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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]

Excessive and persistent use of plastic bags has caused severe environmental impact in many developing countries and the significance of biodegradable plastic bags as an alternative solution is uncertain. Bandar Baru Bangi, the second township in the Selangor state in Peninsular Malaysia, has also been plagued with problems of plastic bag use where plastic bags cover 56% of the household waste. Selangor has introduced a plastic bag fee of MYR 0.20 to shoppers who requested for it, albeit the effectiveness of such policy in changing consumer behavior is still unknown. The objectives of the study were to assess consumers' plastic bags consumption behavior in Bandar Baru Bangi, and determine factors influencing their willingness to pay (WTP) for an increase fee in using biodegradable plastic bags. A questionnaire survey incorporating Contingent Valuation Method was conducted to elicit the consumers' WTP. The results indicate that majority of the respondents (83%) requested one to three plastic bags per shopping trip. They moderately agreed that their tendency for plastic bag use was influenced by other consumers in the surrounding and highly agreed on the impact of environmental campaigns. The WTP for biodegradable plastic bags was estimated at MYR 0.43 which was influenced by their age and education level. The findings suggest there is a need to revisit the effectiveness of the policy and revise proper intervention measures to reduce plastic bag use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an irreversible impact on the global economy and industries, particularly in the healthcare sector. The rush to respond to the pandemic, particularly in terms of getting treatment and vaccines and technology to market, has created a huge opportunity for undisclosed corruption and misconduct in the research and development and procurement processes. Effectively responding to current and future global health corruption threats is critical if the world is to provide health care to all. Due to a lack of research in preventive corruption measures in the healthcare industry, this paper aims to provide an overview of anti-corruption efforts among healthcare companies listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia. The disclosure index is made up of 47 items derived from a review of previous literature and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act. The content analysis research method is used to analyze information from 13 companies listed in 2020's anti-corruption policies and procedures published on their website, board charter, whistleblowing policy, code of ethics and conduct, annual report, sustainability report, and corporate governance report. According to the findings, Malaysia's healthcare industry has demonstrated a strong commitment to fighting corruption, with 76.9% of companies scoring higher than average on the disclosure index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online learning is on the rise, and it is becoming an important mode of learning in higher education. However, there are limited models that explain the link between learners' characteristics, learning processes, and outcomes in an online learning environment. This study aims to examine the influence of online self-regulation on the experiences and engagement of students during online learning processes and their outcomes in terms of satisfaction and academic performance. A quantitative correlational design was used to achieve the objective of this study. Data collection was carried out using an online survey. A total of 609 undergraduates from four public and private universities in Malaysia were sampled. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was run to analyze the obtained data. The results showed that online self-regulation is a presage factor affecting online learning processes. It significantly and positively affects students' experiences and engagement in an online environment. These three factors explained more than two thirds of the variance in satisfaction, a key learning outcome of online learning. However, its predictive value for academic performance was weaker. The developed model can be used as a framework to promote positive online learning outcomes among undergraduate students. The implications of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact and changes due to sudden internal or external occurrence are difficult scenarios faced by many business organizations. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the nation's economic, social, and technological progressions. The effects of the sudden, extreme changes and uncertainty toward the environment require business organizations to further adapt and change to improve their survivability. Dynamic leadership requires leaders to make sudden changes improving adaptability or marketing capabilities to stay resilient and relevant to the mass market. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate the influence of dynamic leadership and marketing planning on organizational resilience in the context of Malaysian Private Higher Learning Institutions (PHLI). In this paper, the study performed PLS-SEM on the data collected using purposive sampling of 224 respondents, consisting of managers from colleges and universities in urban areas of Malaysia. The SEM was used to test on the levels of relation and whether there was any mediation between the tested variables. The study revealed that the dynamic leadership and marketing planning of Private Higher Learning Institutions' (PHLI) managers can improve organizational resilience. It highlighted the impact of leadership values has on improving overall market plans and affecting their resilience. Marketing planning should not be neglected as it is one of the crucial factors in achieving resiliency. The study's results are timely as they provide information for users to improve their overall survivability. The value of marketing planning should not be lightly treated as it has a serious impact toward organizational resilience. It is an important element for organizations in the current state of where survivability is essential in an unpredictable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the moderating role of gender and living arrangements in the relationship between generativity and subjective well-being among Malaysian old adults. The descriptive survey research design was utilized for this study. The target population was healthy old adults aged 60 and above in Ipoh, Malaysia with healthy cognitive ability. Using a purposive sampling technique, 441 old adults were recruited from public places to participate in the study. They responded to a validated questionnaire administered via structured interviews. Instruments include measure of generativity and subjective well-being. The study employed an independent sample t -test and Pearson correlation to find the differences and associations between understudied variables. Hayes Process was used to test the moderation effect of gender and living arrangement. The main results of the analysis show significant correlation between all variables. Specifically, the study suggests that gender and living arrangement moderate the association of generativity and old adults' SWB. However, gender as a single variable does not moderate the association. Hence, this paper concludes that by contributing to others, the subjective well-being of older adults could be improved. The findings are useful for all relevant parties to develop necessary actions for promoting successful aging among senior citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote a broad set of socio-economic and environmental goals. Through a case study on Malaysia, this paper investigates how economic Goal 8 (economic growth), Goal 9 (industry), and Goal 17(increased partnerships) are likely to conflict with environmental Goal 13 (climate action), Goal 14 (life below water), and Goal 15 (life on land). We analyze data from Economy-Wide Material Flows Analysis (EW-MFA) that captures Malaysia's aggregate resource use over time and also assess the likely economic and environmental contradictions for Malaysia's future trajectory by looking at major drivers of Malaysia's economic growth. Using policy-scoring, we provide a detailed analysis of how the various sectors of growth are likely to result in synergies or trade-offs with the environmental SDGs. We find substantial contradictions between the economic and environmental SDGs for Malaysia. Our paper questions whether or not, when examining a concrete case study, economic and environmental SDGs are compatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Process evaluations of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can provide insight and inform us on the intervention implementation, the causal mechanisms and the contextual factors. This will inform about interventions' success or failure due to their implementation or the interventions themselves. We aim to consolidate the methodology from previous process evaluations of complex interventions upon their findings on facilitators and barriers to address the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: Comprehensive search will be conducted on electronic databases and reference lists of recent reviews for RCTs of complex interventions which address process evaluations of diabetes prevention intervention (DPI) for women with GDM in healthcare settings. There is no restriction on the language of the papers and year of publication until December 2020. Data from each study will be extracted by two reviewers independently using standardised forms. Data extracted include descriptive items on the study design and the outcomes of process evaluations from the three dimensions: (1) implementation; (2) mechanism of impact and (3) context. The quality of the studies will be assessed using mixed methods appraisal tool which is designed for the appraisal of mixed studies in systematic reviews. A narrative and framework analysis of the findings will be presented to inform the contents of a new DPI for women with GDM. Discussion: The findings from this process evaluation findings are valuable in determining whether a complex intervention should be scaled up or modified for other contexts in future plan. It will give deeper understanding of potential challenges and solutions to aid in the implementation of effective DPIs for GDM in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many different sets of project success criteria, but none of them will be suitable for all of the different stakeholders involved in the construction industry. In this sense, the developer who finances any construction work has been considered as the main person in any construction project. Different people perceive things differently and therefore, from the developers' perspective, this paper seeks to achieve the followings: (1) review of the current literature on building success criteria and (2) develop an empirical framework for measuring the success of a building project in Malaysia. A total of 120 quantitative responses were distributed to different sizes and types of building project developers. 59 complete responses were retrieved. By employing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) through the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software, the building project success criteria were reduced to five dimensions: Company Success; Profitability Success; Primary Product Success; Secondary Product Success and Branding Success. The implication of this framework is twofold: first it captures the developer's view on success criteria and second, it forms the foundation to measure success, thereby enhancing successful delivery of a project by prioritizing limited resources on the criteria related factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The case studies of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and India presented in this paper support the author's contention that a country's industrialization strategy for economic development profoundly influences its industrial relations (IR) and human resources (HR) policy goals. The author finds that import substitution industrialization was associated with IR/HR policy goals of pluralism and stability, while a low-cost export-oriented industrialization strategy was associated with IR/FIR policy goals of cost containment and union suppression. In countries that moved from a low-cost export-oriented strategy to a higher value added export-oriented strategy, the focus of IR/HR policy goals shifted from cost containment to work force flexibility and skills development. The four countries diverged, however, in the specific institutions and arrangements they adopted to meet national IR/HR policy goals, due to different political choices made by dominant actors and different institutional industrial relations histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) were carried out in the State of Sabah in response to the Vaccine Derived Poliovirus outbreak declared in December 2019. Prior to this, Malaysia had been polio-free over the past 27 years. This paper reported on the successful implementation of SIAs in the district of Penampang, Sabah, adapting (vaccine administration) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A series of meticulous planning, healthcare staff training, advocacy, and community engagement activities were conducted by the Penampang District Health Office. Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) and monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine were administered over the period of 1 year via these methods: house to house, drive-through, static, and mobile posts. The targeted group was 22 096 children aged 13 years and below. Results: Polio SIAs in Penampang managed to achieve more than 90% coverage for both bOPV and mOPV. The overall vaccine wastage was reported to be 1.63%. No major adverse reaction was reported. Conclusion: High vaccine uptake during Polio SIAs in Penampang was attributed to good inter-agency collaboration, community engagement, intensified health promotion activities, and drive-through vaccination campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current suicide risk assessments for predicting suicide attempts are time consuming, of low predictive value and have inadequate reliability. This paper aims to develop a predictive model for suicide attempts among patients with depression using machine learning algorithms as well as presents a comparative study on single predictive models with ensemble predictive models for differentiating depressed patients with suicide attempts from non-suicide attempters. We applied and trained eight different machine learning algorithms using a dataset that consists of 75 patients diagnosed with a depressive disorder. A recursive feature elimination was used to reduce the features via three-fold cross validation. An ensemble predictive models outperformed the single predictive models. Voting and bagging revealed the highest accuracy of 92% compared to other machine learning algorithms. Our findings indicate that history of suicide attempt, religion, race, suicide ideation and severity of clinical depression are useful factors for prediction of suicide attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of construction management, Social Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) have long been overlooked. However, SIPs are one of the main criteria for enhancing economic productivity. This paper analyses the results of a survey aiming to develop a framework for SIP success factors to enhance the likelihood of success in the provision of SIPs in Malaysia. The principal component analysis reduces a set of 41 project success factors to six dimensions based on the idea of the project life cycle, i.e., the preconstruction factor, the construction factor and postconstruction factor, and three internal factors: the organizational factor, the information management factor, and the change management factor. Understanding these success factors could be crucial in managing SIPs, since it will allow project stakeholders to take precautionary steps to identify foreseeable problems and areas for improvement. This will increase the success rate of the project and could even help avoid problems completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibiofilm and antimicrobial properties of tropical honey types including Malaysian stingless bee honey remain explicitly unexplored when compared with Apies honey. The antibiofilm and antimicrobial activities of the Malaysian Trigona honey were characterized with two stinging bee honey types (Centaurea hyalolepis and Citrus honeys) from Jordan. The antibiofilm and antimicrobial investigations were conducted on a set of seven microbial strains; five bacterial species of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, and two fungal strains Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Candida krusei ATCC 14243. The antimicrobial investigations revealed a broad spectrum activity for Trigona honey against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and fungal strains over the two honey types. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference (p < 0.001) in the zone of inhibition ranging from 9 to 25 mm and minimum inhibition activity (MIC) ranged from 9.4–29.6% (w/v) against the microbial strains. Moreover, the addition of honey to established biofilms has induced a degradation activity in the biofilm mass. Two-way ANOVA showed a significant biofilm degradation proportion (p < 0.001) ranging from 1.3% to 91.3% following treatment with Trigona honey and the other honey types in relevance to the concentration ranging from 10% to 50% (w/v). Moreover, the antibiofilm activity was highly consistent with MIC affecting bacterial growth inhibition. In conclusion, a robust antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity for Trigona stingless bee honey over the stinging bee Centaurea hyalolepis and Citrus honeys is noticed which endows the usage of Trigona honey in the antimicrobial industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the rationale by which mainland Chinese firms choose their coalition partners in their Malaysian ventures. I explore how, under certain political economic conditions, such cross-border investment and corporate tie-ups can be shaped to meet the Malaysian state's objectives. I argue that the Malaysian state has enjoyed success in the construction sector by nurturing cooperation between its carefully groomed government-linked companies and mainland Chinese firms. Government-linked companies are useful coalition partners for the mainland Chinese firms because of the crucial role the state plays in creating a largely non-competitive industry that favours government-linked companies. Outside of the construction sector, however, the state has enjoyed markedly less success in fostering cooperation between the mainland Chinese firms and the government-linked companies. Consequently, the mainland Chinese firms possess more bargaining power vis-à-vis the state when they invest in these sectors, enjoying considerable autonomy in the selection of their coalition partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media codes of ethics comprise principles of ethics and good practice. Though media codes may vary from country to country, the global media and communication profession is guided by principles that share many common values for the simple reason that many social and individual values are universal. In the journalism profession, as an example, ethical practice would almost always revolve around universal values like accuracy, honesty, truth, objectivity and freedom. Though the Malaysian media adopt and practise many international principles, media practitioners have also to take cognizance of the socio-political sensitivities and sensibilities that shape and influence the workings and contents of the media. Qualitative interviews with media practitioners provide insights into how values and principles, both local and international, either go in tandem or clash and impact on media practices. This paper also studies the practicality and applicability of media codes in the face of rapidly-changing media values, contents and technology. The media occasionally violate ethical boundaries; however these are sometimes not perceived as digressions by media practitioners as media values and roles undergo a facelift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even in its cessation, the COVID-19 pandemic sustains its profound impact on human lives and on each sector of the global economy. Without exception, the dire consequences of curbing the spread of the virus' effects by restricting mobility and travel at its earliest inception had taken a toll on the tourism industry. In contrast to previous global health crises, the COVID-19 effect is the worst and most prolonged, where the livelihoods of many locals and local businesses struggle to rebuild after restrictions were lifted in the last few years, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study looks into the challenges faced by SMEs within the tourism industry and their preparedness for developing and deploying a crisis management strategy during the pandemic. Qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews with SMEs from the tourism sector were analysed, and the results suggest that a number of factors, as well as how they relate to one another in various crises, would need to be addressed in order to develop a crisis management strategy in an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first phase of the lockdown in Malaysia, the cinema has been the place which best exemplifies the implementation of the control order in the venue-based sectors. After almost 2 years of physical distancing and lifestyle changes, the authority attempted to bring a new form of "normal life" to its residents. Such a decision witnessed more economic sectors were permitted to reopen, cinema among them. This study employed a mixed-method approach which aims to identify the emerging factors which inform about Malaysian audiences' perception of cinema-going in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the audiences with the help of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as this theory claims that people are more likely to act in a certain way if they feel certain behaviors will lead to specific results that are in keeping with their values. This study identified the attitude toward cinema reopening and readiness toward visiting cinema are able to significantly predict all the related factors of cinemagoers' willingness in the post COVID-19 era. The results informed on the concerns of their family members, friends, and those with whom they have regular physical contact have become the agent of decision-making in terms of cinema-going. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's fast-paced ICT-driven world, understanding the factors influencing the effectiveness of online teaching and learning is paramount, especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO) when physical educational activities are restricted. Assessing the efficacy of undergraduate students under these circumstances can be particularly challenging, and the resulting conclusions may vary depending on the context. Consequently, this study is driven by three primary objectives. Firstly, this study seeks to employ factor analysis as a robust method for validating the selected online teaching and learning instruments. Secondly, it endeavors to categorize the survey instruments into distinct core variables using Principal Axis Factor analysis. Additionally, the study aims to harness multiple regression analysis to uncover the factors influencing the efficiency of online teaching and learning. To achieve these objectives, an online questionnaire was administered to 107 students enrolled in a university in Malaysia. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that lecturer roles and student attitudes have significant positive relationships with the success of online teaching and learning. In contrast, flexibility exhibited a significant but inverse association. Despite the global transition into the endemic phase of COVID-19, this study aspires to furnish valuable insights for lecturers, students, and university administrators regarding the ongoing practices of online teaching and learning. Ultimately, these insights can empower policymakers to formulate optimal strategies thereby benefiting all stakeholders involved. In conclusion, this study acknowledges its limitations and offers recommendations for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In authoritarian systems, ethnic power-sharing arrangements include important ethnic groups in government and decision-making while putting restraints on political competition. However, under conditions of democratization, we might expect power-sharing arrangements to fragment as political parties seize opportunities to expand their base and appeal across ethnic lines. This article draws from the case of Malaysia, where multiethnic coalitions built around ethnic parties ruled for 61 years but where increasing electoral competitiveness has destabilized coalition politics. I focus on the Democratic Action Party (DAP), one of the country’s most successful parties, which has sought to build a more multiethnic support base. I show that its attempts have been stymied by enduring norms of ethnically informed coalition building and efforts to protect existing ethnic bases by both rivals and allies. The findings shed light on the barriers to ethnic party adaptation and on why power-sharing practices remain so enduring, even in more fluid and democratic political environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries may utilize a long coastline in relation to their landmass as a resource to develop their maritime economy. This paper argues that ASEAN countries differ in utilizing their maritime potential. As a basis for further comparative studies the Center for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS) in Penang developed a set of indicators to measure the maritime potential of nations, the state of their maritime industries, and the degree to which the maritime potential has actually been utilized. Using the CenPRIS Ocean Index (COI) shows that Brunei and the Philippines have underutilized their maritime potentials, whereas Singapore and Thailand have made full use of it. Malaysia still has the potential to further develop its maritime economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital supply chains and smart technology on the operational performance of the manufacturing industry. Due to the lack of knowledge and guidance in this area, the adoption of smart technology throughout the supply chain is limited, leading to poor operational performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how smart technology and digital supply chain transformation can improve operational performance. To test hypotheses and accomplish study goals, the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory was combined with a quantitative research strategy. The study population of companies was obtained from a manufacturing directory, and a minimum sample size of 107 companies was determined using G*Power. Additionally, 600 online surveys were sent to the manufacturing companies, resulting in a response rate of 17.83%. Data analysis was conducted using Smart-PLS 4.0 software, and eight of the 10 hypotheses were supported. The findings showed that smart technologies completely mediate the link between digital transformation and relationship performance, emphasizing the need for manufacturing organizations to focus on incorporating smart technology into their supply chain to enhance operational performance. The study concludes by presenting theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although participation in paid work improves women's quality of life and well-being, the health benefits decline for women with young children. Implementing family-friendly work conditions is one strategy for improving working women's well-being, especially those with competing unpaid work responsibilities. Objective: This study investigated the extent to which accessibility and use of 11 specific family-friendly work conditions were associated with physical health, anxiety and depression in Malaysian women with young children. Design: A cross-sectional design using a retrospective self-complete, anonymous, online survey was conducted between March and October 2021. Methods: Women with a child aged 5 years or less (N = 190) completed an online survey measuring their exposure (availability and use) to 11 specific family-friendly work conditions, and their physical health, anxiety, and depression. The sample included women who were currently and recently working and with both formal and informal employment. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, women who used paid maternity leave have a lower likelihood of having anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: Future research is needed to extend the findings from this study by over-sampling women who are informally employed and not currently working. Policy creation and development processes, including research and decision-making, should be led by and inclusive of women. For example, research funding could be allocated to 'lived experience' research that privileges the co-design of research with consumers. Based on these findings, the extent to which family-friendly work conditions fulfill their intent to improve the well-being for working women requires further critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is an established minimally invasive method for the diagnosis of benign and malignant conditions. Continuous efforts are underway to improve the material adequacy of EBUS-TBNA, including the introduction of a new technique called EBUS-guided transbronchial nodal cryobiopsy (EBUS-TBNC). This method allows for the retrieval of larger and well-preserved histologic samples from the mediastinum. We present a case series of four patients who underwent combined EBUS-TBNA and EBUS-TBNC procedures in our centre. All procedures were performed under general anaesthesia using a convex probe EBUS scope (Pentax EB-1970UK). Two patients were diagnosed with malignancy and two with benign disorders (silicosis and tuberculosis). In the malignant cases, both EBUS-TBNA/cell block and cryobiopsy provided a diagnosis but cryobiopsy yielded more material for ancillary tests in one patient. However, in the benign cases, there was discordance between EBUS-TBNA/cell block and cryobiopsy. Only cryobiopsy detected granuloma in the patient with TB (tuberculosis), and in the patient with silicosis, TBNC provided a better overall histological evaluation, leading to a definitive diagnosis. No complications were observed. This case series supports the potential diagnostic value of combining EBUS-TBNA and EBUS-TBNC, particularly in benign mediastinal lesions (granulomatous diseases), and in cases requiring additional molecular tests in cancer diagnosis. Plain language summary: Exploring a new lymph node biopsy technique: case series from Sabah, Malaysia We explored a new technique for lung diagnosis called EBUS-guided transbronchial nodal cryobiopsy (EBUS-TBNC). This method helps get larger and well-preserved tissue samples from the chest area. In our study, we used this technique on four patients alongside the established method called EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). All procedures were done with the patient under general anesthesia using a specific type of scope. Two patients were found to have cancer, and two had non-cancerous conditions (silicosis and tuberculosis). In the cancer cases, both methods provided a diagnosis, but the cryobiopsy gave more material for additional tests in one patient. However, in non-cancer cases, there were differences between the two methods. Only the cryobiopsy detected granulomas in the tuberculosis patient, and in the silicosis patient, cryobiopsy gave a better overall tissue evaluation, leading to a clear diagnosis. No complications were seen in any of the cases. This study suggests that combining EBUS-TBNA and EBUS-TBNC can be valuable, especially for non-cancerous chest lesions (like granulomatous diseases) and when extra tests are needed for cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 28 April 2012, 'Bersih 3.0', a rally calling for freer and fairer elections estimated that 250, 000 people gathered to support its cause. Government controlled newspapers the New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia accused this rally attended by 20, 000 demonstrators as a plot to destabilise and overthrow the ruling coalition through chaos and disorder. Online news portals Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider however reported that the rally attended by 150,000 demonstrators began peacefully but ended chaotically as demonstrators, journalists and police personnel were attacked and manhandled. While the conflicting reports of Bersih 3.0 and other news reports unpublished by the state controlled media through the new media suggests political dissent and possible media liberalisation, it does not necessarily mean that press freedom is well and alive. It however marks the beginning of a larger movement in cyberspace that threatens the hegemony of the ruling coalition. This paper examines the proliferation of the new media within the political economic structure of the Malaysian society and media; selected representations and messages in the old and new media; and whether the strategies and if representations in the new media are counter hegemonic tools capable of creating space for diverse voices, dissent and transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate healthcare practitioner behaviour in adopting Health Information Systems which could affect patients' safety and quality of health. A qualitative study was conducted based on a semi-structured interview protocol on 31 medical doctors in three Malaysian government hospitals implementing the Total Hospital Information Systems. The period of study was between March and May 2015. A thematic qualitative analysis was performed on the resultant data to categorize them into relevant themes. Four themes emerged as healthcare practitioners' behaviours that influence the unsafe use of Hospital Information Systems. The themes include (1) carelessness, (2) workarounds, (3) noncompliance to procedure, and (4) copy and paste habit. By addressing these behaviours, the hospital management could further improve patient safety and the quality of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that there are four conditions that create a conducive political climate allowing civil society and the media to hold the government accountable during the time of pandemic (2020–2021) i.e., the diagonal accountability: 1) the undemocratic formation of the Muhyiddin Yassin's government that lacked public mandate, which in turn made the government unstable and prone to political pressures; 2) the relative freedom of print and online media in reporting negative news concerning the government; 3) civil society's ability to find creative ways around pandemic restrictions to protest; and 4) socio-economic fallout from strict pandemic measures built up public resentment against the government and contributed to its unpopularity. Analyzed through the lens of political process model, and augmented by interviews with protest participants, the four conditions enable civil society and media to take advantage of the unstable political situation, namely in carving up democratic spaces amidst various restrictions imposed by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, media bias has always been a hot debated issue. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition often portrays itself as an advocate of press freedom while the masses often feel otherwise as media organisations are either directly or indirectly owned by component parties of the Barisan Nasional. Readers therefore commonly accuse these organisations of practising media control although the latter often maintains that they are free from external factors or from governmental control. Till date, researches about media biasness have only studied the effects of media biasness on corporate reputations but not about the factors associated to such biasness and are often done within Western contexts. This paper fills these gaps by examining the links between the personal interest of a journalist and their level of compliance with the National Union of Journalists’ Code of Conduct, audience pressure, political interests, and the biasness of business news reporting in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an antithesis of "authoritarian enclave" which has been wellestablished in the comparative politics literature, "democratic enclave" points to the institution of a state or the unambiguous regulatory space in society "where the authoritarian regime's writ is substantively limited and is replaced by an adherence to recognizably democratic norms and procedures" (Gilley 2010). In this sense, the Internet space, embodied by information and communication technologies, has great potential to play such a role, since its "inherited" properties of decentralization and anonymity would inevitably breach the authoritarian rules. However, a closer look at three Southeast Asian states, Malaysia, Singapore and the "New Order" Indonesia whose regimes were characterized by authoritarianism when Internet was initially developed, reveals different trajectories. In the "New Order" Indonesia and Malaysia, the governments consciously left the Internet space uncontrolled; the online media developed independently, vibrantly, and professionally, especially in the Malaysian case; and there were strong connections between online and offline contentious politics. These elements made the Internet space in Indonesia and Malaysia a successful case of democratic enclave. Based on these criteria, however, the Internet space in Singapore has not achieved similar status. This paper analyses the different outcomes of enclave creation on the cyberspace among these countries. It argues that elite conflict and the strength of civil society are the two major factors that shape the differences. In this sense, the political contexts are of great importance for the understanding of Internet's political impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of Malaysia's general election held on 8 March 2008 was nothing short of monumental. By winning five state legislatures and denying the incumbent governing coalition its hitherto routine two-thirds parliamentary majority, the performance of the opposition, swayed by the contribution of the new media, raised hopes that Malaysian politics had turned a corner. Following the elections, the popular discursive terrain in Malaysia was awash with talk of a "new politics" that had emerged, and that transcended the traditional narratives of race, religion, and communalism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the veracity of these claims in relation to the nature and conduct of politics in Malaysia. It argues that, three years after the 2008 elections, the communal narrative remains as forceful a factor in Malaysian politics despite the presence of a multi-ethnic opposition coalition and the hope engendered by the emergence of the new media as an equalizing factor that has eroded the incumbent's traditional hegemonic control over information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading theories of transitions from single-party dominant systems begin with economic crisis, the party's loss of patronage resources, and elite-level defections. The multiparty elections that are then held exert no independent effect, but instead register neutrally the party's decline and the democratization of politics. This paper, however, shifts attention from the dominant party to citizens and elections in non-crisis conditions. It argues that on key dimensions citizens assess the dominant party's legitimacy or worthiness of support. Further, where they grow critical of its policy outputs, they scrutinize more closely its conformity to procedures. And as they anticipate that their voting preferences will be thwarted by electoral manipulations, they vote in protest, perhaps producing a "liberalizing electoral outcome." Elections, then, do not simply indicate the dominant party's decline. By deepening alienation, they help citizens to cause it. Analysis is set in Malaysia, long an exemplar of single-party dominance, but recently a case in which the government was dealt a striking electoral setback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though many religiosity scales originally developed for use with Judeo-Christian populations have been adapted for use with Muslim populations (Spilka et al. 2003), no known scales developed for Muslims have been adapted for use by non-Muslim adherents. In an attempt to measure religiosity of Malaysian youth across four faith communities (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians), researchers required the use of an instrument that would be universally applicable and accepted. The Religious Personality subscale of the Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory (MRPI) (Krauss et al. 2006) was selected. The current paper set out to report on the process and results of scale adaptation. Psychometric results indicate that the scale is reliable, valid and relevant for use with multiple faith groups. Concerns about social desirability in relation to the religiosity scale are also considered. The study also highlights the need for more formal research on religiosity among non-Muslim faith groups in Malaysia as most of the formal research to date has been conducted on Muslim Malays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual art is a fast-expanding field in Malaysia, especially on the development and exploration of visual appearances in visual artworks. Based on the researchers' observation, research which are focused on producing guidelines for rules and regulations in visual art from the Islamic perspective are scarce. In all, there is only one reference that is relevant to guidelines for visual art which was produced in 1987; no improvement is implemented since then. Moreover, the guideline covers matters pertaining visual appearance in general. For this paperwork, the objective is to produce a checklist for two-dimensional visual appearance in Malaysian Visual Art. Hermeneutic intrinsic case study is the research design applied and the researchers utilize systematic review approach as well as information from interviews with experts to learn about the practices in visual appearance in the current context. Results from both types of data are analyzed using the triangulation method to produce a twodimensional visual appearance checklist. This checklist will be used in collecting Islamic Shariah perspectives with regards to current situations in visual art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines asymmetric and the lag effects of oil price, gas price, and exchange rate on stock performance of the Malaysian oil and gas sub-industries. Using company-level data and multi factor asset pricing models, this study found that oil price, gas price, exchange rate, and common systematic risk factors such as market, size, and book-to-market have significant effects on the stock performance of Malaysian oil and gas sub-industries, but these exposures remain heterogeneous. Oil price and exchange rate show strong asymmetrical impacts on stock performance when decomposed into oil price increases (decreases) and exchange rate depreciation (appreciation). Increases in oil price and exchange rate depreciation have a greater impact on stock performance of oil and gas industry than decreases in oil price and exchange rate appreciation. Oil price, gas price, and exchange rate exhibit lag effects on the performance of oil and gas stocks. The findings have important asset pricing implications for profitable investment and portfolio strategies based on oil and gas risk factors for oil-exporting country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although some studies have posited that sectoral growth could influence environmental pollution through energy consumption, the issue has not been explicitly and empirically investigated in the carbon-neutrality literature. Hence, this analysis fills the gap in the extant literature by employing the interaction models to ascertain the moderating role of energy consumption on the environmental impacts of the industrial, agricultural, financial, and service sectors in Malaysia. It also analyzes the marginal effects of sectoral growth on environmental pollution (i.e., ecological footprint and carbon emissions) at various levels of energy consumption. The Autoregressive Distributed lag technique utilized in this study found that the variables are cointegrated. The empirical estimations reveal that energy consumption plays a harmful moderating role on the impacts of the industrial and financial sectors on environmental pollution but does not aggravate the environmental impacts of the agricultural and service sectors. Besides, the marginal effects of the industrial and financial sectors on environmental pollution increase as the level of energy consumption rises in Malaysia. Based on the findings, this study highlights the policy implications and options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysian manufacturing firms play an important role in the country's social and economic development. However, the industry faces challenges in productivity and competitiveness due to rapid globalization and economic instabilities affecting countries worldwide. To address these challenges, technological capability has become an essential requirement for a firm's technological progress to remain sustainable and competitive. This study aims to identify factors that influence the technological capability of food manufacturing firms by using a questionnaire. Using IBM SPSS Statistics 27, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to examine the dataset obtained from the survey and analyze the factors that contribute to a firm's technological capability. Overall, firms are influenced by knowledge management, organizational learning, and organizational innovation in their technological capability development. By understanding these factors, firms can develop their technological capability and further improve their productivity, ultimately achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal depression may affect child feeding practices and growth. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between child feeding practices and current maternal depression with malnutrition among young children in a rural community. Methods: This is a case–control study consisting of 52 Malay mothers of malnourished children (case) and 50 Malay mothers of well-nourished children (control) in Kuala Langat, Selangor, Malaysia. Structured questionnaires on child feeding practices and Beck Depression Inventory: Second Edition questionnaire were distributed to mothers. Results: Depressed mothers stopped exclusive breastfeeding (2.8 ± 2.1 months) earlier than non-depressed mothers (3.7 ± 2.0 months; p = 0.045). Binary logistic regression analysis showed current maternal depression was a primary contributor associated with risk of malnutrition in children (adjusted odds ratio: 2.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–6.09), and followed by the number of children (adjusted odds ratio: 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.77). Conclusion: Mothers who experienced depression were twice as likely to have malnourished children. Each additional child in the family will increase the risk of malnutrition by 1.3 times. Maternal depression is associated with child feeding practices and malnutrition among young children in the studied population. Preliminary screening to identify depression symptoms should be conducted to all mothers as early as the first trimester to prevent the incidence of malnutrition in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies showed that Malaysians possess low financial literacy. Consequently, bankruptcy cases among young adults in Malaysia are rising. The government and its relevant institutions, that is, credit counseling and debt management agency, provide different training and awareness programs to minimize the bankruptcy rates. Muslims are among the majority that declared bankruptcy; hence, Islamic financial literacy (IFL) may have a considerable role to minimize bankruptcy cases by changing the attitudes and behaviors of debtors. Furthermore, studying IFL is pertinent to Malaysia because it is a Muslim-majority country with the leading Islamic banking market in the world. Therefore, this study aims to construct the theory of IFL from the sources of the Shariah and examines whether it is suitable to implement IFL in different financial awareness programs in Malaysia. The study concludes that IFL provides a comprehensive guideline for borrowers, lenders, financial institutions, and society to reduce bankruptcy. Furthermore, findings from the field study confirmed that IFL could be used in Malaysia to raise awareness among the related parties. This is a qualitative study that employed an inductive and deductive approach to review the sources of the Shariah to come out with Shariah rulings. Furthermore, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with the officials of related government bodies and agencies. It is expected that the outcome would have a direct implication on the policymakers and loaning institutions in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptocarya densiflora Blume (Lauraceae) is an evergreen tree widely distributed throughout the hills and mountain forests up to 1500 m in Malaysia and Indonesia. The plant has been reported to contain phenanthroindolizidine-type of alkaloids. In the present work, a new phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid named (R)-13a α -densiindolizidine, was isolated from the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of the leaves. The structure of the alkaloid was established based on 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-ion trap-time of flight (LCMS-IT-TOF) analysis. (R)-13a α -densiindolizidine displayed binding interactions with crucial amino acid residues in the active sites of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Mpro (SARS-CoV-2 Mpro) and RNA-dependent protease (RdRp) in silico, whilst fulfilling the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) criteria and Lipinsky's rule, thus revealing its potential as a lead compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One the largest cases of kleptocracy is attributed to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal involving the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak. As a result of the pressure to pay the debt, Najib signed multiple inflated infrastructure loans from China in 2016. This study analyses the manipulation of Public Service Bargains as a critical variable influencing the foreign loan decision-making of the kleptocrat leader. It concludes that Najib's manipulation strategies transformed the established Trustee-type to kleptocratic-type bargains in Malaysia's foreign loan decision-making process. The post-Najib's restoration of Trustee-type bargains under the new Malaysian government, followed by a series of successful renegotiations with China, attest to the significance of the Public Service Bargains system on the foreign loan decision-making process. This analysis also contributes to the wider discussion on the critical side of China's Belt and Road Initiative amidst a global call for good governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are reports documenting the volatile oils of several durian cultivars in Malaysia. However, there is limited information on the rapid discrimination of the durian cultivars based on the composition of the total volatiles and individual volatile compounds. Thus, the present work aims to discriminate 11 Malaysian durian cultivars based on their volatile compositions using multivariate data analysis. Sulfur-containing volatiles are the major volatiles in D175 (Udang Merah), D88 (Darling), D13 (Golden Bun), DXO (D24 Special), D17 (Green Bamboo), D2 (Dato Nina), and D168 (Hajah Hasmah) durian cultivars, while esters are predominant in D99 (Kop Kecil), D24 (Bukit Merah), and D160 (Musang Queen) durian cultivars. D197 (Musang King) cultivar has an almost equal composition of sulfur-containing volatiles and esters. In the ester predominated volatile durian oil, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate and propyl 2-methylbutanoate are the major volatile compounds, while the durian cultivars with predominant sulfur-containing volatiles mainly contain diethyl disulfide, diethyl trisulfide, and 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane. The durian cultivars were clustered into 8 clusters using principal component analysis, with 3 clusters consisting of 2 cultivars, and with the remaining cultivars clustered individually. The highly sought-after durian cultivars, D160 and D197, were clustered into one. Hierarchal clustering analysis identified the distinct compounds which discriminate every durian cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This research aimed to model the outbreak of COVID-19 in Malaysia and develop a GUI-based model. Design and methods: The model is an improvement of the susceptible, infected, recovery, and death (SIRD) compartmental model. The epidemiological parameters of the infection, recovery, and death rates were formulated as time dependent piecewise functions by incorporating the control measures of lockdown, social distancing, quarantine, lockdown lifting time and the percentage of people who abide by the rules. An improved SIRD model was solved via the 4th order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method and 14 unknown parameters were estimated by using Nelder-Mead algorithm and pattern-search technique. The publicly available data for COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia was used to validate the performance of the model. The GUI-based SIRD model was developed to simulate the number of active cases of COVID-19 over time by considering movement control order (MCO) lifted date and the percentage of people who abide the rules. Results: The simulator showed that the improved SIRD model adequately fitted Malaysia COVID-19 data indicated by low values of root mean square error (RMSE) as compared to other existing models. The higher the percentage of people following the SOP, the lower the spread of disease. Another key point is that the later the lifting time after the lockdown, the lower the spread of disease. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of the society to obey the intervention measures in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses reforms in the public sectors of Malaysia. The article discusses the nature of these reforms between 1981 and 2005, good governance and the paradox of public sector reforms, and evaluates that kinds of reform that have taken place and the nature of why those reforms were implemented. Areas of reform discussed in the article include procedural matters, personnel management, financial and budgetary issues, public integrity and accountability, and ICT and electronic service delivery.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitude toward medication error (ME) among pharmacists working in public health care institutions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working in public health care institutions. Respondents were randomly recruited from 5 hospitals and 25 primary healthcare clinics in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. A set of self-administered questionnaires was used to assess their knowledge and attitude, distributed as a web-based survey. Knowledge and attitude toward ME reporting were assessed using five-point Likert-scale. This study was conducted between May and July 2019. Results: A total of 186 respondents participated in the study. A majority of respondents were female (n = 144). About 90% of the respondents had good score on knowledge on ME. Only 25.4% of the respondents had favorable attitude toward ME reporting. Female pharmacists (P =.001), more experienced pharmacists (P =.012) and those working in primary health clinics (P =.014) were associated with more favorable attitude. Knowledge did not correlate well with attitude toward ME reporting (r = 0.08, P =.29). Conclusion: Despite having good knowledge on ME, the attitude toward ME reporting was still very poor among the pharmacists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the practice of state-operated fact-checking websites in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is the first empirical study of governmental news corrections in Southeast Asia and covers more than 2,700 official posts published by Malaysia's Sebenarnya.my, Singapore's Factually, and Thailand's Anti-Fake News Center. It finds that correction practices across the sites mainly function to sustain the salience of a supposedly constant and omnipresent fake news threat. Assuming an important role in strategic political communication, official fact checks accompany domestic fake news discourses that prepare the ground for restrictive legislation. At the same time, the analysis did not reveal any propagandistic abuse as the sites refrained from excessively defending governments and accusing political opponents. This finding is qualified regarding Singapore's Factually that recently changed its approach towards targeting government critics personally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists have long sought to understand what Islamic banking is. This study seeks to answer this question by exploring the neoliberalisation process of Islamic banking policies in Malaysia and identifying policymakers' logic behind this process. For this purpose, this study conducted interviews with actors associated with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the central bank of Malaysia. The findings demonstrate that, in the neoliberal era, BNM quietly and continuously pursued the goal of preferably giving economic opportunities to Malay Muslims by establishing institutional mechanisms rather than by offering preferential treatment in a straightforward manner. The Shariah nature of Islamic banking served to conceal this goal from the public. I define Islamic banking as an ethno-political tool rather than simply as a religious economy and contend that the philosophy of Islamic banking as a moral economy conceals an agenda of protecting Malay interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, no studies have been published at evaluating the level of knowledge, awareness and practice of dietary, particularly regarding to urolithiasis in patients or the general population. This study aims to provide basic information on the level of knowledge, awareness and dietary practice among general population in Kuantan, Pahang. Design and Methods: The respondents (n=30) were conveniently recruited within 10 kilometers radius of Kuantan city. The data were obtained using semi-guided administered questionnaires, which consists of four parts: socio-demographic data, lifestyle and clinical history (Part A); attitude and awareness on dietary practice regarding urolithiasis (Part B); food frequency questionnaire on urolithiasis (Part C) and level of knowledge on urolithiasis (Part D). Results: Majority of the respondents were women (70%), Malay (83.3%), mean age of 33.97 (±9.27), married (63.3%), completed higher education level (60%), working with government sector (33.3%) and have fixed monthly income (53.3%). Some of them had hypertension (n=4), diabetes (n=1), gout (n=1) and intestinal problem (n=1). Majority (80%) claimed having no family history of urolithiasis, consumed alcohol (10%), exercise with average frequency 2-3 times/week (46.7%) and heard about urolithiasis from healthcare worker (46.7%). The respondents’ awareness about urolithiasis is considered to be good [81.23 (±9.98)] but having poor knowledge score [2.70 (±1.149)]. Majority preferred whole meal bread, white rice, chicken meat, mackerel fish, chicken egg, apple, carrot, mustard leave and fresh milk in daily intake. Lesser plain water intake than standard requirement was noticed among respondents. Seasoning powder was commonly used for seasoning. Conclusions: Generally, the general population of Kuantan, Pahang was aware of urolithiasis disease but needed more information on dietary aspect in terms of knowledge and food choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hyperargininemia due to Arginase 1 deficiency is a rare inborn error of the urea cycle with an incidence estimated at 1:950 000. It has typical severe and progressive abnormal neurological features with biochemical findings of hyperargininemia and hyperexcretion of orotic acid. The aim of our study is to review the clinical and biochemical presentations of 4 children diagnosed with Arginase 1 deficiency in Malaysia and compare with the literature review. Design and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 4 patients with molecularly confirmed Arginase 1 deficiency. Patients were identified from a selective high-risk screening of 51 682 symptomatic patients from January 2006 to December 2020. Results: Our patients exhibited heterogeneous clinical presentations with acute and progressive neurological abnormalities and varying degrees of plasma arginine and urine orotic acid excretions. Interestingly, an unusual hyperexcretion of homocitrulline was found in 3 patients. Conclusions: Hyperargininemia due to Arginase 1 deficiency can present acutely and hyperexcretion of homocitrulline can be an additional biochemical feature of Arginase 1 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) experience higher level of stress and are at greater risk of developing mental health problems such as depression which could potentially affect both quality of life and treatment outcomes. This cross-sectional study is aimed at understanding the relationship between psychosocial factors such as social support, coping, and depression among patients receiving MMT in a Malaysian Hospital. Methods: One hundred and ninety-six patients attending MMT program were recruited. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depression, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to assess participants' perceived social support, and the Brief COPE questionnaire was used to assess coping strategies. The diagnosis of depression was made using Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results: About 13.8% of our sample were diagnosed with depression. From our analysis, it was found that having higher levels of perceived social support (OR = 0.462, 95% CI 0.238-0.899, P <.05), the use of active and emotion focused coping mechanism (OR = 0.231, 95% CI 0.095-0.565, P <.005), and support seeking and self-distraction coping mechanism (OR = 0.196, 95% CI 0.074-0.521, P <.001) was associated with lower likelihood of depression. On the contrary, the use of dysfunctional coping strategies such as denial, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame was associated with increased likelihood of depression (OR = 9.384, 95% CI 3.081-28.581, P <.001). Conclusion: Active and emotion focused along with support and self-distraction coping strategies, and higher levels of perceived social support may serve as a buffer against depression in patients receiving MMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency. This study was carried out to determine the etiologies of cardiac tamponade and review the management and outcomes. Methods We retrospectively analysed case records of patients who underwent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade during the two consecutive years (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019) at Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail, Batu Pahat, in Johor, Malaysia. Results There were ten patients (eight males, two females; age range 20 to 70 years old, mean age 36 years old) who underwent pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade during the said period. Malignancy (40%), tuberculosis (30%), idiopathic (20%), and bacterial (10%) were among the common causes of the pericardial effusion in this center. The commonest symptoms were breathlessness (90%), chest pain (60%), cough (50%), and unexplained fever (20%). Pulsus paradoxus was the most specific sign (100%) for the presence of echocardiographic feature of cardiac tamponade. Two of the patients with tuberculous pericarditis had retroviral disease; one patient had bacterial pericarditis due to salmonella typhi. Conclusion This study has confirmed that there are many etiologies and presentation of cardiac tamponade; clinicians should be alert as urgent pericardiocentesis is lifesaving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]