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The influence pathways of residential environment on quality of life for migrants through social integration across different neighbourhoods: A case study of Yiwu, China / Liyan Huang
No full textIn the past decades, the quality of life (QoL) in post-migration families has been one of the hottest research topics and has attracted considerable attention. The residential
environment at the neighbourhood level is one of the most important factors affecting
migrants’ QoL. However, most of the previous studies ignored the hierarchical nature of
neighbourhood environments, and fewer studies addressed exploring the underlying
pathways of the residential environment and the QoL of migrants. Moreover, mixed
findings exist on the effectiveness of the residential environment in improving QoL. In
response to calls for the increasing public health challenge of migrants living in the postmigration
urban environment, this study adopts a combination of multilevel regression
model, ordered logit model, bootstrap method of mediating effects, and semi-structured
interview to explore the associations and influence pathways between the neighbourhoodlevel
environment and QoL through social integration. Drawing on the quantitative and
qualitative dataset with a case study of Yiwu, the study confirms the hierarchical nature
of neighbourhood-level environments and reveals that neighbourhood effects can weaken
the effect of housing conditions on subjective well-being. Neighbourhood facility
accessibility, neighbourhood physical environment, and neighbourhood social
environment have significant and positive associations with subjective well-being.
Neighbourhood facility accessibility and neighbourhood safety positively correlate with
mental health, and neighbourhood safety significantly predicts physical health. Moreover,
migrants who live in the work-unit old neighbourhoods have significantly higher overall
QoL and mental health than those who live in commercial housing neighbourhoods. Residential segregation leads to better mental health but lower subjective well-being
among migrants. Additionally, the results reveal that the residential environment affects
the QoL of migrants through four pathways: the enabling and sorting effect of economic
integration, the protective effect of acculturation, the “social distance” effect of
psychological integration, and the “localised social interaction” effect. Furthermore, the
moderating effect of housing instability indicates that the negative effect of housing
affordability on SWB is augmented for migrant groups with high housing instability and
the positive effect of NFA on SWB is weakened for groups with high housing instability
through economic integration. Hence, based on the triangulation of the quantitative
results and qualitative findings, the conceptual framework was developed to indicate the
influence pathways of the residential environment on the QoL of migrants across different
neighbourhoods. These findings extend recent moves to recognize how the
neighbourhood effects impact the QoL of migrants and add to the limited research on the
hierarchy nature of neighbourhood environment on QoL. This study highlights that
inclusive housing policies and socially mixed neighbourhoods are important for
optimizing the health agenda for internal migrants in China and other developing
countries with similar social contexts
Knowledge, attitude and practices of e-Waste recycling towards sustainable waste management in Malaysia / Amirah Sariyati Mohd Yahya
No full texte-Waste is defined as any electrical and electronic appliances that are no longer in use, unwanted, no longer functioning, broken, obsolete, or ready to be discarded by their owner. The rapid generation of E-waste nowadays necessitates the attention of all stakeholders, particularly the general public as consumers. E-waste recycling is one of the environmentally friendly ways to handle E-waste. Hence, this study examines E-waste recycling among the public in Malaysia with five research objectives: (i) To analyze the current status of knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling in Malaysia; (ii) To investigate the preferred sources of information on E-waste recycling among respondents; (iii) To investigate the relationship between demographic variables and current status of knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling in Malaysia; (iv) To analyze the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practices on E-waste recycling among respondents; and (v) To explore the satisfaction level of the public pertaining to the currently available E-waste management services in Malaysia. The data collection was conducted using a questionnaire survey with a total of 3,015 respondents. The data is analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Based on the analysis conducted, knowledge related to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA 1974) and disposal activity is not satisfactory, with the percentage of respondents being less than 70.0%. As for the attitude section, most respondents agreed that convenient facilities (84.5%) and incentives (78.3%) would boost their participation in E-waste recycling. It is also illustrated that most respondents are interested in upgrading their appliances to the latest features and design, which could potentially increase the generation of E-waste. Hence, the public is required to manage their unwanted appliances properly. Moreover, selling and repairing E-waste are the most preferred practices, as agreed by 72.6% of respondents. Note that 64.3% of respondents agreed that the internet is the most preferred source of information on E-waste. However, the utilization of various sources of information is also required to ensure that the public can obtain information despite their various demographic background. Two demographic variables, age and occupation, are significantly related to knowledge, attitude, and general practices sections. Meanwhile, income and residential location are significantly (p-value < 0.05) related to knowledge and attitude. Educational background is reported to be significantly (p-value < 0.05) related and consistent with knowledge and disposal practices on E-waste recycling. This study also discovered that knowledge, attitude, and practices are reported to be significantly (p-value < 0.05 (< 0.001)) related to one another. Most respondents who have demonstrated high levels of knowledge and attitude have moderate levels of practice. However, about 38.5% of respondents are unsatisfied with the current facilities and management of E-waste disposal in their area. This research makes several contributions to encourage the sustainable management of E-waste among the public
Penilaian kurikulum berdasarkan model penilaian CIPP bagi mata pelajaran perniagaan sekolah menengah di daerah Gombak, Selangor / Sharifah Norfadella Syed Azmi
No full textKurikulum mata pelajaran Perniagaan sekolah menengah merupakan kurikulum yang mula diperkenalkan pada tahun 2017. Namun, wujud kelemahan yang menjadi cabaran dalam pelaksanaan kurikulum ini yang perlu dinilai semula. Penyelidikan ini dilaksanakan bertujuan untuk menilai pelaksanaan mata pelajaran Perniagaan dengan menggunakan Model Penilaian CIPP yang menilai aspek konteks berkaitan kesesuaian kandungan kurikulum berdasarkan matlamat dan objektif, aspek input berkaitan kesediaan guru dan pelajar serta peranan pentadbir, aspek proses berkaitan pengajaran dan pembelajaran (PdP), pentaksiran bilik darjah (PBD) dan kerja kursus, serta aspek produk meliputi tahap pengetahuan dan kemahiran serta perubahan sikap pelajar. Penyelidikan kuantitatif dan kualitatif digunakan sebagai reka bentuk kajian dengan menggunakan data tinjauan dan temu bual. Persampelan rawak berstrata digunakan bagi menentukan responden seramai 389 pelajar dan 32 guru di 32 buah sekolah menengah di daerah Gombak, Selangor manakala 3 responden temu bual dalam kalangan Ketua Panitia dan Guru Kanan Mata Pelajaran (GKMP). Perisian IBM SPSS Versi 26.0 digunakan untuk menganalisis data tinjauan manakala analisis tematik diaplikasikan untuk memproses data temu bual. Dapatan data tinjauan menunjukkan penilaian konteks dan input dari sudut kesediaan guru dan peranan pentadbir berada pada tahap yang tinggi manakala penilaian input dari sudut kesediaan pelajar, penilaian proses PdP, PBD dan kerja kursus serta penilaian produk merangkumi tahap pengetahuan, kemahiran dan perubahan sikap pelajar menunjukkan tahap sederhana. Ujian Spearman rho menunjukkan terdapat hubungan secara signifikan antara pengetahuan dan kemahiran dengan perubahan sikap. Dapatan analisis tematik menunjukkan peruntukan tempoh masa pelaksanaan kerja kursus kurang mencukupi dan peruntukan markah kerja kursus juga kurang realistik. Implikasinya, budaya pembelajaran abad ke 21 dan penggunaan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (TMK), kemahiran guru, peranan pentadbir, tempoh pelaksanaan kerja kursus dan peruntukan markah yang lebih relevan dicadangkan untuk penambahbaikan. Penggunaan kaedah pengumpulan data dan skop kajian yang berbeza dicadangkan untuk kajian masa hadapan
Translation and validation of the adapted self reported oral health questionnaire (SROH) for periodontitis screening among Malaysian adults / Johanan Lawrence
No full textBackground: Periodontitis is a globally prevalent disease, yet an instrument for large-scale screening remains elusive. Self-reported questionnaires hold promise as rapid, accessible, and non-invasive screening tools for disease surveillance. Aim: To translate the adapted Self-reported Oral Health Questionnaire (SROH) and to evaluate its validity and reliability as a screening tool for periodontitis among Malaysian adults. Methods: The study was conducted in two parts. First, the adapted SROH was translated into Malay by independent experts using forward-backward translation process. Then, the validity and reliability of the translated adapted SROH (M-SROH) were evaluated. Content validity was established through review by six experts, while the face validity was assessed by self-administering the questionnaire to 10 participants from the target population. Concurrent validity and internal consistency were tested in a pilot study of 90 participants from the Primary Care Unit at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya. The concurrent validity of the M-SROH, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive values, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROCC), was determined against a full mouth periodontal examination. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha value. Results: Both content and face validation were deemed acceptable, with item-level and scale-level indices exceeding the cut-off of 0.83. The M-SROH demonstrated excellent concurrent validity, with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 85.7%, positive predictive value of 91.7%, negative predictive value of 100%, and an AUROCC of 0.994. The internal consistency was moderate with Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.64. Conclusion: M-SROH demonstrates promising potential as a non-invasive and cost-effective screening tool for periodontitis among Malaysian adults
Long range network for river conservation management / Syarifah Nabilah Syed Taha@Tahir
No full textScarcity of freshwater resources impacted from anthropogenic reformation pressuring demand of water resources management program. The program includes water quality monitoring to control the water resources from pollution by evaluating the status of water condition. Long Range (LoRa) in wireless network technology recognized in Internet of Things (IoT) for smart monitoring application. This research aimed to implement LoRa in water quality monitoring system with IoT architecture. Designed water quality station embedded LoRa nodes with selected water quality sensors including pH, Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) and temperature. The LoRa node was calibrated with transmission power at 14 dB and bandwidth at 125 kHz with three different spread factors of 7, 9 and 12 and. The water stations were placed at Sungai Pantai and Sungai Anak Air Batu, both rivers in Universiti Malaya campus. The accumulated data from LoRa gateway, RAK2245, were pre-processed and analyzed through mesh of K-means and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method classifying the water quality of both rivers in Class IIB which is in a clean state for other purposes but not drinkable. The best findings for LoRa performance on the Received Strength Signal Indicator (RSSI), Signal Noise Ratio (SNR), packet loss, and path loss were approximately 80 dBm, 8 dB, < 1%, and 64.41 dB, respectively. The minimum value of received sensitivity obtained at -129.1 dBm allow the gateway to decipher the weak signal transmitted. This study proved the use of LoRa in continuous river water quality monitoring while also highlighting areas for future improvement in water station and LoRa network design for better deployment
Evaluating postoperative pain, cost-effectiveness, and patient acceptability of full pulpotomy compared to root canal treatment in teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis: A preliminary clinical study / Foo Kent Room
No full textIntroduction: Full pulpotomy is suggested to be an alternative treatment option for root canal treatment (RCT) of permanent mature teeth with irreversible pulpitis. Aims: This study aimed to compare postoperative pain, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the full pulpotomy procedure with conventional RCT in patients attending the dental clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (IRP) in the posterior permanent teeth with mature roots. Methodology: Twentyeight patients were included in this study and equally randomised into two groups, full pulpotomy (n=14) and RCT (n=14). The first group underwent full pulpotomy procedure and filled using Biodentine (Septodont, Saint Maur des Fosses, France), while the second group underwent conventional RCT procedures. Patients were given questionnaires to assess acceptability and cost effectiveness of the treatment on the day after first visit. Preoperative and postoperative pain scores on days 1, 3 and 7 were recorded using the universal pain assessment tool. Two sets of pain score data were collected (after the first visit and after treatment was completed). Data were collected and statistically analysed through the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: At day 1, pulpotomy recorded a significantly lower pain score postoperatively after the first visit when compared to RCT (p=0.022). The postoperative pain score on day 3 and day 7 after first visit was not significantly different between these two groups. Regarding the pain score after completing treatment, the difference in postoperative pain score for these two groups was not significant for day 1, day 3 and day 7. Both full pulpotomy and RCT achieved high satisfaction in terms of cost effectiveness, with full pulpotomy recording higher satisfaction in terms of treating dental pain with a significant difference (p=0.022). Patients who underwent both treatment modalities reported similar, high levels of acceptability in this clinical trial (P>0.05). Conclusion: Given the study limitations, full pulpotomy may be a good substitute for RCT for treatment in cases of symptomatic IRP in permanent mature teeth in terms of postoperative pain, cost effectiveness and patient acceptability
Revolutionising denture care: The innovative eugenol-based denture cleanser tablet-an in vitro pilot study / Jegadeesbari Ganapathy
No full textDenture biofilm, which is resistant to conventional cleaning methods, can lead to infections such as denture stomatitis, often caused by Candida albicans. Eugenol, a natural extract derived from plants, has demonstrated remarkable antimicrobial activity against wide range of fungi, gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. This study presents a novel approach to denture care by developing an innovative effervescent denture cleanser tablet infused with eugenol. The aim of the present study is to produce a novel eugenol-based denture cleansing tablet and to evaluate its antifungal and antibacterial efficiency. The study was conducted in five phases. In the first phase, effervescent denture cleanser tablets were prepared using two formulations: one containing eugenol and the other as a placebo. The second phase involved analysing the physicochemical properties including hardness, thickness, diameter, pH, effervescence time of novel eugenol-based denture cleansing tablet, placebo, Polident® tablet and content analysis of the novel eugenol-based denture cleansing tablet. In the third phase, microbial strains were cultivated, focusing on three selected microbes: Candida albicans (fungus), Streptococcus mutans (gram-positive bacterium), and Escherichia coli (gram-negative bacterium). The fourth phase involved preparing denture cleansing solutions of novel eugenol-based denture cleansing tablets, placebo tablet, distilled water (negative control), 0.12% Chlorhexidine (positive control) and Polident® (commercially available denture cleanser). Finally, the fifth phase utilised the agar well diffusion test, where triplicate petri dishes for each microbial group were used by measuring the inhibition zones around the five wells inoculated with prepared denture cleansing solutions. All zones of inhibition were recorded meticulously to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of the eugenol-based tablets compared to the placebo and controls. The formulation of the novel eugenol-based denture cleanser tablet met most physicochemical parameters within the limits, although the hardness of the tablet was lower than ideal. The eugenol concentration of 5.294% in the tablet was deemed acceptable for topical use after rinsing, aligning with safety guidelines. The eugenol-based tablet recorded a mean inhibition zone of 21.26 mm against Candida albicans, indicating superior antifungal activity, compared to 0.12% Chlorhexidine, which had a mean inhibition zone of 12.53 mm. The novel eugenol-based denture cleanser solution exhibited a mean inhibition zone of 8.20mm with moderate antibacterial properties to 0.12% Chlorhexidine with a mean inhibition of 19.79 mm against Streptococcus mutans. For Escherichia coli test group, the novel eugenol-based denture cleanser solution exhibited a mean inhibition zone of 9.21 mm, indicating moderate antibacterial activity, while the 0.12% Chlorhexidine showed a mean inhibition zone of 14.21 mm, demonstrating superior antibacterial potential. Commercially available Polident® had a mean inhibition zone of 6.66 mm against Escherichia coli and no sensitivity in other groups. Both the placebo tablet solution and distilled water showed no antimicrobial activity in all the groups. The novel eugenol-based denture cleanser tablet demonstrated promising antifungal activity against Candida albicans and moderate antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli exhibiting its potential as an effective denture cleanser
Intimate partner violence and family planning practices in selected South Asian countries / Hoo Keh Yoong
No full textIntimate partner violence (IPV) and family planning (FP) practices are critical public health concerns in the less developed regions, including South Asia, yet their interconnection remains underexplored. Collaborative efforts between governments and international bodies have aimed to promote FP, but universal access to contraception and addressing unmet needs remains a challenge in many less developed countries. This study focuses on IPV prevalence, contraceptive use, and unmet need for FP in four South Asian countries: Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Specifically, this study aims to 1) investigate the prevalence of IPV, contraceptive use, and unmet need for FP across South Asian countries; 2) examine the association of IPV and socio-economic variables with contraceptive use in South Asian countries; 3) examine the association of IPV and socio-economic variables with unmet need for FP in South Asian countries. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), this study concentrates on married women aged 15-49 who responded to the domestic violence module. Crosstabulations and Fisher’s exact tests/chi-square tests were used to examine the bivariate relationships, while multinomial logistic regression was employed to analyze the net effect of each independent variable on FP practices. Eight regression models explore the impact of different IPV types (physical, sexual, emotional, and combined types of IPV) on FP practices. Findings indicate that physical violence is predominant in Afghanistan, India, and Nepal, while emotional violence is more prevalent in Pakistan. Across the countries, Afghanistan had the highest prevalence rate of all forms of violence, as well as controlling behaviors by husbands. India had the highest contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of any modern contraceptive method, while Afghanistan had the lowest modern CPR. The multivariate analysis reveals that the relationship between IPV and FP practices varies across South Asian countries. In Afghanistan, women who experienced any form of violence and husbands’ controlling behaviors were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods. However, in India, women who experienced sexual violence and husbands’ controlling behaviors were less likely to use modern contraceptive methods. Conversely, Indian women who experienced emotional violence and husbands’ controlling behaviors and Pakistani women who experienced physical and emotional violence have a higher unmet need for spacing. Similarly, Indian women who experienced sexual violence have a higher unmet need for limiting. However, Afghan women have lower unmet need for spacing and limiting among those who experienced physical and emotional violence. Additionally, the study identifies several key predictors of FP practices, including women's education, employment, household wealth, and exposure to FP messages through media. Generally, women who were educated, employed, from wealthy family, and had FP exposure were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods and less likely to have unmet need for FP. Notably, in Afghanistan, women with higher education and from wealthier backgrounds exhibit poorer FP practices compared to their lesser educated and poorer counterparts in other countries, especially India. The study emphasizes the importance of initiatives that enhance women's education, create employment opportunities, boost empowerment, and confront deep-seated cultural barriers to address IPV and unmet need for FP in South Asia
Analysis of metastatic lymph nodes in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and its correlation with treatment outcome and nodal recurrence / Vethanayaki Kanagaraja
No full textIntroduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) frequently metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes with recurrence rate of approximately 30%. Understanding the dynamics of lymph node metastasis in OSCC is essential for improving prognostic accuracy and developing targeted therapies. Objectives: To analyse the clinicopathological features of lymph nodes in OSCC patients having metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes and correlate these findings with treatment modalities and post-operative outcome, specifically nodal recurrence. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study, 52 cases diagnosed with OSCC and surgically treated with neck dissection in the Oral Surgery Clinic, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Clinical Science, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, between 2009 and 2018. The haematoxylin and eosin (H & E) slides were retrieved from departmental archives. In cases of missing or faded slides, new sections are obtained from existing paraffin blocks and stained using standard H&E staining procedures. The sociodemographic, clinical, and histopathological features of metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes as well as treatment modalities and nodal recurrence were analysed. Results: A total of 52 OSCC patients with a mean age of 55.63 with a female gender predilection were observed in this study. A total of 104 lymph nodes were histologically evaluated. Out of all, 52 lymph nodes were positive for metastasis, and 52 were non-metastatic nodes. The most frequently encountered lymph node pattern was of lymphocytes predominant (32.7%), followed by germinal centre predominance (23.7%), vascular transformation of sinuses (23.1%), sinus histiocytosis (9.6%), lymphocyte depletion (9.0%), and giant cell response (1.9%). Germinal centre predominance and vascular transformation of sinuses demonstrated notable correlations with metastatic lymph nodes. Nodal recurrence occurred in only 3 out of 52 patients. The recurrence was predominantly observed at neck levels II and V. Conclusion: This study reveals key histopathological features of metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes in OSCC patients, including features such as germinal centre predominance, vascular transformation of sinuses, lymphocyte depletion, and giant cell response. There is a potential correlation between the levels of neck dissection and the occurrence of metastatic lymph nodes, with bilateral level I-III dissections showing a higher number of metastatic nodes compared to unilateral level I-III dissections. The findings also suggest a possible association between metastatic lymph node levels and the grade of tumour deposits within the nodes. Notably, well-differentiated and moderately differentiated tumour deposits were more commonly found in levels I-III compared to levels IV-V
Analisis riba dan gharar pada perkhidmatan e-wallet: Satu analisis syariah / Muhammad Asyraf Ruslan
No full textAplikasi e-wallet merupakan sebuah aplikasi digital yang berasaskan fintech. Aplikasi ini mendapat sambutan yang menggalakkan apabila ia merevolusikan cara pengguna berbelanja terutamanya ketika wabak pandemik Covid-19 yang lalu. Namun demikian, aplikasi ini yang bersifat maya dan masih baru dalam pasaran dilihat masih lagi kekurangan garis panduan mahupun parameter yang kukuh terutamanya dari sudut pandang syariah. Atas dasar ini, permasalahan ini perlu untuk diselesaikan agar elemen tidak patuh syariah seperti riba dan gharar boleh dielakkan sekali gus boleh dijadikan sebagai garis panduan buat umat Islam khususnya. Bertitik tolak daripada penyataan tadi, timbul pelbagai spekulasi mengenai wujudnya elemen riba dan gharar pada e-wallet seperti pada isu pembelian dan pembayaran emas menggunakan e-wallet, isu penyimpanan dana e-wallet di dalam akaun konvensional oleh pihak penyedia e-wallet, isu status ganjaran yang diberikan oleh pihak penyedia e-wallet kepada pelanggan yang dikatakan berkait rapat dengan isu riba qarḍ jarra naf’an, isu gharar pada pembelian barangan menggunakan e-wallet, isu pengurusan dana dan juga isu elemen tidak jelas pada kontrak e-wallet. Tujuan kajian ini dilakukan ialah untuk menganalisis kemungkinan berlakunya isu riba dan gharar pada aplikasi e-wallet. Kajian ini dijalankan secara kualitatif menggunakan sumber primer daripada temu bual yang dijalankan dengan beberapa orang informan yang terdiri daripada beberapa orang pegawai syariah daripada beberapa buah bank di Malaysia. Data sekunder daripada dokumen-dokumen rasmi Bank Negara Malaysia juga digunakan bagi mendapatkan maklumat untuk dianalisis bersama dengan data primer. Kemudian data-data ini dianalisis menggunakan metode analisis tematik dan analisis kandungan. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa kemungkinan untuk isu riba dan gharar berlaku pada e-wallet ialah sangat rendah atau hampir tiada. Namun begitu terdapat beberapa bahagian lain yang masih boleh diperbaiki pada masa akan datang bagi memastikan unsur tidak patuh syariah seperti riba dan gharar boleh dikurangkan atau dielakkan sepenuhnya