Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 117 in total

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  1. Performance of small and large scales rainwater harvesting systems in commercial buildings under different reliability and future water tariff scenarios
    Lani NHM, Syafiuddin A, Yusop Z, Adam UB, Amin MZBM
    Sci Total Environ, 2018 Sep 15;636:1171-1179.
    PMID: 29913579 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.418
    A rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) was proposed for small and large commercial buildings in Malaysia as an alternative water supply for non-potable water consumption. The selected small and large commercial buildings are AEON Taman Universiti and AEON Bukit Indah, respectively. Daily rainfall data employed in this work were obtained from the nearest rainfall station at Senai International Airport, which has the longest and reliable rainfall record (29 years). Water consumption at both buildings were monitored daily and combined with the secondary data obtained from the AEON's offices. The mass balance model was adopted as the simulation approach. In addition, the economic benefits of RWHS in terms of percentage of reliability (R), net present value (NPV), return on investment (ROI), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), and payback period (PBP) were examined. Effects of rainwater tank sizes and water tariffs on the economic indicators were also evaluated. The results revealed that the percentages of reliability of the RWHS for the small and large commercial buildings were up to 93 and 100%, respectively, depending on the size of rainwater tank use. The economic benefits of the proposed RWHS were highly influenced by the tank size and water tariff. At different water tariffs between RM3.0/m3 and RM4.7/m3, the optimum PBPs for small system range from 6.5 to 10.0 years whereas for the large system from 3.0 to 4.5 years. Interestingly, the large commercial RWHS offers better NPV, ROI, BCR, and PBP compared to the small system, suggesting more economic benefits for the larger system.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  2. 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: Investments
  3. Fulltext Economic analysis of broiler production in Peninsular Malaysia
    Abdurofi, I., Ismail, M.M., Kamal, H. A. W., Gabdo, B. H.
    International Food Research Journal, 2017;24(4):1387-1392.
    MyJurnal
    The domestic demand for broiler meat is one of the highest in the Malaysian markets. The
    industry requires continuous evaluation to identify the existing problems and improves its
    competitive advantage. Thus, economic analysis of this sort will continue to update current
    statistics on production cost, output and profitability. Following this, the study, therefore, aims
    to assess the existing financial condition of farmers, marginal cost of production, total net
    income and input-output ratio of broiler production in different regions in Peninsular Malaysia.
    The study used multi-stage sampling in selecting 310 operators from Southern, Northern, East
    Coast and Centeral regions. The analytical tools include descriptive statistics and farm budget.
    The findings disclosed that the broiler farm incurs major cost from acquiring operating inputs
    especially feed. The operations in the East Coast region was almost unprofitable for the reason
    that feed conversion rate is more than 2 resulting in higher production cost. But the other three
    regions indicate positive returns based on the estimated input-output ratios of 1:1.09, 1:1.17
    and 1: 1.23 for Northern, Southern and Central regions, respectively.The study advocates for
    both managerial and policy measures that will help cut the cost of production to attract more
    investors and increase export.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  4. Fulltext A goal programming model for portfolio optimisation problem in fuzzy environment
    Mokhtar, M., Shuib, A., Mohamad, D.
    Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(2):593-606.
    MyJurnal
    Portfolio optimisation is one of the most crucial issues in investment decision-making and has received considerable attention from researchers and practitioners. Traditionally, the portfolio optimisation models are formulated based on the assumption that investors have complete information on the distribution of random returns. However, in real life case, this is not possible since decisions have to be made under uncertainty. This paper deals with a fuzzy portfolio optimisation problem in which returns and turnover rates of securities are represented by fuzzy variables. A goal programming model is proposed to optimise three objectives: maximisation of portfolio return, maximisation of liquidity and minimisation of the portfolio risk. The cardinality constraints, floor and ceiling constraints are also taken into consideration. Finally, a numerical experiment using real data is conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the model.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  5. Influence of foreign direct investment on indicators of environmental degradation
    Solarin SA, Al-Mulali U
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jun 21.
    PMID: 29931634 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2562-5
    This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by looking at the influence of foreign direct investment on carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, and ecological footprint. In order to realize the aim of this study, we have utilized the augmented mean group estimator, which is supported by common correlated effect mean group estimator in the analysis for 20 countries. The panel results reveal that foreign direct investment has no effect on environmental degradation indicators. The panel results further reveal that gross domestic product, energy consumption, and urbanization are the main contributors to environmental degradation. The results at country level show that foreign direct investment and urbanization increase pollution in the developing countries while they mitigate pollution in the developed countries. Moreover, gross domestic product and energy consumption increase pollution for both developed and developing countries, which includes China and the USA. The negative impact of foreign direct investment on environmental degradation in the developed countries can be explained on the basis that these countries have strong environmental regulations, which makes it almost impossible for dirty foreign industries to invest therein. From the output of this research, several policy recommendations are enumerated for the investigated countries.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  6. Dynamic connection between inward foreign direct investment, renewable energy, economic growth and carbon emission in China: evidence from partial and multiple wavelet coherence
    Arain H, Sharif A, Akbar B, Younis MY
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 Nov;27(32):40456-40474.
    PMID: 32666445 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08836-8
    This paper presents a fresh understanding of the vigorous connection between inward FDI, renewable energy consumption, economic growth and carbon emission in the Chinese economy employing novel Morlet wavelet analysis. Wavelet correlation, continuous wavelet transform and partial and the multiple wavelet coherence analyses are applied on variables under study for data acquired during the period 1979 to 2017. The outcome of these analyses reveals that the connections among the variables progress over frequency and time. From the frequency domain point of view, the current study discovers noteworthy wavelet coherence and robust lead and lag linkages, although time domain reveals inconsistent associations among the considered variables. The wavelet analysis according to economic point of view supports that inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and renewable energy consumption help to enhance economic condition in Chinese economy. The results also suggested that inward FDI enhances the environmental degradation in medium and long run in China. The results emphasize the significance of having organized strategies by the policymakers to cope with huge environmental degradation occurred for a couple of decades in China.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  7. Interface between energy consumption, CO2 emissions, economic growth, and macroeconomic openness in financial action task force countries through the lens of a causality approach
    Pradhan RP, Arvin M, Nair MS, Bennett S, Hall JH
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Feb;30(9):24256-24283.
    PMID: 36334209 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23641-1
    There is strong scientific evidence to suggest that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are one of the key drivers of global warming. Rising CO2 emissions across the globe have been traced back to increasing global trade and rapid industrial development powered by fossil fuels. High CO2 emissions have had an adverse effect on the quality of life and economic growth of communities across the globe. In this study, the Granger causality approach is used to examine scientifically some causal relationships between energy consumption, CO2 emissions, economic growth, and key macroeconomic variables (trade openness and foreign direct investment) in the panel of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) countries. FATF countries are signatories to agreements to adhere to good financial practices to ensure sustainable development of their economies. The empirical analysis was conducted for the period 1980 to 2020. Results indicate a strong endogenous relationship between the variables in the short and long run. The analysis suggests that careful co-curation of economic, trade, energy, foreign direct investment, and environmental management policies is needed to ensure sustainable economic development in the FATF countries. Global trade and foreign direct investment policies must foster new environmental-friendly industries and greater use of clean renewable energy among these countries. Note: Arrows indicate direction of possible causal links between the variables.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  8. Fulltext Dynamics of fractional order nonlinear system: A realistic perception with neutrosophic fuzzy number and Allee effect
    Alam Khan N, Abdul Razzaq O, Riaz F, Ahmadian A, Senu N
    J Adv Res, 2021 09;32:109-118.
    PMID: 34484830 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2020.11.015
    Introduction: The fusion of fractional order differential equations and fuzzy numbers has been widely used in modelling different engineering and applied sciences problems. In addition to these, the Allee effect, which is of high importance in field of biology and ecology, has also shown great contribution among other fields of sciences to study the correlation between density and the mean fitness of the subject.

    Objectives: The present paper is intended to measure uncertain dynamics of an economy by restructuring the Cobb-Douglas paradigm of the renowned Solow-Swan model. The purpose of study is further boosted innovatively by subsuming the perception of logistic growth with Allee effect in the dynamics of physical capital and labor force.

    Methods: Fractional order derivative and neutrosophic fuzzy (NF) theory are applied on the parameters of the Cobb-Douglas equation. Distinctively, cogitating fractional order derivative to study the change at each fractional stage; single-valued triangular neutrosophic fuzzy numbers (SVTNFN) to cope the uncertain situations; logistic growth function with Allee effect to analyze the factors in natural way, are the significant and novel features of this endeavor.

    Results: The incorporation of the aforementioned theories and effects in the Cobb-Douglas equation, resulted in producing maximum sustainable capital investment and maximum capacity of labor force. The solutions in intervals located different possible solutions for different membership degrees, which accumulated the uncertain circumstances of a country.

    Conclusion: Explicitly, these notions add new facts and figures not only in the dynamical study of capital and labor, which has been overlooked in classical models, but also left the door open for discussion and implementation on classical models of different fields.

    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  9. Fulltext Corporate Sustainability Development Strategy and Corporate Environmental Governance-The Moderating Role of Corporate Environmental Investments
    Ao X, Ong TS, Teh BH
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Mar 03;20(5).
    PMID: 36901536 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054528
    Environmental degradation and ecological devastation have become widespread global concerns in recent years as a result of the expansion of the international economy. China's rapid economic development has been accompanied by a sloppy economic growth model that has damaged the local ecological environment. The Chinese government intends to improve the ecological environment by the end of 2020 in an effort to direct and improve these environmental issues. The strictest environmental laws became effective in 2015. In light of this, this research uses panel data analysis to examine the environmental strategy and environmental governance of Chinese corporations. This article analyses 14,512 samples of listed mainland Chinese enterprises from 2015 to 2020. This research investigates the connection between Corporate Sustainability Development Strategy and Corporate Environmental Governance, as well as the moderating effect of Corporate Environmental Investments.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  10. TPPA and tobacco control: threats to APEC countries
    Sy DK, Stumberg RK
    Tob Control, 2014 Nov;23(6):466-70.
    PMID: 25170023 DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051900
    Twelve-member countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a free trade agreement to facilitate international trade and investment. As reported by multiple sources, the TPPA would grant the same trade benefits and legal protections to tobacco products, services and investments that it would provide to other sectors. Malaysia proposed excluding tobacco control measures from the scope of all TPPA chapters while the US proposed only to establish a consultation process in tobacco-related disputes and to declare that tobacco control measures serve a health objective within the scope of the general exceptions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments/legislation & jurisprudence
  11. Fulltext Mapping pneumonia research: A systematic analysis of UK investments and published outputs 1997-2013
    Head MG, Fitchett JR, Newell ML, Scott JA, Harris JN, Clarke SC, et al.
    EBioMedicine, 2015 Sep;2(9):1193-9.
    PMID: 26501117 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.06.024
    BACKGROUND: The burden of pneumonia continues to be substantial, particularly among the poorest in global society. We describe here the trends for UK pneumonia R&D investment and published outputs, and correlate with 2013 global mortality.

    METHODS: Data related to awards to UK institutions for pneumonia research from 1997 to 2013 were systematically sourced and categorised by disease area and type of science. Investment was compared to mortality figures in 2010 and 2013 for pneumonia, tuberculosis and influenza. Investment was also compared to publication data.

    RESULTS: Of all infectious disease research between 2011 and 2013 (£917.0 million), £28.8 million (3.1%) was for pneumonia. This was an absolute and proportionate increase from previous time periods. Translational pneumonia research (33.3%) received increased funding compared with 1997-2010 where funding was almost entirely preclinical (87.5%, here 30.9%), but high-burden areas such as paediatrics, elderly care and antimicrobial resistance received little investment. Annual investment remains volatile; publication temporal trends show a consistent increase. When comparing investment to global burden with a novel 'investment by mortality observed' metric, tuberculosis (£48.36) and influenza (£484.21) receive relatively more funding than pneumonia (£43.08), despite investment for pneumonia greatly increasing in 2013 compared to 2010 (£7.39). Limitations include a lack of private sector data and the need for careful interpretation of the comparisons with burden, plus categorisation is subjective.

    CONCLUSIONS: There has been a welcome increase for pneumonia funding awarded to UK institutions in 2011-2013 compared with 1997-2010, along with increases for more translational research. Published outputs relating to pneumonia rose steadily from 1997 to 2013. Investment relative to mortality for pneumonia has increased, but it remains low compared to other respiratory infections and clear inequities remain. Analyses that measure investments in pneumonia can provide an insight into funding trends and research gaps.

    RESEARCH IN CONTEXT: Pneumonia continues to be a high-burden illness around the globe. This paper shows that although research funding is increasing in the UK (between 1997 and 2013), it remains poorly funded compared to other important respiratory infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza. Publications about pneumonia have been steadily increasing over time, indicating continuing academic and clinical interest in the topic. Though global mortality of pneumonia is declining, it should still be an area of high priority for funders, policymakers and researchers.

    Matched MeSH terms: Investments*
  12. New Pacific trade deal--good for pharma, bad for public health?
    Gornall J
    BMJ, 2015;351:h3649.
    PMID: 26155990 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h3649
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments/economics*
  13. Japanese direct investment and its impact on migration in the ASEAN 4
    Ito S, Iguchi Y
    Asian Pac Migr J, 1994;3(2-3):265-94.
    PMID: 12289775
    "The purpose of this article is to show the relationship among Japanese direct investment...,domestic labor markets, and international labor migration in ASEAN-4 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand). The effects of foreign direct investment on skilled labor migration are also considered."
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments*
  14. Access to clean technologies, energy, finance, and food: environmental sustainability agenda and its implications on Sub-Saharan African countries
    Hishan SS, Sasmoko, Khan A, Ahmad J, Hassan ZB, Zaman K, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Jun;26(16):16503-16518.
    PMID: 30980369 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05056-7
    The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is far lag behind the sustainable targets that set out in the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is highly needed to embark the priorities by their member countries to devise sustainable policies for accessing clean technologies, energy demand, finance, and food production to mitigate high-mass carbon emissions and conserve environmental agenda in the national policy agenda. The study evaluated United Nation's SDGs for environmental conservation and emission reduction in the panel of 35 selected SSA countries, during a period of 1995-2016. The study further analyzed the variable's relationship in inter-temporal forecasting framework for the next 10 years' time period, i.e., 2017-2026. The parameter estimates for the two models, i.e., CO2 model and PM2.5 models are analyzed by Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator that handle possible endogeneity issue from the given models. The results rejected the inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for CO2 emissions, while it supported for PM2.5 emissions with a turning point of US$5540 GDP per capita in constant 2010 US$. The results supported the "pollution haven hypothesis" for CO2 emissions, while this hypothesis is not verified for PM2.5 emissions. The major detrimental factors are technologies, FDI inflows, and food deficit that largely increase carbon emissions in a panel of SSA countries. The IPAT hypothesis is not verified in both the emissions; however, population density will largely influenced CO2 emissions in the next 10 years' time period. The PM2.5 emissions will largely be influenced by high per capita income, followed by trade openness, and technologies, over a time horizon. Thus, the United Nation's sustainable development agenda is highly influenced by socio-economic and environmental factors that need sound action plans by their member countries to coordinate and collaborate with each other and work for Africa's green growth agenda.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments/trends; Investments/statistics & numerical data
  15. Assessing the impacts of climate change in cities and their adaptive capacity: Towards transformative approaches to climate change adaptation and poverty reduction in urban areas in a set of developing countries
    Filho WL, Balogun AL, Olayide OE, Azeiteiro UM, Ayal DY, Muñoz PDC, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2019 Nov 20;692:1175-1190.
    PMID: 31539949 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.227
    Many cities across the world are facing many problems climate change poses to their populations, communities and infrastructure. These vary from increased exposures to floods, to discomfort due to urban heat, depending on their geographical locations and settings. However, even though some cities have a greater ability to cope with climate change challenges, many struggle to do so, particularly in cities in developing countries. In addition, there is a shortage of international studies which examine the links between climate change adaptation and cities, and which at the same time draw some successful examples of good practice, which may assist future efforts. This paper is an attempt to address this information need. The aim of this paper is to analyse the extent to which cities in a sample of developing countries are attempting to pursue climate change adaptation and the problems which hinder this process. Its goal is to showcase examples of initiatives and good practice in transformative adaptation, which may be replicable elsewhere. To this purpose, the paper describes some trends related to climate change in a set of cities in developing countries across different continents, including one of the smallest capital cities (Georgetown, Guyana) and Shanghai, one the world's most populous cities. In particular, it analyses their degree of vulnerability, how they manage to cope with climate change impacts, and the policies being implemented to aid adaptation. It also suggests the use of transformative approaches which may be adopted, in order to assist them in their efforts towards investments in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, thereby maximizing investments in urban areas and trying to address their related poverty issues. This paper addresses a gap in the international literature on the problems many cities in developing countries face, in trying to adapt to a changing climate.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  16. Fulltext Clinical knowledge management at the point of care
    Teng CL
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2012;6 Suppl 1:S137-S141.
    MyJurnal
    In the developing world, clinical knowledge management in primary care has a long way to go. Clinical decision support systems, despite its promise to revolutionise healthcare, is slow in its implementation due to the lack of financial investment in information technology. Point-of-care resources, such as comprehensive electronic textbooks delivered via the web or mobile devices, have yet to be fully utilised by the healthcare organisation or individual clinicians. Increasing amount of applicable knowledge of good quality (e.g. clinical practice guidelines and other pre-appraised resources) are now available via the internet. The policy makers and clinicians need to be more informed about the potential benefits and
    limitations of these new tools and resources and make the necessary budgetary provision and learn how best to harness them for patient care.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  17. Determinants of voluntary carbon disclosure in the corporate real estate sector of Malaysia
    Kalu JU, Buang A, Aliagha GU
    J Environ Manage, 2016 Nov 01;182:519-524.
    PMID: 27529312 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.08.011
    Corporate real estate management holds the tent that risk which is not understood cannot be measured or managed. The effect of global warming on real estate investment and need for climate change mitigation through disclosures by companies of carbon emission information has becomes a sine-qua-non for the management of companies' carbon footprint and reducing its overall effect on global warming. This study applied the structural equation modeling technique to determine the determinants influencing Carbon Disclosure in Real Estate Companies in a developing economy. The analysis was based on 2013 annual reports of 126 property sector companies listed in Malaysia stock exchange market. The model was validated through convergent validity, discriminant validity, composite reliability and goodness of fit. The result reveals that social and financial market were critical determinant factors for carbon disclosure while the economic and institutional factors did not achieve significant effect on voluntary carbon disclosure. The result is consistent with legitimacy theory and agency theories. The implication of this finding is that increase in public education and awareness will enhance community demand for disclosure from companies and they will increase level of disclosure; also as financial institutions consider sustainability practice as a viable investment and term for credit financing, companies will be motivated to increase disclosure.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  18. Fulltext The impact of government incentives on financial viability of selected aquaculture species in Malaysia
    Sara, R.R., Ismail, M.M., Kamarulzaman, N.H., Mohamed, Z.A.
    International Food Research Journal, 2014;21(4):1451-1456.
    MyJurnal
    Aquaculture businesses in Malaysia require careful and comprehensive financial analysis to be successful. Comprehensive financial analysis has three key components, namely financial position, profitability and liquidity/cash flow. This research focuses on using pro forma income statements to analyze financial positions and to evaluate the effect of government incentives on sustainability of Malaysian aquaculture farms. This paper is divided into two sections; the first section discusses and provides the finding and comparability of the financial analysis on freshwater and brackish water producers. In the first section, the discussion was based on financial viability criteria, namely net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and benefit cost ratio (BCR)) for base study. The evaluation process was carried out using four different phases; base study and government incentives simulations, Pioneer Status (PS), Investment Tax Allowance (ITA), and Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) for effectiveness of government incentives and roles in increase of profitability and production. The results showed that in all brackish water farms, NPV after the ACA incentive showed a higher and positive value comparable to individual PS and ITA. The effect of Government Incentive on Penaeus vannamei and Grouper showed that IRR and NPV on ACA (based on PS) is 2% and 9%, respectively higher than ACA (based on ITA). Meanwhile, in Barramundi farming ACA (based on ITA) was 8% higher than ACA (based on PS). The results on freshwater showed that ACA (based on ITA) on Tilapia and Catfish was 8% and 6% higher than ACA (based on PS). This paper concludes that the aquaculture operators should choose to accept PS with ACA on Penaeus vannamei and Grouper and choose ACA based on ITA on Barramundi, Tilapia and Catfish in order to maximize private profitability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  19. Fulltext Systems perspectives in agricultural education, research and development: A vision for sustaining food security in Asia
    C. Devendra
    ASM Science Journal, 2013;7(2):152-165.
    MyJurnal
    Systems perspectives are fundamental in driving technological improvements and yield-enhancing strategies that improve agricultural productivity. These can resolve farmerʼs problems and are important pathways for sustaining food and nutritional security for human welfare in Asia. The essential determinants of this objective are the capacity to efficiently manage the natural resource base (land, crops, animals, and water) to resolve constraints to farming systems, and notably the integration of multiple research and development (R&D) issues through all levels of formal and non-formal learning systems. Both formal and informal education systems are important, with the former relating more to universities and colleges, and the latter to the intermediate level. Graduates from this level have the primary responsibility of introducing improved technologies and change to farmers, mainly along production and disciplinary pathways.The traditional research–extension–farmer model for technology delivery is no longer acceptable, due to “top down” extension functions and prescriptions, ineffectiveness to cope with the dynamics of production systems, complex interactions within the natural resources, effects of climate change and globalisation. There are also reservations on the technical capacity and skills of extension agents, constraints identification, methods for technology diffusion and dissemination, and innovative use of beneficial technological improvements that can directly respond to the needs of small farmers, and impact on subsistence agriculture. Agricultural education and systems perspectives are therefore an overriding compelling necessity which transcends prevailing limitations to waning agriculture and rural growth. Their wider recognition and applications provides an important means to maximise efficiency in the potential use; of the natural resources, increase engagement and investments in agriculture, promote ways to become more self-reliant in the development of crucial new technologies and intensification. These together can meet the challenges of the future and overcome the legacy of continuing poverty, food and nutritional insecurity. Asian farming systems, with their diversity of crops and animals, traditional methods, multiple crop-animal interactions, numerous problems of farmers present increasingly complex issues of natural resource management (NRM) and the environment. Many if not all of these can only be resolved by interdisciplinary R&D, which overcomes a major weakness of many R&D programmes presently and in the past. Improved education and training is a powerful and important driver of community-based participation aimed at enhancing sustainable food security, poverty reduction and social equity in which the empowerment of women in activities that support organising themselves is also an important pathway to enhance self-reliance and their contribution to agriculture. A vision for the future in which improved agricultural education in a systems context can provide the pathway to directly benefit the revitalisation of agriculture and agricultural development is proposed with a three-pronged strategy as follows:
    Define policy for the development of appropriate curricular for formal agricultural education that provides strong multi-disciplinary orientation and improved understanding of the natural resources (land, crops, animals and water) and their interactions
    Organise formal degree education and specialisation at the university level that reflects strong training in understanding of agricultural systems; systems perspectives, methodologies and their application, and
    Define non-formal education and training needs that can be intensified at different levels, including the trainin of trainers as agents of change.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
  20. Fulltext Diabetes control - the legacy of a memory
    Vijay AP, Chan SP
    JUMMEC, 2009;12(2):47-56.
    MyJurnal
    Achieving and maintaining good glycaemic control remains an important goal in the management of this common and prevalent disorder. Recent evidence from important megatrials, ACCORD, ADVANCE, VADT, UKPDS-10 year follow-up as well as the STENO-2 follow-up study, have cleared doubts concerning the benefits of targeting good glycaemic control. For the first time, we have the reassurance that macrovascular benefits can be realised from good glycaemic control. The legacy effect of prior good glucose control from the UKPDS-10 year follow-up, reinforces the results seen from the DCCT-EDIC (for Type 1 diabetes). The Intervention Phase of the UKPDS revealed benefits for reduction of microvascular complications, while it was only at the end of the Post-Trial Monitoring Phase where significant improvements in both micro and macrovascular outcomes were seen. The other three Trials assessing the effect of glycaemic control on cardiovascular outcomes, although largely negative for CV benefit, give valuable insight towards appropriate patient characteristics for which aggressive glucose control can and should be instituted. Individualising glycaemic targets, which has been the approach that many clinicians have been practising, has received new impetus albeit with clearer details. Getting to glycaemic goal early in the course of T2DM and Doing to Safely (Avoiding hypoglycaemia)are the key ingredients to successful management. The legacy of the memory of initial good metabolic/glycaemic control is investment in good health with benefits of reductions in both micro and more importantly, macrovascular disease, years later. Multifactorial interventions that include blood pressure, lipid lowering in addition to glucose control in these individuals with the Metabolic Syndrome result in more immediate beneficial additive effects on cardiovascular outcomes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Investments
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