The effectiveness of tourism development in social cultural approach in Sabah

The generation of the national economy also lists the tourism industry as one of the sectors that need to be taken into consideration, primarily through social-cultural that has its characteristics to attract foreign tourists to visit the state of Sabah. This research study was conducted to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of tourism development on social-cultural in Sabah. This research uses a quantitative approach, where questionnaires are the main instrument in collecting data in Sabah. The questionnaire format’s structure is divided into two, namely, part A (focused on the demographic profile) and part B (concentrate on the cultural-social approach in tourism development in Sabah). The study sample was a total of 74 respondents, and the questionnaire was distributed randomly in the tourist focus area of Kota Kinabalu. The analysis used is descriptive and correlational. The findings of the study indicate that the majority of cultural variables and social variables are centered on a positive curve (or towards the right), where most respondents think that local government programs and activities help a lot in understanding the cultural-social importance of the tourism sector. In addition, the uniqueness and privilege of cultural-social tourism, such as through clothing, food, wedding events, dance, etc., can play a significant role in the development of tourism. In conclusion, cultural social tourism should be the main theme not only for the generation of the national economy but also crucial in the preservation and conservation of the continuity of Sabah's local cultural-social tourism characteristics, which should be preserved in their originality forever rather than being outdated by the era of modernization

Pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A, a novel gastroprotective compound from Artocarpus obtusus Jarret, against ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer in vivo

Pyranocycloartobiloxanthone A (PA), a xanthone derived from the Artocarpus obtusus Jarret, belongs to the Moraceae family which is native to the tropical forest of Malaysia. In this study, the efficacy of PA as a gastroprotective compound was examined against ethanol-induced ulcer model in rats. The rats were pretreated with PA and subsequently exposed to acute gastric lesions induced by absolute ethanol. The ulcer index, gastric juice acidity, mucus content, histological analysis, glutathione (GSH) levels, malondialdehyde level (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and non-protein sulfhydryl group (NP-SH) contents were evaluated in vivo. The activities of PA as anti-Helicobacter pylori, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor and free radical scavenger were also investigated in vitro. The results showed that the oral administration of PA protects gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced gastric lesions. PA pretreatment significantly (p < 0.05) restored the depleted GSH, NP-SH and NO levels in the gastric homogenate. Moreover, PA significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the elevated MDA level due to ethanol administration. The gastroprotective effect of PA was associated with an over expression of HSP70 and suppression of Bax proteins in the ulcerated tissue. In addition, PA exhibited a potent FRAP value and significant COX-2 inhibition. It also showed a significant minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against H. pylori bacterium. The efficacy of PA was accomplished safely without the presence of any toxicological parameters. The results of the present study indicate that the gastroprotective effect of PA might contribute to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as the anti-apoptotic mechanism and antibacterial action against Helicobacter pylori

Adaptasi pengusaha bot pukat tunda dalam kelangsungan ekonomi sepanjang tempoh pandemik Covid-19 di Tanah Merah, Sandakan

Aktiviti bot pukat tunda merupakan salah satu kegiatan aktiviti penangkapan hidupan laut bagi memenuhi keperluan makanan laut di pasaran dan adalah sebuah industri yang amat penting kerana aktiviti perikanan adalah sub-sektor pertama yang menyumbang kepada peningkatan Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK). Namun, kewujudan pandemik COVID-19 telah menjadi cabaran besar bagi sektor perikanan bukan sahaja di Malaysia malahan di negara luar. Oleh itu, kajian ini memfokuskan tentang isu berkaitan pandemik COVID-19 dengan aktiviti perusahaan bot pukat tunda dalam kalangan pengusaha iaitu nelayan di Sandakan. Kajian ini dijalankan adalah bagi mengetahui persepsi dan pengalaman pengusaha bot pukat tunda, serta mengkaji adaptasi yang diambil oleh pengusaha bot pukat tunda bagi mengatasi kesan pandemik COVID-19 terhadap kelangsungan ekonomi mereka. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif iaitu melibatkan kaedah temubual mendalam dengan beberapa orang informan iaitu pengusaha bot pukat tunda di Sandakan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa persepsi dan pengalaman yang ditunjukkan oleh pengusaha bot pukat tunda adalah dibahagikan kepada tiga iaitu sebelum pandemik, semasa pandemik dan selepas iaitu berbentuk pengalaman dan hasil dapatan didapati hampir keseluruhan responden kajian memberikan persepsi yang sama mengenai impak pandemik kepada mereka. Objektif kedua adalah bentuk adaptasi yang diambil iaitu terdapat dua bentuk utama, pertama adalah berdasarkan pengalaman lepas iaitu pengusaha beradaptasi dengan impak pandemik ini menggunakan pengetahuan dan pengalaman lepas dan membuat persediaan bagi menghadap sebarang kemungkinan jika peristiwa tersebut berlaku; dan kedua adalah dengan bentuk amalan iaitu langkah yang biasa diambil bagi mengatasi impak tesebut sepanjang tempoh pandemik. Kesimpulannya, kajian selanjutnya yang mengenai keberkesanan bantuan daripada pihak kerajaan dalam membantu golongan nelayan adalah amat diperlukan. Hal Ini kerana faktor-faktor bantuan kerajaan adalah berhubungkait dengan bentuk adaptasi yang diambil oleh pengusaha bot di Tanah Merah, Sandakan