Is Malaysia ready for sustainable energy? Exploring the attitudes toward solar energy and energy behaviors in Malaysia

To meet the larger demand for electricity supply, Malaysia needs to achieve two main psychosocial conditions, among others—having the awareness of renewable energy and demonstrating energy-conserving behavior. To examine whether Malaysia has met these two conditions, we recruited 225 participants (n = 109 women, n = 113 men, n = 3 did not indicate) to complete a series of questionnaires. The results showed that the public was aware of the option of solar energy but was not ready to install solar photovoltaic panels after being told the cost incurred. Furthermore, the public did not show satisfying energy-conserving behaviors. To boost the installation of solar power, increasing the public’s energy knowledge and implementing policies to reduce the installation cost might be helpful. These findings highlighted Malaysia’s low readiness for solar power and shed some light on what needs to be done to be better prepared for solar power

Psychosocial implications of large-scale implementations of solar power in Malaysia

The present study aimed to investigate the psychosocial impacts of large-scale solar (LSS) power projects. There were 225 participants (n = 109 women, n = 3 did not indicate gender) participated in our study by completing a series of questionnaires. We found that participants who lived farther from the LSS power project location and those who viewed the project as being impactful were optimistic about the benefits LSS power projects could bring. Our participants also demonstrated support for renewable energy development in Malaysia. These findings may provide important implications for the implementation and execution of LSS power projects and policies

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements and cognitive decline: Singapore Longitudinal Aging Studies

10.1007/s12603-011-0010-zJournal of Nutrition, Health and Aging15132-3

Serum albumin and hemoglobin are associated with physical function in community-living older persons in Singapore

10.1007/s12603-011-0120-7Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging1510877-88

Markers of T-cell senescence and physical frailty: insights from Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies

10.1038/npjamd.2015.5npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease1500

Systemic inflammation, depression and obstructive pulmonary function: a population-based study

10.1186/1465-9921-14-53Respiratory Research145

The effect of accountant reputation on initial public offerings in Malaysia

This paper assesses the characteristics and the influence of accountants’ reputations on the underpricing of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) stocks listed in the Main Board and Second Board of the Malaysia Stock Market. The sample data comprises of the first day price and the issue price of IPOs stocks selected from the financial year of 2005, 2006 and 2008. Results showed that there is a significant positive first day return, indicating a certain degree of underpricing in the IPOs stocks. However, there are no significant differences for returns, risks and coefficient of variation among the two groups of IPOs stocks audited respectively by the Big Four and non Big Four accounting firms. That is, IPOs stocks performance in terms of initial first day returns are not influenced by the factor accountants’ reputations

Atrial Fibrillation and the Prognostic Performance of Biomarkers in Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Consideration of circulating biomarkers for risk stratification in heart failure (HF) is recommended, but the influence of atrial fibrillation (AF) on prognostic performance of many markers is unclear. We investigated the influence of AF on the prognostic performance of circulating biomarkers in HF. METHODS: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), mid-regional-pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), NT-proCNP, high-sensitivity troponin-T, high-sensitivity troponin-I, mid-regional-propeptide adrenomedullin, co-peptin, growth differentiation factor-15, soluble Suppressor of Tumorigenicitiy (sST2), galectin-3, and procalcitonin plasma concentrations were measured in a prospective, multicenter study of adults with HF. AF was defined as a previous history of AF, and/or presence of AF/flutter on baseline 12-lead electrocardiogram. The primary outcome was the composite of HF-hospitalization or all-cause mortality at 2 years. RESULTS: Among 1099 patients (age 62 +/- 12years, 28% female), 261(24%) patients had AF. Above-median concentrations of all biomarkers were independently associated with increased risk of the primary outcome. Significant interactions with AF were detected for galectin-3 and sST2. In considering NT-proBNP for additive risk stratification, sST2 (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]1.85, 95%confidence interval [C.I.] 1.17-2.91) and galectin-3 (AHR1.85, 95%C.I. 1.09-2.45) were independently associated with increased primary outcome only in the presence of AF. The prognostic performance of sST2 was also stronger in AF for all-cause mortality (AF: AHR2.82, 95%C.I. 1.26-6.21; non-AF: AHR1.78, 95% C.I. 1.14-2.76 without AF), while galectin-3 predicted HF-hospitalization only in AF (AHR1.64, 95%C.I. 1.03-2.62). CONCLUSIONS: AF modified the prognostic utility of selected guideline-endorsed HF-biomarkers. Application of markers for prognostic purposes in HF requires consideration of the presence or absence of AF

Public perception of flood risks in Klang Valley, Malaysia: A case study

Floods are becoming a major global concern as these disasters become more severe and frequent. This is no exception to Malaysia, as the trend of flood occurrences is increasing year by year. This study aimed to understand the public perception of the flood risks in Klang Valley, focusing on Kuala Lumpur and Selangor metropolitan areas. A total of 100 respondents participated in this survey via online questionnaire distribution. There are four variables tested in this survey, where factors on environmental concern and anticipating risk have moderate influence on the perception and awareness of flood risk. Both environmental concern (ß = 0.378, p < 0.000) and anticipating risk (ß = 0.349, p< 0.000) were the only correlations that were statistically significant. It was found that emotional impact (ß = 0.058, p < 0.511) and effort to contribute (ß = 0.148, p < 0.077) did not significantly predict awareness of flood risks. Further studies are needed to truly grasp the public’s perception of flood risk in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor

Soil nitrogen concentration mediates the relationship between leguminous trees and neighbor diversity in tropical forests

Legumes provide an essential service to ecosystems by capturing nitrogen from the atmosphere and delivering it to the soil, where it may then be available to other plants. However, this facilitation by legumes has not been widely studied in global tropical forests. Demographic data from 11 large forest plots (16–60 ha) ranging from 5.25° S to 29.25° N latitude show that within forests, leguminous trees have a larger effect on neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is high, most legume species have higher neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is low, most legumes have lower neighbor diversity than non-legumes. No facilitation effect on neighbor basal area was observed in either high or low soil N conditions. The legume–soil nitrogen positive feedback that promotes tree diversity has both theoretical implications for understanding species coexistence in diverse forests, and practical implications for the utilization of legumes in forest restoration