The quality of life and factors associated with it among disabled children and adolescents registered with selected community based rehabilitation (CBR), Department of Social Welfare, Kelantan

Determination of quality of life status and its associated factors among disabled children and adolescents is important because it can reflect the true feelings experienced by them. To determine the QoL status and factors associated with it, a cross-sectional study was conducted at the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) centres in five districts in Kelantan. The study involved 419 disabled children and adolescents ages between 2 to 18 years old. The QoL status was measured using Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) core scales and it showed that the QoL status among the disabled children and adolescents are increasing with their age. Study showed that the presence to CBR is one of the factors associated with the QoL status. Besides, gender and household income also has a relationship with the QoL status. The Multiple Logistic Regression (MLR) analysis was applied and four types of disability were found to be associated with the QoL status includes cerebral palsy (CP), Down syndrome, autism and medical problem. The probability of children and adolescents who have had CP, autism and medical problems to have a lower QoL status is increased by 13.1, 5.7 and 2.8 times. However, children and adolescents diagnosed as Down syndrome have a protective effect, by 0.4 times to have lower QoL status. Indirectly, this research will help professionals involved to improve the intervention programs and give special attention to the disabled who have disabilities such as CP, autism, Down syndrome and medical problem

Development of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract emulsion formulations in controlling gray mold disease on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Postharvest fruits including tomatoes are commonly infected by gray mold disease resulting in significant economic losses in the fruit industry. Therefore, this study aimed to develop botanical fungicide derived from Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract to control gray mold on tomato. The emulsion formulation containing surfactant, oil carrier and water was optimized at different non-ionic alkyl polyglucoside surfactants through eleven combinations of oil to surfactant ratio (0:10, 1:9, 2:8, 3:7, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, 8:2, 9:1 and 10:0 w/w). From eight selected formulations, two formulations, F5 and F7 showed stable in storage, remarkable thermodynamic stability, smaller particle size (66.44 and 139.63 nm), highly stable in zeta potential (−32.70 and −31.70 mV), low in polydispersity index (0.41 and 0.40 PdI), low in viscosity (4.20 and 4.37 cP) and low in surface tension (27.62 and 26.41 mN/m) as compared to other formulations. In situ antifungal activity on tomato fruits showed F5 formulation had a fungicidal activity against B. cinerea with zero disease incidence and severity, whereas F7 formulation reduced 62.5% disease incidence compared to a positive control with scale 1. Based on these findings, F5 formulation exhibited pronounced antifungal activity and may contribute to the development of new and safe antifungal product against gray mold on tomato

Toxicity of selected insecticides againts nymph of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius).

Bemisia tabaci is one of serious insect pests attacking vegetables and has been difficult to control using conventional insecticides. In the past 10 years, new insecticides have been introduced that provide a diversity of novel modes of action and routes of activity to effectively control whitefly. Consequently, intensive used of insecticides in vegetable cultivation has resulted in reduced susceptibility and develops resistance in agriculture industry. In controlling B. tabaci population, insecticides are the common method used by farmers. This study aimed to determine the most effective insecticide against B. tabaci by using LC50 value. This study was conducted at the Crop Protection Laboratory, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia with the controlled room temperature of 24.33±0.14℃ with dark and light ratio of 1:1 (12 hours: 12 hours) is an ideal condition for rearing the insect. The hypothesis of the study is to test if insecticides can control the nymph of whitefly. A total of 50 two-day-old nymphs were treated with insecticides using leaf-dip bioassay procedure. This experiment was replicated three times. The survival rates of the nymphs were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Data on toxicity was analyzed by a special Probit Programme-Single Line Analysis based on Finney (1971). There was a significant difference (df=8, F=85.84, P=0.000) in survival rate of nymph of B. tabaci to eight insecticides tested. Among the insecticides tested, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin and diafenthiuron showed significantly higher survival rate of nymph compared to other treatments. When LC50 values were compared for diafenthiuron which is less potent (LC50=2.44), abamectin was found to be 3.44 times more potent than diafenthiuron, followed by esfenvalerate. acetamiprid, profenofos, chlorpyrifos + cypermethrin and dimethoate, and the least potent was deltamethrin. The toxicity of eight insecticides tested against nymphs was in the following orders: abamectin= esfenvalerate acetamiprid= profenofos chlorpyrifos+ cypermethrin dimethoate ±deltamethrin> diafenthiuron respectively. This study implies that a proper application of the insecticide is a key component to a successful control programme of insect pests

Model to determine the degree of housing damage for a flood affected area in Kuala Krai, Kelantan / Thuraiya Mohd … [et al.]

Increasing population has resulted in an increase in the number of property ownerships. Therefore, a greater percentage of the country’s land area, often in areas that previously have been not fit for urban development and human settlement, have been taken up to cater for the need for accommodation (Eves, 2014). These increased numbers of properties, changes in water collection, flows and poor drainage system coupled with heavy monsoon rainfall, intense convection rainstorms and other local factors have caused seasonal floods in Malaysia (Chan, 1996; Eves, 2014). According to the Malaysian National Security Council [MNSC] (2015), flood is the most common type of disaster that occurs in Malaysia. Floods occur annually in Malaysia, causing damage to property and loss of life. The worst flood event in Malaysia was in December 2014 that rendered people helpless. The moving water had destructive powers that picked up and carried off bridges, houses, trees, and cars. The east coasts states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang expose to annual recurrence of flood as these states are directly in the path of the seasonal monsoon season (Chan, 1996). The unprecedented flooding of December 2014 has been the worst flood event in the history of Kelantan

Evolusi penggunaan motif dan ragam hias dalam tenunan songket / Nani Hartina Ahmad...[et al.]

Tenunan songket melambangkan ketinggian teknologi dahulu, kreativiti, sejarah,Melayu yang bertamadun tinggi melambangkan keindahan budaya masyarakat Melayu itu sendiri. Masyarakat tempatan kebiasaan menilai tenunan songket dari sudut keindahan, kesenian dan pemakaiannya. Namun bagi penggemar-penggemar songket biasanya akan mengolah songket dari sudut keunikan dan kepelbagaian unsur, proses, teknik dan motif yang sukar diterjemahkan. Keindahan songket tidak semata-mata bergantung kepada hiasan benang emas sahaja namun gabungan kreativiti corak dan motif yang dihasilkan serta nilai emas di mata masyarakat menaikkan lagi nilai estetikanya. Para penggemar songket pada masa kini dapat menilai dan merasakan kelainan songket silam dengan yang baharu apabila mereka memerhati kaedah tenunanya dan corak-corak yang dihasilkan. Namun begitu, lewat masa kini dengan kehadiran dan kemasukan songket buatan negara luar seperti India, Pakistan dan Indonesia akan meresahkan penenun tempatan. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini turut merangkumi sejauh mana keperihatinan masyarakat Melayu kita dapat menilai kesenian tempatan berbanding dengan hasil tangan bukan orang tempatan iaitu dengan meneliti motif-motif dan ragam hias corak tenunan songket tempatan. Hingga ke hari ini, masih ramai di antara kita masih keliru dan terpedaya dengan songket import dari negara luar. Lambakan songket dari negara luar telah mengakibatkan pengusaha tempatan terancam dan membimbangkan. Kajian ini merangkumi sejauh mana penilaian masyarakat Melayu dalam melihat peredaran dan evolusi motif dan ragam hias dalam tenunan songket yang menerapkan identiti tempatan dan berkonsepkan ciri-ciri budaya kehidupan masyarakat Melayu kini

Pembinaan dan validasi soal selidik faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli di Malaysia

Soal selidik sebagai alat untuk mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan jangkitan COVID-19 masih belum digunakan secara meluas oleh kebanyakan penyelidik. Di Malaysia, tiada soal selidik yang dibina dan disahkan untuk tujuan tersebut. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk membina dan mengesahkan soal selidik sebagai alat ujian yang baru bagi mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli di Malaysia. Kajian rintis ini melibatkan 30 orang penduduk Orang Asli di Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Indeks Kesahan Kandungan (CVI) digunakan untuk menguji kesahan kandungan soal selidik, manakala kesahan konstruk dan kebolehpercayaan konsistensi dalaman soal selidik ditentukan menggunakan Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) dan Cronbach’s Alpha. Satu set soal selidik terdiri daripada empat konstruk telah dibina iaitu kepercayaan, amalan perubatan tradisional, adat dan budaya tradisional, dan sokongan sosial. Sebanyak 16 item telah dikekalkan di dalam EFA dengan nilai Cronbach’s Alpha setiap konstruk adalah 0.617, 0.778, 0.773 dan 0.779. Soal selidik yang telah dibina ini berjaya divalidasi dan boleh digunakan untuk mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli. Walau bagaimanapun, penambahbaikan masih perlu dilakukan dari masa ke semasa untuk memastikan soal selidik ini relevan terutamanya jika ia digunakan ke atas populasi atau dari negara yang berbeza dari Malaysia, dengan mengambil kira juga penyakit yang berbeza

Quality of sleep and associated factors among healthcare providers during COVID-19 in Malaysia: a web-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: COVID-19 has placed enormous strain on healthcare providers (HCPs). This study aimed to determine the quality of sleep (QoS), and associated factors, of HCPs in primary care clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a web-based cross-sectional study of HCPs from 30 primary care clinics in Malaysia. QoS was assessed using a validated single-item scale, and the response ranged from 0 (poor) to 10 (excellent). SPSS version 26 was used for the analysis. Results: Our study included 1280 respondents. The mean QoS score was 6.725 = 1.961. One demographic factor that was positively associated with QoS was age. Having one workplace, nurse, medical assistant, medical laboratory technician (or healthcare assistant compared to being a driver, were also significantly positively associated with QoS. Personality factors that were significantly positively associated with QoS were HCPs’ abilities to cope with work stress and be altruistic. There were negative correlations between QoS and being a male HCP, concern about COVID-19 mortality and perceived risk of exposure to COVID-19. Conclusion: HCPs with clinical roles who were older, had a single workplace, were altruistic and could cope with work stress had better QoS. To maintain the QoS of HCPs, healthcare organisations should promote regular activities supporting the staffs’ mental health and encourage compassion for the organisation and an altruistic work culture, especially among younger employees

Anatomy education environment measurement inventory (AEEMI): a cross-validation study in Malaysian medical schools

Background: The Anatomy Education Environment Measurement Inventory (AEEMI) evaluates the perception of medical students of educational climates with regard to teaching and learning anatomy. The study aimed to cross-validate the AEEMI, which was previously studied in a public medical school, and proposed a valid universal model of AEEMI across public and private medical schools in Malaysia. Methods: The initial 11-factor and 132-item AEEMI was distributed to 1930 pre-clinical and clinical year medical students from 11 medical schools in Malaysia. The study examined the construct validity of the AEEMI using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: The best-fit model of AEEMI was achieved using 5 factors and 26 items (χ 2 = 3300.71 (df = 1680), P < 0.001, χ 2/df = 1.965, Root Mean Square of Error Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.018, Goodness-of-fit Index (GFI) = 0.929, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.962, Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.927, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.956) with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.621 to 0.927. Findings of the cross-validation across institutions and phases of medical training indicated that the AEEMI measures nearly the same constructs as the previously validated version with several modifications to the item placement within each factor. Conclusions: These results confirmed that variability exists within factors of the anatomy education environment among institutions. Hence, with modifications to the internal structure, the proposed model of the AEEMI can be considered universally applicable in the Malaysian context and thus can be used as one of the tools for auditing and benchmarking the anatomy curriculum

ZWITTERIONIC PI-ALLYLPALLADIUM INTERMEDIATES IN PALLADIUM CATALYZED CYCLOADDITION REACTIONS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOS

Faktor Yang Mendorong Jemaah Mengikuti Kuliah Subuh Tafsir Al-Azhar: Kajian Di Masjid Al-Falah, Taiping, Perak.

Kajian ini merupakan satu tinjauan untuk mengenalpasti faktor yang mendorong masyarakat mengikuti Kuliah Subuh Tafsir Al-Azhar di Masjid Al-Falah, Taiping, Perak. Tinjauan ini juga bertujuan untuk mendapatkan maklum balas tentang keistimewaan Tafsir Al-Azhar, ketinggian ilmu yang dimiliki oleh Prof. Dr. Hamka dan pendekatan yang digunakan dalam Kuliah Subuh tersebut. Sampel kajian ini terdiri daripada jemaah Kuliah Subuh Tafsir Al-Azhar di Masjid Al-Falah. Seramai 50 orang mewakili keseluruhan jemaah telah dipilih secara tidak rawak. Set soal selidik mengandungi 45 item telah diedarkan kepada responden dan dianalisis secara deskriptif untuk mendapatkan nilai kekerapan, peratus dan min dengan menggunakan perisian Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 14.0 for Windows. Secara keseluruhannya hasil analisis menunjukkan responden bersetuju bahawa ketiga–tiga faktor telah mendorong mereka untuk mengikuti Kuliah Subuh Tafsir Al-Azhar di Masjid Al-Falah dengan catatan nilai min berada pada tahap yang tinggi. Faktor keistimewaan Tafsir Al- Azhar mencatat nilai min 4.53, ketinggian ilmu yang dimiliki oleh Prof. Dr. Hamka mencatat nilai min 4.55 dan pendekatan yang digunakan dalam Kuliah Subuh mencatat nilai min 4.41 . Oleh yang demikian, sebagai pengukuhan dan penambaikkan kepada kajian yang dijalankan, penyelidik telah mengemukakan beberapa cadangan