Factors Influencing Integrated Management System Practices

The implementation and certification of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems have become a preference for many organisations. In facts, most current practice in the area of quality standard, each organisation needs to spend huge amount of money in order to gain the certification for each quality management standard such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. Hence, the combination of these management systems that lead to the formation of Integrated Management System (IMS) was established. There is a trend for the organisation to implement an IMS in order to overcome any problems resulting from multiple management systems. Besides, there are connection between quality management and risk management system – ISO 31000 that need to be identified in order to enhance the effectiveness of IMS. This research focuses on identifying the factors of IMS implementation, investigating the converged and diverged components in management system, studying the implementation of IMS and investigating the possible integration of ISO 31000 into current IMS practices. The research was based on social constructivism under an exploratory study. Multiple cases studies and in-depth literature review were employed as the research design approach. Three methods of key data collection (qualitative methods) were used: (1) Primary data from face-to-face interview (2) Primary data from expert opinion survey via e-mail (electronic mail survey) and (3) Secondary data from official documents. Also, two methods of analysis were used, namely: (1) Time series/chronology/historical analysis and (2) Explanation building. The literature review on quality management and IMS implementation identifies the need of understanding the results of IMS implementation and the components that could converged and diverged and also how the organisation would implemented it. Accordingly, the review on the previous study allows the researcher to establish the theoretical framework. Thus, the researcher has gained the information on how IMS would change the way to manage quality management in an organisation with respect to gain continuous improvement of it. As a result, this study has identified the 16 factors of IMS implementation, the converged and diverged components from case studies, the implementation approach and the proposed integration of ISO 31000, Risk Management System. This research gives a new insight on the importance of IMS and the potentials of bringing an effective management that takes all four quality standards into consideration. Moreover, the study has provided the extended version of framework that embedded the combination of different ISO series. In turn, this research further underlines and suggested on the integration of four management systems- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 31000 for an effective implementation of IMS which are presented and could be expanded for future research

Integrated Management System: The Converging of Key Quality Standards into Single Standard

This paper discussed the Integrated Management System (IMS) that combined the quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001) and occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001) management system. In order to investigate the component that can be integrated with IMS, the research focuses on identifying two parts, 1) Converged component and 2) Diverged component. A series of the interview was conducted through in-depth interviews with 5 experts in this field, while data collected were analyzed qualitatively. As a conclusion, this research identified the component in IMS that can be applied for better quality management in terms of cost, time and resources towards sustainability practices in the organization. 

Comparison of super resolution methods in magnetic resonance images for small animals

Super resolution (SR) is an array of methods that utilize different approaches to enhance the quality and resolution of an image. This is particularly useful for images that are very small and have low quality. Small images are usually obtained due to the limitation of imaging capture systems or the subject captured is small. For small animals such as rats, imaging can be difficult and expensive to produce high-resolution images. Therefore, SR is a very relevant field of study for small animals. The study of small animals involve many impactful fields such as testing of harmful chemicals on the biological processes. The objective of this study is to compare 11 SR methods for rat magnetic resonance images (MRI). This study is a pilot study and the beginning of the research to see the effect of kratom that is a hallucinogen misused in south east Asia. This study used chosen images from six rats. These MRI images were captured at UM MRI Research Centre. This study compared the quality of SR methods using several measures including Peak Sound to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Sound to Noise Ratio (SNR), Mean Square Error (MSE), Structural Similarity Index (SSI). This study compared these methods on two different size factors of resolution which were two and four. The results show promising results for the next stage of research

Neuroprotective Potentials of Natural Vitamin E for Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) refers to a spectrum of clinical and neuroimaging findings resulting from pathological processes of various etiologies affecting cerebral arterioles, perforating arteries, capillaries, and venules. It is the commonest neurological problem that results in significant disability, but awareness of it remains poor. It affects over half of people over 65 years old and inflicts up to third of acute strokes, over 40% of dementia, and a significant decline in physical ability in otherwise asymptomatic, aging individuals. Moreover, the unifying theory for the pathomechanism of the disease remains elusive and hence the apparent ineffective therapeutic approaches. Given the growing literature for natural vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) as a potent antioxidant, this chapter attempts to consolidate the contemporary evidence to shed plausible insights on the neuroprotective potentials of natural vitamin E in addressing the heterogenous CSVD spectrum, in health and in disease

Tualang Honey Protects the Rat Midbrain and Lung against Repeated Paraquat Exposure

Paraquat (PQ) is a dopaminergic neurotoxin and a well-known pneumotoxicant that exerts its toxic effect via oxidative stressmediated cellular injuries. This study investigated the protective effects of Tualang honey against PQ-induced toxicity in the midbrain and lungs of rats. The rats were orally treated with distilled water (2mL/kg/day), Tualang honey (1.0 g/kg/day), or ubiquinol (0.2 g/kg/day) throughout the experimental period. Two weeks after the respective treatments, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline (1 mL/kg/week) or PQ (10mg/kg/week) once per week for four consecutive weeks. After four weekly exposures to PQ, the glutathione peroxidase activity and the number of tyrosine-hydroxylase immunopositive neurons in the midbrain were significantly decreased in animals from group PQ

TUALANG HONEY ATTENUATES KAINIC ACID-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS IN RAT CEREBELLUM AND BRAINSTEM

Objective: The present study examined the protective effect of tualang honey (TH) against kainic acid (KA)-induced oxidative stress in the cerebellum and brainstem of rats.Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control, KA-treated, TH+KA-treated, and topiramate (TPM, an antiepileptic agent)+KA-treated groups. Rats were pretreated orally with drinking water, TH (1.0 g/kg body weight), or TPM (40 mg/kg body weight), respectively, five times at 12 h intervals. Saline or KA (15 mg/kg body weight) were injected subcutaneously 30 min after last oral treatment. Rats were sacrificed at 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h after KA administration. Oxidative stress markers were analyzed in different brain regions (cerebellum and brainstem) 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h after KA administration.Results: KA caused significant (p<0.05) elevation in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level, protein carbonyl contents, and nitric oxide production, impairment of glutathione system, and a significant reduction in the total antioxidant status in the rat cerebellum and brainstem at multiple time-points, as compared to control groups. Pretreatment with TH significantly (p<0.05) reduced the elevation in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level, protein carbonyl contents, and nitric oxide production and increasing a reduction in the total antioxidant status in the rat cerebellum and brainstem induced by KA at multiple time-points, as compared to KA only-treated group.Conclusion: Taken together, this study suggests that TH has therapeutic potential in reducing oxidative stress in the cerebellum and brainstem of KA-induced rats via its antioxidant property

Integrated Management System for Quality Management System Accreditation

Over the years, Environment Management System ISO 14001 and Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001 are considered as the additional requirements dedicated to the management after Quality Management System ISO 9001 has been implemented. The integration of these management systems leads to the existence of Integrated Management System (IMS) that largely implemented. Nowadays, the increasing pressure and needs from customer or stakeholders make it compulsory for the organization to use the new system for standards. This study presents and discusses about the factors of integration, the components of the management system that converged and diverged; and the implementation strategy of IMS. Furthermore, in order to support the details in the framework, qualitative method was used which is through five (5) in-depth interviews with the senior managers and middle managers who are experts in this field. As a result, this research illustrated on how the IMS could be implemented for better quality management and towards sustainability practices in the organization

Investigating white matter changes in auditory cortex and association fibres related to speech processing in noise-induced hearing loss : A diffusion tensor imaging study

This study explores the impact of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) on the microstructural integrity of white matter tracts in the brain, focusing on areas involved in speech processing. While the primary impact of hearing loss occurs in the inner ear, these changes can extend to the central auditory pathways and have broader effects on brain function. Our research aimed to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying hearing loss-related deficits in speech perception and cognition among NIHL patients. Methods: The study included two groups: nine bilateral NIHL patients and nine individuals with normal hearing. Advanced diffusion tensor imaging techniques were employed to assess changes in the white matter tracts. Regions of interest (ROIs), including the auditory cortex, cingulum, arcuate fasciculus, and longitudinal fasciculus, were examined. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values from these ROIs were extracted for analysis. Results: Our findings indicated significant reductions in FA values in NIHL patients, particularly in the left cingulum, right cingulum, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Notably, no significant changes were observed in the auditory cortex, arcuate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, middle longitudinal fasciculus, and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, suggesting differential impacts of NIHL on various white matter tracts. Conclusions: The study's findings highlight the importance of considering association fibres related to speech processing in treating NIHL, as the broader neural network beyond primary auditory structures is significantly impacted. This research contributes to understanding the neurological impact of NIHL and underscores the need for comprehensive approaches in addressing this condition