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Background: The use of cosmetics is growing among both male and female consumers due to the availability of different brands. While there is an increase in the usage of cosmetic products, it is concerning whether the consumers are aware of the safety of the products. Aims: This study aimed to widely explore consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward cosmetics within the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was carried out among adults in Selangor, Malaysia. Thirty‐three questions divided into three dimensions (socio‐demographic parameters, assessment of perception, and assessment of attitude) were developed and validated to be answered by cosmetics consumers. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS. Results: A response rate of 87% was achieved, and the mean age of participants was 33 ± 7.2. The overall perception of consumers indicates low levels of perception and moderate level of attitude toward cosmetic products. There was a positive correlation and high relationship between participants' perception and attitude (p = 0.001, r = 0.72). A significant association was observed between demographic data of respondents and their attitude and perception toward cosmetic products. Participants were unaware that sharing of cosmetic products could lead to bacterial infection and possibly increased the chance of contracting COVID‐19. Conclusion: This study displayed a nonchalant perception and attitude of Malaysian adults toward cosmetic products by focusing on aesthetics rather than health safety. Therefore, it is recommended to raise awareness on the composition and effects of cosmetic products, increase the practice of hygiene and dissuade the sharing of cosmetics to reduce transmissions of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective - The global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused a negative impact on the global economy. Customers' purchasing habits are also shifting from traditional store visits to online store purchases. Millennials or Generation Y constitute a large proportion of consumers across the global digital space. Hence, the main objective of this study is to examine the purchase intention of millennials towards online fashion stores during COVID-19 pandemic. Methodologies/Technique - A set of self-administered questionnaires has been distributed to 230 respondents which age range from 20 years old to 40 years old in three states of Malaysia which are Johor, Melaka, and Selangor. The five independent variables which are fashion innovativeness, perceived security, perceived value, information quality and cost saving have been tested on their relationship towards the dependent variable which is purchasing intention towards online fashion. The collected data were keyed into SPSS version 25 and followed by using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM 3.3.3) to assess the hypothesis. Findings - The research findings indicated that the key factors of fashion innovativeness, information quality and cost saving which have significant relationship towards the millennials' purchase intention from online fashion stores during COVID-19 pandemic. Novelty - To the authors' knowledge, this is the first methodological study which include the five independent variables to examine millennial's purchasing intention towards online fashion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this research will help e-retailers of online fashion stores understand the factors that influence millennials' purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hafiz Teachers are important asset of Institution of Quranic Studies. The ‘Liqa’ Maqari' Programme is one of the platforms in the efforts of the Islamic Education Division (BPI) in Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) in addressing the issue of quality of Quran teachers. This survey study aims to identify the level of effectiveness of the ‘Liqa' Maqari' Programme on the quality of memorization of MITS’s Hafiz teachers. Based on quantitative field research held, the result shows that the program has succeeded in improving the level of memorization quality of MITS’s Tahfiz teachers. In addition, the quality of memorization can help increase the level of application to MITS students. Those in charge need to take due care to strengthen its implementation and subsequently benefit other Institutions of Quranic Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic changes in agricultural practices have negatively impacted rice cultivation resulting in serious weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.) infestations. In this study, field surveys were conducted at six granaries to evaluate the abundance, spatial‐distribution patterns, and morphological characteristics of weedy rice in Peninsular Malaysia. An average of 5.28 plants/m2 weedy rice density was recorded, with coverage area that ranged from 29% to 66% and occurrence at >67% frequency. Seed morphological characteristics identified the existence of at least 18 biotypes. A total of 134 weedy rice samples were characterized morphologically, and Principle Component Analysis results showed that these samples are highly diverse and are dispersed across Peninsular Malaysia. These genetically diverse reservoir of weedy rice characteristics present opportunities of exploitation in the future, especially through rice breeding and crop improvement. Weedy rice from Kelantan and Selangor displayed unique clusters in the PCA plot which suggest higher tendencies for environmental adaptation although the influencing factors have yet to be determined. Dispersion studies based on Lloyd patchiness index revealed that more than 50% of surveyed field blocks in five states displayed uniform distribution as opposed to cluster distribution observed in the remaining field blocks. These variations in dispersion suggested that farmers in Peninsular Malaysia employed inconsistent weedy rice management practices in every granary and farm block. Observation of weedy rice infestation pattern via spatial distribution suggested that weed management requires proper coordination of control efforts among farmers to ensure the degree of infestation is maintained under a controlled level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct formative research using qualitative methods among stakeholders of secondary schools to explore their perceptions, barriers and facilitators related to healthy eating and physical activity (PA) among Malaysian adolescents.Design: A qualitative study involving eight focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. Focus groups and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data.Setting: Four secondary schools in Perak and Selangor states (two urban and two rural schools) in Malaysia.Participants: Focus groups were conducted with seventy-six adolescents aged 13-14 years, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four headmasters, four PA education teachers and four food canteen operators.Results: Stakeholders thought that adolescents' misperceptions, limited availability of healthy options, unhealthy food preferences and affordability were important challenges preventing healthy eating at school. Low-quality physical education (PE) classes, limited adolescent participation and teachers' commitment during lessons were perceived as barriers to adolescents being active at school. Affordability was the main challenge for adolescents from rural schools. Stakeholders perceived that a future school-based intervention should improve the availability and subsidies for healthy foods, provide health education/training for both adolescents and PE teachers, enhance active adolescent participation in PE and develop social support mechanisms to facilitate engagement with PA.Conclusions: These findings provide important insights into developing school-based lifestyle interventions to improve healthy eating and strengthening PA of Malaysian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysian Nature Education in Preschool (MyNEPs) is an initiative to incorporate nature education in the preschool syllabus. It involves learning and hands-on practice in a natural environment setting on five nature elements (climate, flora, fauna, insects, and microbes). This research aims to assess the efficacy of the MyNEPs module towards preschool children through pre-, intervention, and post-assessment. This research adopted an experimental research design using quantitative approaches. A total of 29 preschool children from Bangi, Selangor were involved in this study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics involving normality tests and paired sample t-test. The data normality was measured using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the result indicated that the data is normally distributed where p=0.072 > 0.05. The overall t-test result shows significant differences (p=0.006) between pre- and post-achievement, with the total mean of post-test was higher with 35.90 than pre-test achievement with 33.59. This result indicated that this module significantly contributes to children's performance on nature prior to the intervention program. As a result, this study shows that the nature education program proposed has improved preschool children's knowledge of the natural environment. Nature education is essential to enhance creativity, problem-solving, and cognitive abilities, thus improving academic performance and setting a strong foundation for science and technology. Therefore, it is suggested that the MyNEPs module should be applied to all preschools premises in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-use plastic drinking straws is difficult to recycle and is one of the main causes of water pollution and marine animal destruction. An option for single use drinking straws is reusable ones. This study applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to determine the factors affecting the intention to use reusable drinking straw using a survey method in Selangor, Malaysia. Based on an OLS multiple regression result, the study concluded that attitude and perceived behavioral control are significant predictors for the intention to use reusable drinking straws. Government campaigns towards encouraging consumers to use reusable drinking straws should be focused on promoting positive aspects reusable drinking straws and make it accessible and plausible for the consumers to use it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnant women have an increased risk of urinary incontinence (UI), affecting their quality of life (QoL). This study aims to determine UI and its relationship with QoL among incontinent pregnant women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in a semi-urban primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia, among pregnant women aged 18 years old and above. The validated study instruments consisted of questions on socio-demography, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-UI Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) to determine UI and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life Module (ICIQ-LUTSQoL) to assess their QoL. A generalised linear model was used to determine the association between the continent and incontinent pregnant women with QoL. Results: Of the approached 610 respondents, 440 consented to participate in the study, resulting in a response rate of 72.1%. The mean age was 29.8 years old (SD 4.69) with 82.2% (n = 148) having stress UI. Significant independent factors related to the decreased QoL were mid to late trimester (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.48–6.32), stress UI, (OR 6.94, 95%CI 4.00–12.04) and urge UI (OR3.87, 95%CI 0.48–31.28). Non-Malay improved QoL (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.16–0.52). Conclusions: All types of UI significantly affecting pregnant women's QoL. This information is useful in enhancing antenatal management at the primary care level, whereby they should be screened for UI and provided with effective early intervention to improve their QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Malaysia, dengue remains a top priority disease and usage of insecticides is the main method for dengue vector control. Limited baseline insecticide resistance data in dengue hotspots has prompted us to conduct this study. The present study reports the use of a map on the insecticide susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus to provide a quick visualization and overview of the distribution of insecticide resistance. Method and results: The insecticide resistance status of Aedes populations collected from 24 dengue hotspot areas from the period of December 2018 until June 2019 was proactively monitored using the World Health Organization standard protocol for adult and larval susceptibility testing was conducted, together with elucidation of the mechanisms involved in observed resistance. For resistance monitoring, susceptibility to three adulticides (permethrin, deltamethrin, and malathion) was tested, as well as susceptibility to the larvicide, temephos. Data showed significant resistance to both deltamethrin and permethrin (pyrethroid insecticides), and to malathion (organophosphate insecticide) in all sampled Aedes aegypti populations, while variable resistance patterns were found in the sampled Aedes albopictus populations. Temephos resistance was observed when larvae were tested using the diagnostic dosage of 0.012mg/L but not at the operational dosage of 1mg/L for both species. Conclusion: The present study highlights evidence of a potential threat to the effectiveness of insecticides currently used in dengue vector control, and the urgent requirement for insecticide resistance management to be integrated into the National Dengue Control Program. Author summary: Insecticide resistance may threaten the efficacy of insecticides currently used in the dengue vector control program. These current findings reveal widespread insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus sampled from dengue hotspots. This screening provides comprehensive data on insecticide resistance to insecticides commonly used in dengue vector control programs. The mapping approach utilized in this present study facilitates easy visualization of the resistance distribution in dengue vectors across many dengue hotspots. Therefore, it could hence be beneficial to the Ministry of Health in managing the threat of resistance before it compromises current dengue vector control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable investments in transforming the physical education (PE) curriculum and improving PE quality in primary schools, reports indicate that quality implementation is mostly impeded by systemic barriers, especially at the administrative level. It is suggested that the vision of propelling quality PE is in the hands of administrators, especially principals. However, this role has been previously overlooked. This study explores the principals' attitude towards PE implementation, specifically by examining four implementation domains: a) supervision and monitoring (S&M); b) professional development (PD); c) support & allocation (S&A); and d) resource and curriculum (R&C). Seven personal variables (e.g., gender, years of teaching experience, working experience as a principal, type of school, academic qualification, professional qualification, physical activity level) were used to compare attitudes among groups across implementation domains. The ratio of 3:1:1 stratified random sampling was carried out to determine the sample size of 250 schools out of a total of 372 schools from five randomly selected districts in Selangor. Descriptive statistics showed that administrators generally had a low positive attitude towards the implementation of PE (mean= 3.88, SD= .604) but still being in a favourable range. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the attitude in carrying out PE implementation was significantly different (p < .05) among personal variable groups: a) type of schools; b) academic qualification; c) professional qualification; and d) physical level activity. The school leaders' attitude towards PE implementation may be dependent on the investigated variables which influence the development and sustainability of quality PE programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In combating the increasing trend of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) over the last two decades in the country, the Ministry of Health Malaysia developed the Enhanced Primary Health Care (EnPHC) initiative to improve care management across different levels of the public service delivery network. An evaluation research component was embedded to explore the implementation issues in terms of fidelity, feasibility, adaptation and benefit of the initiative's components which were triage, care coordination, screening, risk management and referral system. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted at 20 participating EnPHC clinics in Johor and Selangor, two months after the intervention was initiated. Data collected from self-reported forms and a structured observation checklist were descriptively analysed. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 20 participants across the clinics selected to clarify any information gaps observed in each clinic, and data were thematically analysed. Results: Evaluation showed that all components of EnPHC intervention had been successfully implemented except for the primary triage counter and visit checklist. The challenges were mainly discovered in terms of human resource and physical structure. Although human resource was a common implementation challenge across all interventions, clinic-specific issues could still be identified. Among the adaptive measures taken were task sharing among staff and workflow modification to match the clinic's capacity. Despite the challenges, early benefits of implementation were highlighted especially in terms of service outcomes. Conclusions: The evaluation study disclosed issues of human resource and physical infrastructure when a supplementary intervention is implemented. To successfully achieve a scaled-up PHC service delivery model based on comprehensive management of NCDs patient-centred care, the adaptive measures in local clinic context highlight the importance of collaboration between good organisational process and good clinical practice and process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a concern in kindergartens as children spend much of their time there. Yet, there is a shortage of biological indicators needed for assessing IAQ. Thus, this study evaluated IAQ using transplanted lichen Usnea misaminensis as a biological indicator. Methods: Lichen samples, collected from Bukit Larut, Perak, Malaysia, were exposed to indoor and outdoor environments in an urban area (Ummi Aiman Kindergarten) and a rural area (Ummi Qaseh Pelangi Kindergarten) for 2 months during August 15 to October 14, 2019. The concentrations of 12 selected elements and the vitality of the lichens were then evaluated. Results: Increased concentrations of eleven of the twelve elements deposited in the lichen samples in both urban and rural areas were observed. For both areas, the element concentrations in the samples from the indoor environment was lower than those from the outdoor environment, and those in the rural area were lower than those from in the urban area, suggesting the impacts of traffic emissions. The vitality of the lichens showed no significant change in indoor environment, compared to that in outdoor environment, indicating that even exposed to indoor environment, the lichens remained effective biological indicators as same as they were in the outdoor environment. Conclusions: Lichens are effective biological indicators for both outdoor and indoor environments. Furthermore, outdoor emissions could influence IAQ, which could be problematic in densely populated areas such as kindergartens. Mitigation measures should be taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions in Malaysia are escalating due to rapid urbanisation wherein their sources are claimed to be generated by the construction industry, including urban park development. Upon completion of the urban park project, the vegetation will supposedly function immediately as a carbon sequester. However, the processes of building, maintaining, and renewing built features and plantings can emit additional carbon dioxide (CO2) than the storage. Rigorous CO2 release across the maintenance and renewal stages may be contributed by park management activities, such as planting grooming, built feature rectification, and park maintenance works. This study investigated carbon footprint derived from built features and planting works during the construction, maintenance, and renewal stages of park management. Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya and Taman Aman Petaling Jaya were chosen as the study sites as they were located at urban areas. Continued use of the parks resulted in a swift deterioration of its facilities, whereby this scenario would ensure recurrent maintenance and renewal works were conducted for them. As-built drawings were utilised to identify the lists of inventories and work breakdown structure for every built feature and planting work to approximate the indirect CO2 emissions, which was aided by EToolLCD software. This study revealed that the amount of CO2 sequestered by the manicured vegetation was only 28.7% out of the total CO2 emission produced since its construction stage. Hence, urban parks can be perceived as a carbon source instead of a carbon sink medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medications can be found in different formulations and ingested in different ways. OTC medications are used to cure, avoid or alleviate disease and to promote the well-being of people. There is continuous argument building up by taking a possibly Halal medication among the growing Muslim consumers around the world. Therefore, the focus of this study drawn from Maqasid al-Shariah approach for medicine usage and its significance in Islam. A sample of 308 Muslim consumers of pharmacies was being surveyed from the metropolitan territory of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor states in Malaysia. The Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis techniques have been used to analyse the data. The outcome revealed that customers' religious satisfaction significantly moderates the purchasing of OTC medicines. The purpose of self-medication comes from the consumer's decision-making. Hence, the self-medication phenomenon is critical to understand, and it should be subjected to strict control for the betterment of the Ummah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Bazar Wakaf Rakyat (BWR) projects developed by Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (YWM). The purpose of the BWR projects is to develop waqf lands as well as generate income from waqf assets. The development of BWR projects in the mosque area aims at developing the socioeconomic of the local community. The qualitative study uses informations from interviews as its primary source and relevant documents as its secondary sources. It involves a study conducted at five states in Peninsular Malaysia namely Penang, Selangor, Federal Territory, Johor and Kelantan. This study aims at 3 objectives. Firstly, it analyses the principles and implementations of BWR projects under the Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia. Secondly, it identifies the impact of its implementation on the economy of the local community. This study finds that BWR projects do contribute towards the economy of the local society in 3 ways. First of all, BWR projects optimise the use of land resources. They also stimulate economic activities in the society, generate productions and create new job opportunities. BWR projects are also seen to be beneficial to the local community when the revenue generated by the mosque management is reused for public interest such as maintenance of the mosque and organization of spiritual and community activities for the interests of public and country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, has led to a change in the land use, physical properties of basins, vegetation cover and impermeable surface water. These changes have affected the pattern and processes of the hydrological cycle, resulting in the ability of the basin region to store water supply to decline. Reliability on water supply from river basins depends on their low-flow characteristics. The impacts of minimum storage on hydrological drought are yet to be incorporated and assessed. Thus, this study aims to understand the concept of low-flow drought characteristics and the predictive significance of river storage draft rates in managing sustainable water catchment. In this study, the long-term streamflow data of 40 years from seven stations in Selangor were used, and the streamflow trends were analyzed. Low-flow frequency analysis was derived using the Weibull plotting position and four specific frequency distributions. Maximum likelihood was used to parameterize, while Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests were used to evaluate their fit to the dataset. The mass curve was used to quantify the minimum storage draft rate required to maintain the 50 % mean annual flow for the 10-year recurrence interval of low flow. Next, low-flow river discharges were analyzed using the 7 d mean annual minimum, while the drought event was determined using the 90th percentile (Q90) as the threshold level. The inter-event time and moving average was employed to remove the dependent and minor droughts in determining the drought characteristics. The result of the study shows that the lognormal (2P) distribution was found to be the best fit for low-flow frequency analysis to derive the low-flow return period. This analysis reveals September to December to be a critical period in river water storage to sustain the water availability during low flow in a 10-year occurrence interval. These findings indicated that hydrological droughts have generally become more critical in the availability of rivers to sustain water demand during low flows. These results can help in emphasizing the natural flow of water to provide water supply for continuous use during low flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between quality of work life (QWL), employee commitment and the intention to stay of nurses in private hospitals in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. Primary data were collected through self-administered questionnaires with nurses as the respondents from four private hospitals in the states of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Out of 300 questionnaires distributed, 202 valid responses were received. Statistical analyses employed were descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The strongest QWL construct that contributed significantly to the intention to stay among respondents is work context, followed by work world, work design and work life/home life. The findings further indicate that employee commitment partially mediates the relationship between QWL and the intention to stay. In conclusion, if employees are contented with their QWL, the stronger will the employee commitment be in the organization and ultimately their intention to stay. Originality/value: This study provides robust evidence for private hospital administrators to enhance their employees' QWL, especially if they are opting to ensure that the turnover of the staff is contained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of surface water quality is often laborious, expensive and tedious, as well as impractical, especially for the developing and middle-income countries in the ASEAN region. The application of the water quality index (WQI), which depends on several independent key parameters, has great potential and is a useful tool in this region. Therefore, this study aims to find out the spatial variability of various water quality parameters in geographical information system (GIS) environment and perform a comparative study among the ASEAN WQI systems. At present, there are four ASEAN countries which have implemented the WQI system to evaluate their surface water quality, which are (i) Own WQI system—Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam—and (ii) Adopted WQI system: Indonesia. A spatial distribution of 12 water quality parameters in the Selangor river basin, Malaysia, was plotted and then applied into the different ASEAN WQI systems. The WQI values obtained from the different WQI systems have an appreciable difference, even for the same water samples due to the disparity in the parameter selection and the standards among them. WQI systems which consider all biophysicochemical parameters provide a consistent evaluation (Very Poor), but the system which either considers physicochemical or biochemical parameters gives a relatively lenient evaluation (Fair–Poor). The Selangor river basin is stressed and impacted by all physical, biological and chemical parameters caused by both the aridity of the climate and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, it is crucial to include all these aspects into the evaluation and corresponding actions should be taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of this study is to create a collision between study site and control site. Comparison is focused on distribution pattern of PM10 and to determine the extent of distance and parameters in influencing its dispersion around the cement plant in Rawang; to measure horizontally particle levels; and to evaluate suspended particle patterns in relation to weather parameters (temperature, wind velocity and moisture). The research design involved use of primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained from field measurement of PM10, PM2.5, temperature, humidity and wind velocity in Rawang (study site) and Batang Kali (control site). There were 11 observation locations each in study site and control site. Secondary data were obtained from the literature, websites and reports. The results showed that distance greatly influenced the dispersion. The dispersion pattern of suspended particles in Rawang differed with parameters; very strong relationship with distance as well as temperature, strong relationship with humidity and weak relationship with wind velocity. Meanwhile Batang Kali showed a different relationship with the parameters; strong relationship with distance as well as temperature, moderate relationship with humidity and weak relationship with wind velocity. In conclusion, the main factor which influenced the dispersion of suspended particle in the study area was distance from the cement plant, whereas in the control site it was humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, there has been a rapid growth in the concentration of nitrogenous compounds such as nitrate-nitrogen and ammonia-nitrogen in rivers, primarily due to increasing agricultural and industrial activities. These nitrogenous compounds are mainly responsible for eutrophication when present in river water, and for 'blue baby syndrome' when present in drinking water. High concentrations of these compounds in rivers may eventually lead to the closure of treatment plants. This study presents a training and a selection approach to develop an optimum artificial neural network model for predicting monthly average nitrate-N and monthly average ammonia-N. Several studies have predicted these compounds, but most of the proposed procedures do not involve testing various model architectures in order to achieve the optimum predicting model. Additionally, none of the models have been trained for hydrological conditions such as the case of Malaysia. This study presents models trained on the hydrological data from 1981 to 2017 for the Langat River in Selangor, Malaysia. The model architectures used for training are General Regression Neural Network (GRNN), Multilayer Neural Network and Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN). These models were trained for various combinations of internal parameters, input variables and model architectures. Post-training, the optimum performing model was selected based on the regression and error values and plot of predicted versus observed values. Optimum models provide promising results with a minimum overall regression value of 0.92. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water of Langat River is not suitable for drinking without treatment because of chemical pollution from both the point and non-point pollution sources, although it is one of the primary sources of drinking water in Selangor state, Malaysia. There is no significant study in Malaysia that has investigated the efficiency of treatment plants to remove metals from treated water. Therefore, Chelex 100 resin-ion exchanged method was applied to investigate the raw water samples and treated water samples of eight treatment plants. Samples were analyzed by Inductive Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry for the dissolved concentrations of aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead, which have complied with the drinking water quality standard of Ministry of Health Malaysia and World Health Organization. However, the average metal removal efficiency is about 52.48 ± 8.89% from treated water by the treatment plants based on a single sampling and this could be considered a preliminary indication to upgrade the treatment technology in Malaysia, because the efficiency in removing trace metals by the plants may vary in hourly samplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysian Mah Meri Tribe’s Mask is one primitive mask which existence has become an artifact stored in the museum and a learning media for younger generations on their culture. Masks that had been created are representations of ancestors and they were used in worshipping ceremonies dedicated to the ancestors. The mask is used for funerals (tiwah), fertility rites, and serves as the provision of the dead in the grave or as the grave watcher (Martono: 2017). Mah Meri tribe is a sub-ethnic group of orang asli who live along the Selangor coast. This community group has settled for a long time in the region and their daily life is farming. Among the routine life of the Mah Meri tribe, there is the Mah Meri mask dance that tells the history of the ancestors of the tribal people who represent animals that live on the ground, in swamps or rivers which they encountered, both having good and bad impacts on their lives. The problem arose when the Mah Meri Tribe animal mask was displayed in the Museum of Asian Art with a lack of information, this is not enough to be used as a learning medium. The research method used is Borg and Gall’s development model which simplified into 4 steps namely: (1). research and information collecting, (2). Planning, (3). develop a preliminary form of product, (4). final product revision. The result of this development is a learning media application that can help tourists of all ages to learn the mask of Orang Asli of Malaysia at the museum more easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of topography on soil morphology, classification and characteristic is poorly understood in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserved, Malaysia. Topographic vegetation-soil interrelations are important because the existing plants are used to indicate environmental conditions and potential forest productivity. This study aims to identify the effect of toposequence on soil morphology, soil classification, soil characteristic and forest vegetation. Five plots surveyed on 100-150 cm soil profile depth to identify soil development, soil classification and nutrient status (i.e. organic matter, Al, pH, K, Na, Ca, Mg, CEC, Base Saturation). Besides, the distribution of forest vegetation serve as the basis to evaluate the trees' basal area and diversity. Soil subgroups ranged from Fragic Hapludults in the ridge, Typic Hapludults and Plintic Hapludults on the middle slope, Typic Hapludults on the lower slope, and Typic Hapludults in footslope. Each soil subgroup has its characteristics at various elevations (Morphology and Physio-chemical). Vegetation on each plot was dominated by species of Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, Dipterocarpaceae Malvaceae, Moraceae, Verbenaceae, Phylanthaceae, and Santalaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schismatoglottis guabatuensis is described and illustrated as a new species of the Calyptrata clade restricted to the limestone of Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia. It is compared with the three other described species of the Calyptrata clade present in Peninsula Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urinary Incontinence (UI) is when a person is unable to hold his/her urine effectively. This is a common problem which can develop and worsen during pregnancy. An effective way to manage UI is to educate patients on the Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise (PFME) regularly. The present study aimed to ascertain the pregnant women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to PFME. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done in a one primary care clinic located in a semi-urban area in Selangor, Malaysia. Simple random sampling was conducted among pregnant women aged 18 years old and above at any gestation. The validated study instruments used consisted of questions on socio-demography, KAP on UI, and also the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form to determine UI among the respondents. Results: The response rate for this study was 72.1%, where 440 pregnant women consented to take part in the study. The median age of study respondents was 30 years old and majority of the study respondents was from the Malay ethnicity (80.9%). The prevalence of UI was 40.9%. The proportion of pregnant women with good knowledge, attitude and practice scores were 58.0%, 46.6% and 45.2% respectively. There was a significant association between UI and age (p =.03), body mass index (p =.03), ethnicity (p =.04), gravida. (p =.001), knowledge on PFME (p =.007) and attitude towards PFME (p =.006). Conclusions: Findings from this study fill a gap in the prevalence and KAP concerning PFME at the primary care level. The foundation areas for future education and health promotion on UI should address the importance of correct PFME. This education can be delivered through a pragmatic way to ensure its effectiveness and sustainability of the health promotion program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beranang, one of the rural areas of Selangor which still depends on the groundwater as a secondary source of water for drinking and other purposes apart from treated water. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the health risk assessment of arsenic ingestion through groundwater consumption among Beranang residents in Selangor. Five houses with a functioning electrical pump-assisted tube well were chosen for the sampling, which occurred in February 2019. The groundwater samples were taken at each sampling point and stored at room temperature during transport to the laboratory within 24 hours. The groundwater samples were analyzed using the ICP-MS method. Both hazard quotient (HQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were calculated based on the formula provided by the US EPA (United States Environment Protection Agency). Arsenic concentration in the groundwater samples was higher than the WHO Drinking Guideline and Malaysia Raw Water Standard in all houses. The mean concentration was 46.90 µg/L with maximum and minimum concentrations of 54.40 µg/L and 23.70 µg/L, respectively. The concentration was approximately 2- to 6- fold in all houses with 100% prevalence of contaminated tube wells. The health risk degree of children was higher than that of adults on the whole, indicating that children suffer much higher risks than adults. The health risk degree through oral exposure was higher than dermal exposure. Despite the fact that the groundwater is not suitable for drinking, however, there is no health risk through dermal exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to find the correlation between Halal awareness, Halal logo factor, and Religiosity towards consumer purchase intention in Selangor, Malaysia. This study involved 318 public who live in Selangor. A set of questionnaires that consisted of Section A (Demographic Data) and Section B (Consumer awareness, Halal logo factor, religiosity, and consumer purchase intention) was adopted and adapted from previous study. A 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=uncertain, 4=agree, 5=strongly agree) was used to determine the respondents' level of agreement by calculating the mean rating scores. The data were analysed using Descriptive Analysis, Pearson Correlation Analysis, Independent t- test, and ANOVA by SPSS Version 23. The results showed that the difference in age, ethnicity and occupational status produced significant difference towards consumer purchase intention (p< 0.001). The outcome also revealed that the level of consumer awareness towards halal cosmetics and personal care products is medium. Another significant finding in this study was consumer awareness, religiosity, and halal logo factor positively related to consumer's intention to buy halal cosmetics and personal care products with R= 0.362, R=0.580, and R= 0.817 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of quality of life gives valuable decision in providing information about the functioning and well-being of population. The main objective of this research is to study the perception on quality of life among public university students. A quantitative cross-sectional study was applied in this study by using English language of questionnaire and conducted by using convenient sampling method. Students in public universities located in WP Kuala Lumpur and Selangor had been chosen as subject (N=312). Data obtained was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Gender, course stream and health status are among the factors that revealed to have association with quality of life. Different gender was found to have significant difference with quality of life measures physical state and overall quality of life. For course stream, quality of life measure life enjoyment was found to have significant difference on perception of quality of life. As for health status, there were significant differences on quality of life measures physical state, mental/emotional state and stress evaluations. However, there was no significant difference on quality of life on education level and funding for study. As the conclusion, there were various factors that might affect perception on quality of life. Thus, different perception on quality of life among university students may rely on different factors that affect their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An instruments Adversity Quotient for Technological Challenges have been developed to measure adolescents' level of intelligence in facing technological challenges using the CORE model and to examine their psychometric properties using Rasch models. The samples were selected based on simple random sampling involving three districts in Selangor namely Gombak, Kuala Langat and Sepang. This study involved 660 respondents. The instrument contains four constructs namely control, origin, reach and endurance. Data were analyzed using Winsteps 3.73 software. The findings show that the item reliability index is 0.96 and the individual reliability index is 0.91. The item separation index showed 5.76 and the individual separation index showed 3.11. Item polarity analysis showed that the values of Point Measure Correlations ranged from 0.29 to 0.55. The unidimensional analysis showed that the standard deviation value of the variance was 20.7% and the variance value unexplained in the first contrast was 5.7%. Meanwhile, item fit analysis showed that Mean Square infit and outfit values ranged from 0.75 to 1.43. For the analysis of local independence the values shown are -0.25 to 0.41. Therefore, this study contributes to the development of intelligence instruments in the face of high technology challenges resulting from the examination of psychometric features using Rasch Model. In addition, this study also has implications for the development of the CORE model in the context of different technological challenges. This can help schools design special programs for the purpose of student self-development to remain relevant and competitive in this era of technological development. In addition, these instrument help students identify the challenges they face and can further enhance their self-esteem and compete globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Socioeconomic status (SES) exert different influences on child development. However, very few studies had examined the effects of SES on positive socio-emotional development including social skills. Thus, this study aims to examine the level of social skills and explores the differences across SES. Methodology: Parents of 339 preschoolers in Selangor, Malaysia were selected through stratified random sampling. The questionnaires were distributed to parents through pre-school children. In this study, the 34-items of social skills scale from Preschool and Kindergarten Behavioural Scale-Version 2 (PKBS-2) was used and descriptive and one-way Welch's F-tests analysis were conducted. Findings: The study showed that the level of social skills was average. Analysis found that the preschoolers' social skills were differed significantly across maternal education, Welch's F (2, 78.95) = 19.88, p < .0001 and paternal education, Welch's F (2, 78.95) = 19.88, p < .0001. Moreover, there was a significant difference in social skills across parental income, Welch's F (2, 83.48) = 13.59, p < .0001. Contributions: Knowledge of the level of pre-school social skills and the differences across SES can provide basic information and recommendations to the parents, teachers and authorities to improve preschoolers' social skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work discusses the palm oil mill processing carried out at Jugra Palm Oil Mill Sdn Bhd, situated at Selangor, Malaysia with the capacity of 45-t fresh fruit bunch (FFB)/h. Typically, oil palm residues and palm oil mill effluent (POME) from FFB are generated while processing. Prior to discharge, POME should be treated to remove pollutants in the effluent. As such, the performances of anaerobic and aerobic ponds were assessed in this study to determine temperature, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), sludge volume index (SVI), and dissolved oxygen (DO). From the experiments, mesophilic temperature due to better process stability was applied in anaerobic ponds. The pH results displayed a fluctuating trend between lower control limit and upper control limit, and, the pH value increased from one pond to another. The final discharge BOD and SVI appeared to be lower than 100 mg/L and 10 mL/L indicating low degree of pollution and good settling ability for biomass/solid. DO was close to normal, mostly below 2 mg/L. The experimental outcomes revealed the effective treatability of POME in adherence to the standard regulation, which is the priority for environmental sustainability within this industry domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically assess the relationship between the dimensions of creditworthiness and access to finance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, with creditworthiness as the mediating variable. The lack of empirical research on the relationship between creditworthiness and access to finance forms the motivation of this study. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaires covering various characteristics of the firms, their access to finance and creditworthiness were distributed to a total of 456 SMEs in the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor region for this purpose. A total of 158 responses were returned, of which 145 were usable responses and the relationships are tested using SEM-PLS. Findings: This study finds that an SME and its owner's character have significant influences on access to finance. An SME's condition and its ability to provide high quality collateral are found to be highly significant in influencing its access to finance. Capacity is significant but its significance is low, while capital is insignificant. Creditworthiness has a significant positive influence on access to finance. Originality/value: This study contributes to the important yet under-researched issue of access to finance for SMEs. It highlights the issue of character of applicant as an important dimension of creditworthiness that can significantly influence access to finance for SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the physicochemical properties, microbiological quality, level of consumption, and effects of treated water from paid water filtration machines on health of the residents of Bandar Baru Bangi and Kajang, Selangor. The number of water samples taken for this study was 15 from the paid water filtration machines studied. The physicochemical assessment such as determination of pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen was conducted, while the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the mineral content of the treated water. The microbiological quality was determined using the pour plate method for colony count (22°C incubation for 72 hours and 37°C for 24 hours), while for coliforms and Escherichia coli, the membrane filtration method was utilized. The samples of treated water from the paid water filters were based on triplicate sampling (n = 3). The pH, turbidity, total dissolved solid values, and heavy metal concentration were within the safe level according to the Malaysian National Standard for Drinking Water Quality, Ministry of Health (MOH). The overall range for the pH values of the treated water samples was between 6.50 and 7.15, where this was within the recommended range. The total dissolved solids showed that all the treated water samples were in the range of the recommended standard (27 to 92 mg/L). The range of turbidity values for all the treated water samples was from 1.7 to 6 NTU, and the dissolved oxygen range was from 7.7 to 8.2 mg/L. The colony count results showed that most of the water samples complied with the standards of <4 log cfu/mL at 37°C and <3 log cfu/mL at 22°C of incubation temperatures. However, there was the presence of coliforms in four (4/15) of the treated water samples being at more than 4 cfu/100 mL, while E. coli was absent in all of the treated water samples. The overall results showed that all samples were safe to drink according to the Industrial Guide to Good Hygiene Practice by Automatic Vending Association of Britain (2000) and Food Act (1983) except for the four treated water samples (C, D, H, and I). For that reason, the filtered waters require quality evaluation and management, while the filters need to be replaced according to their designated schedule in order to ascertain that the drinking water is safe to be consumed by the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building plan approval involved with regulations, laws and guidelines to ensure systematic and orderly development. The growth in construction activities in Malaysia since the 1980’s has given rise to the need for more statutory controls in obtaining permissions from the relevant authorities to initiate and to construct a facility and upon its completion to occupy and use the completed facility. The understanding of building plan process is important to understand whether the development follows the building regulations. Thus, the construction failures can be limited. Nevertheless, little is known about the effectiveness of building plan process in the local authority though the enhancement of mechanism delivery system of the process known as One Stop Centre (OSC) has been established. The study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of building plan approval process in Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ). Forty-seven (47) questionnaires survey has been distributed to respondents from the MPSJ's internal technical departments. Most of the respondents felt that the ineffectiveness of the building plan approval process was due to the incomplete documents submitted to the OSC, lack of knowledge among the Principal Submitting Person (PSP) and the incapability of staffs in handling development applications. The findings present a synthesis of results for town planners, architects, developers and government agencies to have a better understanding of how the effective and efficient building plan process can rationalize the success of property development sector in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study explains how low and ineffective public participation in relation to local planning (RT) preparation influences decisions related to local development at the local authority level. This study was conducted to examine the level of public participation in decision-making in local planning; Kuala Langat District Council (MDKL) was selected as the study's target location. The approaches adopted for this study were a quantitative approach and a survey. The survey was established based on the four main themes of public participation: attendance in the early objection process, activeness in providing input/ feedback, involvement in RT establishment, and involvement in approving the plans for RT. These four themes contained eight items that represent the eight ladders in Arnstein's public participation. The data analysis used interval scores, Arnstein typology scores, and descriptive statistics using SPSS software. Percentage analysis was used to determine the percentage total of each score for each theme. A total of 384 respondents were selected to represent the population in MDKL, Selangor. The overall result reveals that the level of public participation in MDKL is at the consultation level with a score of 1691. The discussion reveals that public participation in Kuala Langat District has not reached its optimal level and decisions in local planning are still based on a top-down approach where the government finalises decisions, whereas locals follow the decisions being made. This also means that two-way communication between government and locals is still at a low and ineffective level. Consequently, appropriate actions must be taken so that the preparation process of future local planning and development includes public participation; this should be taken into consideration before plans are enforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical modelling is a very important component in the teaching and learning of mathematics. In Malaysia, educators require more exposure to mathematical modelling it is still a new pedagogical method in classrooms. Modelling tasks that require students to construct a mathematical model would be a good start in developing modelling competencies. In this study, the authors investigate three mathematical modelling competencies of secondary students in the state of Selangor through a qualitative analysis of 20 students (divided into four groups) responses based on one modelling task developed by the researchers. The three modelling competencies we focus in this study are (1) making assumption; (2) computing and interpreting solution; and (3) mathematical reasoning. Our findings indicate that most students were basic users while a small percentage reached the proficient users level. With more engagement with the modelling tasks, students would able to acquire the modelling competencies and also develop their modelling skills. This would contribute to the meaningful learning of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government health agencies throughout the world have implemented the healthy cafeteria initiative at hospitals to cultivate healthy eating practices as an effort to combat the continuously high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD). In Malaysia, this initiative is known as 'Kafeteria Sihat'. This initiative is one of the lifestyle intervention programs for that community under the first National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases and later integrated into the third National Plan of Action for Nutrition Malaysia NPANM III. The present study aims to evaluate customers' level of acceptance toward 'Kafeteria Sihat' through a newly developed structured questionnaire with the option of answering 4 additional subjective questions. A better understanding of customers' overall acceptance can potentially indicate how these cafeterias have been performing in terms of customer retention. Eleven public hospitals in Selangor and Putrajaya were visited for survey purposes. The data were analyzed through frequency tests and descriptive statistics. Overall, the findings indicated that the acceptance of customers toward 'Kafeteria Sihat' was at an average level. Generally, continuous effort between the Ministry of Health and cafeteria operators is essential in creating a better awareness of the existence of 'Kafeteria Sihat' as a platform to cultivate healthy eating practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to obtain data of medical emergencies at the non-hospital based private dental practices in Petaling district of Selangor, Malaysia. Ninety out of 281 identified main practitioners of non-hospital based private dental practices had agreed to participate. A standardised questionnaire forms consisting of four parts including demographic data, emergency equipment and drugs available, occurrence of medical emergencies and training of dental practitioners. All data retrieved were analysed using the Statistical Programme for Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0 (SPSS Inc., 1999). Some of the clinics (28.9%) had reported experiencing medical emergencies events. The most common emergency event noted was syncope (42.2%), followed by hypoglycaemia (27.7%). Majority of the events occurred in the dental surgery room (84.3%), after completion of treatment (31.3%) and were associated with dental extraction procedures (61.4%). Only nine of the clinics (3.3%) were equipped with emergency trolley and none were prepared with a defibrillator or automated external defibrillator (AED). It was also found that 32.3% of all clinics do not have any emergency drugs. All of the practitioners received basic life support training before graduation and 52.2% received supplementary training after graduation. In conclusion, emergency medical events do occur, but majority of dental practices involved in this study were not well equipped to manage these emergencies. It is important to have a standardised national guideline to ensure a safe and well-prepared dental setting during any adverse medical events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are ubiquitous metals widely distributed in the environment, resulting in toxic health effects. This project aims to evaluate Pb and Cd as toxic elements in 15 different tobacco cigarette brands produced and/or sold in Selangor state, Peninsular Malaysia. The concentrations of Pb and Cd in all tobacco brands tested in this study were determined using the air-acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). On average, the concentrations of Pb and Cd in different tobacco brand samples ranged from 3.05 and 0.80 μg/g dw, respectively. The results indicate that assessment mean values of Pb inhaled from smoking one packet of 20 cigarettes were in the range of 1.55–3.51 μg. Furthermore, the concentration of Cd inhaled per packet of cigarettes (20 sticks) is estimated to be 0.04–0.36 μg. However, there was a significant difference in the concentrations of Pb and Cd between the different brands of tobacco cigarettes, among cigarette prices (cheap versus expensive) of tobacco brands. In conclusion, cigarette smokers in Selangor, Malaysia, are heavily exposed to Pb and Cd, and such exposure could adversely affect their health in the long term. The impact of toxic heavy metals on smokers in this state would be an area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Managing adolescent pregnancy in the primary care setting is complex, as it requires doctors to navigate through a combination of medical, social, financial and legal needs. Objective: This study explores the perspectives of private general practitioners on their roles and challenges in managing adolescent pregnancy in Malaysia. Methods: Nineteen private general practitioners in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur participated in in-depth interviews in 2015. A topic guide was used for interview navigation. Participants were asked to discuss their experiences and approaches in managing pregnant adolescents. We used purposive sampling to recruit consenting private general practitioners who had experience in managing adolescent pregnancy. The verbatim transcripts of the audio-recorded interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data reached saturation at the nineteenth in-depth interview. Results: Two themes emerged. Under the theme 'inadvertent advocator,' participants described their tasks with regards to building trust, calming angry parents and delivering comprehensive counseling and care related to the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents, including requests for abortions. Theme two, 'challenges of private general practitioners,' refers mainly to personal and religious conflicts arising from a request for an abortion and deficiencies in support and multidisciplinary integration within their practice settings. Conclusion: General practitioners practicing in the private sector identify themselves as active players in supporting pregnant adolescents but face many challenges arising from the personal, religious, professional and community levels. Addressing these challenges is important for optimal care delivery to pregnant adolescents in this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bee bread samples of stingless bee (Heterotrigona itama) collected from Kelantan (east coast), Selangor (central) and Perak (northern) regions of Malaysia were subjected to nutritional analysis using standard hydrolysis and oxidation methods. Phytochemical screening was carried out on aqueous and ethanol extracts of bee bread. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents, free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing activity of the extracts were also assessed. All samples had essential and non-essential amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, fat, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, xanthoproteins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, resins, and antioxidant activities. Sample from Kelantan had the significantly highest content of alanine, glycine and isoleucine, while sample from Selangor had the highest content of carbohydrate, total energy and proline. Sample from Perak had the highest content of fat. Bee bread ethanol extract demonstrated significantly higher antioxidant properties compared to bee bread aqueous extract with the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents in sample from Perak and the highest free radical scavenging activity in sample from Selangor. Bee bread from Malaysia has good nutritional and antioxidant properties, which might indicate its potential to be a dietary supplement. The differences in compositions and antioxidant activities among the samples might be related to the floral sources and geographical locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terms and stratification of the Selangor Malay aristocracy began taking shape in November 1766. However, this development has not been highlighted in the writings of J. M. Gullick (1998), Khoo Kay Kim (1985), Barbara Watson Andaya (1974), Mohd. Yusoff Hashim (2001) and Abdullah Zakaria bin Ghazali (1999/2000) and even Abdur-Razzaq Lubis (2018) had limited understanding of the topic. This article aims to introduce the concept of the terms and stratification of the Selangor Malay aristocracy established by Sultan Salehuddin ibni Daeng Chelak, the founder of sultanate of Selangor, to give this topic its proper place in Malaysian history. This article will first analyse the formation of sultanate of Selangor in November 1766. In addition, it will synthesise the developments prior to the recognition of certain figures as members of the Selangor Malay aristocracy. Furthermore, it will evaluate if someone is eligible or not for recognition as raja and orang besar of Selangor collectively identified as the waris negeri Selangor and the stratification within this community in the Sultan Salehuddin era. The primary sources used in this article include Selangor Secretariat Office (B/SUK), as well as multiple secondary sources. Overall, the terms used include the raja and orang besar of Selangor who are the waris negeri Selangor legally established after the political entity of Selangor was founded by Sultan Salehuddin and recognised as a sovereign kingdom in November 1766. Generally, the stratification within the Selangor Malay aristocracy is not practised in the context of sultanate of Selangor. Nevertheless, some level of hierarchy was present, especially in identifying the status of raja and orang besar of Selangor within a social community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The high number of adolescents and young adults harbouring suicidal ideation, as reported by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, is alarming. This cross-sectional study aims to examine the association between social support and spiritual wellbeing in predicting suicidal ideation among Malaysian adolescents.Methods: A total of 176 adolescents in selected urban areas in the states of Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor were selected. The Suicide Ideation Scale (SIS) was used to measure the level of severity or tendency of suicidal ideation. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to measure the perceived social support received by the respondent while the Spiritual Wellbeing Scale (SWBS) was used to measure the religious wellbeing (RWB), the existential wellbeing (EWB) and the overall score of spiritual wellbeing (SWB).Results: The study found that both RWB and EWB showed significant negative correlation with suicidal ideation. Similarly, support from family and friends also showed a negative correlation with suicidal ideation. Further analysis using multiple regressions showed that RWB and SWB, and family support predict suicidal ideation in adolescents.Conclusion: Spiritual wellbeing in combination with family support plays a major role in predicting suicidal ideation. Therefore, intervention for encompassing spirituality and family support may contribute to a more positive outcome in suicidal adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational stress occurs when the job requirement such as leadership style do not meet the capabilities and needs of the worker. It has great impact affecting both employee and organization. Study objective was to determine the prevalence between leadership style and occupational stress among employee and its relationship. Cross-sectional study was carried out through online social media, targetting working adults. Snowballing sampling was employed in which research participants recruited other participants from among their acquaintance. This online survey adopted two Malay-translated and validated survey forms of Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and Job Stress Level Inventory. There were 447 respondents with median age of 31.0 ± 8.0 years old. Majority were female (57.27%), Malay (91.28%), married (66.44%) with high education qualification (86.80%). Majority worked in Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan (53.47%) and attached to government agencies (59.06%). Data indicates that perceived transformational and transactional leadership styles practiced by leaders at their workplace were at moderate level with both account for 51.2% and 81.7% respectively. Respondent revealed stress level at average level of 44.3%. There was significant relationship with weak negative correlation between transformational leadership and occupational stress (r= -0.182, p<0.05). As for transactional leadership, the relationship was significant with a moderate negatively correlated occupational stress (r= -0.554, p<0.05). Transactional leadership style showed moderate inverse relationshipwith occupational stress as compared to transformational leadership style which had very weak inverse relationship. There was significant correlation between leadership style and occupational stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'halal' has been used as a tool by most food industries to attain competitive advantage. Nevertheless, the increase in demand for halal food products may be stunted due to the lack of awareness from the consumers, especially the younger generation. Young consumers may take halal issues lightly. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the influence of cross-generation (namely Generation X, Y and Z) attitude on halal food products. Data were collected from 410 respondents in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia through an online survey. The data were analysed using SPSS for descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. The results indicated variances in cross-generation attitude towards halal food products. The study outcomes are beneficial for manufacturers in producing halal food products based on their intended group of consumers. Further study should look into determining the factors that may influence cross-generation attitudes on halal food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although bakery products are a hit among Malaysian consumers, questions still arise on the halal seal of the ingredients used. Therefore, producing halal bakery products can be an option to fulfill the needs of consumers. To further explore the intention and to examine their purchase behaviour, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was applied. Hence, this study examined the psychometric properties of an instrument used to determine both purchase intention and the actual purchase behaviour of halal bakery products among Muslim and non-Muslim consumers. The questionnaire was distributed to 70 respondents who had purchased bakery products at any bakery shops in Klang, Selangor. The data were subjected to Rasch analysis using Bond & Fox (2nd Version) software program for fit statistics, response category performance, unidimensionality, and a Wright map. The different item functioning (DIF) analysis was employed to detect bias between Muslim and non-Muslim consumers. The results indicated that all items that fit the Rasch model were unidimensional. However, one item was regarded as a difficult item, while three items had a religious bias. In conclusion, the instrument was valid and reliable to be used for Muslim and non-Muslim consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]