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This study aims to explore the relationships among leisure, heritage, and identity through the case study of Malaysian Chinese 24 Festive Drums Performance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 respondents who were members of the Chinese diaspora from Malaysia currently studying in China and practising 24 Festive Drums as their leisure activity. The findings showed that the three components are interrelated: (a) as identity carrier, heritage confirmed identity, while identity helped to spread the heritage; (b) identity served as a motivation for leisure, which in turn increased leisure participation and strengthened identity; (c) heritage was promoted as leisure practice, which further developed as serious leisure. This study has theoretical contributions in developing a triangular model of interrelationships between leisure, heritage, and identity. Furthermore, practical implications were discussed on demonstrating the potential of the role of leisure in heritage promotion and identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prevention of enteral feeding interruption (EFI) improves clinical outcomes of critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This leads to shorter ICU stays and thereby lowers healthcare costs. This study compared the cost of early use of semi‐elemental formula (SEF) in ICU vs standard polymeric formula (SPF) under the Ministry of Health (MOH) system in Malaysia. Methods: A decision tree model was developed based on literature and expert inputs. An epidemiological projection model was then added to the decision tree to calculate the target population size. The budget impact of adapting the different enteral nutrition (EN) formulas was calculated by multiplying the population size with the costs of the formula and ICU length of stay (LOS). A one‐way sensitivity analysis (OWSA) was conducted to examine the effect each input parameter has on the calculated output. Results: Replacing SPF with SEF would lower ICU cost by MYR 1059 (USD 216) per patient. The additional cost of increased LOS due to EFI was MYR 5460 (USD 1114) per patient. If the MOH replaces SPF with SEF for ICU patients with high EFI risk (estimated 7981 patients in 2022), an annual net cost reduction of MYR 8.4 million (USD 1.7 million) could potentially be realized in the MOH system. The cost‐reduction finding of replacing SPF with SEF remained unchanged despite the input uncertainties assessed via OWSA. Conclusion: Early use of SEF in ICU patients with high EFI risk could potentially lower the cost of ICU care for the MOH system in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Learned helplessness (LH) is related to adverse psychological and academic consequences such as absenteeism, depression, and academic procrastination. Although researchers have suggested the potential of Langerian mindfulness to reduce LH, the effectiveness of Langerian mindfulness remains open to date. An online experiment was completed to investigate the usefulness of Langerian mindfulness in reducing LH among 165 undergraduates in Malaysia. All participants were administered the unsolvable concept formation tasks to induce LH and the Learned Helplessness Scale for induction checking. Participants were then randomized into either the treatment group or the control group. The treatment group underwent a Langerian mindfulness practice, whereas the control group summarized a news article. Finally, all participants answered the Positive State Mindfulness Scale (PSMS) and 20 anagrams to measure the level of mindfulness and LH, respectively. Independent samples t-test results indicated that LH was induced successfully. Moreover, the treatment group scored significantly lower in the open-ended expectation dimension of the PSMS and scored significantly higher in anagrams (i.e., low LH) than the control group. The findings provided empirical support for the beneficial effect of Langerian mindfulness on decreasing LH and demonstrated the usability of Langerian mindfulness in the Malaysian context. Therefore, educators and practitioners are encouraged to employ Langerian mindfulness practice to help students alleviate their LH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing concerns on seafood safety issues have promoted transparency of the food supply chain. Tracking tools are essential for consumers to understand the origin of food processing and for suppliers to detect flaws when contamination occurs. Blockchain technology is widely used in supply chains as it allows multiple parties to input and retrieve transactions without worrying about credibility. Track and trace management requires blockchain technology to ensure data accuracy and transparency. The research objective is to develop a food management tool for traceability in the seafood supply chain. As the foundation of the traceability tool, blockchain technology gives a decentralised structure and ensures the immutability of data collected. Python was chosen as the programming language for constructing the traceability tool, and a web interface for suppliers was created to input seafood data. Consumers can browse the entire supply chain of consumer products through QR codes on food packaging. The protocol is validated by using the tuna fish case study to fortify the blockchain and ensure the credibility and reliability of the supply chain. Consumers no need to question about the accuracy of data and transparency during data operation. The contamination tracing is validated by tracing the affected supply chain of frozen shrimp transported from an aquafarm, Shrimp Farm S/B, to a few retail sellers. There were six single chains, combining to form a complicated supply chain in the case study of shrimp. Consumers can view entire multiple chains in the supply chain information, from fishing vessels to selling units. When contamination happens at certain block, the affected block in the whole supply chain will be identified. The traceability tool developed keeps track of the entire seafood supply chain and, if any contamination occurs, immediate action can be taken. Immediate action to call back the seafood batch is necessary to avoid further losses and keep humans from consuming contaminated seafood. Future research may include the variables that cause seafood contamination, including the chemical hazard in traceability tools that comply with HACCP standards to ensure product safety before entering subsequent stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined the barriers and facilitators to the provision of consumer medication information leaflets (CMIL) by community pharmacists in Malaysia and assessed the relationship between the participants' characteristics and provision of CMIL. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional self‐administered questionnaire survey conducted among pharmacists working in randomly selected community pharmacies in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and the State of Selangor, Malaysia. Multiple response analysis was conducted to examine the barriers and facilitators. Chi‐square test was used to assess the relationship between the participants' characteristics and provision of CMIL. IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 software was used for all statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Key findings: A total of 162 participants were involved in the study. Response rate was 77.5% (162 out of 209) and completion rate 100%. The two most frequently reported barriers to non‐provision of CMIL were because the customer has taken the medicine previously (29.4%) and the customer receives all the information they need verbally (20.0%). The two most frequently reported facilitators to the provision of CMIL were because the community pharmacists felt they have a duty of care to inform the customer about their medicine (16.3%) and the customer has a right to information about their medicine (15.6%). There was a significant association between the provision of CMIL and participants educational level (P = 0.005) and awareness of CMIL (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The key barriers to the provision of CMIL by the community pharmacists appeared to be related to attitudinal factors, while key facilitators appeared to be related to the professional obligations of the community pharmacists. Increased awareness and educational strategies would be important in improving the provision of CMIL by community pharmacists in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research describes Knowledge and Innovation Management (KIM) dimensions and processes that are practiced in corporations in Malaysia. Specifically, KIM dimensions and KIM processes were measured and their relationship towards company financial and non-financial performances were determined. Data was collected from 300 large corporations operating in Malaysia. The analyses suggest that KIM dimensions and KIM processes are significantly practiced by corporations and these constructs (KIM dimensions and processes) have significant impact towards firms' financial and non-financial performances. This paper raises awareness and provides empirical evidence for the systematic implementation of KIM in organization, which are vital for firm performance. As empirical studies that tests and validates KIM principles in corporations are rare, this research provides valuable insights into the critical role of KIM in organizations as well as paves path for further exploration in the field of organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a destructive chronic inflammatory disease with intra- and extra-articular manifestations. It is associated with accelerated formation of arteriosclerosis. The aim of this study was to ascertain the correlation between endothelial dysfunction using carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) levels among the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia: Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Methods: This crosssectional study included 23 females with RA belonging to three different ethnic groups who were free from cardiovascular risk factors. Blood sample was taken from each patient to measure serum TNF-a level, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Carotid ultrasonography was performed for cIMT analysis. The Disease Activity Score (DAS)-28 scoring system was used to assess disease activity. Results: Patients' median age and disease duration were 47 and 5 years, respectively. No thickened cIMT was found in any of the patients. The duration of disease, TNF-a level, cIMT, DAS-28 CRP, and DAS-28 ESR showed no significant correlations in the different ethnic groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that cIMT and serum TNF-a levels among females with RA in Malaysia may not be affected by ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To evaluate the adherence of medication safety information provided on over‐the‐counter (OTC) product labels and patient information leaflets (PILs) to the Malaysian and international regulatory guidelines. Methods: A total of 133 randomly sampled OTC medications (gastrointestinal = 31, pain = 36, skin = 35, coughs and colds = 31) from 17 community pharmacies located around Klang Valley, Malaysia were evaluated. The adherence of relevant safety information provided on the OTC product labels and PILs from the manufacturing companies to the Malaysian and international regulatory guidelines was evaluated. Results: The majority of the products (n = 81) were locally manufactured, followed by 34 products from the European region. About 31% (n = 41) of the sampled OTC products were sold without PILs. Overall, 98% of the labels adhered to all the criteria, but none of the PILs adhered to all the parameters. Information on action to be taken in the case of a missed dose (96%), advice on consulting a doctor/pharmacist for further information (92%) and disposal instructions (98%) were generally missing. Surprisingly, none of the PILs included the compulsory statement which is essential for adverse drug reaction reporting. In addition, only 30% of the studied PILs provided information on the date of revision. Overall, imported products had slightly better adherence compared to locally manufactured products. Conclusion: The safety information stated on the OTC products marketed in Malaysia has room for improvement to ensure safe and effective use of these products. A uniform format and collective effort is needed to ensure consumers receive adequate information about OTC products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the role of renewable energy (RE) penetration in Malaysia's energy security (ES) and its implications for the country's target of 20% capacity in the energy mix by 2025. Renewable energy (RE) is a critical driver of long-term energy security. In 2018, the share of renewable energy in Malaysia's energy mix was 9%, falling far short of the national target of 20% penetration by 2025. This study employs a system dynamics approach to investigate the relationship between RE penetration and correlated indicators from energy security (ES) dimensions: energy availability, environmental sustainability, and socio-economics. The causal relationships between the three-dimensional indicators of ES have been established using causal and stock and flow logic. Simulated results show that energy consumption has increased sharply, while energy efficiency and economic growth have only increased by a small margin with an increase in RE from 2015 to 2020. The energy intensity is expected to rise slightly by the end of the fifth year. As a result, the overall impact is positive for Malaysia's environmental sustainability while reducing its reliance on energy imports and meeting national economic growth demands. • 1. Increase in RE share improves pollution remediation. • 2. RE improves the short and long-term ES of a nation. • 3. Energy intensity, energy efficiency and growth in economic health is noticed. • 4. Reduces dependency on fossil fuels and promotes the use of alternatives such as biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proper home medication management plays a role in improving medication adherence, preserving drug efficacy and ensuring safe medication practices, which is crucial to establish positive treatment outcomes. However, no published studies are available on home medication management among psychiatric patients. The study aimed to identify home medication management problems among psychiatric patients in Malaysia and to examine the associations of inappropriate medication storage and lack of a medication administration schedule with sociodemographic factors, disease insight, number of medications and type of home care pharmacy services (HCPS)., Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted among psychiatric patients using HCPS in six government hospitals in western Malaysia. Data were extracted from the HCPS form used for each visit as per the protocol published by the Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia. A minimum sample size of 169 was needed. Proportional random sampling was applied. The associations of inappropriate medication storage and lack of medication administration schedule with study parameters were analysed using multiple logistic regressions., Results: A total of 205 home visits were conducted with 229 home medication management problems identified; inappropriate medication storage and lack of medication administration schedule topped the list. Inappropriate medication storage was significantly associated with low income [AOR = 4.34 (95% CI 1.17:15.98), p = 0.027], alcohol consumption [AOR = 14.26 (95% CI 1.82:111.38), p = 0.011], poor insight [AOR = 2.34 (95% CI 1.08:5.06), p = 0.030] and part-time HCPS [AOR = 2.60 (95% CI 1.20:5.67), p = 0.016]. Lack of administration schedule was significantly associated with low income [AOR = 6.90 (95% CI 1.46:32.48), p = 0.014], smoking [AOR = 2.43 (95% CI 1.20:4.92), p = 0.013], poor insight [AOR = 5.32 (95% CI 2.45:11.56), p < 0.05] and part-time HCPS [AOR = 2.96 (95% CI 1.42:6.15), p = 0.004]., Conclusions: Inappropriate medication storage and a lack of a medication administration schedule are common among psychiatric patients. The study also highlighted the potential of HCPS to improve disease insight and home medication management among psychiatric patients if the service is utilized fully., (© 2022. The Author(s).)