challenges, specifically low mastery skills among the students, insufficient teaching time, and a lack of ICT infrastructure. The teachers addressed these challenges with creativity and enthusiasm to diversify the teaching approaches to face the challenges and develop interest and skills as part of solving sentence-based mathematics problems among year four students. These findings allow mathematics teachers to understand the challenges faced while teaching sentence-based mathematics problem solving in depth as part of delivering quality education for every student. Nevertheless, further studies involving many respondents are needed to understand the problems and challenges of different situations and approaches that can be used when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills.
  5. Roslan MHB, Chen CJ
    Educ Inf Technol (Dordr), 2023;28(2):1427-1453.
    PMID: 35919875 DOI: 10.1007/s10639-022-11259-2
    This study attempts to predict secondary school students' performance in English and Mathematics subjects using data mining (DM) techniques. It aims to provide insights into predictors of students' performance in English and Mathematics, characteristics of students with different levels of performance, the most effective DM technique for students' performance prediction, and the relationship between these two subjects. The study employed the archival data of students who were 16 years old in 2019 and sat for the Malaysian Certificate of Examination (MCE) in 2021. The learning of English and Mathematics is a concern in many countries. Three main factors, namely students' past academic performance, demographics, and psychological attributes were scrutinized to identify their impact on the prediction. This study utilized the Orange software for the DM process. It employed Decision Tree (DT) rules to determine the characteristics of students with low, moderate, and high performance in English and Mathematics subjects. DT and Naïve Bayes (NB) techniques show the best predictive performance for English and Mathematics subjects, respectively. Such characteristics and predictions may cue appropriate interventions to improve students' performance in these subjects. This study revealed students' past academic performance as the most critical predictor, as well as a few demographics and psychological attributes. By examining top predictors derived using four different classifier types, this study found that students' past Mathematics performance predicts their MCE English performance and students' past English performance predicts their MCE Mathematics performance. This finding shows students' performances in both subjects are interrelated.
  6. Rosli MSA, Heidari E
    BDJ Open, 2023 Aug 04;9(1):36.
    PMID: 37542050 DOI: 10.1038/s41405-023-00163-7
    INTRODUCTION: Flumazenil is an antagonist drug of Benzodiazepam (BDZ) that has been used as a reversal agent of midazolam-induced conscious sedation (CS) in both emergency and elective procedures. For CS procedure, a high-quality record keeping and clinical justification prior to admission of flumazenil are recommended. Clinical Audit (CA) enables clinicians to evaluate the quality and standard of recorded clinical procedures.

    METHODS: This re-audit investigated the reasons for the use of flumazenil and record keeping's quality with particular emphasis on CS. In this retrospective reaudit, the authors looked at the patients' records who had received dental care under CS in the Sedation and Special Care Department of (SSCD), United Kingdom from January to June 2022.

    RESULTS: Out of 665 patients who received midazolam-induced CS, 21 patients were administered IV Flumazenil. The commonest reason (9, 42.8%) was due to prolonged recovery.

    CONCLUSION: This re-audit highlighted the need for administrating flumazenil in certain patient groups, and/or circumstances (not emergency). The importance of maintaining high-quality record keeping is discussed.

  7. Francis OA, Zaini MAA
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Oct 23;195(11):1356.
    PMID: 37870632 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11925-z
    This study evaluated the adsorptive properties of deep eutectic solvent (DES)-treated palm oil mill sludge adsorbents for methylene blue removal. The adsorbents were prepared at a ratio of 1:2 at 80°C to form P1:D2@80°C, at 25°C to form P1:D2@25°C and without DES to form dry sludge (DS). The adsorbent samples were characterized for surface functional groups, textural properties and surface morphology. The values of specific area were 534, 236 and 184 m2/g, respectively. Batch adsorption of methylene blue at varying concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time and temperature was performed. The maximum adsorption capacities by Sips model were recorded as 72.07, 56.18 and 48.33 mg/g for P1:D2@80°C, P1:D2@25°C and DS, respectively. P1:D2@80°C displayed the highest rate constant (Ks = 0.0037 g/mg.min). The adsorption data were well fitted into Sips isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, suggesting that the adsorption is a physical process onto heterogeneous adsorbent surface via pore filling and electrostatic attraction. The adsorption was spontaneous, feasible and exothermic with decreased disorderliness in the solid-bulk solution interface. The DES-treated palm oil mill sludge adsorbent is a promising alternative adsorbent for dye removal from wastewater.
  8. Aizamddin MF, Mahat MM
    ACS Omega, 2023 Oct 17;8(41):37936-37947.
    PMID: 37867689 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c03377
    The demand for wearable electronics has driven the development of conductive fabrics, particularly those incorporating polyaniline (PANI) that is known for its high electrical conductivity, flexibility, and ease of fabrication. However, the limited stability and durability of the conductive fabric, especially during washing, present significant challenges. The drawbacks can be traced by weak physical attachment between the fabric and the conductive coating, leading to a decrease in conductivity over time. These drawbacks significantly impact the fabric's functionality and performance, highlighting the need for effective solutions to enhance its stability and durability. This study focuses on addressing these challenges by employing a thermochemical treatment. A hydrophilic surface of the polyester fabric is obtained after the treatment (hydrolysis), followed by grafting of PANI on it. The adhesion between PANI and the polyester fabrics was found to be enhanced, as proved by contact angle analysis. Furthermore, the PANI-hydrolyzed fabrics (treated) demonstrated stable conductivity (∼10-3 S cm-3) even after 10 washing cycles, showcasing their excellent durability. In comparison, the unhydrolyzed PANI fabric experienced a drop in conductivity by three orders of magnitude. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy via N 1s core line spectra showed chemical shifts and quantified the level of doping through PANI's protonation level. We found that PANI-hydrolyzed fabrics preserved their dedoping level from 44.77 to 42.68%, indicating improved stability and extension of their electrical properties' lifetime after washing as compared to unhydrolyzed (untreated) fabrics, from 36.99 to 26.61%. This investigation demonstrates that the thermochemical approach can effectively enhance the durability of conductive PANI fabrics, enabling them to withstand the washing process while preserving their electrical endurance.
  9. Devisakti A, Muftahu M, Xiaoling H
    PMID: 37361786 DOI: 10.1007/s10639-023-11847-w
    While technological advances have led to digital transformation in many higher education institutions (HEIs), digital divide, especially among students in developing nations, is becoming a growing concern. This study aims to investigate the use of digital technology among B40 students (students from the lower socioeconomic backgrounds) in Malaysian HEIs. Specifically, this study intends to investigate how perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, as well as gratification constructs significantly affect digital usage among B40 students in Malaysian HEIs. This study used the quantitative research method with an online questionnaire which received 511 responses. SPSS was employed for demographic analysis, while Smart PLS software was used for structural model measurements. This study was based on two theories: planned behaviour theory and uses and gratification theory. The results showed that perceived usefulness and subjective norms significantly influenced the digital usage of the B40 students. In addition, all three gratification constructs indicated a positive effect on the students' digital usage.
  10. Naeem I, Mateen RM, Sibtul Hassan S, Tariq A, Parveen R, Saqib MAN, et al.
    J Biomol Struct Dyn, 2023;41(15):7104-7118.
    PMID: 36036362 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2115557
    Nipah virus (NiV) is a novel zoonotic pathogen that belongs to the Paramyxovirus family. The pathogen has infected a number of people in countries like Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and Malaysia with high mortality rates. Although the NiV has been classified as a biosafety level four pathogen (BSL-4), there is no drug approved for treatment against it. In this study, the G glycoprotein of the NiV was chosen as an antiviral target. Based on ADMET criteria, BBB- and BBB + group compounds were screened out of the Gold & platinum Asinex library containing 211620 compounds. After careful evaluation, the selected ligands were then virtually screened to identify the potential inhibitors against the G glycoprotein of the NiV through molecular docking, density functional theory (DFT), and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation studies. In our study we identified 5-(1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-[(3-fluorobenzyl)sulfanyl]-5,8-dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,7(1H,6H)-dione (from BBB- group) and 7,7-Dimethyl-1-(4-methylphenyl)-3-(4-morpholinylcarbonyl)-7,8-dihydro-2,5(1H,6H)-quinolinedione) (from BBB + group) as potential compounds for the prevention and treatment of NiV related diseases.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
  11. Hui HB, Mahmud MS
    Front Psychol, 2023;14:1105806.
    PMID: 37057144 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1105806
    INTRODUCTION: Game-based learning (GBL) is one of the modern trends in education in the 21st century. Numerous research studies have been carried out to investigate the influence of teaching on the students' academic attainment. It is crucial to integrate the cognitive and affective domains into teaching and learning strategies. This study aims to review journal articles from 2018 to 2022 concerning the influence of GBL in mathematics T&L on the students' cognitive and affective domains.

    METHODS: A research methodology based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was used for the survey on the basis of the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases wherein 773 articles relating to game-based learning (GBL) in mathematics were discovered. Based on the study topic, study design, study technique, and analysis, only 28 open-access articles were chosen for further evaluation. Two types of cognitive domain and five types of affective domain were identified as related to the implications of GBL on the students' T&L of mathematics.

    RESULTS: The study results show that GBL has positively impacted students when they are learning mathematics. It is comprised of two types of cognitive domain (knowledge and mathematical skills) and five types of affective domain (achievement, attitude, motivation, interest, and engagement). The findings of this study are anticipated to encourage educators in the classrooms more effectively.

    DISCUSSION: GBL in education is now one of the major learning trends of the 21st century. Since 2019, the number of studies relating to game-based learning has increased. There is an influence on the cognitive and affective domains due to T&L Mathematics utilizing a game-based learning (GBL) approach.

  12. Supee AH, Zaini MAA
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Sep 17;195(10):1218.
    PMID: 37718332 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11866-7
    This study presents the kinetics and thermodynamics of biomass pyrolysis. The kinetics of the pyrolysis process was estimated using ten kinetic models from three different mechanisms, namely chemical reaction, diffusion, and nucleation and growth. Results showed that each pyrolysis subdivision was described by a different reaction model, signifying the complex nature of the pyrolysis process. The average values of activation energy determined from the kinetic models for empty fruit bunch, coconut shell, bamboo, and cardboard are 10.2-64.6 kJ/mol, 18.7-186.2 kJ/mol, 8.0-70.8 kJ/mol, and 13.1-277.3 kJ/mol, respectively. The biomass pyrolysis is endothermic and non-spontaneous and would require external energy to initiate the degradation process. The findings are helpful in characterizing the thermal degradation of biomass in exploring its potential as a source of alternative solid fuel.
  13. Mud Shukri MI, Baharom A
    PLoS One, 2023;18(12):e0295933.
    PMID: 38117759 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295933
    It is socially natural that adolescents engage in romantic relationship. However, there are negative health implications when they are not properly monitored and guided. The engagement in unsafe sexual practices has been reported to cause various adverse health and social implications affecting Malaysian adolescents. To date, why adolescents engage in romantic relationship has remained understudied. Prior studies on adolescent romantic relationship mainly focused on the western context. Hence, the reported findings are deemed not applicable for the Malaysian population. There are insufficient data on the prevalence and determinants of adolescent romantic relationship within the Malaysian context. Thus, the current study aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants of romantic relationship among adolescents in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Adopting a cross-sectional research design, this study's self-administered questionnaire survey, which was conducted from 25 May 2021 to 5 June 2021 in residential areas that were part of the "Healthy Community Empowers the Nation" programme (KOSPEN), involved 396 adolescents who fulfilled the study's selection criteria. In terms of age, the respondents were of between 14 and 19 years old, with median age (IQR) of 19 (2). Adolescent romantic relationship in this study recorded prevalence of 24.1%, which was comparatively lower than that of the western countries. The results further revealed social media use (AOR: 2.162, 95% CI: 1.202-3.888, p = 0.01), pornography website surfing (AOR 2.748, 95% CI: 1.517-4.977, p = 0.001), poor SRH knowledge (AOR: 3.885, 95% CI: 2.144-7.040, p < 0.001), and depression (AOR: 2.830, 95% CI: 1.323-6.055, p = 0.007) as significant determinants of adolescent romantic relationship. Thus, this study demonstrated the significant role of social media use, pornography website surfing, SRH knowledge, and depression on adolescent romantic relationship. Further longitudinal studies to investigate the temporal relationships between depression and romantic relationship are recommended. The highly significant association between SRH knowledge and romantic relationship in this study suggests that strategies on improving the level of SRH knowledge among adolescents should be prioritised.
  14. Sohail MT, Din NM
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Jan;31(2):2869-2882.
    PMID: 38066276 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31342-6
    To tackle the growing menace of environmental degradation, the idea of green entrepreneurship has gained popularity, which is the process of creating new goods and technologies to solve environmental problems. Like traditional entrepreneurs, green entrepreneurs also need financial backing from financial institutions. However, no empirical evidence was found regarding the relationship between formal credit and green entrepreneurship. This analysis is an effort to plug this vacuum into the literature by analyzing the impact of formal credit on green entrepreneurship in high, middle, and low-income economies from 2011 to 2021. The study has employed various econometric techniques such as fixed-effects, random-effects, 2SLS, and GMM. The results show that formal credit substantially develops green entrepreneurship in high, middle, low-income, and full samples. Besides formal credit, GDP, environmental pressure, trade openness, technological development, and human capital are crucial in green entrepreneurship development in all samples. Policymakers may collaborate with financial institutions to create and provide specialized financial products and services catering to green entrepreneurs.
  15. Ibrahim AH, Harun MS
    J Bioeth Inq, 2024 Feb 26.
    PMID: 38407763 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-024-10345-z
    Rapid developments in science and technology have resulted in novel discoveries, leading to new questions particularly related to human values and ethics. Every discovery and technology has positive and negative implications and affects human lives either directly or indirectly, involving all walks of life. Bioethical discourse in Malaysia must consider the multiracial and multireligious background of Malaysia and especially the Islamic view as the majority of Malaysians are Muslims and Islam is the religion of the federation. This article discusses several selected bioethical issues in Malaysia by studying the application of maṣlaḥah (the public good) and mafsadah (evil and harms) in Malaysian Islamic rulings (fatwas). This article uses the critical interpretation approach, as this is an ethical, interpretive, textual, and contextual analysis. In a situation when there is a conflict between maṣlaḥah and avoidance of mafsadah, it is preferred to attempt to address both needs. However, if maṣlaḥah and avoidance of mafsadah are mutually exclusive, the decision to choose must be made by weighing (tarjīḥ) and choosing the one which is superior. The maṣlaḥah and mafsadah concepts play vital and significant roles in bioethical discourse to realize human essential interests, namely faith, life, lineage, intellect, and property, thus achieving maqāṣid al-sharī'ah (the ultimate goal of sharia). This concept helps in guiding bioethical discussions, especially in determining the priority between achieving benefits and avoiding harms. The application of this concept will also assist Malaysian authorities in formulating appropriate rulings, especially bioethical issues related to Malaysian Muslims' lives.
  16. Iqbal MO, Yahya EB
    Tissue Cell, 2021 Oct;72:101525.
    PMID: 33780659 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2021.101525
    Aminoglycoside antibiotics are widely employed clinically due to their powerful bactericidal activities, less bacterial resistance compared to beta lactam group and low cost. However, their use has been limited in recent years due to their potential induction of nephrotoxicity. Here we investigate the possibility of reversing nephrotoxicity caused by gentamicin in rat models by using ethanolic crude extract of the medicinal plant Jatropha Mollissima. Nephrotoxic male Wistar rats was obtained by gentamicin antibiotic, which then treated with two doses of J. mollissima crude extract for 3 weeks with monitoring their parameter in weekly base. Our results indicate that J. mollissima crude extract at both doses has strong protection ability against gentamicin nephrotoxicity, most of tested parameters backed to normal values after few days from the administration of the crude extract, which could be due to the antagonized the biochemical action of gentamicin on the proximal tubules of the kidney. The results of histopathologic analysis showed observable improvement in J. mollissima treated groups compared with untreated groups. Our findings suggests the J. mollissima has exceptional nephron protection potentials able to reverse the nephrotoxicity caused by gentamicin antibiotic.
  17. Amran MS, Jamaludin KA
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:639041.
    PMID: 34164364 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.639041
    School closures were implemented as a public health intervention to reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19. However, prolonged school closure is likely to impact adolescents' behavioral health due to the extreme change in routine. The current study aimed to explore adolescents' behavioral health experiences during the beginning of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was done using qualitative methods to interview 15 adolescent participants (n =15) from low-income households in Malaysia. The study lasted for 2 months amidst the outbreak and data were collected via online based on focus group discussions. The results revealed that adolescents faced four main themes of experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: Alteration of sleep patterns, stress-related fatigue, dysfunctional eating patterns and lack of physical activity. This first-hand experience shows that knowledge and skills of adolescents' behavioral practices during outbreak deserves attention. This research stresses the role of family, schools, and media in addressing the health communication gap among adolescents to help them adapt in these new norms.
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