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Sources of cigarettes for youth smokers in Malaysia: findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022: Adolescents Health Survey (AHS)
Get PDFINTRODUCTION Developing effective intervention programs to lower adolescent smoking requires a thorough understanding of the sources and methods of youth tobacco product acquisition. This study aimed to identify the sources of cigarettes and related variables among adolescent smokers in Malaysian schools using the latest national data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey: Adolescents Health (NHMS: AHS) 2022. METHODS We conducted the NHMS 2022: AHS to obtain a representative sample of school-age teenagers via a cross-sectional study design and a multi-stage sampling approach. We selected 1934 school-going adolescents aged 13–17 years who have smoked at least once in the previous 30 days from a total of 33523 respondents in the study. Data were collected from the participants using a pre-validated self-administered questionnaire. The analysis involved calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Furthermore, we examined potential two-way interactions between the independent variables. RESULTS The study found that 6.2% (95% CI: 5.9–6.6) of teenagers in schools are currently smoking, with a notably higher percentage of male to female current smokers (10.8% vs 1.6%). Approximately 23.1% of current smokers are frequent smokers. Almost three-quarters of current smokers obtained their cigarettes from fixed premises (38.9%), and that friends (34.9%) were the primary sources of cigarettes among adolescents. The data show that more than half (59.7%, 95% CI: 57.0–62.4) of current smokers obtained cigarettes from commercial sources. CONCLUSIONS The study found that a notably more significant proportion of adolescent smokers obtained their cigarettes from commercial vendors compared to their friends. These finding implies that increased law enforcement and health promotion programs are needed to lower the incidence of adolescent smoking in Malaysia
On the effect of rolling sphere penetration and rod spacing configurations in optimizing lightning protection for solar farms
No full textLightning strikes represent a significant threat to solar farms, potentially resulting in equipment damage, power disruptions, and financial losses. This study explores the effectiveness of the Rolling Sphere Method (RSM) as a protective strategy for solar farms, utilizing SESSHIELD-3D lightning simulation software. The analysis focuses on evaluating the effect of penetration values (p=0.3 and p=0.5) and various rod spacing configurations to optimize protection coverage, with air termination rods installed at 0.5 meters on solar panel brackets. The results reveal that penetration value significantly influences shielding efficiency, with p=0.3 demonstrating a greater reduction in unprotected areas compared to p=0.5. Although most of the solar farm is adequately covered, certain red-shaded areas within the structure remain unprotected, highlighting gaps in shielding caused by spacing limitations and penetration effects. A comparative analysis of protected versus unprotected zones indicates that optimizing air termination placement and reducing rod spacing can enhance overall protection coverage. This research contributes to the advancement of lightning protection design for large-scale solar farms, promoting sustainable energy generation while minimizing the risk of lightning-induced failures. The findings offer a framework for cost-effective and efficient protection strategies, balancing safety, performance, and economic feasibility in renewable energy infrastructure
‘Half-baked idea’: Don, economist scoff at proposed Dayak version of Indians’ Mitra
Get PDFReaction of two academic to a Dayak-version of Indian's MITRA, idea proposedby YB Selanggau MP in parliamen
Clinical audit of a sports psychiatry clinic in Malaysia: insights on the development of mental health services for athletes
Get PDFIntroduction: Sports psychiatry is a young subspecialty of psychiatry that has expanded in recent decades. However, information on mental health issues among athletes remained limited. Malaysia's first sports psychiatry clinic (SPC) was established in 2021. Methods: A clinical audit of the SPC was conducted to provide insight into the referral patterns, demographic characteristics of athletes seeking help, and the types of diagnoses and treatments received. This audit was conducted between September 2021 and October 2024. Results: Twenty-seven athletes were identified, with a mean age of twenty-one and a majority of female gender. The athletes came from various individual and team sports, had sports representation from school to national level and were commonly referred from a sports institution. Diagnoses received are primarily anxiety-related disorders. Notable non-DSM-5 diagnoses included athlete burnout, migraine, and post-concussion syndrome. The most common treatment modalities are either medication and psychotherapy or medication only. Conclusion: This audit highlights the low uptake of mental health services amongst athletes, the common diagnoses that present to SPC and the need for further development in this area
An IoT-based hygiene monitoring system in the restroom
Get PDFPublic restroom hygiene is a critical factor influencing public health and user comfort. Traditional maintenance approaches, which rely on manual labour and fixed cleaning schedules, are often inefficient and costly, requiring janitors regardless of actual conditions. This research presents an Internet of Things (IoT)-based restroom hygiene monitoring system designed to optimise cleaning by dispatching staff only when hygiene thresholds are exceeded, particularly during periods of elevated ammonia levels and poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The system enables remote, continuous cleanliness assessment by monitoring ammonia levels and analyzing IAQ through humidity and gas resistance metrics. Alerts are triggered based on correlations among humidity, temperature, and occupancy data, enabling timely interventions. The system utilises the InfluxDB time-series database and the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol over Wi-Fi to support real-time monitoring and long-term trend analysis, providing actionable insights for effective hygiene management. A five-month focused analysis within a two-year monitoring period (January 2023 to December 2024) revealed ammonia concentration spikes ranging from 0 ppm to 13 x 1012 ppm. These peaks were linked to sewer issues and cleaning without detergent, while poor IAQ levels (up to 466 x 103 ppm) were associated with excessive use of detergent and air fresheners. Statistical analysis revealed a strong inverse correlation (r = 0.91) between humidity and temperature regarding ammonia, as well as a moderate inverse correlation (r = 0.45) between humidity and gas resistance. Despite 274 users recorded in a single day, effective ventilation was maintained at safe ammonia levels. These findings suggest that overuse of cleaning agents may worsen air quality. The study demonstrates the potential of IoT-enabled systems for responsive, data-driven, and cost-effective restroom hygiene management
Guru jadi inspirasi Siti Arifah lanjut pengajian bidang Pendidikan Sains Pertanian di UPM
Get PDFSERDANG, 5 Oktober – Bermula dari guru sekolah menengah yang gigih mendidik dalam subjek pertanian menjadi sumber inspirasi buat Siti Arifah MJupperih untuk melanjutkan pengajian dalam Bacelor Pendidikan (Sains Pertanian) di Fakulti Pengajian Pendidikan (FPP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Pelajar baharu UPM diseru utamakan adab dalam menimba ilmu
Get PDFSERDANG, 7 Oktober – Pelajar baharu Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Sesi 2025/2026 diseru untuk mengutamakan adab dan kejujuran dalam menuntut ilmu bagi membentuk sahsiah unggul serta menjadikan ilmu yang diperoleh lebih berkat dan bermanfaat
Exploring the potential of shrimp paste (Belacan) and its indigenous microorganisms (IMO) as a growth enhancer for Capsicum annum L. (chilli) plants
Get PDFIn recent years, there has been growing interest in utilizing Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) as plant growth-promoting agents, with studies demonstrating their effectiveness in enhancing crop growth. Despite local practices utilizing food-based substrates, limited reports exist on the application of IMO from fermented foods to enhance the growth of Capsicum annum L. (chili) plants. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mechanism of Belacan (fermented shrimp paste) as a biofertilizer in promoting the growth of Capsicum annum L. Belacan was supplemented with molasses as a carbon source, and the cultured bacteria were subsequently isolated and identified using nucleotide analysis of the 16S rRNA region. Two major bacterial isolates, Bacillus velezensis, and Lysinibacillus fusiformis, were identified as potential plant-growth-promoting bacteria, with nutrient solubilization and auxin production capability. The application of belacan on chili plants revealed that they significantly enhanced plant growth parameters, including shoot length, leaf length, width, thickness, and chlorophyll content, compared to the control group. These findings suggest that IMO from Malaysian fermented foods hold potential as biofertilizers to promote the growth of chili plants, contributing to the advancement of environmentally friendly and nutritionally rich agriculture
A review of swirl air intake effect on the performance of a compression ignition engine
Get PDFCompression Ignition (CI) engines are highly efficient power sources compared to Spark Ignition (SI) engines and currently play a significant role in the transportation and industrial sectors. However, the engine has constraints with low engine performance, high fuel consumption and emissions levels which require continuous improvement. There are various designs of air intake systems to meet a specific engine operating range, still, there will be less actual amount of fresh charge entering the cylinder compared to the theoretical value due to the short cycle time available. The application of the existing air intake system becomes the main focus since the air resistance presented in the system is causing more pressure drop, reducing volumetric efficiency. This requires a comprehensive review of the patented or commercial air intake devices in proposing an improved air intake manifold design. Swirl in the intake air is an additional characteristic knowingly able to increase the fuel and air mixing rate for better combustion, thus reducing the exhaust gas emissions. However, the air resistance may also reduce the efficiency of the air swirl formed within the intake manifold, thus restricting the potential for combustion improvement. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of swirl air intake in the compression ignition engine due to the continuous issue of emission quality. Differences in intake designs, flow characteristics, numerical study, and other issues associated with engine performance are also thoroughly discussed in this review paper
Program Mobiliti Outbound perkukuh jalinan UPM–UNHAS
Get PDFINDONESIA, 6 September – Program Mobiliti Outbound yang dianjurkan oleh Jabatan Matematik dan Statistik, Fakulti Sains, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) dengan kerjasama Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam (FMIPA), Universitas Hasanuddin (UNHAS), Makassar, Indonesia telah memperkukuh jalinan akademik serta memperluas kolaborasi antarabangsa antara kedua-dua institusi