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This paper reports the findings of a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer on 392 Scopus database documents published from 2003 to 2022, aiming to understand the global landscape of the e-learning field and to identify the most prominent authors, institutions, countries and reference publications, as well as the research topics that have recently received the most attention in students' readiness for e-learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The findings indicate that there has been an upward trend in e-learning readiness among students in HEIs over time. Among the countries studied, the United States, Taiwan, Australia, and Malaysia were found to have the most effective approaches to addressing students' readiness for e-learning. The most highly cited author in this field is M-L. Hung. Based on the citations, the most recognised journal in this field was "Computers and Education" and the universities that were most persuasive were two Taiwan universities in the first position. The data also revealed relatively low levels of collaboration among authors, institutions and nations regarding students' readiness for e-learning.

By reviewing regulative documents and extant literature, this paper explores the realities and trends of international students in East and Southeast Asia (ESA). It also shows motivation and strategies of four new players in the international higher education sector in East and Southeast Asia i.e., China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Apart from showing that intraregional students have not predominated the overall international student population in the region anymore, the paper highlights that ESA region has become an established hub of international students rather than a new emerging destination as it was in previous years. The overall net flow of international students in this region was still deficit prior to 2010s, but the deficit in 2017 is still less than that of 2010?s. This is probably the first study of its kind to examine the trends of international students as well as of higher education policies of countries in the ESA region. The findings of this study shall provide an insight into international higher education trends among the ESA countries for stakeholders, including policymakers, university managers, faculty, students, and parents.

Open Research has the potential to advance the scientific process by improving the transparency, rigour, scope and reach of research, but choosing to experiment with Open Research carries with it a set of ideological, legal, technical and operational considerations. Researchers, especially those in resource-constrained situations, may not be aware of the complex interrelations between these different domains of open practice, the additional resources required, or how Open Research can support traditional research practices. Using the Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) project as an example, this paper attempts to demonstrate the interrelation between ideological, legal, technical and operational openness; the resources that conducting Open Research requires; and the benefits of an iterative, strategic approach to one's own Open Research practice. In this paper we discuss the value of a critical approach towards Open Research to ensure better coherence between "open" ideology (embodied in strategic intention) and "open" practice (the everyday operationalisation of open principles). [This paper was presented at the "Open Education Consortium Global Conference," Krakow, Poland, April 12-14, 2016.]

Speaking skills had always been the most challenging skill among the pupils in language learning. The flipped learning approach is an innovative teaching and learning pedagogy that creates better learning experiences in order to improve pupils' speaking skills. Therefore, this systematic literature review focuses on flipped learning approach in improving pupils' speaking skills. This analysis is done based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review methodology. A total of 39 articles related to flipped learning in improving speaking skills published between 2017 to 2020 were identified from Scopus, Google Scholar and ERIC databases. Based on the results, self-regulated learning, interaction, motivation and achievement were the key themes that promotes the benefit of flipped learning to improve pupils' speaking skills. Hence, this paper is beneficial to policy makers, educators and students in utilizing flipped learning approach to improve pupils' speaking skills from various levels of education.

This paper focuses on English teachers in Asia in the context of globalization, the global spread of English and the emergence of English as an "Asian language." It highlights the dilemmas facing these teachers in meeting the growing social demands of English proficiency in a technology-influenced, managerial and neoliberal education environment with limited expertise, skills and policy support. We locate the paper in language policy and planning (LPP) within which the concept of micro-level agency provides a critical lens. We draw on insights from several Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan and Vietnam. We argue that while English teachers are found to exercise their agency to meet changing demands of English proficiency, this agency can be seen as the result of what we call "policy dumping" at the macro-level--i.e. education policymakers not paying due attention to the requirements of policy implementation but dumping down policies to educational institutions and English teachers for their implementation. We conclude the paper by suggesting implications for English language policies in Asian countries that respond to globalization and the dominant discourses of English in a globalized world.

This paper begins with an analysis of the changing security scenario in the Asian region, with special focus on Malaysian defence strategies and foreign policies. Beginning in the mid 1990s, the Malaysian government shifted its attention away from the counter insurgency strategies of the early decades of independence to focus on wider questions of Malaysian security in the regional and global context. The growing awareness of the shifting paradigms in Asia also gave rise to the need for new approaches to military education/training. The second half of the paper analyses the extent to which Malaysia is about to take advantage of e-learning in academic and military training and the kind of education and training approaches that are needed in the future to ensure that Malaysia's defence needs are met. The empirical basis of the second half of this paper is based on a pilot survey of 267 Malaysian Undergraduate Cadets attending the Military Academy of Malaysia (MAM) in October 2004. This academy is scheduled to become National Defence University (NDU) in 2007. The paper addresses the question of what kind of academic and military curriculum and delivery technology could best prepare these students to face the emerging challenges regionally and globally. (Contains 3 footnotes and 1 table in Appendix.) [Final page includes conclusion and references from a separate report.] [Paper presented at International Conference on Technology in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (4th, Beijing, China, July 11-13, 2005)]

Like all organisations, good governance is a fundamental requirement for the responsible and accountable management of universities in general and open universities in particular. This is to ensure that these (open) universities remain relevant to their mission of facilitating unfettered access to higher education for citizens and at the same time continue being reliable contributors to personal and institutional developments, the vital ingredients to maintaining sustained national development. While several studies have, in the past, been conducted on governance of universities, almost all of them have centred around conventional, face-to-face institutions. Not much published literature is in evidence on the governance of Open Universities. This paper, drawing from a study on the governance of a few open universities in Asia, tries to discuss the nature of their challenges, and the lessons that can be drawn from their practices and experience. The study focused on aspects relating to institutional autonomies such as curriculum, budgeting and financial management, admission standards, conferment of qualifications, academic staff appointments, development and promotions and research policies. Our findings indicate that, similar to conventional systems, the state plays a crucial role in many aspects of governance both in publicly funded and privately supported institutions. Recent attempts at governance transformation towards greater institutional autonomies is beginning to show limited changes in some but not all jurisdictions studied.

The use of flipped learning as a pedagogical approach has increased in the 21st century. While there is an existing survey of literature regarding the development in American educational institutions--and fewer in an Asian context--there are some unique cultural considerations that may need to be examined regarding flipped learning's adoption and adaptation in Asia. This paper serves as a literature review focusing on several Asian nations with respect to three major considerations in comparison to the United States: geographical, educational, and cultural. After the comprehensive review, which comments on the number of relevant publications available per nation, this paper concludes that there is no significant barrier to the implementation of flipped learning in Asia beyond the existing considerations apparent in the United States (access, time, and institutional support). Additionally, the prevalence of flipped learning in Asia, and the purposes of various studies surveyed, indicate that cultural barriers, at least in this area, are becoming less notable or authoritative as national or historical distinctions are diminishing through Millennials' tendencies toward globalization.

This paper examines the growing gender gap between men and women in Malaysian public universities, using the Gender Parity Index (GPI) to measure gender disparities over time. It considers the gender gap in University of Malaya with other prominent overseas universities, and compares the GPI between all twenty public higher education institutions for the years 2009-2013. It also compares the GPI of public universities in Malaysia with local private education institutions, and examines the gender disparities in public universities in terms of subject segregation. Particular attention is paid to the gender segregation in terms of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects; gender segregation in STEM subjects in Malaysian public universities is compared to East Asia Pacific averages. Lastly, various causes and explanations for the gender gap are explored.

Faced with increasing pressure to generate more of their own budgets, universities in low and middle income countries are increasingly banding together as country and regional-level networks to bid on and subsequently implement externally funded development projects (a pattern already seen in high income countries). While working as a network may offer a competitive advantage in bidding on international contracts, it also introduces a new set of dynamics in cross border collaboration among higher education institutions. This paper examines the dynamics of university networks, drawing on the experience of one regional and four country-level networks in South East Asia which were created to promote better national preparation and response to pandemic threats. Findings suggest that, in many universities, university efforts to work through networks is a source of considerable controversy as it pushes institutions and individuals into new roles and often conflicts with existing institution-level incentive systems.

Typically, an ESP course is designed to develop students' communication skills not solely for the office, but also for useful in a specific workplace. Unfortunately, ESP for Schools of Business at some South-East Asian universities is not being very effective in promoting students' performance in the workplace. Behind this backdrop, this paper explores learners' pragmatic workplace learning practices that impact on their profession and have immediate applicability to their professional responsibilities. This article, in other words, addresses the gaps between what students learn in ESP class and what they need in real workplace. The data were collected through questionnaires from 30 ESP teachers. The data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The research results revealed that the current ESP in use fails to capture the learners' needs and skills in workplace communication. It, therefore, suggests that ESP textbook has to adapt the practical workplace needs related materials as well as supplementing extra materials through teachers' constant "needs analysis".

In a context of rapid economic growth, skills development systems have become increasingly important to countries in Southeast Asia in response to skills gaps generated by changing labour-market conditions. Countries in the region have no alternative but to invest in the development and maintenance of these systems. This paper asserts that in doing so they should recognise the importance of adopting a definition of skills that encompasses cognitive and soft skills as well as technical skills, they should regard as being essential to the development of effective labour market information systems, and they should adopt and institutional frameworks that are adequate to the task of managing complex and effective national skills development systems.

In the context of open-access (OA) academic publishing, the mounting pressure cross global academe to publish or perish has spawned an exponentially growing number of dodgy academic e-journals charging high fees to authors, often US$300-650, and even triple that amount, promising super-fast processing and publication open-access (OA) online. Jeffrey Beall (Scholarly Open Access, http://scholarlyoa.com) has characterized this phenomenon as "predatory OA publishing," since it is oriented largely to extorting a high fee from authors. This exponential growth in start-up cyber-journals galore of questionable quality and dubious upstart origin is driven largely by the globalization of Euro-Atlantic research cultures into the Global South and lower-income economies everywhere, part of the now rapid internationalization of scientific research (Jha 2011) and "researching under the audit" (Illner 2011: 70), and is potentially a form of "academic racketeering." It tends to attract and exploit lesser-privileged academics, often on "knowledge production peripheries." They are a segment of a hugely expanding global constellation of researchers, in some ways a "research proletariat" (Harvie 2000), many of whom can can least afford the "cyber-services" of these start-up, fee-gouging OA journals. Yet researchers anywhere, including doctoral students and others in an "academic precariat," may be lured to publish there, given a turnaround time of three weeks from submission to acceptance and publication often offered and implemented (Stratford 2012). A certain kind of "market cynicism" (Power 2010) may take hold, where young academics are forced to think of themselves largely in economic terms and the "price" of quick dubious publication. In essential ways, the phenomenon of predatory academic journals is also part of the largely ex-colonial and subalternized "academic periphery striking back" against that Eurodominance of research cultures, involving basic contestations about asymmetrical power and representation and the geopolitics of hegemonic and subaltern knowledge production and dissemination on a global scale, the "coloniality of power/knowledge" (Quijano 2000; Grosvoguel 2008; Jaramillo 2012) within the changing face of biopolitical production and the emergence of a new "common" (Hardt 2010; Hardt & Negri 2009) inside globalized immaterial capitalist production. Racist subtexts about "academic scams based in Africa and South Asia" need to be confronted and avoided. In resisting trends toward corporate, high-cost Western-dominated academic publication, cost-free OA knowledge publication paradigms need to be expanded in the (re)appropriation of a "knowledge commons" under late capitalism. These include arXiv.org, journals like JCEPS, the Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Qualitative Social Research (bit.ly/xjc0mD), and more than 7,000 others associated with the Directory of Open Access Journals (www.doaj.org) -- in the spirit of the Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics (bit.ly/zPYYFJ) and the work of the Public Knowledge Project (http://pkp.sfu.ca), Open Journal Systems (tinyurl.com/2ydklr), SciELO (http://socialsciences.scielo.org/) in Latin America--and other initiatives for "Green OA" in open-access repositories elsewhere. These OA needs to be reconceived in the struggle for a "communism of the common" (Hardt 2010: 140). That re appropriation and its self-organization should become a main goal in confronting and dismantling the regime of monopolistic knowledge control today by giant "knowledge enclosure" corporations like Thomson-Reuters, Springer and Wiley. A key aim of the present paper is to spotlight these "predatory" journals and urge further empirical research. Despite the huge amount of largely bourgeois analysis of OA, there is very scant critical inquiry into such academic journals and their burgeoning conglomerates.

The race to establish regional education hubs is a recent development in cross-border higher education. This article briefly examines the rationales and strategies used by three countries in the Middle East and three in South East Asia which are working towards positioning themselves as regional education hubs. The different approaches and purposes among the six countries highlight the need for a typology of education hubs. Three types are proposed: the student hub, the training and skilled workforce hub, and the knowledge/innovation hub. The final section of the paper takes a closer look at Malaysia's cross-border education initiatives and its actions to establish itself as a competitive education hub in a region where Singapore and Hong Kong have similar intentions. Whether Malaysia has the ability to make a quantum leap from being a student hub to becoming a knowledge/innovation hub remains to be seen and appears to be an optimistic outlook.

This article deals with the assumptions and implications of the Malaysian policy for "learning from Japan". The article explores the ways in which this policy has effectively been operated in drawing a new geography of "Asia", dislodging colonial legacies in the region and countering the consolidation of other regional blocs. Cross-national educational interaction has increasingly been a key issue in international relations. After the end of the Cold War, the traffic of people, commodities and information is blocked less and less by the barriers of state political ideologies, and has begun to hinge on new notions of boundaries. Free trade blocs are formed by agreements among "neighbours", sharing economic advantage and the quality of basic values, such as "democracy" and "human rights". Such communal values play a powerful role in the redefinition of "us" and the legitimisation of regional societies. The vigour of cross-national educational transfer in the past two decades, as will be argued, has effectively been used for the formation of new identities of individual nations and for the promotion of new aspirations for the regional alliances. (Contains 3 tables.)

According to the Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education, more than a half million international students are currently studying in the United States. Over half of the international students are from Asia, both the subcontinent (India is the leading sending nation of students) and the Far East (China, Korea, and Japan leading in numbers sent). Following Asia, 13% of our international students are from Europe, 12% from Latin America, 6% from Africa, 6% from the Middle East, and 1 % from Oceania. Open Doors reports that international students contribute over $13 billion to the U.S. economy. The author believes that the contributions of these students are much more far-reaching than monetary, however. The author stresses that Americans are blessed to have their lives enriched by other cultures and their minds broadened by insightful students. People might have stories about compelling, perspective-changing experiences by or with international students. In this article, the author shares a few of the students that enrich the author's life every day.

This paper examines the dynamics of return and dynamic volatility across the Malaysian and pan-Asian countries’ listed property companies market over the period January 1998 to August 2012. Listed property companies’ portfolios have the potential to offer high returns and low risks for long-term investments for individuals as well as institutional investors. As such, it is important to assess the return and volatility level of the Malaysian listed property companies market in the dynamic region of pan-Asian countries. This paper uses ARCH and GARCH models to empirically examine the dynamic volatility of listed property companies in 12 pan-Asian countries. The findings revealed that for the past 14-years Malaysia experienced moderately high volatility levels in term of investment in listed property companies. This study will contribute significantly to the empirical literature on the volatility dynamics of the Malaysian property market in international real estate portfolios. In particular, the findings from the study will be useful for international investors to better understand the potential portfolio implications of investing in the Malaysian real estate market. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-run sustainability of trade deficits for the ASEAN-five economies, viz., Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Thailand, in the presence of structural breaks. Design/methodology/approach – It utilizes the Saikkonen and Lütkepohl cointegration procedure, allowing for structural breaks in the series. To determine endogenous structural breaks, the Lanne et al. unit root test is applied. Findings – The study confirms a long run relation between exports and imports for Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand; and finds sustainable long-run trade deficit only for Myanmar. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that macroeconomic policies in Myanmar have been sustainable and effective in leading exports and imports to the long-run steady state equilibrium. However, the paper did not find cointegration between exports and imports for Malaysia and the Philippines. This result suggests that macroeconomic policies have failed to establish; a long-run equilibrium; and sustainable external (import and export) balance. For Indonesia and Thailand while the macroeconomic policies may give the appearance of being effective in establishing a long-run equilibrium, the relation may not be sustainable, however. Originality/value – The paper finds that despite the presence of structural breaks, Myanmar represents the only economy among the ASEAN-five that is on a long-run sustainable trade deficit. To the author's knowledge this the only work that examines sustainability of trade deficits using time series techniques that incorporates structural breaks in the context of ASEAN-five with implication for trade openness policy. From that perspective the work can be seen as an original contribution to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority of Malaysia (SEDA) regularly receives complaints about damaged components and distribution boards of PV systems due to lightning strikes. Permanent and momentary interruptions of distribution circuits may also occur from the disturbance. In this paper, a solar PV Rooftop system (3.91 kWp) provided by SEDA was modelled in the PSCAD/EMTDC. The Heidler function was used as a lightning current waveform model to analyse the transient current and voltage at two different points susceptible to the influence of lightning events such as different lightning current wave shape, standard lightning current and non-standard lightning current. This study examines the effect on the system components when lightning directly strikes at two different points of the installation. The two points lie between the inverter and the solar PV array and between inverter and grid. Exceptionally high current and voltage due to the direct lightning strike on a certain point of a PV Rooftop system was also studied. The result of this case study is observed with and without the inclusion of surge protective devices (SPDs). The parameters used were 31 kA of peak current, 10 metres cable length and lightning impulse current wave shape of 8/20μs. The high current and voltage at P1 striking point were 31 kA and 2397 kV, respectively. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 5.97 kA and 5392 kV, respectively.Therefore, SPDs with suitable rating provided by SEDA were deployed. Results showed that high transient current voltage is expected to clamp sharply at the values of 1.915 kV and 0 A at the P1 striking point. As for the AC part, the current and voltage values were found to be 0 kA and 0.751 V, respectively. Varying lightning impulse current wave shapes at striking point P2 showed that the highest voltage was obtained at waveshape 10/350 μs at 11277 kV followed by wave shapes of 2/70 μs, 8/20 μs and 0.7/6 μs. The high value of transient voltage was clamped at a lower level of 2.029 kV. Different lightning amplitudes were also applied, ranging from 2–200 kA selected based on the CIGRE distribution. It showed that the current and voltage at P1 and P2 were directly proportional. Therefore, the SPD will be designed at an acceptable rating and proper position of SPD installation at solar PV Rooftop will be proposed. The results obtained in this study can then be utilised to appropriately assign a SPD to protect the PV systems that are connected to the grid. Installing SPDs without considering the needs of lightning protection zones would expose the expensive equipment to potential damage even though the proper energy coordination of SPDs is in place. As such, the simulation results provide a basis for controlling the impacts of direct lightning strikes on electrical equipment and power grids and thus justify SPD coordination to ensure the reliability of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing countries still struggle with late detection and mortality from pertussis. A review of clinical case definitions is necessary for early disease detection. This paper aimed to study possible clinical characteristics for earlier pertussis detection in a sporadic setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical and laboratory records in a general paediatric ward of a district hospital in a developing country. Inclusion criteria were all children hospitalised with nasopharyngeal swab taken for Bordetella pertussis. We compared sensitivity and specificity of World Health Organization diagnostic criteria with other clinical characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction Bordetella pertussis was the gold standard used. Results: Out of 207 eligible admissions, the study retrieved 128 complete records. Approximately half of the children were less than 3 months old. The World Health Organization diagnostic criteria had a low sensitivity (15%), but high specificity (92%). In comparison, combinations that included paroxysmal cough, ill contact and facial congestion had higher sensitivity. Increasing cough duration improved specificity while compromising sensitivity. Conclusion: Several clinical characteristics such as paroxysmal cough, facial congestion and a history of ill contact have potential for early clinical detection. Conventional emphasis on cough duration may hamper early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing amount of food waste in Malaysia in recent years has brought many environmental issues in the country where it affects the nation's solid waste management framework. At the moment, the government is limited to other alternatives of food waste disposal besides the conventional landfill and incineration methods. This paper provides information on the current status of food waste handling, management, regulations, and policies in Malaysia. It helps to draw the problem and challenge to a clearer view in efforts of achieving sustainable and integrative food waste handling in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Psoriasis affects approximately 2-3% of the population worldwide, although the overall prevalence in Asia is <0.5%. Scalp psoriasis is a common initial presentation of psoriasis, which affects almost 80% of patients with psoriasis. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study investigated 1,671 patients with psoriasis with scalp involvement registered with the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry (MPR) from January 2007 to December 2018. Results: A total of 21,859 patients with psoriasis were registered with the MPR during the study period; among them, scalp involvement was seen in 7.6% (n=1,671). Female sex preponderance (61%) was observed in the majority of Malay patients (58.5%), followed by the Chinese (16.9%), Indian (17.1%) and other ethnic patients (7.5%). A positive family history of psoriasis was identified in 22.7% (n=380). Approximately 34.8% (n=581) and 11% (n=172) of the patients had nail changes and psoriatic arthropathy, respectively. The mainstay treatment modality was topical treatment (93.6%), followed by systemic therapy (10%) and phototherapy (0.5%). The comorbidities found among the patients with scalp psoriasis included hypertension (27.9%), obesity (26%), dyslipidaemia (21%), diabetes mellitus (18.4%), ischaemic heart disease (5.4%) and cerebrovascular disease (1.3%). Approximately 23% reported a Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) of >10, which indicated moderate-to-severe impairment. Conclusion: The proportion of patients with psoriasis with scalp involvement in our study (7.6%) is much lower than previous reports. Scalp psoriasis markedly negatively impacts the DLQI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper frames the trade relationship between China and Malaysia within the context of ASEAN and the impending RCEP. Specifically trade potentials are derived for the bilateral partnership within the two structures to identify whether China's external options under the RCEP affect her relationship with Malaysia. Potentials for trade expansion between China and Malaysia, estimated through a three-dimensional panel gravity model, are found to be marginally lower under the RCEP structure relative to ASEAN. More importantly, trade potentials appear exhausted for major products traded under both contexts. This suggests a change (decline) in the trade posture of the China-Malaysia partnership, as relative advantages are most likely to be altered under the expanded matrix of Chinese relations with RCEP members. In coping with the larger matrix structure, both nations should innovate new forms of bilateral cooperation, beyond trade, to enhance their strategic partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most malaria in Malaysia is caused by Plasmodium knowlesi parasites through zoonotic infection from macaque reservoir hosts. We obtained genome sequences from 28 clinical infections in Peninsular Malaysia to clarify the emerging parasite population structure and test for evidence of recent adaptation. The parasites all belonged to a major genetic population of P. knowlesi (cluster 3) with high genomewide divergence from populations occurring in Borneo (clusters 1 and 2). We also observed unexpected local genetic subdivision; most parasites belonged to 2 subpopulations sharing a high level of diversity except at particular genomic regions, the largest being a region of chromosome 12, which showed evidence of recent directional selection. Surprisingly, we observed a third subpopulation comprising P. knowlesi infections that were almost identical to each other throughout much of the genome, indicating separately maintained transmission and recent genetic isolation. Each subpopulation could evolve and present a broader health challenge in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phyllopsora is a crustose to squamulose lichen genus inhabiting the bark of trees in moist tropical forests and rainforests. Species identification is generally challenging and is mainly based on ascospore morphology, thallus morphology and anatomy, vegetative dispersal units, and on secondary chemistry. While regional treatments of the genus have been conducted for Africa, South America and Australia, there exists no study focusing on the Asian and Melanesian species. Previously, 24 species of Phyllopsora s. str. have been reported from major national studies and checklists representing 13 countries. We have studied herbarium material of 625 Phyllopsora specimens from 18 countries using morphology, anatomy, secondary chemistry, and molecular data to investigate the diversity of Phyllopsora species in Asia and Melanesia. We report the occurrence of 28 species of Phyllopsora including the following three species described as new to science: P. sabahana from Malaysia, P. siamensis from Thailand and P. pseudocorallina from Asia and Africa. Eight species are reported as new to Asia. A key to the Asian and Melanesian species of Phyllopsora is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharks constitute a vital sector of marine and estuarine nekton and are of great commercial importance all over the world. International concern over the fate of shark fisheries has grown recently. However, information concerning the species diversity, geographic distribution and life histories of sharks in the Indo-Pacific region is highly limited. Comprehensive research on the species composition, distribution and seasonal occurrence of sharks in the southern South China Sea (SSCS) was conducted for four years. A total of 4742 sharks belonging to 10 families and 28 species were recorded from 6 fishing ports in SSCS. The families recorded included Squalidae, Heterodontidae, Orectolobidae, Hemiscylliidae, Alopiidae, Scyliorhinidae, Triakidae, Hemigaleidae, Carcharhinidae and Sphyrnidae. Seventeen of 28 shark species were landed at various developmental stages from in the ranges of or even less than the length at birth and from newborn juveniles to fully-mature. The results suggest that these sharks were born just before fishing and landing, and reproductive-stage sharks were also fished and landed. In total, 15 species, four species and one species in 28 shark species were categorized as Near Threatened, Vulnerable and Endangered species, respectively, on the IUCN Red List. Sharks are not targeted by fisheries practices in the SSCS, but are caught as bycatch throughout the year in various developmental stages. Thus, current fisheries practices in the SSCS area might lead to further decline to critical levels and lead to extinction of some of species in the future. These results suggest that the need for gear selectivity of the commercial fishing gears in order to reduce mortality and to conserve shark stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As in many nations, air pollution linked to rapid industrialization is a public health and environmental concern in Malaysia, especially in cities. Understanding awareness of air pollution and support for environmental protection from the general public is essential for informing governmental approaches to dealing with this problem. This study presents a cross-sectional survey conducted in the Klang Valley and Iskandar conurbations to examine urban Malaysians’ perception, awareness and opinions of air pollution. The survey was conducted in two languages, English and Malay, and administered through the online survey research software, Qualtrics. The survey consisted of three sections, where we collected sociodemographic information, information on the public perception of air quality and the causes of air pollution, information on public awareness of air pollution and its related impacts, and information on attitudes towards environmental protection. Of 214 respondents, over 60% were positive towards the air quality at both study sites despite the presence of harmful levels of air pollution. The air in the Klang Valley was perceived to be slightly more polluted and causing greater health issues. Overall, the majority of respondents were aware that motor vehicles represent the primary pollution source, yet private transport was still the preferred choice of transportation mode. A generally positive approach towards environmental protection emerged from the data. However, participants showed stronger agreement with protection actions that do not involve individual effort. Nonetheless, we found that certain segments of the sample (people owning more than three vehicles per household and those with relatives who suffered from respiratory diseases) were significantly more willing to personally pay for environmental protection compared to others. Implications point to the need for actions for spreading awareness of air pollution to the overall population, especially with regards to its health risks, as well as strategies for increasing the perception of behavioural control, especially with regards to motor vehicles’ usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private investment in Malaysia has been sluggish since the Asian Financial Crisis. One explanation is that the growing presence of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or governmentlinked corporations (GLCs) has been crowding out private investment. For the first time, we provide empirical evidence on the relationship between GLC presence and private investment, employing a unique database covering 443 firms between 2007 and 2011. We find that when GLCs are dominant in an industry, investment by private firms is significantly negatively affected. Conversely, when GLCs do not dominate an industry, the impact on private investment is not seen. Sensitivity tests associated with varying the level of the threshold used to determine dominance confirm the robustness of the results. To revive private investment in Malaysia, the government must not only redress its growing fiscal deficit, but also expedite its programme of divestment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, dengue is an unrelenting economic and health burden. Dengue outbreaks have become increasingly common, which place great strain on health infrastructure and services. Early warning models could allow health systems and vector control programmes to respond more cost-effectively and efficiently. Methodology/Principal Findings: The Shewhart method and Endemic Channel were used to identify alarm variables that may predict dengue outbreaks. Five country datasets were compiled by epidemiological week over the years 2007–2013. These data were split between the years 2007–2011 (historic period) and 2012–2013 (evaluation period). Associations between alarm/ outbreak variables were analysed using logistic regression during the historic period while alarm and outbreak signals were captured during the evaluation period. These signals were combined to form alarm/ outbreak periods, where 2 signals were equal to 1 period. Alarm periods were quantified and used to predict subsequent outbreak periods. Across Mexico and Dominican Republic, an increase in probable cases predicted outbreaks of hospitalised cases with sensitivities and positive predictive values (PPV) of 93%/ 83% and 97%/ 86% respectively, at a lag of 1–12 weeks. An increase in mean temperature ably predicted outbreaks of hospitalised cases in Mexico and Brazil, with sensitivities and PPVs of 79%/ 73% and 81%/ 46% respectively, also at a lag of 1–12 weeks. Mean age was predictive of hospitalised cases at sensitivities and PPVs of 72%/ 74% and 96%/ 45% in Mexico and Malaysia respectively, at a lag of 4–16 weeks. Conclusions/Significance: An increase in probable cases was predictive of outbreaks, while meteorological variables, particularly mean temperature, demonstrated predictive potential in some countries, but not all. While it is difficult to define uniform variables applicable in every country context, the use of probable cases and meteorological variables in tailored early warning systems could be used to highlight the occurrence of dengue outbreaks or indicate increased risk of dengue transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarawak, formerly a British colony prior to the formation of Malaysia, has been ruled by the Barisan Nasiona] (BN) coalition for over four decades. Although the BN's political domination has been robust, it has never been smooth sailing, particularly in the 1960s and mid-1980s. The crises in the 1960s were resolved partly by the timely and swift interventions of the British and the core BN parties based in Peninsular Malaysia, albeit with resistance from local political parties. When a leadership crisis in the Sarawak BN erupted in mid-1980s, the coalition gained firm control over the state apparatus. This enabled the embattled Chief Minister to utilize the state's resources to fend off opponents, rally the support of the electorate and subsequently retain control of the state. After more than two decades of relatively unchallenged rule, recent events such as the revolt of urban voters, the emergence of a strong opposition coalition and the impending resignation of Taib Mahmud -- the most powerful figure in Sarawak and the longest serving Chief Minister in the country -- have indicated that a change in political hegemony could be in the making. However, the most important factor that would bring about such a change, a revolt of rural voters, does not seem likely to happen in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past two decades have witnessed the exponential growth of stock markets and the significant market orientation of financial systems in Malaysia and Taiwan. These changes were well underway prior to the Asian crisis of 1997-98 but have been consolidated and accelerated by post-crisis reforms that have further institutionalized market-oriented practices. However, the changing patterns of financial markets have not preordained convergence towards the Anglo-American model of capitalism and have shown significant divergences from financial liberalism. Challenging the market-driven convergence and historical institutionalist models, this article locates the political sources of changing financial structures within the interaction between international structural forces and domestic interest alliances of private and public actors. This interactive process has not only oriented the national financial architecture towards securities markets but also made market-oriented changes different from the neo-liberal paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]