Are Malaysians ready for Rabbit Meat? An exploratory to assess readiness of Malaysians to accept rabbit meat as an alternative protein source

This study explores the readiness of Malaysians to accept rabbit meat as an alternative protein source. As meat prices rise, identifying alternative options like rabbit meat becomes crucial. Rabbit meat offers nutritional value and is easy to breed, making it a potential substitute. Through a quantitative survey, the study reveals that many Malaysians acknowledge rabbit meat's health benefits and consider it a viable food source. However, concerns related to empathy for animals and the association of rabbits with pets influence resistance to its consumption. With these challenges, future interventions and education campaigns can promote wider acceptance of rabbit meat as an alternative protein source in Malaysia. Keywords: Food security; sustainable food systems; nutritional value; rabbit meat eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER and cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v8iSI15.509

Usefulness of red blood cell size factor (RSf) in screening genetic variants of alpha thalassaemia thalassaemia trait regardless of iron status

Introduction: Screening for alpha (α) thalassaemia trait (TT) is challenging especially in the presence of iron deficiency (ID). Red blood cell size factor (RSf) is a parameter introduced by Beckman Coulter capable of detecting acute and chronic changes to cellular haemoglobin status and iron supply. The research aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of RSf as screening parameter for α TT and the effect of concomitant ID to RSf mean values (m.v) among respondents with α TT. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective laboratory analysis involved 55 respondents’ data selected from January 2014 to December 2015 in Pathology Department, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The significant difference at p <0.05 in the RSf m.v. among respondents with α0 TT, α+ TT, and ID groups and the effect concomitant ID to RSf m.v. were determined using statistical test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Significant differences were detected in RSf m.v. i) between α0 TT, α+ TT and ID, F (2, 52) = 18.99, p=0.001. ii) between α TT without ID, α TT with ID and ID cohorts for both a) α0 TT [F (2, 33) = 23.77, p=0.001) and b) α+ TT [F (2, 28) = 5.37, p=0.011]. iii) between α TT and ID group regardless of the presence of ID for both a) α0 TT and b) α+ TT. Conclusion: RSf is a potential screening parameter in evaluating patients with hypochromic microcytosis in identifying possible cases of alpha TT regardless of iron status

Sosialisasi Tanaman Obat Tradisional (TOT) dan pembuatan granulasi temulawak sebagai upaya peningkatan kreativitas pada ibu-ibu PKK Desa Argosuko, Poncokusumo, Malang

Pengolahan tanaman obat tradisional merupakan salah satu cara untuk meningkatkan kreativitas dalam memanfaatkan tumbuhan yang ada di sekitar. Berdasarkan hasil survei lapangan, Desa Argosuko memiliki sumber daya alam yang melimpah, dengan tanah yang subur mampu menghasilkan berbagai tanaman obat. Salah satu tanaman obat yang paling banyak dijumpai adalah temulawak yang selama ini belum dikelola dengan baik. Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini untuk meningkatkan kreativitas dan pengetahuan ibu-ibu PKK dalam pengolahan tanaman obat khususnya jamu instan granulasi temulawak. Metode yang digunakan yaitu sosialisasi TOT dan Pelatihan pembuatan granulasi temulawak pada 25 Desember 2022 bersama 30 peserta dari ibu-ibu PKK Desa Argosuko, Poncokusumo, Malang. Hasil kegiatan sosialisasi melihat karakteristik peserta berdasarkan usia yang diikuti oleh peserta berusia 25-55 tahun dengan partisipasi terbanyak yaitu usia 25-30 tahun sebanyak 9 orang (30%), menunjukkan peningkatan pengetahuan pada kategori baik (76-100%) dari 20% menjadi 56,7% dilihat dari hasil kuesioner. Kemudian, berdasarkan hasil Pelatihan Pembuatan Granulasi Temulawak diperoleh peningkatan kreativitas peserta dari produk instan granulasi temulawak yang berhasil dibuat. Sehingga, kegiatan sosialisasi TOT dan pembuatan granulasi temulawak di Desa Argosuko, Kecamatan Poncokusumo, Kabupaten Malang dapat disimpulkan meningkatkan pengetahuan dan kreativitas secara efektif

Determining the Influential Factors Motivating Undergraduate Students to Initiate Entrepreneurial Ventures

Every day, new startups emerge, and a significant portion of them will experience failure just as quickly. The global rise in population has led to a growing concern about unemployment. However, job opportunities are not expanding at a comparable rate to the overall population increase. Consequently, many unemployed individuals are turning to self-employment as a means to regain their dignity and livelihood. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Model serves as the underlying theoretical framework, given recent research indicating that intentions can effectively forecast future entrepreneurial activities. This research aims to investigate the intentions related to becoming an entrepreneur in terms of personal attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. The study primarily targets undergraduate students who face the choice of either entering the workforce or pursuing entrepreneurship upon graduation. Employing a descriptive research approach, this study seeks to provide valuable insights and elucidate the connections among attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control that impact entrepreneurial intentions among Malaysian undergraduate students. To assess their entrepreneurial intentions, respondents will complete a structured questionnaire. The study's findings underscore the significance of social entrepreneurship intentions in cultivating students' interest in becoming future entrepreneurs. Insights from this study could provide valuable guidance to educational institutions, policymakers, and entrepreneurship support organizations in designing effective interventions and initiatives aimed at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among undergraduate students

Parasocial relationship influence on the upcycled fashion purchase intention among igeneration in Malaysia post-Covid-19: an empirical study

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the pursuit of sustainable development in various ways. Current consumer trends suggest an increased awareness of sustainable consumption or fashion consumption. Past studies have focused more on general concepts of sustainable fashion consumption (SFC), including environmental, ethical, second-hand, and recycling while neglecting upcycling fashion. Therefore, the study investigated the Malaysian iGeneration purchase intention of upcycled fashion products postCOVID-19. The study extended the moderating role of parasocial relationship based on the Theory Planned Behaviour (TPB). A quantitative online survey was conducted among 230 respondents from IGeneration between 10 to 25 years old in Malaysia. The hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The study outcomes exhibited empirical support for the proposed research model. Two out of six hypothesized relationships were accepted. Specifically, subjective norm was positively linked to the purchase intention of upcycled fashion products. Meanwhile, parasocial relationship moderated subjective norm and purchase intention. The study provided insights into the application of TPB-based framework and enhanced knowledge of fashion industry players, educators and communities