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Fulltext Lip print analysis in Malaysian Chinese population (Klang Valley): lipstick cellophane tape technique

Noor Hazfalinda Hamzah, Amalina Farhatul Farida Mohamad Seliman, Khairul Osman, Gabriel, Gina Francesca

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2020;18(2):31-38.
MyJurnal

Cheiloscopy is recognized as a tool for personal identification due to its strength in criminalistics. In this study, the lip print of Malaysian Chinese population in Klang Valley was used for gender determination using lipstick-cellophane technique. 412 subjects (203 males and 209 females) were selected conveniently. Lipstick was first applied on the lips and the lip print was lifted using cellophane tape prior to pasting them onto a plain A4 paper and analysis using magnifying glass. Six topography areas of lip prints were classified using Suzuki and Tsuchihashi’s classification, including upper left, upper middle, upper right, lower right, lower middle and lower left. Chi-square test showed that all lip sections were significantly different from each other (p < 0.05). Type II was the dominant pattern in four lip sections for both genders: upper left (male 81.3%, female 57.4%), upper right (male 71.9%, female 42.9%), lower left (male 98.0%, female 90.0%) and lower right (male 96.1%, female 86.1%). Type IV was the dominant pattern for both middle part of the lips; upper middle (male 56.2%, female 50.7%) and lower middle (male 62.6%, female 50.2%). The results showed that gender can be differentiated based on lip print patterns. This finding suggested that cheiloscopy could be used in aiding personal identification for forensic investigation.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Biogeography and evolution of Asian Gesneriaceae based on updated taxonomy

Tan K, Lu T, Ren MX

PhytoKeys, 2020;157:7-26.
PMID: 32934445 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.157.34032

Based on an updated taxonomy of Gesneriaceae, the biogeography and evolution of the Asian Gesneriaceae are outlined and discussed. Most of the Asian Gesneriaceae belongs to Didymocarpoideae, except Titanotrichum was recently moved into Gesnerioideae. Most basal taxa of the Asian Gesneriaceae are found in the Indian subcontinent and Indo-China Peninsula, suggesting Didymocarpoideae might originate in these regions. Four species diversification centers were recognized, i.e. Sino-Vietnam regions, Malay Peninsula, North Borneo and Northwest Yunnan (Hengduan Mountains). The first three regions are dominated by limestone landscapes, while the Northwest Yunnan is well-known for its numerous deep gorges and high mountains. The places with at least 25% species are neoendemics (newly evolved and narrowly endemic) which were determined as evolutionary hotspots, including Hengduan Mountains, boundary areas of Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi in Southwest China, North Borneo, Pahang and Terengganu in Malay Peninsula, and mountainous areas in North Thailand, North Sulawesi Island. Finally, the underlying mechanisms for biogeographical patterns and species diversification of the Asian Gesneriaceae are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Host and environmental factors that influence Plasmodiu Knowlesi Mamlaria infection in humans: a systematic review

Michal Christina Steven

Borneo Epidemiology Journal, 2020;1(2):104-115.
MyJurnal

Introduction:Plasmodium knowlesi(P.knowlesi) is a zoonotic malaria parasite, transmitted between non-factors” or “individual factors” or “ecological factors” and “P.knowlesi” and “human” including human primate hosts by the Anopheles (An.) mosquitos, and causing spill-over infections in humans where the parasite, vector, host, and human converge
Methods:The search was done electronically toexplore for appropriate papers viaPubMed, and Science Direct for articles published up to March 2020, containing the words “factors associated” or “environmental synonyms and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. A total of 27 articles from PubMed Databases and 18 articles from Science Direct were selected to be assessed for eligibility. Out of it, a total of 13 articles were selected to be analysed.
Results:Host factors such as sex and age, as well as occupation as individual factors, while environmental factors such as rainfall and geographic elevation have some association with P.knowlesiinfection in humans. This zoonotic malaria poses unique challenges that will need to be addressed if all forms of malaria are to be eliminated based on the sustainable development goal (SDG)
Conclusion:This article highlights the importance of disease ecologies such as climate and landscape and human-environment interactions such as the land use patterns, such as agriculture or infrastructure activities) to reduce the further increase of cases and mortality globally due to P.knowlesiinfection. This review focuses mainly on the host and environmental factors that influence P.knowlesiMalaria Infection in Humans

Matched MeSH terms: Gene-Environment Interaction
Fulltext Home Hazards With Fear of Falling: Findings From the Baseline Study of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR)

Romli MH, Mackenzie L, Lovarini M, Clemson L, Tan MP

Front Public Health, 2020;8:612599.
PMID: 33511098 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.612599

Background: Fear of falling (FoF) is a common issue among older people, impacting on psychological health, functional performance and mortality. Many factors associated with fear of falling have been investigated but little is known about the role of home hazards. Home hazards can be due to unsafe environmental and functional features. This study is aims to evaluate the association between home hazards with fear of falling among community-dwelling individuals aged 55 years and over. Methods: Baseline data with 1,489 older individuals from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study were analyzed. Home visits for interview and observations in the home were conducted with the participants. FoF was established with a single-item question and home hazards with the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST). Results: The majority (76.4%) of older participants experienced FoF. The history of falls was not associated with FoF (p = 0.868), but FoF was associated with participants limiting their daily activities (p < 0.001). Home hazards were less likely (p = 0.023) and functional issues were more likely (p < 0.001) to be associated with a high degree of FoF. However, both home hazards domains were not associated with activity restriction due to FoF. Conclusions: Education about home hazards from the perspective of person-environment interaction may encourage home hazards management and reduce FoF which should be evaluated in future studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Gene-Environment Interaction
PRODUCTION OF ENERGY FROM WATER FLOW OUTPUT IN FISH TANK

Muniandy Sivasambu, Nik Aziz Bin Nik Ali

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2020;2(1):21-30.
MyJurnal

Nowadays, the world is confronting the increasing energy demand, reduction of emissions and security of energy supply. The high energy demand leads to a severe problem, and we need to reduce the usage of non-renewable energy to avoid adverse climate change. Thus, renewable energy is an important role obtained from the natural environment and can be replenished naturally from those sources without environmental degradation. Water energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources today, especially in the aquaculture industry. Hydropower played a vital role in producing large scale power and electricity. This study was set up to determine the electrical energy output depending on the different sizes and shapes of tanks. It is also to measure the water flow rate based on different size and shape tanks. Besides, the Pelton type of water turbine generator micro-hydroelectric DC 12V output was used in this experiment. Two types of tanks (rectangular and circular) with three different sizes (0.5 ton, 1.0 ton and 2.0 ton) were tested to measure high value of output energy (V) and flow rate (m3/s) by using clear water and wastewater. The result significantly shows that the circular tank had a higher water flow rate and output energy than the rectangular tank due to higher gravitational force, where the outlet placed in the middle and edge of the tank, respectively. The finding of this study benefits the aquaculture industry, where it introduced an alternative and cheaper method of reusing wastewater, reducing the cost maintenances and enhancing the profit of the business.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Critical thinking dispositions and self-esteem among nursing students

Hng, S.H., Brenda, B.J., Ngu, Z.L.

Medicine & Health, 2020;15(2):9-16.
MyJurnal

Kemahiran pemikiran kritikal adalah satu kemahiran yang penting bagi para jururawat membuat keputusan klinikal yang lebih baik untuk memberi jagarawatan yang selamat. Seseorang mesti mempunyai kecenderungan awal untuk berfikir kritis bagi pembangunan kemahiran pemikiran kritikal. Pembentukan kecenderungan pemikiran kritis disokong oleh harga diri yang mencukupi. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur tahap kecenderungan pemikiran kritis dan harga diri di kalangan pelajar ijazah sarjana muda kejururawatan di sebuah universiti awam Malaysia. Kajian keratan rentas ini telah dijalankan di universiti melibatkan 99 orang pelajar. Data dikumpul dengan responden menjawab sendiri borang soal selidik. Data yang diperolehi kemudiannya dianalisa secara kuantitatif. Sejumlah 97% pelajar kejururawatan mempunyai tahap yang tinggi untuk mempunyai kecenderungan pemikiran kritis. Hampir 3/4 daripada pelajar kejururawatan mempunyai tahap sederhana bagi tanggapan harga diri (74.7%). Kecenderungan pemikiran kritis didapati signifikan berkait dengan tanggapan harga diri (rho = 0.203, p

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Prevalence of obesity and body weight perception among pregnant women

Rachael D., Leelavathi M.

Medicine & Health, 2020;15(2):17-25.
MyJurnal

Obesiti semakin meningkat di seluruh dunia dan secara umumnya ramai wanita mempunyai persepsi yang tidak tepat mengenai berat badan mereka. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengenal pasti kadar obesiti di kalangan wanita mengandung dan dan persepsi mereka tentang berat badan sendiri. Seramai 315 wanita mengandung telah mengambil bahagian dalam kajian ini. Indeks jisim badan (BMI) mereka direkod dan persepsi tentang berat badan mereka dinilai dengan menggunakan soal selidik. Lebih dari separuh peserta (60.6%, n=191) dalam kajian ini didapati mempunyai berat badan yang melebihi paras normal dimana peratusan obes adalah 29.8% (n=94) manakala 30.8% (n=97) mempunyai berat badan yang berlebihan. Analisa kappa (kappa = 0.185 (95% CI, 0.119 hingga 0.258, p

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext The Combined Effect of Polygenic Risk from FTO and ADRB2 Gene Variants, Odds of Obesity, and Post-Hipcref Diet Differences

Tan PY, Mitra SR

Lifestyle Genom, 2020;13(2):84-98.
PMID: 32101872 DOI: 10.1159/000505662

BACKGROUND: Computing polygenic risk scores (PRS) to predict the degree of risk for obesity may contribute to weight management programs strategically.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the combined effect of FTO rs9930501, rs9930506, and rs9932754 and ADRB2 rs1042713 and rs1042714 using PRS on (1) the odds of obesity and (2) post-intervention differences in dietary, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic parameters in response to high-protein calorie-restricted, high-vitamin E, high-fiber (Hipcref) diet intervention in Malaysian adults.
METHODS: Both a cross-sectional study (n = 178) and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (n = 128) were conducted to test the aforementioned objectives. PRS was computed as the weighted sum of the risk alleles possessed by each individual participant. Participants were stratified into first (PRS 0-0.64), second (PRS 0.65-3.59), and third (PRS 3.60-8.18) tertiles.
RESULTS: The third tertile of PRS was associated with significantly higher odds of obesity: 2.29 (95% CI = 1.11-4.72, adjusted p = 0.025) compared to the first tertile. Indians (3.9 ± 0.3) had significantly higher PRS compared to Chinese (2.1 ± 0.4) (p = 0.010). In the RCT, a greater reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels was found in second and third tertiles after Hipcref diet intervention compared to the control diet (p interaction = 0.048).
CONCLUSION: Higher PRS was significantly associated with increased odds of obesity. Individuals with higher PRS had a significantly greater reduction in hsCRP levels after Hipcref diet compared to the control diet.

Matched MeSH terms: Gene-Environment Interaction
Fulltext “Speedy Biochemistry” as a new teaching method in preclinical curriculum

Noor Akmal Shareela, I.

Medicine & Health, 2020;15(2):327-332.
MyJurnal

Sesi praktikal konvensional sebelum ini telah dilaporkan kurang berkesan dalam mencapai objektif pembelajaran. Oleh itu “Speedy Biochemistry” diperkenalkan untuk membantu pelajar mengaplikasikan pengetahuan yang telah mereka pelajari di dalam kelas. Teknik ini memupuk semangat kerja berpasukan dan penerapan pengetahuan dalam penyelesaian masalah yang dapat dicapai melalui pembelajaran aktif. Pendekatan pembelajaran aktif telah kian diminati oleh para akademik kerana memberikan lebih banyak faedah kepada pelajar. Sesi “Speedy Biochemistry” telah dijalankan di kalangan pelajar perubatan Tahun 1 di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dan maklum balas mereka telah direkodkan. “Speedy Biochemistry” boleh menjadi contoh sesi pembelajaran aktif yang baik dalam meningkatkan minat pelajar perubatan di dalam mata pelajaran Biokimia.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext The preparation, delivery and outcome of COVID-19 pandemic training program among the Emergency Healthcare Frontliners (EHFs): the Malaysian teaching hospital experience

Mohd Hisham, I., Azlan Helmy, A.S., Ismail, M.S.

Medicine & Health, 2020;15(1):250-265.
MyJurnal

Salah satu dari strategi untuk memperkasakan petugas kesihatan di dalam menentang kesan pandemik COVID-19 ini adalah melalui latihan yang berkesan. Keselamatan dan ketidak laziman merupakan dua perkara pokok yang menyebabkan modul ini dihasilkan. Modul latihan ini dibentuk berdasarkan tiga strategi utama iaitu belajar dari pengalaman lalu, mereka-bentuk modul latihan yang khusus, dan mengenal kelemahan yang ada. Modul yang dihasilkan ialah pemakaian-penanggalan alat perlindungan kendiri (PPE), pengurusan salur pernafasan dan resusitasi kardiopulmonari bagi pesakit yang disyaki COVID-19. Seramai 178 Perawat Kesihatan Barisan Hadapan (PKBH) telah dilatih. Setiap modul disertakan dengan senarai-semak yang mana peserta merasakan ianya sangat membantu. Tiada peserta yang jatuh sakit atau mengalami simptom setelah lebih dua minggu tamat latihan dan ini berkemungkinan hasil dari pelaksanan senarai semak persediaan pra-latihan yang ketat. Senarai semak pra-latihan ini mempunyai tujuh perkara penting iaitu ruang latihan, bilangan peserta, saringan COVID-19, pemeriksaan suhu badan, sanitasi tangan, PPE, dan pensanitasi peralatan sebelum dan selepas latihan. Latihan menggunakan senarai semak yang terarah didapati sangat membantu para petugas di dalam menguruskan situasi COVID-19. Kesimpulannya semasa menghadapai keadaan yang di luar kelaziman serta masa dan sumber yang terhad, latihan praktikal bersama senarai semak merupakan satu kaedah yang dapat membantu. Mengikuti langkah keselamatan pra-latihan yang betul juga boleh mengurangkan penyebaran penyakit ini.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Association between the school environment and children's body mass index in Terengganu: A cross sectional study

Wafa SW, Ghazalli R

PLoS One, 2020;15(4):e0232000.
PMID: 32330177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232000

With the on-going interest in implementing school policies to address the problem of childhood obesity in Malaysia, there is urgent need for information about the association between school environment and children's weight status. This study aims to investigate the association between school environmental factors (physical, economic, political and sociocultural) with BMI of school children in Terengganu. The school environment factors were assessed using a set of validated whole-school environmental mapping questionnaires, consisting of 76 criteria with four domains; physical environment (41 criteria), economic environment (nine criteria), political environment (nine criteria) and sociocultural environment (17 criteria). This involved face-to-face interview sessions with 32 teachers from 16 schools (eight rural and eight urban). In addition, 400 school children aged between 9 and 11 years of the selected schools were assessed for BMI (WHO 2007 reference chart), dietary intake (food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)) and physical activity level (physical activity questionnaire for children (PAQ-C)). Multiple regression was used to examine the association between school environment factors and BMI of the school children. Seven school environment criteria were found to be associated with BMI of school children when it was adjusted for calorie intake and physical activity level. About 33.4% of the variation in BMI of school children was explained by health professional involvement, simple exercise before class, encouragement to walk/ride bicycle to/from school, no high-calorie food sold, healthy options of foods and drinks at tuck shop, availability of policy on physical activity and training teacher as a role model. Policy makers should make urgent actions to address the obesogenic features of school environments. It should strive towards setting up healthy school environment and improving school curricula to promote healthy behaviours among the school children.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext No-reference quality assessment for image-based assessment of economically important tropical woods

Rajagopal H, Mokhtar N, Tengku Mohmed Noor Izam TF, Wan Ahmad WK

PLoS One, 2020;15(5):e0233320.
PMID: 32428043 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233320

Image Quality Assessment (IQA) is essential for the accuracy of systems for automatic recognition of tree species for wood samples. In this study, a No-Reference IQA (NR-IQA), wood NR-IQA (WNR-IQA) metric was proposed to assess the quality of wood images. Support Vector Regression (SVR) was trained using Generalized Gaussian Distribution (GGD) and Asymmetric Generalized Gaussian Distribution (AGGD) features, which were measured for wood images. Meanwhile, the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) was obtained from the subjective evaluation. This was followed by a comparison between the proposed IQA metric, WNR-IQA, and three established NR-IQA metrics, namely Blind/Referenceless Image Spatial Quality Evaluator (BRISQUE), deepIQA, Deep Bilinear Convolutional Neural Networks (DB-CNN), and five Full Reference-IQA (FR-IQA) metrics known as MSSIM, SSIM, FSIM, IWSSIM, and GMSD. The proposed WNR-IQA metric, BRISQUE, deepIQA, DB-CNN, and FR-IQAs were then compared with MOS values to evaluate the performance of the automatic IQA metrics. As a result, the WNR-IQA metric exhibited a higher performance compared to BRISQUE, deepIQA, DB-CNN, and FR-IQA metrics. Highest quality images may not be routinely available due to logistic factors, such as dust, poor illumination, and hot environment present in the timber industry. Moreover, motion blur could occur due to the relative motion between the camera and the wood slice. Therefore, the advantage of WNR-IQA could be seen from its independency from a "perfect" reference image for the image quality evaluation.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Fulltext Geographical and social isolation drive the evolution of Austronesian languages

Padilla-Iglesias C, Gjesfjeld E, Vinicius L

PLoS One, 2020;15(12):e0243171.
PMID: 33259529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243171

The origins of linguistic diversity remain controversial. Studies disagree on whether group features such as population size or social structure accelerate or decelerate linguistic differentiation. While some analyses of between-group factors highlight the role of geographical isolation and reduced linguistic exchange in differentiation, others suggest that linguistic divergence is driven primarily by warfare among neighbouring groups and the use of language as marker of group identity. Here we provide the first integrated test of the effects of five historical sociodemographic and geographic variables on three measures of linguistic diversification among 50 Austronesian languages: rates of word gain, loss and overall lexical turnover. We control for their shared evolutionary histories through a time-calibrated phylogenetic sister-pairs approach. Results show that languages spoken in larger communities create new words at a faster pace. Within-group conflict promotes linguistic differentiation by increasing word loss, while warfare hinders linguistic differentiation by decreasing both rates of word gain and loss. Finally, we show that geographical isolation is a strong driver of lexical evolution mainly due to a considerable drift-driven acceleration in rates of word loss. We conclude that the motor of extreme linguistic diversity in Austronesia may have been the dispersal of populations across relatively isolated islands, favouring strong cultural ties amongst societies instead of warfare and cultural group marking.

Matched MeSH terms: Social Environment
Life cycle evaluation of microalgae biofuels production: Effect of cultivation system on energy, carbon emission and cost balance analysis

Dasan YK, Lam MK, Yusup S, Lim JW, Lee KT

Sci Total Environ, 2019 Oct 20;688:112-128.
PMID: 31229809 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.181

The rapid depletion of fossil fuels and ever-increasing environmental pollution have forced humankind to look for a renewable energy source. Microalgae, a renewable biomass source, has been proposed as a promising feedstock to generate biofuels due to their fast growth rate with high lipid content. However, literatures have indicated that sustainable production of microalgae biofuels are only viable with a highly optimized production system. In the present study, a cradle-to-gate approach was used to provide expedient insights on the effect of different cultivation systems and biomass productivity toward life cycle energy (LCEA), carbon balance (LCCO2) and economic (LCC) of microalgae biodiesel production pathways. In addition, a co-production of bioethanol from microalgae residue was proposed in order to improve the economic sustainability of the overall system. The results attained in the present work indicated that traditional microalgae biofuels processing pathways resulted to several shortcomings, such as dehydration and lipid extraction of microalgae biomass required high energy input and contributed nearly 21 to 30% and 39 to 57% of the total energy requirement, respectively. Besides, the microalgae biofuels production system also required a high capital investment, which accounted for 47 to 86% of total production costs that subsequently resulted to poor techno-economic performances. Moreover, current analysis of environmental aspects of microalgae biorefinery had revealed negative CO2 balance in producing microalgae biofuels.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment; Environmental Pollution
Household Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal in Selangor, Malaysia-Policy, Public Perception, and Current Practices

Ariffin M, Zakili TST

Environ Manage, 2019 Oct;64(4):509-519.
PMID: 31399770 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-019-01199-y

Although pharmaceuticals treat illnesses and prevent diseases in humans and animals, ironically, they are now among the emerging pollutants in the environment. As individuals continue to consume medicines, households can become a primary source of pharmaceutical pollutants. This paper explains relevant Malaysian law and policy on the issue. Using a questionnaire survey, it also assesses public perception concerning the environmental impact of pharmaceutical waste and the current methods of disposal that are practiced in Selangor. The survey used a convenience sampling and the data collected were analysed using statistical descriptive analysis. Most of the participants were aware that pharmaceutical waste can have an adverse impact on the environment and public health. Half of the participants disposed of their pharmaceutical waste in trash bins. About 2.9% of the respondents poured their household pharmaceutical waste (HPW) directly down the drain, while 8.8% poured them down the sink in the kitchen or toilet. The study also discovered that while 73.8% of the respondents felt that HPW should be separated from other household solid waste, only 25.2% returned their medicinal waste through the medicine return-back programme. The majority of the respondents (82.5%) agreed that information concerning the proper disposal of HPW is insufficient. The study concludes that while the respondents were aware of the adverse impact of HPW, their practices to ensure proper disposal is discouraging. There is a need for effective unwanted medicines return-back programme as a more prudent disposal method of HPW to avoid any risk to the environment or human health.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
Application of chemometrics techniques to solve environmental issues in Malaysia

Shafii NZ, Saudi ASM, Pang JC, Abu IF, Sapawe N, Kamarudin MKA, et al.

Heliyon, 2019 Oct;5(10):e02534.
PMID: 31667387 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02534

There has been a growing concern on the rising of environmental issues in Malaysia over the last decade. Many environmental studies conducted in this country began to utilise the chemometrics techniques to overcome the limitation in the environmental monitoring studies. Chemometrics becomes an important tool in environmental fields to evaluate the relationship of various environmental variables particularly in a large and complex database. The review aimed to analyse and summarize the current evidences and limitations on the application of chemometrics techniques in the environmental studies in Malaysia. The study performed a comprehensive review of relevant scientific journals concerning on the major environmental issues in the country, published between 2013 and 2017. A total of 29 papers which focused on the environmental issues were reviewed. Available evidences suggested that chemometrics techniques have a greater accuracy, flexibility and efficiency to be applied in environmental modelling. It also reported that chemometrics techniques are more practical for cost effective and time management in sampling and monitoring purposes. However, chemometrics is relatively new in environmental field in Malaysia and various scopes need to be considered in the future as the current studies focused on very limited number of major environmental issues. Overall, chemometrics techniques have a lot of advantages in solving environmental problems. The development of chemometrics in environmental studies in the country is necessary to advance understanding, thus able to produce more significant impacts towards the effective environmental management.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment; Environmental Monitoring; Gene-Environment Interaction
Fulltext In-depth examination of issues surrounding the reasons for child marriage in Kelantan, Malaysia: a qualitative study

Kohno A, Dahlui M, Nik Farid ND, Ali SH, Nakayama T

BMJ Open, 2019 09 03;9(9):e027377.
PMID: 31481551 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027377

OBJECTIVE: To examine individual, familial, community and societal issues surrounding the reasons for child marriage in Kelantan, Malaysia.
DESIGN: Qualitative study by means of semistructured interviews with women and key informants, using social-ecological model as a conceptual framework.
SETTING: Interviews were conducted in Kota Bharu district, Kelantan, a northeast state in Peninsular Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen women of reproductive age (18 to 44 years old) that experienced their first marriage below the age of 18, as well as five key informants, consisting of a government officer, a community leader, an officer from religious department and two mothers. The women were recruited from a reproductive health clinic. The key informants who had specialised knowledge related to child marriage were selectively chosen.
RESULTS: Three themes emerged that aligned with the social-ecological model: immaturity in decision-making, family poverty and religious and cultural norms.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply that sex education and awareness-building activities regarding the consequences of child marriage must be implemented to eradicate child marriage in Malaysia. Such implementation must be coordinated as a team-based approach involving experts in such fields as law, religion, psychology, social-welfare and public health. In order to increase the awareness of child marriage consequences, the target for awareness must extend not only to the adolescent girls and their families, but also to the community and society at large by clearly communicating the negative consequences of and addressing the drivers for child marriage.

Matched MeSH terms: Social Environment
The cultural, family and community factors for resilience in southeast asian indigenous communities: A systematic review

Chua RY, Kadirvelu A, Yasin S, Choudhry FR, Park MS

J Community Psychol, 2019 09;47(7):1750-1771.
PMID: 31374592 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22224

Although faced with historical and ongoing hardships, many indigenous communities in Southeast Asia have managed to survive and thrive. The identification of factors that assist these communities in coping with the challenges experienced would help enhance their overall psychological well-being and resilience. The current review outlines types of protective factors for the indigenous communities in Southeast Asia focusing on the cultural, family and community elements linked to their psychological well-being. Four themes of protective factors were identified strong connection to the land and the environment, embracing cultural norms and traditions, passing down and keeping indigenous knowledge across generations, and emphasis on community and social cohesion. Findings suggest that the value of interconnectedness serves as an overarching theme that forms the worldview of the indigenous communities in Southeast Asia. Interconnectedness was important to the indigenous peoples as they considered themselves to be extensions of their family, community, ancestors, future descendants, the land and to all living things and creations that reside on their lands. Future intervention attempts to promote resilience among these communities should take these factors into account, and pay closer attention to community-level factors that seem to have a profound impact on the indigenous construction of resilience.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment; Social Environment*
Application of thermo-separating aqueous two-phase system in extractive bioconversion of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Cupriavidus necator H16

Leong YK, Show PL, Lan JC, Krishnamoorthy R, Chu DT, Nagarajan D, et al.

Bioresour Technol, 2019 Sep;287:121474.
PMID: 31122870 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121474

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of biodegradable and renewable biopolymers show a huge potential as an alternative to conventional plastics. Extractive bioconversion (in situ product recovery) is a technique that integrates upstream fermentation and downstream purification. In this study, extractive bioconversion of PHAs from Cupriavidus necator H16 was performed via a thermo-separating aqueous two-phase system to reduce the cost and environmental impacts of PHAs production. Key operating parameters, such as polymer concentration, temperature, and pH, were optimized. The strategy achieved a yield and PF of 97.6% and 1.36-fold, respectively at 5% EOPO 3900 concentration, 30 °C fermentation temperature and pH 6. The PHAs production process was also successfully scaled up in a 2 L bioreactor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on extractive fermentation of PHAs from Cupriavidus necator utilizing a thermo-separation system to achieve a better productivity and purity of the target product.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment
A possible resolution of Malaysian sunset industry by green fertilizer technology: factors affecting the adoption among paddy farmers

Adnan N, Nordin SM, Rasli AM

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Sep;26(26):27198-27224.
PMID: 31321721 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05650-9

One of the innovations introduced toward tackling the heightening of environmental impact is green technology. In the agricultural industry, the implementation of green fertilizer technology (GFT) for the modern development of environmentally friendly technology is a necessity. Within the Malaysian agriculture sector, the GFT application is needed to increase production levels among all crops. One of the essential commodities of all crops has always been paddy, given its status as the staple food among the country's population. Paddy production with the adoption of GFT potentially opens the path toward sustainable development in the industry as well as it also provides the food safety aspect. Moreover, this helps farmers to improve their productivity on paddy production in Malaysia. This paper attempts to evaluate the contributing socio-psychological factors, innovation attributes of environmental factors, and channels of communication to decision-making among farmers in Malaysia on GFT. Furthermore, this research also aims to assess the moderating role of cost between the farmer's behavioral intention and the adoption of GFT. The sampling process followed the stratified sampling technique-overall, 600 survey questionnaires were dispersed and 437 effective responses were received. The structural analysis results obtained have revealed significant positive effect for perceived awareness, attitude, group norm, perceived behavioral control, environmental concern, agro-environmental regulations, relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, and observability, and on farmer's behavioral intention, a significant effect for paddy farmer's behavioral intention in order to adopt of GFT. Further, the interaction effects of cost on the link between farmer's behavioral intention and adoption of GFT are statistically significant. Though, the finding could not back an outcome for the subjective norm, complexity, and mass media on farmer's behavioral intention. Finally, critical outcomes obtained in this research contribute to deepening the thoughtfulness of paddy farmers' adoption of GFT. This study concludes with policy recommendations and future directions of the research.

Matched MeSH terms: Environment

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