Survey of Satisfaction of Selected Condominium Owners in Oklahoma

Housing and Interior Desig

Cell phones usage and cancers: a review

Background: Certain electromagnetic fields (at extremely low frequency) have been recognized as possibly carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Given the use of radiofrequency technology in cell phones, the rapid increase in the number of cell phones has generated concerns about the existence of a potential health hazard. Use of cellular telephones is increasing exponentially and has become part of everyday life. Concerns about possible carcinogenic effects of radiofrequency signals have been raised, although they are based on limited scientific evidence. Thus, a scoping systematic review was to ascertain this. Materials and Methods: Full-text articles on Cohort studies and/or randomized controlled trials published from 1st January 2000 to 8th June 2016 were searched using Proquest and other sources. People of all age group and cellular phones users were the type of participant and exposure used for the search strategy, respectively. Data collection was done by 1 reviewer and checked by 2 reviewers for discrepancies. All the papers were critically appraised using the STROBE statement. Qualitative synthesis was done by descriptive comparison, risk of bias comparison and effect of exposure comparison. Result: 5 out of 15 articles met the eligibility criteria and were selected. Four articles showed low risk of bias due to low confounding bias. One article had high risk of bias due to information bias. All five articles showed low quality evidences using GRADE. There was no evidence for a dose–response relationship for these cancers based on number of years as a subscriber. Analyses by anatomic location of the brain tumors within the head revealed no unusual clustering that could be related to increased exposure to RF radiation from cellular telephones. The absence of statistically significant increases in cancer risks applied equally to analogue and digital systems. Therefore, it can be said that there is no association of exposure with the studied cancers. Conclusion: There were no insufficient evidence to implicate and suggest that the usage of cell phones exposure towards cancer occurrence. All studies showed that exposure to cell phone usage, regardless the time of exposure, the onset or the duration can give a significant results of association towards cancer. However, due to small number of studies obtained from this scoping systematic review, results from this review should be interpreted with caution

Governance of flood disaster management: Malaysian case study

Flood is a yearly event in Malaysia but surprisingly there is no law specifically to address it and the related issues. However there are many other laws, rules and regulations that are in force and these can be applied directly and indirectly to address flood issues. The custodian of these laws is not that of one Government department only, but designated to many different departments, each with its own responsibilities and functions. Managing floods therefore requires good inter-agency coordination and cooperation. This is not often easy but the Federal and State administrative culture, traditions and practices have evolved such that there is respect and understanding on the need to approach flood problems in an integrated manner. Flood governance entails the need of a coordinated system in dealing with this natural disaster. A significant lives and properties are lost each year due to increasing magnitude of flood, made worst by extreme climate change. Some of the countries choose decentralized flood governance management including Malaysia. However, it is still unclear whether decentralized or centralized flood management governance is more effective. This review was to compare between countries on governance of flood management. A mini scoping systematic review was done, where five articles with six different country examples were chosen for the review. Four out of six countries opted for decentralized flood governance as being more effective, as it leads to better democracy, local actors have a bigger role to play, more sophisticated technology and better training, privatization of necessities such as water supply helps to ease the central government burden and flood risk maps are built for predictive modelling and preventive action. However, lack of coordination remains an issue in all of the countries that could potentially be tackled using the COBIT framework. Further researches are needed to test the effectiveness of this framework in improving flood governance

A case control study on factors associated with leptospirosis infection among residents in flood-prone area, Kuantan: a geographical information system-based approach

Background: Leptospirosis, nicknamed "The Great Mimicker", is a zoonotic disease of public health importance, particularly in temperate climate such as Malaysia where seasonal floods occur. This study aims to determine factors associated with leptospirosis transmission such as sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and environmental risk factors such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, flood-risk area, distance from waste accumulation sites, land elevation and soil type, as well as predictors of leptospirosis transmission among residents in Kuantan, Pahang by using a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based approach. Materials and Methods: A population-based case-control study will be implemented in Kuantan, Pahang which utilizes 260 samples, where 130 confirmed cases of leptospirosis and 130 controls who will be randomly selected from neighbours living within 500 metre radius of the cases. A validated interviewer-guided questionnaire will be used to assess respondent's sociodemographic characteristics, leptospirosis status, knowledge, attitude and practice towards leptospirosis. Secondary data will be obtained from the respective departments. Data Analysis: Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used for data analysis. Knowledge, attitude, practice, and environmental risk factors such temperature, rainfall, humidity mean values, flood risk areas, distance from waste accumulation sites, soil type and land elevation will be mapped by using GIS. Finally, the predictors of leptospirosis will be determined by logistic regression. Expected Outcome: Due to the transmissibility of leptospirosis increases as the result of flooding, it is expected that the cumulative incidence of cases will come from the flood-prone areas in Kuantan. The majority of the cases could come from areas that have high risk of exposure to environmental factors such as high rainfall density, moderate temperature, high humidity, living in flood-risk areas, low land elevation, nearer to the waste accumulation sites, and moist soil type. It is also expected that even though the community might have heard of leptospirosis, the level of KAP might be low due to the increasing national incidence of the infection

Spatial distribution of knowledge, attitude and practice on leptospirosis prevention and its predictors using stratum risk identification methods among residents in a flood prone area in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Leptospirosis is a preventable zoonosis of public health importance. Due to seasonal floods and paucity of studies regarding leptospirosis preventive practices in community setting in this country, a study was conducted to determine spatial distribution of knowledge, attitude and practice on leptospirosis preventive practices using stratum risk identification methods among residents in a flood prone area in Kuantan via Geographical Information System (GIS). A cross-sectional study was conducted in Perkampungan Sungai Isap, Kuantan, Pahang, which obtained 568 respondents by stratified proportionate random sampling technique. Data were collected using a validated guided questionnaire. Geographical coordinates were obtained using Garmin gpsmap 62s. Multivariate logistic regression was done using SPSS version 22.0 and spatial mapping using ArcGIS version 9. The response rate was 83.4%. Flood-risk strata were divided into high risk (less than 500 metres), medium risk (500 to 1000 metres) and low risk (more than 1000 metres). Linear measurements were made using ArcMap. Overall, majority (68%) of the respondents had good knowledge. However, only 38% of the respondents had satisfactory attitude and 18% had satisfactory practice. Spatial mapping showed that the lower the stratum risk towards flooding, the poorer the preventive practices. Multivariate logistic regression showed the predictors of satisfactory leptospirosis preventive practices were high-risk stratum (aOR=4.28, 95% CI [1.92, 9.57], P < 0.001), good knowledge (aOR=1.73, 95% CI [1.04, 2.90], P < 0.05) and age group 30 to 39 (aOR=0.30, 95% CI [0.11, 0.83], P < 0.05). In conclusion, GIS is a valuable tool for leptospirosis surveillance by facilitating disease prevention programmes to targeted risk areas. © 2018, Asian Journal of Agriculture and Biology

Hot-spot and cluster analysis on legal and illegal dumping sites as the contributors of leptospirosis in a flood hazard area in Pahang, Malaysia

Background: Leptospirosis is one of the zoonotic diseases which pose major public health issues worldwide. The spread of leptospirosis depends on the climate conditions as well as environmental conditions. Methods: The cases of leptospirosis were determined by using database obtained from Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Case cluster and hot spot analysis within Geographical Information System (GIS) were done using ArcGIS version 9.3. Level of significance was set at alpha= 0.05. Results: Most of the cases were at the centre Pahang located along the flood hazard stream. Cluster analysis indicated that cases were mostly clustered near illegal and legal dumping sites. The outliers were Jerantut, Maran, Pekan, and Rompin in both maps (p<0.05). The hot spot analysis obtained an obvious trend in the legal dumping compared to the illegal dumping. The hot spot area was found in the middle of Pahang such as in Jerantut, Temerloh, Maran, Pekan, and Rompin. Conclusions Increasing flood risk, poor sanitation and abundance of rats are conditions that trigger leptospirosis outbreaks. Interventions are therefore needed, targeting at environmental sources of transmission namely open legal and illegal dumping sites as well as flooding in flood hazard areas. A refined waste management system is needed to control the spread of the disease

Combating covid-19 : our management at the campus level

In Malaysia, Covid-19 has caused severe morbidity and mortality. Most people have been affected, including the university community. The spread of the virus has put the campus in peril. Covid-19 Kulliyyah (Faculty) Task Force was established to deal with covid-19 issues at our level. After the establishment of the task force, we faced difficulties in managing the students manually, especially in terms of contract tracing

Determinants of leptospirosis preventive practices among the community in a flood-prone residential area in Kuantan, Malaysia

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a preventable zoonosis of public health importance. Due to increasing incidence of leptospirosis and seasonal floods affecting Kuantan community, a study was conducted to identify the determinants of leptospirosis preventive practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Perkampungan Sungai Isap, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, which obtained 568 respondents by stratified proportionate random sampling technique. Data was collected using a modified guided questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: Majority of the respondents were females (52.6%), Malay ethnicity (98.8%), attended up to secondary school (57.2%), worked in low-risk occupational group (96.0%) and reside in moderate-risk stratum (55.6%). Overall, majority (68%) of the respondents had good knowledge. However, only 38% of the respondents had satisfactory attitude and 18% had satisfactory practice. There were significant associations between stratum and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2 =11.84, df=2, p=0.003), age group and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2 =7.41, df=2, p=0.03) and personal income and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2 =6.32, df=1, p=0.01). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the predictors of satisfactory leptospirosis preventive practices were high-risk stratum (aOR: 3.69, 95% CI: 1.71-8.00, p=0.001) and monthly personal income of less than RM1000 (aOR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.05-2.59, p=0.03). Conclusions: Leptospirosis can be prevented by having adequate awareness regarding the disease through health promotional activities especially before, during and after flooding, targeting more on those in low to moderate risk areas and higher income group to prevent potential outbreaks

Determinants of leptospirosis preventive practices among the community in a flood-prone residential area in Kuantan, Malaysia

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a preventable zoonosis of public health importance. Due to increasing incidence of leptospirosis and seasonal floods affecting Kuantan community, a study was conducted to identify the determinants of leptospirosis preventive practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Perkampungan Sungai Isap, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, which obtained 568 respondents by stratified proportionate random sampling technique. Data was collected using a modified guided questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: Majority of the respondents were females (52.6%), Malay ethnicity (98.8%), attended up to secondary school (57.2%), worked in low-risk occupational group (96.0%) and reside in moderate-risk stratum (55.6%). Overall, majority (68%) of the respondents had good knowledge. However, only 38% of the respondents had satisfactory attitude and 18% had satisfactory practice. There were significant associations between stratum and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2=11.84, df=2, p=0.003), age group and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2=7.41, df=2, p=0.03) and personal income and leptospirosis preventive practices (χ2=6.32, df=1, p=0.01). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the predictors of satisfactory leptospirosis preventive practices were high-risk stratum (aOR: 3.69, 95% CI: 1.71-8.00, p=0.001) and monthly personal income of less than RM1000 (aOR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.05-2.59, p=0.03). Conclusions: Leptospirosis can be prevented by having adequate awareness regarding the disease through health promotional activities especially before, during and after flooding, targeting more on those in low to moderate risk areas and higher income group to prevent potential outbreaks