Housing Affordability among Middle-Income Earners in Selangor, Malaysia

Significant changes in the Malaysian housing market in the last decade has resulted in critical housing affordability issues among the middle-income earners. This study examines the issue of housing affordability among middle-income earners in Selangor, Malaysia. The main aim of the study is to investigate the effect of housing price, income, housing choice and housing policies on housing affordability. Using a purposive sampling technique, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 200 respondents. The results show that housing price, housing choice and housing policies significantly affect housing affordability. Policy implications include building more affordable houses for middle-income earners with no frills. Keywords: housing affordability; middle-income, M40, Malaysia, SDG eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.251

Emotional Challenges across the Welfare provided among the Stranded University Students during Covid-19 Pandemic

The Movement Control Order (MCO) for Covid-19 safety measure caused worry and anxiety among university students, especially those stranded in their university hostels or rental accommodation. Universities’ staffs helped their basic living and study needs. This study aims to determine the emotional challenges among these students and examine the association between their emotional score across the university’s welfare. Based on a survey of 284 respondents, the findings show that there is a significant difference between their emotions and stranded locations. Residential facilities, information updates, and food provided are substantial to their emotional scores. Keywords: Emotional Challenges; Covid-19 Pandemic; Stranded Students; University Welfare eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.271

Examining a TPB Model towards Intention to Use Biodegradable Drinking Straw Using PLS-SEM

Intention to use biodegradable drinking straw may be affected by psychological factors. Besides, the impact of factors towards intention may be different between gender. Therefore, this paper analyses the effect of attitude, subjective norm, knowledge, and perceived behavioral control towards the intention to use a biodegradable drinking straw and the moderating effect of gender towards the relationship among variables. The results, which were collected by using online questionnaires and analysed by using PLS-SEM; showed that most of the variables except knowledge had a significant impact on intention to use a biodegradable drinking straw, while gender posits no difference towards the usage intention. Keywords: Intention; Biodegradable Straw; Knowledge; Gender eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CCBYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.242

Fuel Subsidies, Fuel Consumption, and Road Transport Emissions: A systematic review

The growing clamor about the climate crisis has brought into focus the need for action to drastically reduce CO2 emissions, particularly from the road transport sector. This systematic literature review examines the nexus between fossil fuel subsidies, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions from the road transport sector. Despite numerous research contributions that provide the foundation on this topic, the body of research appears to be quite fragmented with regard to the stated nexus. This systematic literature review consolidates currently available research and provides the basis for further research on the connection between fuel subsidy, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions. Keywords: Fossil Fuel Subsidy; Transport Emissions; Subsidy Reform; Systematic Literature Review eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.272

Subsidies and Consumer Environmental Awareness: A Systematic Review of Aspects and Impacts

Supply-side fiscal policy holds that the growth of the country is stimulated through fiscal expansion designed to foster increased production. Subsidies given by the government to producers save many essential industries from higher cost of production thus encouraging them to increase supply of goods and services. On the other hand, subsidies provided to the public have benefitted them from paying higher prices for consumer products thus enhancing their welfare. However, these subsidies and incentives may promote overproduction and encourage overconsumption since cost of production becomes much cheaper after being subsidized. This has consequences on the consumer environmental awareness (CEA) as excessive use of certain products e.g. fuel, may result in environmental pollution. Using a systematic literature review, we explore subsidy and environmental awareness among consumers. We focus on environmental awareness as an interesting issue to bring forward in this research and our study contributes to the existing literature. The results of our study imply that the provision of subsidies on fuels resulted in excessive use of self-transport which has an impact on climate change. However, in other cases, green subsidies do benefit society in general. High environmental awareness can be decisive in influencing green purchasing behaviour, resulting in high demand for green products

A Systematic Literature Review: Fuel Subsidy and Consumer Environmental Awareness in Urban Road Transport

Using a systematic literature review, weexplore fuel subsidies and consumer environmental awarenessamong users in urban road transport.Fuel subsidies given by the government to the public have to some extent brought them to moreusing own transport as the fuel cost is now cheaper.A growingnumber of vehicles and usage in the urban road transport sector worldwide has increasedCO2 emissionsand impact on environment. The misalignment of benefits from the implementation offossil fuel subsidies and highemissions has grown attention to limit global warming since the Paris Agreement 2015 was signed. Nonetheless, consumerenvironmentalawarenessis interesting to bring forward for future research

Subsidies and Consumer Environmental Awareness : A Systematic Review of Aspects and Impacts

Supply-side fiscal policy holds that the growth of the country is stimulated through fiscal expansion designed to foster increased production. Subsidies given by the government to producers save many essential industries from higher cost of production thus encouraging them to increase supply of goods and services. On the other hand, subsidies provided to the public have benefitted them from paying higher prices for consumer products thus enhancing their welfare. However, these subsidies and incentives may promote overproduction and encourage overconsumption since cost of production becomes much cheaper after being subsidized. This has consequences on the consumer environmental awareness (CEA) as excessive use of certain products e.g. fuel, may result in environmental pollution. Using a systematic literature review, we explore subsidy and environmental awareness among consumers. We focus on environmental awareness as an interesting issue to bring forward in this research and our study contributes to the existing literature. The results of our study imply that the provision of subsidies on fuels resulted in excessive use of self-transport which has an impact on climate change. However, in other cases, green subsidies do benefit society in general. High environmental awareness can be decisive in influencing green purchasing behaviour, resulting in high demand for green products

The Role of Media on Knowledge, Awareness and Students' Attitude during Movement Control Order (MCO)

The Malaysian government had announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) to handle the Covid-19 crisis. During MCO, the government has used media channels to spread the information to the public. This research aims to identify the mediating part of both knowledge and awareness between students' attitude and media role during MCO. The findings from 338 respondents analysed using structural equation modelling found that knowledge and awareness mediate between media and students' attitude. This study could guide policymakers to promote a greater understanding of the coronavirus pandemic by using the mass media. Keywords: Knowledge, Awareness, Attitude, Role of Media eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.271

Impulse flashover characteristics of oil palm trunk (OPT) veneer plywood

Oil palm is one of the largest crop industries in South East Asia, thus, it is of importance to use all parts of the Oil palm trees. Recently Oil Palm Trunks (OPT) have been used to make veneer, which can be processed to produce plywood. Even though OPT plywood doesn't have the same mechanical properties as timber, with proper treatment and adhesives during the processing of veneer to plywood, it can be made to compete with hardwood. OPT plywood has been used in various applications from wooden appliances to housing and roofing structures. These structures are at risk of surface flashovers through lightning and electrical breakdowns. However, no study has been conducted on the effects or characteristics of OPT plywood. In this paper, the effects of impulse surface flashover under different conditions on three-layered OPT plywood has been analyzed. Experiments were conducted to identify the characteristics of OPT under clean and dry, clean and wet, and contaminated surface conditions for both parallel and perpendicular fiber orientations. The 50% breakdown voltage was determined by the up and down method. Results identified the importance of the fibre orientation and the decrease in breakdown voltage under contaminants

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation