Corruption elimination in Malaysia: An analysis on public officials

Corruption is a complex phenomenon that is almost never explained by a single cause. This paper aims to determine the relationship between economic strain, practices of religion and corruption practices among Malaysian civil service servants. Efforts undertaken to eliminate or curb corruption have failed to achieve total eradication. The rate can be reduced by most legal authorities but it is almost impossible to eliminate them. The study found that those involved and convicted appear to be mostly male officers. Economic strain was found to be associated negatively and significantly with religious strength. This implied that the economic strain influence the increase of corruption ‘crime’ among male officers as compared to women officers is of great important as it may be suggest the suitability of the Malaysian government or the federal government framework in controlling corruption for the Malaysian community. Unfortunately, the traditional norms and values is fast forgotten and disappearing due to the lack of effort to preserve them. Thus, this paper will try to discuss the issues related to the causes, consequences, scope of corruption and the role of the Malaysian government to fight against corruption among the public officials in Malaysia

Design an automatic temperature control system based on pic controller for smart ventilation fan

No Abstract

Applying value stream mapping for productivity improvement of a metal stamping industry

To sustain in business by meeting the customer expectations with limited resources under tight schedule is a great challenge for high volume manufacturing industry. In this respect Value Stream Mapping (VSM) plays an important role as a strategic tool in streamlining the processing operations and enhances capacity utilization. This study has been conducted on application of VSM in a make-to-order metal stamping company engaged in production of different stamped parts of which the LCD TV frame is a significant one. Based on the product flow analysis, a current state VSM has been constructed using pertinent data collected from the production floor. Analysis of recorded videos and time studies were performed in order to figure out the scope of improvements in framing the future state map (FSM) in the context of cycle time reduction and line balancing efficiency. As observed from the FSM, the efficiency of production line is possible to be significantly increased from about 48% to more than 93% vis-à-vis a reduced batch completion cycle time. Thus it is obvious that with minor adjustments in the system in line with the findings of the study, the industry can make a substantial improvement in their operational efficiency

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Retracted: Lecturer’s perception towards the use of iMAPS

This article was withdrawn and retracted by the Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences and has been removed from AJOL at the request of the journal Editor in Chief and the organisers of the conference at which the articles were presented (www.iccmit.net). Please address any queries to [email protected]

Retracted: Design and development of an automatic fish feeder using Real Time Clock (RTC)

This article was withdrawn and retracted by the Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences and has been removed from AJOL at the request of the journal Editor in Chief and the organisers of the conference at which the articles were presented (www.iccmit.net). Please address any queries to [email protected]

Spatial model of public non-ionizing radiation exposure on selected base station around Kuala Nerus

Although it is not as intense as in other countries around the world, Malaysia is not left out to enhance the rapid development of technology by installing thousands of base station tower as an initiative to support the advancement of technologies nowadays. The construction of more base stations tower either for telecommunication, broadcasting or other systems has caused public concern about the possibility of adverse health effects on residents nearby due to NIR exposure emitted. This study is conducted to study the NIR exposure level around selected BST in Kuala Nerus. The NIR exposure level was detected using spectrum analyzer through circular patch (CP) antenna, which is specifically developed for this study. Spatial model of NIR exposure was developed using Geographic Information System (GIS) technique so the interpretation of NIR exposure level from BST for Kuala Nerus can be obtained.Keywords: public exposure; Geographic Information System; base station towe

Death in hospital following ICU discharge : insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Altres ajuts: Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR)-Department of Excellence project PREMIA (PREcision MedIcine Approach: bringing biomarker research to clinic); Science Foundation Ireland Future Research Leaders Award; European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), Brussels; St Michael's Hospital, Toronto; University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.Background: To determine the frequency of, and factors associated with, death in hospital following ICU discharge to the ward. Methods: The Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE study was an international, multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients with severe respiratory failure, conducted across 459 ICUs from 50 countries globally. This study aimed to understand the frequency and factors associated with death in hospital in patients who survived their ICU stay. We examined outcomes in the subpopulation discharged with no limitations of life sustaining treatments ('treatment limitations'), and the subpopulations with treatment limitations. Results: 2186 (94%) patients with no treatment limitations discharged from ICU survived, while 142 (6%) died in hospital. 118 (61%) of patients with treatment limitations survived while 77 (39%) patients died in hospital. Patients without treatment limitations that died in hospital after ICU discharge were older, more likely to have COPD, immunocompromise or chronic renal failure, less likely to have trauma as a risk factor for ARDS. Patients that died post ICU discharge were less likely to receive neuromuscular blockade, or to receive any adjunctive measure, and had a higher pre- ICU discharge non-pulmonary SOFA score. A similar pattern was seen in patients with treatment limitations that died in hospital following ICU discharge. Conclusions: A significant proportion of patients die in hospital following discharge from ICU, with higher mortality in patients with limitations of life-sustaining treatments in place. Non-survivors had higher systemic illness severity scores at ICU discharge than survivors. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02010073