A qualitative exploration of Malaysian cancer patients' perspectives on cancer and its treatment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer patients' knowledge about cancer and experiences with its treatment play an important role in long-term adherence in their disease management. This study aimed to explore cancer patients' knowledge about cancer, their perceptions of conventional therapies and the factors that contribute to medication adherence in the Malaysian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a better understanding of the current perceptions and knowledge held by cancer patients. Twenty patients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A saturation point was reached after the 18^thinterview, and no new information emerged with the subsequent 2 interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by means of a standard content analysis framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of patients related the cause of their cancer to be God's will. Participants perceived conventional therapies as effective due to their scientific methods of preparations. A fear of side effects was main reasons given for delay in seeking treatment; however, perceptions were reported to change after receiving treatment when effective management to reduce the risk of side effects had been experienced.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides basic information about cancer patients' perceptions towards cancer and its treatment. These findings can help in the design of educational programs to enhance awareness and acceptances of cancer screening. Priorities for future research should focus on patients who refused the conventional therapies at any stage.</p

Design of photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator (pv-teg) hybrid system for precision agriculture

Precision agriculture is gaining more interest amongst farmers and entrepreneurs as an alternative way to growing plants. Current trend shows the implementation of precision agriculture system to be used in indoor farming, thus allowing crops to be harvested throughout the year regardless of seasonal changes. However, the main challenge with implementing this system is the high energy consumption of the technologies used in the system. Therefore, this paper presents proof of concept solution to manage the energy consumption of the precision agriculture system by designing a hybrid photovoltaic-thermoelectric generator (PV-TEG) system as a power supply. The hybrid system power output is to be compared to a stand-alone solar photovoltaic system. A simple mathematical modelling using Matlab/Simulink is done to estimate the hybrid systems feasibility to provide sufficient power to run the precision agriculture system electrical load for a set period of time. An experimental approach will be done to validate the hybrid systems ability to provide power in real time