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Purpose: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is common among populations globally, and in Asia and Malaysia. The purpose of this Position Paper is to propose recommendations for both clinicians and non-clinicians to promote vitamin D sufficiency in Malaysian adults. Formation of a national multisector, multidisciplinary alliance is also proposed to progress initiatives relating to safe sun exposure, adequate vitamin D intake through food fortification, and vitamin D supplementation for high-risk groups. Methods: Literature reviews were undertaken to inform summaries of the following: vitamin D status globally and in Asian and Malaysian populations, vitamin D status among individuals with common medical conditions, and current recommendations to achieve vitamin D sufficiency through sun exposure, food intake and supplementation. Recommendations were based on the findings of the literature reviews, recent European guidance on vitamin D supplementation, the 2018 road map for action on vitamin D in low- and middle-income countries, and research recommendations proposed by the Malaysian Ministry of Health in 2017. Results: Recommendations on assessment of vitamin D in the adult Malaysian population include using serum or plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration as a biomarker, widespread participation by Malaysian laboratories in the Vitamin D Standardization Program, adoption of the US Endocrine Society definitions of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, and development of a comprehensive nationwide vitamin D status study. Specific high-risk groups are identified for vitamin D assessment and recommendations relating to loading doses and ongoing management are also made. Conclusion: This Position Paper provides individual clinicians and national stakeholder organisations with clear recommendations to achieve vitamin D sufficiency in the adult population of Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, bio-bibliometric analysis has been carried out among prominent figures in different fields. However, no such analysis was done for researchers from the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Ministry of Health, Malaysia. This paper seeks to fill the void by examining Dr. Lim Boo Liat, who began his career as a temporary lab technician at IMR and went on to become a prominent zoologist in Malaysia. The search for his publication was carried out through an online search using the Google Scholar, Scopus Web of Science, and ResearchGate databases, in addition to the investigation of the second document in the Institute for Medical Research and Wildlife and National Parks Department of Peninsular Malaysia (PERHILITAN) library. The study found that in his 70 years of research experience, he had published more than 350 publications as scientific papers, books, proceedings, and technical reports. However, this study is limited to only 312 research articles written in English and published in scientific journals. These scientific articles consist of three domains: medical ecology, parasitology, and zoology. He published his papers in 69 journals in developed and developing countries. More than half (n=160, 51.3%) of the papers was published in the local journals, while the remaining was published in international journals. He was the first and last author of more than 80% of the papers published. He mainly published his articles in the Malayan Nature Journal (n=46, 15%) and South-East Asia Tropical Medicine and Public Health (n=44, 14%). Most of his papers had fewer than 3 authors. The coefficient of collaboration of the papers was less than 0.5, indicating his expertise in writing papers. Based on the findings, this study shows that the late Dr. Lim Boo Liat had published scientific papers continuously throughout his life and contributed immensely to the body of knowledge, particularly in medical entomology and zoology in tropical countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous prior studies claimed that social enterprises had a beneficial effect (social impact) on addressing society's social problems. However, there is little evidence to support that statement. How well is this enterprise able to give an impact on solving social problems? Does it have any indicators that can prove the validity of its social impact? Therefore, this study aims to explore the literature review on social enterprise and their social impact, as well as to identify a few measurements to assess the social impact. Hence, the writing of this article was conducted based on reviewing the published literature including articles and journals which are relevant to the topic that can be accessed through online databases. Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar have been used for searching the articles needed. The search terms include "social enterprise" OR "social business" OR "social entrepreneurship" AND "Social impact" OR "measuring impact" OR "social impact measurement". This conceptual paper was motivated to get a deeper understanding of the social impact measurement employed by social enterprises. From the discussion, we have clearly defined the definition of social impact from different perspectives, including the importance of measuring the social impact among social enterprises has also been discussed briefly. Reviewed articles revealed that there is a wide range of methods for measuring social impact but in this article, we are focusing on three approaches only there are: balanced scorecard (BSC), social return on investment (SROI), and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in this paper. This study summarises that measuring the social impact is becoming an essential determination for social enterprises as the key indicators of their performance to the communities or to the potential investors or funders. The study also suggests recommending further study of the social impact measurements that need to be discussed in depth and detail. This study's hope can attract more academicians to stimulate more research on this topic, specifically in measuring methods from Malaysia's perspective. The implication of this study forms a clear understanding of the social impact and a few of the measurements that can be used in measuring the impact of social enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic writing is one of the genres of writing which considered complex as it requires high language skills and the appropriate methodology in its production. One of the skills required is paraphrasing skills. However, paraphrasing is not an easy task especially if it involving a third language. Students may make various forms of errors in paraphrasing which need full attention, understanding, and techniques. Therefore, this study aims to identify the forms of mistakes and the weaknesses of students in making Arabic paraphrases, then, proposing method to address it. This study is a qualitative study and using samples taken from students' final coursework in the subject of Arabic for Academic (BAA4022). The corpus of the study involved 50 samples randomly selected among the students of the semester I session 2020/2021, Faculty of Major Language Studies (FPBU) and Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences (FPSK), Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM). This sample was analysed using the content analysis method. The finding shows that the main errors of students in paraphrasing are comes from the semantic aspect due to weakness in understanding the original reference text. In addition, the errors from grammatical aspects, especially in the use of al-idhofah, the use of dhamir and fi'il are consequences of the weakness in mastery of syntax and Arabic morphology. Both of these forms of weaknesses affect the quality of paraphrases made especially in the aspect of semantic completeness. Thus, this study is hoped to provide enlightenment and helps teachers and students in strengthening the quality of writing academic papers in Arabic Language through the use of accurate and correct Arabic paraphrasing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is an unpleasant and unwanted sound for every human and animal. Noise can also interfere with one's communication and concentration. Nowadays, many sound absorber panels have been produced to overcome arising noise issues. A sound absorber panel works to absorb sound either in low or high frequencies. Usually, in Malaysia, synthetic materials are used for producing sound absorber panels. Glass fibre and minerals are the most common examples of synthetic materials used to produce sound absorber panels. In particular, glass fibre has a good result in sound absorption. However, it also brings negative effects to humans' health, such as skin inflammation, redness, cough, breathlessness, and others. Therefore, for this study, natural materials from recycling have been used to produce sound absorber panels, which are egg trays, papers, and plastics. The panels were tested with the impedance tube test to obtain the sound absorption coefficient (SAC) and the noise reduction coefficient (NRC). The values of sound absorption of plastics and papers are good at the frequency of 2,000 Hz (i.e., 0.75 and 0.74, respectively). However, the value of SAC for papers increased to 0.86, compared to the value of SAC for plastics that decreased to 0.67. Furthermore, the value of NRC for papers is better than plastics. Next, the reverberation room test was also performed on the panels to obtain the echo time value (RT) in the current unit. The comparison of echo time for this test is between the values for a room with and without panels. The results from the test showed that the value of echo time for the room with the panels is better than the room without panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to analyze the questions of the Arabic language examinations of Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) for three years from 2013 to 2015 in the light of Bloom's Taxonomy levels. In this study, the researchers relied on the analytical descriptive approach. The number of exam questions for grammar and morphology in Malaysia's STAM certificate was 222. The study found that the questions on the level of understanding came first in the exam questions for grammar and morphology, with 93 questions or 42% of the total. While the level of remembering came in second place with 62 recurrences or 28%, followed by the questions on the level of analysis, with a frequency of 34 questions or 16%. The level of application came last, with 33 recurrences or 14% of the total. The two levels of evaluation and creativity were not showing any frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is written to provide a hypothetical study on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model by Venkatesh et al. (2003); framework on Microsoft OneDrive usage acceptance in one of the established professional college in Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed to 130 staff and lecturers at one of the branches with 107 returned, an 82.3% return rate. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 has been used to analyse the data collected. Five variables involved in this study which are Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Norm, Facilitating Conditions and Usage Acceptance. The study recommends future studies should include a bigger scale of the sample that consists of all the professional college branches and add more variables such as trust and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negara-Bangsa Proses dan Perbahasan (Malay for Nation-State: Process and Debate) by Abdul Rahman Embong, is a book that brings together nine essays on nation-state discussions written from 1995 to 2000. Five essays developed into Chapters 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9 were essays published in the Pemikir journal published by the Utusan Melayu Group while Chapters 5 and 6 were conference papers presented by Abdul Rahman in a seminar. All these essays have been updated and improved for the purpose of publishing this book. Additionally, Chapters 1 and 3 are new chapters written specifically for this book, which also debate on and discuss nation-states. Through this work, Abdul Rahman offers a continual, inclusive and semi-controversial perspective on important issues of Malaysia and its nation in particular and the world in general. The book also aims to promote deep discussion of the world of thought with the nation-state of Malaysia and the Malaysian nation as the main focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly cited papers serve as a proxy for excellence. In this paper, we identify Malaysia's highly-cited papers and explore the characteristics of these papers. The research question posed is "What characterizes Malaysian highly cited papers?" This study adopts the definition by Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicator, i.e. the highly cited papers are papers that received enough citations to be placed in the top 1 percent of the academic field of each 22 subject areas based on a highly cited threshold for the field and publication year. As a small scientific nation, Malaysia has a rather limited number of papers being highly cited, and we observed nine characteristics of highly cited papers based on 708 datasets obtained from the Web of Science. Malaysian highly cited papers are largely represented by articles, but reviews have higher impact. Typically, these papers have a low self-cited index and they are published in the First Quartile of the science discipline publications. The papers are mainly the outcome of national funded research; involve multiple co-authorship and international collaboration; affiliated to Malaysian research universities and Malaysian authors often play a dominant role as first or reprint authors. Partnership with scientists from Iran, Australia and UK may increase markedly the possibility of a Malaysian paper becoming highly cited. This investigation has shown that these are the characteristics of Malaysian highly cited papers, but to what extent can these be used as indicators need further investigation and discussions among the scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization will cause various land use changes and the vast occupation of green spaces, a critical factor in the deterioration of biodiversity in urbanized areas. Some species of wildlife are endangered due to habitat shrunk and fragmentation. However, Malaysia's current biodiversity protection range is still limited. The Ecological Network (EN) refers to a framework of ecological components, which can be obtained by geographical and technical approaches to support more ecological diversity ranges. Furthermore, little research has been found on EN in Malaysia and the impact of land use change on EN. Therefore, the Selangor region is selected as the study area. This paper quantifies land use change and measures the extent of land use change to obtain the EN's change. The result has shown that forestland has decreased, explored by people for housing and agriculture from 2000 to 2020. The EN has a trend of fragmentation. Overall, this study's results imply that the land use change led to EN's worsened performance from 2000 to 2020 in the study area. This paper hopes that this research could help supply information on conserving biodiversity in future development and urban sustainable planning in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital technologies as teaching and learning materials supports and enhances science learning, encouraging students to develop valuable inquiry skills and knowledge. In response, this paper seeks to explore digital inquiry-based learning as a useful aid for teaching the elementary school science curriculum on plants in Malaysia. There is a strong rationale for this work, as (i) this curriculum has received less attention compared to the equivalent on animals, and (ii) students have developed misconceptions about plants, typically in the areas of plant nutrition and photosynthesis. Thus, the paper describes a 5E Instructional Model lesson plan, which uses various digital technologies to tackle different inquiry elements at each instructional model stage. The goals of the activities are to help students: (i) assess their preexisting knowledge and engage with a new concept, (ii) create predictions and document their observations, (iii) display their conceptual understanding, (iv) gain a more profound and broader understanding through new experiences, and (v) examine their understanding and abilities with the aid of digital technology resources. The suggested activities are further discussed in relation to different types of digital technologies and evidence-based practice, thus encouraging other educators to integrate digital inquiry-based learning into their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the factors that influence Malaysian online shoppers' behaviour in recycling e-commerce packaging waste. This study employed an in-depth semi-structured interview. In total, 12 participants were recruited in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia, including eight females and four males aged between 25 and 50. ATLAS.ti version 8 software was used to analyse the details of the content and interpret it holistically. The study reveals that Malaysian online shoppers still lack awareness of the environmental impact, particularly in recycling e-commerce packaging waste. It also indicates that social influences play a major role in influencing them to recycle e-commerce packaging waste. The paper is a new research area with global implications. While limited to sample size, several recommendations are made, covering recycling facilities, consumer empowerment, and individual responsibility to increase future recycling for better environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper examines the conceptual and legal aspects of project-oriented public administration, focusing on the Russian experience and comparing it with practices from the USA, UK, and Malaysia from 2011 to 2020. The study aims to identify specific features of project-oriented public administration, provide a comparative analysis of methodologies for managing national projects, and formulate recommendations for improving legal mechanisms based on national experiences from both developed and developing states. The research highlights the formation and implementation of public administration aimed at realizing national projects, emphasizing the establishment of public and legal foundations for their implementation. Using a comparative case study approach, the study employs document analysis, secondary sources, and expert interviews to examine the legal frameworks, organizational structures, implementation challenges, and performance metrics of project management in the selected countries. The findings reveal significant differences in the legal frameworks and implementation practices across the four countries, with Russia showing a fragmented legal framework primarily governed by federal laws and presidential decrees. In contrast, the UK and USA have more comprehensive legal frameworks with detailed regulations, and Malaysia's framework focuses on government-led initiatives with clear procedural regulations. The paper concludes by proposing recommendations for improving the legal and institutional frameworks for projectoriented public administration in Russia, including systematizing and consolidating its legal framework, improving coordination among government levels, investing in capacity building, and enhancing engagement with the private sector and civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China–Malaysia economic engagement has deepened since the 1990s. The scale and scope of this relationship has also expanded significantly following the 2013 announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative. Offering a context-rich, historically-nuanced perspective, this paper analyses how Malaysian policymakers have engaged with economic opportunities opened up by the burgeoning Chinese market. In particular, it examines how Chinese foreign direct investment has contributed to industrial upgrading trajectories in Malaysia. The paper makes two inter-related arguments. First, it uncovers a correlation between closer Chinese–Malaysian economic integration and services liberalization, which results in Malaysia's lower emphasis on manufacturing and 'proper' industrialization. In other words, structural transformation has occurred, but it is geared towards the services sector. Relatedly, Chinese investment entering Malaysia, notwithstanding its relatively recent status, is composed primarily of service industries. The services-heavy nature of Chinese investment results in a relatively modest economic multiplier effect, potentially exacerbating some societal tensions and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Vitamin D status and clinical implications in the adult population of Malaysia: a position paper by the Malaysian Vitamin D Special Interest Group" published in the previous issue of a periodical.

Scholars have often assumed that a decolonial agenda would empower emancipatory and anti-racist movements. Nevertheless, there is also increasing recognition by scholars that the language of decolonization has been co-opted to support right-wing ideologies and majoritarian agendas, most prominently in India and Turkey. Similarly, in Malaysia, right-wing actors use decolonial rhetoric to criticize ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual minorities and silence their demands for equal rights. These actors have justified their intolerance by labelling any perceived threats to heteronormative Malay Muslim identity as examples of “Western imperialism” or “Chinese colonialism.” This article illustrates how decolonial vocabulary has been transformed into Sinophobia and homophobia by a right-wing Islamist group in Malaysia. It shows how revisionist nativist historiography, racism, and conspiracy theories can be integrated with moralistic calls for decolonization. Tracing developments over the past decade, the paper demonstrates how persistent dissemination, intellectual laundering, and innovative marketing strategies have helped mainstream a nativist Islamist decolonial agenda in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of psychosocial safety climate (PSC) on work engagement, job satisfaction and the mediating role of job demands among young academics in Malaysian research universities. Design/methodology/approach: The study participants consisted of 177 full-time lecturers employed by Malaysian research universities for at least one year. Respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Findings: The findings reveal the significance of PSC in fostering work engagement and job satisfaction by mitigating the impact of job demands. However, the finding indicates that the relationship between job demands and work engagement was not statistically significant. Research limitations/implications: The necessity for a thorough three-wave research to precisely analyze the model's longitudinal impacts was discovered in all correlation and cross-sectional studies. Practical implications: The results indicate that the university should focus on job design and PSC support to enable university management to investigate further avenues for minimizing the impact of job demands to support academicians in RUs and enhance their job satisfaction. The results also indicated that young academicians' work engagement might be improved by appropriate job demands. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine these relationships among young academic staff in Malaysian universities. This paper offers recommendations to university policymakers on enhancing PSC, work engagement and job satisfaction among young academicians. It highlights the mediating role of job demands in Malaysian research universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid pace of ageing raises concerns regarding financial security, health and long-term care and place for older people to live as they age. This paper examined the factors associated with preference to age in place (AIP) among 2231 respondents aged 60 and older from the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey (MARS). The Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) was utilized to identify variables that represent family supports, social connectedness and social participation. 75% of the respondents indicated that they would like to age in place with the binary logistic regression showing a greater likelihood among respondents with strong family and social connectedness, having a spouse, being non-Chinese and being in a good health condition. Urban respondents, with a high individual capacity and social participation, are less likely to age in place. There is a need to strengthen the family institutions and communities, providing incentives and support to promote ageing in place and empower them to remain sustainable for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a relatively new industrial crop which has been identified as an alternative source of fiber in the papermaking industry in Malaysia. In this study, experimental unbleached kenaf kraft paper samples were used as a substrate to produce water-resistant paper by employing a special coating. In the preparation of the coating formulation, commercially precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) was used as the filler, in addition to 0 to 0.32 w/w g of hydrophobic stearic acid (SA). Polymer latex (PL) was added at 0.4 to 0.16 w/w g into the coating compound to control the surface roughness of the samples. The paper morphology was examined by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Hydrophobic kenaf kraft paper prepared in this study had water contact angle (θ) greater than 90°. Hydrophobic paper made with formulation PL4c resulted in the highest value contact angle of 147°. The process of surface coating by dipping increased the water contact angle and this treated paper achieved a high hydrophobic level. For mechanical properties, the coated kenaf paper showed decreasing tensile strength as the addition of stearic acid increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postgraduate students need to be equipped with self-determined learning skills in order to meet the demands of higher degree and employment in the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0) environment. However, the lack of analysis conducted on item level for validating the measurement of postgraduate students' self-determined learning skills prompted the development of The Postgraduate Self-determined Learning Questionnaire (PSLQ) to fill in the research gaps. This paper aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the newly developed 42-item instrument through a mixed method approach as no study has evaluated the psychometric properties of PSLQ at the item level through Rasch model analysis. Quantitatively, 440 postgraduate students were sampled from a higher education institution in Malaysia to answer the questionnaire. Qualitatively, 10 respondents from science and non-science disciplines were interviewed. The paper reports findings on the psychometric properties of PSLQ through Rasch Rating Analysis and participants' perspectives on the item validity. The results revealed that the items in PSLQ demonstrated good psychometric properties for the measurement of self-determined learning skills of postgraduate students. Implications of the study were discussed in this paper. Future studies can further investigate the psychometric properties of PSLQ according to students' discipline of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionospheric scintillation is a common phenomenon in the equatorial, auroral, and polar areas, posing a threat to the Global Navigation Satellite System's (GNSS) operation. This ionospheric effect is thought to impact satellite signal propagation, hence, lowering positioning accuracy. Therefore, detecting ionospheric scintillation is critical in enhancing GNSS performance, particularly at low latitudes with severe amplitude scintillation. This paper investigates the effects of ionospheric scintillation on GPS signals at UNIMAS station, the East part of Malaysia. This study aims to identify the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation by calculating the index of scintillation strength during solar maximum 2014. The amplitude scintillation, which is measured in the S 4 index is obtained and classified accordingly from the data recorded at the UNIMAS station. The results have shown that strong scintillation (S 4 ≥ 0.5) occurred in the spring (April) and autumn (September and October) seasons, reaching 8 incidents. This paper also presents the diurnal, seasonal, and solar activity dependence of ionospheric scintillation. It is evident that the occurrence of amplitude scintillation is influenced by variations in solar activity, including solar flares and sunspots, as well as diurnal and seasonal changes. These findings provide valuable insights into the behaviour of the ionosphere and its impact on space-based communication and navigation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper investigates Thailand and Malaysia climate governance policy in practice within their multi-level governance structures. Thailand presents a unique case of a unitary state with a degree of deconcentration and decentralization, while Malaysia showcases a federal state with a high degree of centralization. Methodology: The paper collected and analyzed both primary and secondary data. Indepth interviews with government officials, NGOs, and international organizations were conducted online and onsite in Thailand and Malaysia from May 2022 to September 2023. Interview data was triangulated with secondary data from key national policy documents on climate change and related issues. This paper examines the contributions and hindrances of multi-level governance on climate governance and highlights some lessons learned from both countries. Results: It concludes that multi-level government systems provide opportunities for various stakeholders to engage in decision-making and create policy innovation. However, the administration of decision-making in these systems can be constrained by tensions within these systems, between tendencies towards the centralization of decision-making, and little engagement between subnational governments and local-level stakeholders. Conclusions: Overall, we assert that clear direction and guidance at the national level complemented by mechanisms that engage local stakeholders in administration and civil society is essential to achieve overarching climate action goals regardless of the administrative system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine angiosperms could inevitably offer considerable potential resources for their fiber, yet little research has been conducted, especially in Malaysia. Fiber characteristics of five species of seagrass - Enhalus acoroides, Cymodocea serrulata, Thalassia hemprichii, Halophila ovalis, and Halophila spinulosa - were evaluated. Fiber dimensions were studied to determine slenderness ratio, flexibility coefficient, Runkel's ratio, and Luce's shape factor species selection. The seagrass species have the potential in papermaking production as they possessed slenderness ratio >33 (98.12 to 154.08) and high Luce's shape factor (0.77 to 0.83); however the species exhibited low flexibility coefficient <50 (30.07 to 35.18) and >1 Runkel's ratio (1.11 to 1.60), which indicate rigid fiber. The five seagrass species have high cellulose >34% (40.30 to 77.18%) and low lignin content <15% (5.02 to 11.20%), which are similar to those encountered in non-wood plant species. Handmade paper sheet of Enhalus acoroides using pulp subjected to mechanical blending exhibited the highest tensile strength (4.16 kN/m) compared to hand-beaten pulp (3.46 kN/m). The highest breaking length (3.43 km) was achieved by a paper sheet of Thalassia hemprichii using hand-beaten pulp. Based on their physical and chemical composition properties, seagrass have potential as sources of fibrous material for handmade papermaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English is undoubtedly an important language for educational and socio-economic mobility in numerous countries including Malaysia. Regardless of its importance, studies to document English language acquisition among Malaysian children acquiring English in the local context remain scarce. This normative data is imperative for syllabus-designers, policymakers, teachers and linguists to understand and to develop materials that are developmentally sensitive and contextualised to the local setting. Thus, the objective of this paper is to present the onset of English lexical acquisition among 99 Malaysian preschoolers at the beginning of formal instruction. The 99 children were pupils in 3 public preschools in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The children's language production was elicited in individual communicative tasks. Their lexical output, both in English and Malay were analysed based on the children's language choice during the session as well as the frequencies of types and tokens. The results indicate that Malaysian preschoolers displayed a limited range of productive abilities and age-sensitive vocabulary in English at the beginning of formal instruction. However, at that point, the children already possess receptive skills greater than their productive skills. Based on the findings, implications for pedagogy are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrobium species, esteemed as a group of orchid plants with important ornamental and medicinal value, are currently experiencing significant developmental advancements. This research encompasses a comprehensive review of Dendrobium tissue culture literature spanning 2008 to 2023, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Employing the bibliometric analysis tool CiteSpace, we conducted a visualization and presentation of data encompassing research institutions, authorship patterns, key terminology, and emergent themes, elucidating the current status, hotspots, and frontiers of Dendrobium tissue culture research. After thorough screening, a total of 261 papers were included in this study. The publication count exhibited a consistent annual increase. Chinese Acad Sci, Univ Sains Malaysia, North Eastern Hill Univ, Univ Debrecen, and Univ Putra Malaysia emerged as primary research institutions, while a core team led by J.A. Teixeira da Silva, S. Sreeramanan, S. Kumaria, and N. Chen played a dominant role. Central research themes revolve around optimizing the tissue culture system of medicinal Dendrobium, and exploring the genetic stability and gene function. Furthermore, the field is witnessing a trajectory towards future multidisciplinary cross-collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key findings from our estimation models show that although the poorest households are vulnerable to income and food price shocks, our results also reveal an anomaly: given an increase in income and in food price, the poorest households seem to indulge in non-essential food expenditure, which is counterintuitive. Being the poorest typically conjures images of needing more food, not more food choices. We explain our findings within an intertwined theoretical underpinning, providing empirical verifications to two landmark hypotheses that bridge the economic-psychological frontier. We merge two relatively recent and nationally representative Malaysian household expenditure and price datasets. Our paper is perhaps the first work examining the poorest among poor households in a developing country from an economic-psychological angle, providing insights for more nuanced policy prescriptions. We believe our findings unveil aspects of food and poverty in Malaysia that have yet to be given detailed treatment so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]