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Association of mental health literacy and depression symptoms among young adolescents in Selangor / Sarbhan Singh Lakha Singh
No full textMental health literacy (MHL) relating to depression (depression literacy) is a multifaceted
concept comprising of knowledge of depression, help seeking and stigma components,
that plays an important role in depression outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine
the association of depression literacy components namely knowledge of depression, help
seeking, stigmatising attitudes and adequacy of depression literacy with depression
symptoms among adolescent in Malaysia. This study reports on the common tools used
to examine depression literacy, validation of the MHL and Stigma questionnaire and
Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) Malay version
questionnaire, findings of the depression literacy components and the association of
depression literacy components with depression symptoms among adolescents. To
answer the objectives of this study, a systematic review, a validation study and one cross
sectional study was performed. The systematic review of studies reporting on tools used
to examine depression literacy and findings of depression literacy components was
carried out. One validation of tools and a cross sectional study were then conducted
among secondary school-going adolescent ages between 12 to 14 years in National
Secondary Schools from June to December 2017. The validation study involved 65
adolescents from two schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur with aim to
validate the MHL and stigma questionnaire and the CES-D Malay version questionnaire.
The cross-sectional study involved 1707 adolescents from 46 schools in Selangor and was
for the purpose of examining the association of depression literacy components with
depression symptoms using the validated MHL and stigma questionnaire and the CES-D
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Malay version questionnaire. The systematic review identified vignette-based
methodology as the most commonly (85%) used tools to assess depression literacy.
Recognition of depression, symptoms of depression, intention to seek help, source of help
and personal stigma were the most commonly reported components of depression
literacy. Cronbach’s alpha across all constructs in the MHL and stigma questionnaire
ranged from 0.518 to 0.764 indicating acceptable levels of internal consistency. Cohen’s
kappa values for majority (59%) of items in the MHL and stigma questionnaire indicated
moderate level of agreement (0.41 and above). The CES-D Malay version questionnaire
reported no floor and ceiling effect, good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha 0.88) and
excellent test re-test reliability analysis (ICC= 0.93; 95% CI 0.851, 0.961). Prevalence of
depression symptoms among adolescents was 20.3%. Only a minority of participants
were able to correctly recognize depression 60 (3.5%) and were classified as having
adequate depression literacy 51 (3.0%). There was no significant association between
inadequate literacy and depression. Multivariate analysis further showed keeping a person
busy as a helpful first aid action (AOR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.19, 2.59), regard getting out in
the sunlight as harmful (AOR = 1.96; 95% CI 1.12, 3.45), would not tell anyone if having
a problem (AOR = 3.80; 95% CI 2.55, 5.67), perceive dangerousness towards people with
depression (AOR = 1.83; 95% CI 1.13, 2.95), not endorsing family as a source of help
(AOR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.02, 4.69), being worried what others might think if help is sought
(AOR = 1.67; 95% CI 1.02, 2.75), feeling that nothing can help (AOR=1.66 ; 95% CI
1.01, 2.70) and difficult to get an appointment (AOR=1.85 ; 95% CI 1.07, 3.19), were
significantly associated with depression. Several recommendations were made such as
integrating the concept of depression literacy into school based mental health services
and early screening of depression among adolescents.
Keywords: adolescent, mental health literacy, depressio
The association between connectedness towards religion, family, and school, and the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among Malaysian adolescents / Siti Sabariah Samian
No full textThe unmet alignment between reality and expectation in addition to immaturity in the
development of the prefrontal area means adolescents have tendencies to embark on
poor decisions, making them vulnerable to acquiring mental health problems. Abiding
by their religion and strong connections with family and school has been proven in
European/Western nations to promote adolescent mental well-being, provide ventilation
to release stress and protect the youngsters from acquiring anxiety and depression.
Given the vast differences between European/Western social norms and Eastern culture,
this study was conducted to examine the association between adolescent connectedness
towards religion, family and school on the symptom of depression, anxiety and stress in
the Malaysian context which is a multiracial country. The study was conducted in two
phases. The first phase of the study was performed to test and retest the reliability of the
bilingual BM/English Version of The Hemingway Measure of Adolescent
Connectedness which involved 338 students of Form 1, Form 2 and Form 4 of three
secondary schools in Kuala Langat, Selangor. The second phase was a cross-sectional
study with participants comprising adolescents attending Form 1, Form 2 and Form 4
from 16 government secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia but excluding three
schools that had participated in test and retest reliability study. The data collection
period was from 1st May 2019 till 30th September 2019. The Hemingway Measure of
Adolescent Connectedness was utilised to assess adolescent connectedness towards
religion, family and school, and the DASS-21 was employed to elicit symptoms of
stress, anxiety and depression. Multiple Linear Regression Analyses were employed to
determine the association.
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The score of adolescent connectedness towards school was associated with lower score
of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (depression: β = -2.24, p < 0.0001;
anxiety: β = -1.29, p < 0.0001; stress: β = -1.93, p < 0.0001). In contrast, connectedness
towards teacher showed higher score of symptoms of stress (β = 0.85, p = 0.002).
Concerning family, one unit increment in the score of connectedness towards father was
associated with reduction of the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress by 1.76,
1.26 and 1.54, respectively (depression: β = -1.76, p < 0.0001; anxiety: β = -1.26, p <
0.0001; stress: β = -1.54, p < 0.0001). Whereas, connectedness towards mother showed
no significant association for the scores related to stress, anxiety and depression
(depression: β = -0.60, p = 0.06; anxiety: β = -0.23, p = 0.48; stress: β = -0.20, p= 0.56).
Being connected to their siblings was associated with lesser symptom of depression
symptom (β = -0.96, p < 0.0001). However, adolescent connectedness toward religion
showed positive association on the score of anxiety and stress symptoms (anxiety: β =
0.64, p < 0.0001; stress: β = 0.50, p= 0.01). Since temporal relationship could not be
excluded, hence a longitudinal study was suggested for future investigation. This study
showed that the provision of a safe and caring school environment and the father’s
contribution in adolescent life would have a strong protective effect in preventing
adolescents from acquiring mental health problems.
Keywords: Adolescent, Religion, Family, School, Mental Healt
Morphology, molecular characterization and habitat preference of harmful Benthic dinoflagellate gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) in Malaysia / Nurin Izzati Mustapa
No full textCiguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a type of illness that causes human intoxication after consuming contaminated coral fishes. The neurotoxins, ciguatoxins, are produced by species of Gambierdiscus, one of the harmful benthic dinoflagellates. Identification of harmful dinoflagellate species is important to gain further insights into the global dispersion. In this study, morphological characteristics of species in the genus Gambierdiscus and their habitat preferences were investigated. Field sampling was undertaken at Pulau Rawa, Terengganu and Pulau Sibu, Johor. Single cells of Gambierdiscus were isolated and clonal cultures were established. Morphology of Gambierdiscus was examined by using light and scanning electron microscopes. Taxon sampling on the small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA genes (rDNAs) of Gambierdiscus was performed for phylogenetic reconstruction using branch swapping algorithm. Morphological character states were coded and mapped onto the molecular phylogenetic tree (MP tree) to investigate the character state evolution of Gambierdiscus species. Morphological information and the distribution of Gambierdiscus species were used to develop a comprehensive taxonomic database of Gambierdiscus, and a 3I web-based interactive identification key for species identification is presented. Based on the morphological observation and molecular characterization, G. caribaeus and G. balechii were identified in Pulau Rawa, Terengganu and a new ribotype designated as Gambierdiscus sp. type 7 was identified from Pulau Sibu, Johor. Field survey on the habitat preference of Gambierdiscus in Pulau Rawa was conducted; the results showed that Gambierdiscus abundance was positively correlated with the habitat of coral rubbles covered with turf algae as compared to other substrates. The epiphytic behavior of Gambierdiscus species towards macroalgae hosts were further examined in the laboratory setting. The results demonstrated that different species of Gambierdiscus preferred different macroalgal host and attachment of Gambierdiscus cells were also differed among various macroalgal hosts. This study provides an inventory of toxic Gambierdiscus species in Malaysian water, which is useful in identifying the hotspot of CFP in the region. Future study on the trophic transfer mechanism of the toxins in the marine food webs is needed to better understand the source and fate of these potent neurotoxins
School cooperative and youth development: A case study of SMK Taman Tasik, Ampang, Selangor / Nur Ain Mohmad Zam
No full textIn the effort to develop future generations, cooperative entrepreneurship plays a significant role. This type of entrepreneurship increases its members ' economic and social interests and brings significant benefits to the community and society. Co-operative is a prominent way to generate job opportunities and reduce unemployment without relying on wage jobs, especially among young people, due to capital sharing and low risks when starting a business. The Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) has implemented school cooperatives since 1968 in fostering the entrepreneurial spirit, which seeks to promote entrepreneurial experiences and youth development. Hence, the primary purpose of this paper is to highlight the current school cooperative practices in Malaysian secondary schools by reviewing the impact of the activities of school cooperatives in instilling youth entrepreneurial knowledge and motivation. The purpose of this concept paper is also to raise awareness of the importance of school cooperatives in Malaysia. The finding of this study, cooperative members acknowledge the important roles of school cooperative towards youth development. Moreover, school cooperative benefited to youth in the aspects of preparedness for personal development for instance develop talents and potential, build human capital and self-confidence. This study discovered numerous problems faced by school cooperative such as time constraint, weaknesses in management and lack of awareness as school cooperative members. Apart from that school cooperative should do improvement in organization and management based on the suggestions made by the cooperative members. The results of this study will be helpful for future studies to the collection of knowledge on youth development through school cooperative
House ownership in Selangor: A qualitative study on consumers preferences and challenges / Nur Syafiqah Packeer Mohamed
No full textThe residential real estate market in Selangor offers diverse house types following the fact that the state has highest number of workers. It is important for a proper decision-making process by taking consider a few factors such as financial and neighbourhood factors in a house purchase. Based on residential housing market data in Selangor, Petaling district was found to have the most purchases and the 2 to 2 and a half storey house type is the most purchased out of the variety, and there are also cases where there are completed houses that were not purchased by the residents, even in the lower price category. These data has been used as a base in forming the objective of the study which is to describe the factors that residents used in their decision-making model taken from consumer behaviour theory for house purchases based on location and type, and to determine the presence of challenges in preferred first house purchase along with the factors affecting it in Selangor. For this, qualitative analysis was done using phenomenological method by interviewing about 6 house owners in Selangor who were chosen using purposive and snowball sampling
The use of mobile instant messaging for organizational communication in the Malaysian Army / Saiful Azuwar Abd Halim
No full textThe adoption of a good communication strategy is crucial to ensure the efficient flow of information and to stimulate active participation in the organization. Policymaker needs to develop communication strategies by considering the fit between the richness of the media and the working environment. Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is the most favoured medium of communication in many organizations, including the military. It is immediate, low-cost, permits real-time communication, and provides group discussion capabilities. However, the use of MIM has created issues in the military work in the aspects of command function, irregularities in the flow of information, work distraction, and compatibility with military doctrine and values.
The purpose of this study is to explore the use of MIM in the Malaysian Army as a medium for organizational communication and to provide guidelines for MIM application in the service. The objectives of this study are to identify the current practice of MIM usage in the Malaysian Army, assess the suitability of usage in the Army, and recommend proper guidelines for MIM use in the Army.
To achieve these objectives, the Media Richness Theory was employed as a theoretical lens in guiding the data collection and developing an understanding of the phenomenon. The case study research method was employed. Four activities in the Malaysian Army (management, training, operation, and logistics) were selected as a unit of analysis and semi-structured interviews were performed to acquire the relevant data. Twelve respondents with vast working experiences in the Army were purposively selected for the interviews.
By using thematic analysis, several interesting findings were unearthed. First, the richness of MIM in providing rapid feedback was most effective in management and logistics, with some limitations in training and operations. On the other hand, the richness of the technology in handling multiple cues was decreased due to the absence of non-verbal cues. The capability of MIM to utilize natural languages makes it rich in all activities. Finally, MIM as a medium is rich since it can establish personal focus during working interaction with some limitations. As a result, the Army needs to reexamine its application of MIM at the workplace and provides the guidelines for policymakers, commanders, and managers
Performance analysis for single-stage and multi-stage coreless axial flux permanent magnet generator with different rotor structures / Asiful Habib
Get PDFAxial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) generator is a good candidate for both low and high-speed applications. Compared to radial flux machines, AFPM generators can be easily cascaded for enhanced power/torque while maintaining a fixed machine diameter. To improve power density and reduce cogging torque, some researchers have proposed the removal of iron core in the stator of AFPM machine, giving rise to the concept of coreless AFPM machine. Nevertheless, most of these coreless machines still require back iron on the rotor and/stator to reduce leakage flux. In this project, different rotor structures for single-stage coreless AFPM generators were considered, using two types of magnet arrays: i.e. conventional and Halbach magnet arrays, and two types of rotor materials, i.e. epoxy and iron rotors. The performances of the generators with different rotor structures were evaluated using ANSYS Maxwell® finite element analysis (FEA) software. The results showed that AFPM generator using iron rotor with conventional magnet array gave the overall best performance, even though epoxy rotor with Halbach array demonstrated comparable performance in terms of power density. Based on the findings from the single-stage coreless AFPM generators, the performance of multistage coreless AFPM generators were studied. It was found that by using epoxy rotors with a combination of conventional and Halbach magnet array, a hybrid multi-stage coreless AFPM generator with improved performance can be obtained. Compared to directly cascading multiple single-stage AFPM generators, the multi-stage AFPM generator with hybrid rotor gave better torque density as well as lower torque ripples
From status inconsistency to revisionism: A study of Russian foreign policy from 1991 to the colour revolutions / Esmaeil Mazloomi
Get PDFThis study is an analysis of Russian Federation’s grand strategic orientations and its foreign policy behaviours between two major shocks; the disintegration of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and the colour revolutions in newly independent contries that were parts of USSR. While the collapse of Soviet Union and the end of cold war in 1991 fostered an optimistic view of Russia’s collaboration within the Western liberal order. The wave of “Rose”, “Orange” and “Tulip” revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kirgyzstan (2003-2005) cause Russia to adopt a radical revisionism towards the statu quo order. This study attempts to present the rationale behind such “paradigm change” in Russia’s grand strategic orientations between two major shocks, from the search for the status via different enhancement strategies in light of status quo from, to revisionism after the colour revolutions. It aims to explain why Russia’s grand strategy changed to revisionism – anti status quo - after a phase of committing to reassurance of the Western liberal order, and how Russia become discounted with the “constitutive and normative structure” of international order. Meanwhile, this study uses the post-Soviet Russia as a case with which to demonstrate the influence of status concern, inconsistency/dilemma based on a qualitative method. In order to explain why and how Russia’s grand strategic orientation has been created and changed, this study employs content analysis. The sources available to conduct the research came from a collection of archival official documents, speeches and transcripts of leading figures of Russia involved in the state’s grand strategy making process and foreign policy actions, from 1992 to 2008. Using existing explanations, this study develops an alternative theoretical rational on why a rising power may adopt revisionism. It argues revisionism is rather partially outcome of concern over a state’s status, in particular the status recognition dilemma resulting from the failure of status seeking process. Revisionism in this account is an outcome of the status enhancement process of changing perceptions from status inconsistency to status dilemma – achievable to unachievable status. On this alternative account, Russia’s revisionism was rather partially due to internal effects of the perceived status dilemma. It was in a part a response to the lack of status recognition from the West; in particular, the process of changing perceptions from status inconsistency to recognition dilemma caused Russian leaders to adopt revisionism, particularly after the colour revolutions. The findings of this study provide confirmatory evidence that the concern over Russia’s and the desire to have an equal role in the order shaped in post-Cold war era, remains consistently in the post-Soviet Russian grand strategic thinking and orientations. While the perception of status inconsistency led Russia to adopt enhancement strategies through reassuring the West and within the framework of liberal order up to the mid-2000s. However, the failure of the strategies to enhance its status or correct the inconsistency, due to lack of recognition from the West, left Russia with no choice but seek a revision of the post-Cold war liberal order fundamentally, in particular after the colour revolutions
Chicoreus brunneus seashells as a catalyst in rice bran biodiesel production / Hoora Mazaheri
Get PDFEnvironmental pollution and the declining global supply of accessible fossil fuels are the key drivers to search for alternative energy sources. This study focused on developing a “green” and sustainable heterogenous calcium oxide (CaO) catalyst from Chicoreus Brunneus shells for biodiesel production from rice bran oil (RBO). Coastal people frequently collect these shells for food and shell crafts. Thus, by using seashell wastes, cost-efficient catalysts can be achieved for the biodiesel industry. The shells were calcinated, washed and dried to produce pure CaO catalyst. After that, CaO was converted into calcium methoxide (Ca(OCH3)2) and followed by loading onto zeolite support with wet impregnation to produce the hybrid catalyst. Both pure and hybrid catalysts along with methanol were used for the transesterification of RBO. The properties of the biodiesel were further evaluated. The tribological characteristics of biodiesel were assessed. Analytical tools have determined the formation of catalysts from C. brunneus. The surface of Ca(OCH3)2 increased to 84.67 from 3.30 m²/g upon impregnation with zeolite. BET properties, average pore diameter and pore size of C. brunneus shell were also greater than that of commercial CaO catalyst. Both catalysts manifested relatively appreciable stability during the transesterification reaction with pure and hybrid catalysts presented the FAME yield of 93 and 98% respectively. However, FAME yield decreased significantly after the fifth transesterification reaction, and this was coincident with changes in the surface morphology of the catalysts. The fuel properties of biodiesel were within the ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards for biodiesel. The acid value of the biodiesel using the hybrid catalyst was 0.29 mg KOH, which was lower than the acid value obtained by the pure catalyst (0.5 mg KOH). The tribological examination suggested that 10% of biodiesel known as RBOB10 has a significant capacity as a mineral lubricant due to presenting the least wear scar diameter (462.3 μm) and lowest friction coefficient (0.085). From the results, the C. brunneus catalyst has the potential to be applied as industrial CaO nanocatalyst due to its large surface area and high stability which could increase the total yield of FAME. From the economic aspect, it is possible to recover C. brunneus derived catalysts in a facile way and to reuse them up to five cycles. They can be used frequently in the production cycles with constant catalytic activity and can potentially reduce the capital production cost. Further, the use of these catalysts simplifies the purification process, leading to reduced energy consumption and waste minimization. Overall, an efficient Ca(OCH3)2 catalyst was developed from a novel type of seashell, i.e., C. brunneus which showed to be a prominent catalyst over the other sources of Ca(OCH3)2. Moreover, the produced catalyst resulted in a FAME yield of 98% within 120 min, having a higher yield in reduced reaction time, comparing with other synthetic catalysts. Therefore, the capacity of C. brunneus shell based-Ca(OCH3)2 as a potential renewable source of CaO-based nanocatalyst for biodiesel production has been studied and approved
Graphene-based electrochemical aptasensor for the detection of salmonella typhimurium / Shalini Muniandy
No full textRecent foodborne outbreaks in multiple locations necessitate the continuous development of highly sensitive and specific biosensors that offer rapid and sensitive detection of foodborne pathogens. The emergence of electrochemical aptasensor which is a compact analytical device with a combination of an aptamer as the biorecognition element integrated on the transducer surface created a breakthrough in the detection of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Graphene has emerged as a promising nanomaterial for reliable detection of pathogenic bacteria due to its exceptional properties such as high electrical conductivity, large surface to volume ratio, high mechanical strength and its unique interactions with DNA bases of the aptamer. However, the large surface area and strong interfacial interaction caused by van der Waals force of graphene result in severe aggregation in the composite matrix. These reduce the analytical performance, overall conductivity and electron transfer rate in aqueous conditions. The challenges identified in the process of fabrication of graphene-based aptasensor can be addressed through surface modification of graphene with electrochemically active material. As such, the present thesis sought to synthesize the novel reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-organic dye/metal oxide/polymer nanocomposite materials which were then coated on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the rapid, sensitive and selective detection of test organism, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The strategy of using these nanocomposite materials is driven by the synergistic effect between the rGO and nanoparticles which essentially boosts the overall electrochemical activity and sensing performance of the sensors. The rGO and rGO-nanocomposites were synthesized using novel and one-pot simple chemical reduction method by using a minimal amount of reducing agent (hydrazine) which could minimize the defects created on graphene sheet and reduces the overall production cost. The electrochemical properties of the graphene-nanocomposites modified electrode were studied using electrochemical characterization techniques. Moreover, the interaction of the label-free single-stranded aptamer S. Typhimurium was monitored by differential pulse voltammetry analysis and this aptasensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity for whole-cell bacteria detection. Under optimum conditions, this aptasensor exhibited a linear range of detection from 108 to 101 cfu mL−1 with good linearity and a detection limit of 101 cfu mL−1. Furthermore, the developed aptasensor was evaluated with other strains of Salmonella and non-Salmonella bacteria. The results obtained showed good specificity and selectivity, respectively. The fabricated rGO-nanocomposite aptasensor was also exposed to artificially S. Typhimurium spiked chicken food samples. The results demonstrated that rGO-nanocomposite aptasensor possess a high potential to be adapted for the effective and rapid detection of a specific whole-cell foodborne pathogen by an electrochemical approach. Furthermore, the mechanism involving the interaction of the biorecognition element and bacterial target on the rGO-nanocomposite was also studied to understand the underlying detection strategy which will serve as guidance for the design, optimization and operation of graphene-based biosensors for future applications