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Over-reliance on prescriptive pedagogies, such as explicit instruction, could hamper students with learning difficulties from sense-making and thus limit their acquisition of conceptual understanding. To help them in constructing mathematical knowledge, manipulative and drawing could be used to solve problems in a meaningful context. Using a case study design, teaching and learning process of a native teacher and her six indigenous students in a mathematics remediation classroom at an elementary school located in the interior area was investigated. Qualitative data were collected using observation, interview, and students' work. Research findings showed that participating teacher tended to use manipulative through explicit instruction to explain meaning of number operations. Students were taught drawing to get answers for computational problems. Problem-solving process was teacher-directed but students were capable to perform simple reasoning. However, students were weak in communicating mathematical ideas. Teachers should provide hands-on activities involving manipulative or drawing that stimulate sense-making among students with learning difficulties. They should be engaged in mathematical processes rather than merely involved in re-enacting procedures that were demonstrated by their teacher. (Contains 3 figures.)

This qualitative study applies the labour market segmentation theory to examine tourism job losses through the indirect causes of pay cuts, unpaid leave and the take-up of side hustle – accepted by the employees partly from loyalty, camaraderie and empathy. Where the prolonged hardship from these measures leads to resignations, employers gain from the avoidance of termination benefits mandated by a retrenchment exercise. The losses occasioned to the worker include the non-eligibility for state-funded wage subsidy and foregone termination benefits. Through a legal analysis of COVID-19 job losses, the study posits that tourism workers' lack of rights awareness contributed to the voluntary acceptance of these lawful but detrimental strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia's online food delivery (OFD) has developed into a vibrant scene. Urban dwellers are slowly getting used to the idea of OFD services as the new normal for eating out at the times of COVID-19. During the movement control order (MCO), government initiatives and movement restrictions propelled OFD services into the limelight, allowing locals the opportunity to support their favorite local businesses. Using model goal-directed behavior (MGB), this study investigated the effect of consumers' perceived risk (e.g., performance risk, privacy risk, financial risk, physical risk, and COVID-19 risk) on their use of OFD services. The results of the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of 339 responses indicates that perceived risk negatively affects consumers' desire to use OFD services, while perceived physical risk and COVID-19 risk negatively affect their intention to use OFD services. Further, the study uncovers the moderating role of perceived risk in the relationship between desire and intention. This study offers insights to OFD service providers in formulating new business strategies and propositions for business growth and consumer retention in the post-pandemic world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advance of online technology and instructional delivery such as Web-based learning (WBL) has heralded new changes in education. Students using the WBL environment in various courses at eight universities in Malaysia were surveyed. Results showed that five main factors influence the effectiveness of the online learning process: students' behavior, characteristics of lecturers, interactive application, technology or system, and the institutions. Results indicated that students' grades are highly correlated with student perception, self-efficacy and interactivity. The WBL learners do not outperform traditional learners. There is also a need to improve the quality of WBL due to differences in adaptation styles of learners in the process. (Contains 11 tables.)

The objective of this article is to discuss the role of comics as a source of political and social influence, to understand the challenges in modern comics upholding of aesthetic simplicity and cultural authenticity. To explore comic's significance and value as a cultural art-form, several aspects of comic design and characterisation development through modernisation are discussed through literature and case studies, based on the problem statement: Can comics be a source of political and social influence For primary research, qualitative interviews and a survey were conducted among Malaysia's art and design communities using sequential mixed method research. The aim was to examine target audiences' perceptions of comic design and shifts in characterisation, and how global cultural trends such as media convergence and entertainment marketing affect comics' authenticity. Findings suggest that comics are not time-bound products; hence their immense capacity to engage fans despite shifts in characterisations. Significantly, comic art fans in Malaysia seem to adopt a conservative attitude in desiring characters to maintain aesthetic simplicity and cultural authenticity. Overall analysis suggests that maintaining original essence in characterisation enable audiences to understand artists' authentic cultural experiences through graphic storylines documenting the issues addressed. Results suggest that mainstreaming of comics propel the industry's future growth through diversification and inclusiveness of social narratives, but audience's perceptions of comics as a source of political and social influence maybe affected. Future research could probe the degree in which comics' aesthetics appeal and cognitive simplicity contribute to extending comics' role as an authentic global cultural art-form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has contributed stress to many people around the world due to fear and anxiety. Other than health issues, it has threatened the overall economy and influenced a drastic change of lifestyle. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of music listening and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on the stress level of novice music teachers in Malaysia by using a mixed-method research design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Based on the pre-test questionnaire, a sample of 30 participants was divided equally into high-moderate stress and low-stress groups based on Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). The quantitative results revealed a significant decrease in stress scores among the majority of the novice music teachers from high-moderate stress groups and insignificant differences in low-stress groups. The intervention was found to be effective as a stress-reduction therapy and benefits more on participants with higher stress levels. Ten interviewees were selected from the 30 participants to examine their career-stress-related challenges. The qualitative findings were divided into professional and non-professional challenges, included online teaching and learning, time management, financial issues, physiological issues, and emotional issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of Shariah board members and managerial networking on zakat observance among executives of Islamic financial firms (IFFs) in Bahrain and Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is based on surveys administered to 106 respondents and personal interviews conducted with individuals holding management positions in IFFs. Findings: The paper finds that: networking among IFF executives in Bahrain positively influences their observance and perception of zakat in their firms; and higher representation of Shariah on the board of directors increases executives' favorable perception and observance of zakat in Malaysia. Differences in findings may be explained by Bahrain's global Shariah institutions where networking offers opportunities for socialization of zakat ethics. In Malaysia, on the other hand, Shariah directorship sets the pace and direction of zakat ethics. Originality/value: The seminal work of DiMaggio and Powell (1991) on neo-institutional theory has drawn attention to executives' agency in creating cognitive frameworks that help promote the development of firm standards and norms. However, application of the theory to Islamic finance is largely absent. This paper contributes to an empirical understanding of the theory by highlighting sources of IFFs' social agency in the development of zakat norm and its observance, namely, managerial networking and Shariah directors as change agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first nationwide movement control order was implemented on 18 March 2020 in Malaysia to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, to what extent the uncertainty and continuous containment measures have imposed psychological burdens on the population is unknown. This study aimed to measure the level of mental health of the Malaysian public approximately 2 months after the pandemic's onset. Between 12 May and 5 September 2020, an anonymous online survey was conducted. The target group included all members of the Malaysian population aged 18 years and above. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental health. There were increased depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms throughout the study period, with the depression rates showing the greatest increase. During the end of the data collection period (4 August–5 September 2020), there were high percentages of reported depressive (59.2%) and anxiety (55.1%) symptoms compared with stress (30.6%) symptoms. Perceived health status was the strongest significant predictor for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Individuals with a poorer health perception had higher odds of developing depression (odds ratio [OR] = 5.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.81–8.47) and anxiety (OR = 3.50; 95%CI 2.37–5.17) compared with those with a higher health perception. By demographics, young people–particularly students, females and people with poor financial conditions–were more vulnerable to mental health symptoms. These findings provide an urgent call for increased attention to detect and provide intervention strategies to combat the increasing rate of mental health problems in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of carers supporting the lives of people with mental illness, there are limited studies investigating the well‐being and needs of Malay carers in multicultural Singapore. The Malays consist of 13.4% of Singapore's population. A mixed methods qualitative dominant research approach was used to explore the well‐being and needs of Malay carers in a voluntary welfare organisation. The Kessler‐10, Friendship Scale and Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services—Carer version were used to assess the needs and well‐being of 17 Malay carers. Findings show that Malay carers experienced poor well‐being and had numerous unmet needs. Four main themes were found: (a) Concerns related to relatives with mental illness, (b) Mental health practices related to carers, (c) Holistic support for carers and (d) Preference for greater spiritual support in mental health. Recovery‐oriented mental health practice implications are discussed. Spirituality of Malay carers needs to be given greater consideration in recovery‐oriented mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents of behavioural intention to adopt mobile payment among working adults in Malaysia. The variables of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) with perceived security were adopted as a theoretical base. The gathered data through a questionnaire were examined by using multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The study revealed that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and perceived security are significant in mobile payment adoption. However, effort expectancy and social influence are not significant. The findings of this study contributed to a simple UTAUT2 model with perceived security as an additional construct in explaining the adoption intention of mobile payment. The findings of this study are applicable to the mobile payment service providers in Malaysia to improve their mobile payment quality by improving the facilitating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In economic geography and cognate disciplines, a good deal of attention has been paid to the roles of investors, lenders, analysts, advisors, actuaries, and other skilled financial professionals in forming and reproducing financial and other markets. Relatively neglected, by contrast, is the work of lawyers, judges, and other legal agents. This article redresses this imbalance by making two contributions. First, we highlight the role of legal labor in financial market formation in Malaysia, specifically the role of Shariah jurists and translators in institutionalizing the (re)production of Islamic values in market life. Second, drawing on cases of financial litigation and interviews with Shariah scholars, we argue that Malaysia's strategy to develop its Islamic financial governance institutions, to bolster its international stature, and to extend the regional, national, and international reach and mobility of its Islamic values is intrinsically geographical in nature. The strategy involves a rescaling and consolidation of legal spaces and institutions—including the Central Bank, the juridical system, Islamic universities, research think tanks, and their Shariah bureaucrats and professionals—to facilitate the geographical mobility of Malaysian sharia expertise to otherwise secular legal spaces. Yet, we argue that this strategy has not led to a retreat from neoliberal influence but rather to a reordering of market values and norms that collateralize moral risks in addition to market risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to determine whether the propagation and transmission mechanism of Malaysian monetary policy differed during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/1998 and the Global Financial Crisis of 2007/2008. The methodology employs a time-varying vector autoregression framework. The primary result is that despite having no evidence of time-variation within the propagation mechanism of Malaysian monetary policy the average contribution of a monetary policy shock to the variability of each macroeconomic variable: real GDP, inflation and the nominal effective exchange rate, differs between the two crises. This finding suggests that despite the propagation mechanism being relatively constant, Malaysia’s monetary policy transmission mechanism evolves over time. We believe that the main mechanism driving this evolution is the time-variation in the variance-covariance matrix of the shocks of the model, not the coefficients. We also find some evidence that the implementation of capital controls reduced the influenceability of monetary policy on the Malaysian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Human activities, such as industrial, agricultural, and domestic pursuits, discharge effluents into riverine ecological systems that contains aquatic resources, such as fish, which are also used by humans. We conducted case studies in Malaysia to investigate the impacts of these human activities on water and fish resources, as well as on human well-being from an ergonomics perspective. This research shows that a green ergonomics approach can provide us with useful insights into sustainable relationships between humans and ecology in facilitating human well-being in consideration of the overall performance of the social-ecological system. Heavy metal concentrations contained in the effluents pollute river water and contaminate fish, eventually creating significant health risks and economic costs for residents, including the polluters. The study suggests a number of policy interventions to change human behavior and achieve greater collaboration between various levels of government, academia, civil society, and businesses to help establish sustainable relationships between humans and ecology in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory, qualitative study sought to unearth and explore meanings of career success and perceived influences on career success among working adults in Malaysia. Eighteen people in nursing, blue-collar, and business occupations were interviewed. Three objective and five subjective meanings of career success and six perceived internal factors (primarily individual traits) and three external factors emerged from the data. The research suggests that people in the early stage of their career are more instrumentally driven in defining career success, whereas people in the late stage of their career target a greater variety of career features and outcomes. Also, the research suggests Malaysian working adults should not be stereotyped as being satisfied with collective outcomes as many also target individual achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dams are supposedly designed and built with stringent criteria for no overtopping under the most adverse meteorological event. This may not be the case for dams that were built earlier before current methodological guidelines and practices are followed. The objective of assessing the safety criteria, i.e., overtopping of the Bengoh dam structure was achieved by carrying out the independent tasks of derivation of probable maximum precipitation (PMP) by reviewing other studies and works in Malaysia: a PMP-to-PMF (probable maximum flood) routing using a modified version of the synthetic unit hydrograph approach and a conventional reservoir routing procedure, i.e., modified Puls procedure to estimate the flood rise during a fateful PMP/PMF event. In essence, the task carried out is to evaluate and assess the adequacy of the step spillway capacity of the Bengoh dam. Bengoh dam, which is made of rolled compacted concrete (RCC) with a step spillway, is considered safe in the event of a PMP/PMF event, with a flood rise generally lower than the embankment crest level, i.e., +86.2 m MSL (mean sea level). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Managing knowledge in different locations around the globe has become a great concern for multinational corporations (MNCs) due to differences in individual cultural values. Such cultural differences inhibit the sharing of knowledge among employees. Ironically, the impact of individual cultural values on knowledge sharing has received limited attention in the international business literature. This research is an attempt to close this gap by examining the relationship between cultural values and knowledge sharing behavior. Data were collected from a sample of 231 senior officers in selected MNCs in Malaysia. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The structural equation modeling technique using AMOS software was used to test the model. Findings revealed that horizontal and vertical collectivism had significant positive impact on knowledge sharing behavior. Vertical individualism had significant negative effect on knowledge sharing behavior. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to test the predictive effects of perceived career support and affective commitment on work engagement. It was hypothesized that perceived career support would relate positively to work engagement and this relationship would be transmitted through affective commitment. Survey data were collected from 115 full-time employees enrolled as part-time graduate students in a large public university in Malaysia. Multiple regression analysis yielded results indicating that the relationship between perceived career support and work engagement was mediated by affective commitment. This finding suggests that employers can promote employee work engagement by ensuring employees perceive their organization to be supportive of their career and increasing employees' level of affective commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of six variables: strategic focus; monitoring continuous improvement development; integration of continuous improvement; management of continuous improvement; involvement/engagement and learning; and knowledge sharing, on sustainability of continuous improvement capabilities in the context of the manufacturing industries in Penang, Malaysia. The paper determines the impact of organizational self-assessment towards the relationship of these six factors and sustainability of continuous improvement capabilities. Design/methodology/approach – The study opted for an exploratory study using the survey instrument to collect data. The questionnaire was published through the web and manual distribution. For the web survey, e-mails were broadcasted to invite the random employees to participate in the e-mail survey, where respondents were directed to answer the attachment that contained the questionnaire. Online survey method is chosen because it is convenient, time and cost effective to intact with the respondents who are dispersed in different geographical areas. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how strategic focus, management of continuous improvement and learning/knowledge sharing positively influence on sustainability of continuous improvement capabilities in an organization. It suggests that organizational self-assessment has a mediating effect on the relationship between strategic focus, learning/knowledge sharing and sustainability of continuous improvement capabilities. Research limitations/implications – The complex nature of the process of sustaining continuous improvement capabilities as a research topic places limitations on this study, particularly in the area of sample selection and data collection. The major sample selection at the manufacturing organizations is difficult because an organization's perception in terms of continuous improvement may not be the same, thus it is not easy to ascertain relevant sample characteristics. Practical implications – The implications of this study highlighted that the most effective predictor for sustaining continuous improvement capabilities was strategic focus, in addition, this study provided insight into the mediating effect of organizational self-assessment towards the effectiveness of sustaining continuous improvement capabilities in the manufacturing industry. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study how the effectiveness of sustaining continuous improvement capabilities can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this small-scale pilot experimental study was to examine whether or not matching instructional method to personal need for structure (PNS) would enhance learning outcomes. Master of Business Administration students of a large public university in Malaysia were randomly assigned into a lecture-method condition (n = 11) and a case-method condition (n = 10). Correlation results indicated that students taught using the lecture method acquired more declarative knowledge than did those taught using the case method. Moderated multiple regression results showed that instructional method interacted with PNS to predict cognitive and affective learning, but the nature of the interaction did not conform to our prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines seven dimensions pertinent to e-service quality using 225 respondents conducted in Klang Valley. Results reveal that the efficiency of e-service quality mainly depends on the consumer's perception of the efficiency (which offers speedy and reliable responses) and trustworthiness of the e-service provider (which offers assurance of protection, security of the users' identity and personal information), and is not reliant on offers of convenience and personalization. Other than formulating policies and operating procedures based on customer needs, Websites should be well organized with succinct up-to-date, in-depth information and instruction because these are physical evidence of efficiency and trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study reports the perceptions of business school faculty on ethical behaviors related to data analysis and research reporting as well as the prevalence of such behaviors in their academic environment. Survey data for the study were obtained from a sample of 102 business school faculty from five government-funded universities in Malaysia. Study results showed that a majority of the respondents considered practices such as fabrication, manipulation, and distortion of data to be ethically unacceptable, and these behaviors were reported to be least prevalent. In contrast, the practice of misapplying statistical techniques was considered ethically acceptable and reported to be quite prevalent. On research reporting, although a majority of the respondents agreed that plagiarism and taking undeserved authorship credit were ethically unacceptable, they also reported having observed the frequent occurrence of such behaviors. Finally, practices such as cutting up research data and simultaneous submissions to more than one publication outlet at the same time were less likely to be viewed as unethical and seen to be quite a common practice. In general, the findings of this study indicate that the perceptions of the ethicality and frequency of occurrence of behaviors related to data analysis and research reporting vary among business school faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River hydraulic models have successfully identified the weaknesses and areas for improvement with respect to flooding in the Sarawak River system, and can also be used to support decisions on flood management measures. Often, the big question is 'how'. This paper demonstrates a theoretical flood management framework inferred from Sarawak River modelling outputs. The river model simulates the movement of flood waters through river reaches. Information on flood levels and overtopping of embankments is used to guide a flood early warning system. The above-mentioned elements were combined in a logical framework that showed logic sequences and impact indicators for improved flood relief activities in the city of Kuching, Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess dentists' knowledge and use of evidence-based practice (EBP), including their attitudes toward and perceptions of barriers that limit the use of EBP. A cross-sectional survey was used with self-administered questionnaires involving dental practitioners in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. One hundred ninety-three replies were returned, for a response rate of 50.3 percent. More than two-thirds (135/193, 69.9 percent) of the respondents had heard of EBP. Out of the 135 respondents who had heard of EBP, a majority agreed it was a decision-making process based on evidence (127/135, 94.2 percent) and involved a series of steps from formulating the research question, locating and assessing the evidence, to applying it if suitable (129/135, 95.6 percent). Out of the 135 respondents who had heard of EBP, a high percentage agreed that EBP improved their knowledge and skills (132/135, 97.8 percent) and treatment quality (132/135, 97.8 percent). For advice, a majority of the 135 respondents frequently consulted friends and colleagues (123/135, 91.1 percent), made referrals (120/135, 88.9 percent), consulted textbooks (1121135, 83.0 percent), and referred to electronic databases (90/135, 66.7 percent). Out of the 135 respondents, many perceived EBP as very important (59/135, 43.7 percent) and important (58/135, 43.0 percent) and were interested to learn further information about EBP (132/135, 97.8 percent). The main reported barriers were lack of time (87/135, 64.4 percent), financial constraints (54/135, 40.0 percent), and lack of knowledge (38/135, 28.1 percent). A majority of the 135 respondents had knowledge of and positive attitudes towards EBP. However, due to barriers, a majority of them preferred colleagues, textbooks, and referrals for advice instead of seeking evidence from electronic databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of users' adoption momentum of e-banking in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire with four-point Likert scale is applied to 324 usable responses. Ten attributes are tested, namely convenience of usage, accessibility, features availability, bank management and image, security, privacy, design, content, speed, and fees and charges. Findings - Results indicate that all elements for ten identified factors are significant with respect to the users' adoption of e-banking services. Privacy and security are the major sources of dissatisfaction, which have momentously impacted users' satisfaction. Meanwhile, accessibility, convenience, design and content are sources of satisfaction. Besides, the speed, product features availability, and reasonable service fees and charges, as well as the bank's operations management factor are critical to the success of the e-banks. WAP, GPRS and 3G features from mobile devices are of no significance or influence in the adoption of e-banking services in this study. Results also reveal that privacy, security and convenience factors play an important role in determining the users' acceptance of e-banking services with respect to different segmentation of age group, education level and income level. Research limitations/implications - The use of convenience sampling in this study weakens research objectivity. This study excludes the voice of non-users and non-users' views should be taken into account in future study. Practical implications - The results are expected to provide a practical contribution in the area of retail banking and in understanding consumer behavior in the Malaysian business-to-business financial services industry. Originality/value - This paper is the extension of an earlier study by Suganthi et al. which identified seven factors affecting the adoption of internet banking, with 17 elements. This study examines a wider scope of factors that consist of ten attributes with 78 elements based on the extant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advance of online technology and instructional delivery such as Web-based learning (WBL) has heralded new changes in education. Students using the WBL environment in various courses at eight universities in Malaysia were surveyed. Results showed that five main factors influence the effectiveness of the online learning process: students' behavior, characteristics of lecturers, interactive application, technology or system, and the institutions. Results indicated that students' grades are highly correlated with student perception, self-efficacy and interactivity. The WBL learners do not outperform traditional learners. There is also a need to improve the quality of WBL due to differences in adaptation styles of learners in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which analyzed a model of perceptions of organizational politics in Malaysia. Situational antecedents of perceptions of organizational politics; Outcomes of perceptions of organizational politics; Data analysis; Results and discussion.

A body of work has emerged that examines human capital from the perspective of skills to better understand the types of expertise that influence innovation. The relationship between skill and financial innovation, however, is poorly understood in the context of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs). IFIs are distinct from their conventional counterparts by their compliance with Shariah law. Based on a survey of IFIs in Bahrain and Malaysia, this paper examines the effect of different skills on IFI innovation. The findings indicate that while skill in Islamic finance positively influences innovation, skill in Shariah law does not. Cognitive-technical skill is also highly significant, but marketing skill has a negative effect. The results suggest that Islamic financial innovation relies on continuous improvement that sustains markets, product and service innovation. Sustaining innovation lends itself to abilities that are oriented towards problem solving and computation of Shariah and business risks. This favors skills of programming and expertise in Islamic finance over marketing and Shariah legal proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the current situation of COVID-19, dietary intake that incorporates functional foods may potentially be a preventive measure for defence against viral infection. This study aimed to determine the consumption of functional foods and its associated factors among university students during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 284 Malaysian university students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. An online self-administered questionnaire was employed to assess subjects' nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, attitude towards functional foods, recognition and consumption of functional food products. Results: Out of 284 respondents, 41.9% had poor level of nutrition knowledge and 57% had moderate level of functional food-related attitude, with seven types of functional foods consumed on average (57.0%). Binary logistic regression showed that university students who consumed fruits at least three times per day (aOR = 11.18; 95% CI: 1.46, 80.17), salty snacks (aOR = 2.90; 95% CI: 1.43, 5.86), soft drinks/sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (aOR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.53, 5.26) and pure juice (aOR = 2.80; 95% CI: 1.48, 5.30) were more likely to consume functional foods during COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings could provide information to public and private sectors in terms of creating a supportive environment to encourage and promote the awareness and consumption of functional foods and their associated health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The Palaeozoic carbonates strata- and fracture-bound hydrothermal dolomites in Kinta Valley, western Peninsular Malaysia. • Enlisting of regional tectonic and magmatic events in chronological order with phases of dolomite formation. • The control of dolomitization by texture and varied bulk chemistry, together with the nature of circulating fluids. Abstract In the eastern side of the Malay Peninsula, thick successions of limestone formations preserve important records of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic events. Here we investigate the strata- and fracture-bound hydrothermal dolomites in the Palaeozoic carbonates of the Kinta Valley, western Peninsular Malaysia. Based on their textural and morphologic characteristics, structural relationships with the host rock, different facies types, and associations with hydrothermal calcite and low-grade metamorphic marble, we attempt to trace their polyphase origin and relationship with thermo-tectonic events of the region. A detailed evaluation of the nature of brecciation and crystallization of polyphase dolomites, dolomitic limestones, limestones and marble, under the influences of episodic faulting, is associated with the regional structural geology with emphasis on pre-existing fault reactivations, granitic emplacement and progressive thermal influence. Supply of Mg2+ from the host rock for dolomitization, limited and episodic influx of circulating fluids and cessation of thermo-tectonic evolution with progressive cooling are also inferred. Correlating the geological events in western Peninsular Malaysia with regional structural dynamics reveals that the major deformation episodes exerted first order controls on the loci of dolomite occurrences. The occurrence, geometry and structural relationships of the dolomites were controlled by successive magmatic events, whereas, the intensity of replacement dolomitization was controlled by host rock texture and varied bulk chemistry, together with the nature of circulating fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integration of water into deep eutectic solvent enhanced lignin removal. • Better delignification improved xylose recovery via CuCl 2 hydrolysis. • Physical properties of deep eutectic solvents affected delignification. • Various characterization studies verified delignification effects of biomass. The existence of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) has improved the process of biomass transformation and valorization due to its ability to break down the recalcitrant structure of biomass via delignification. However, the high viscosity of DES is one of the factors that restraints its effectiveness in delignification of biomass. The addition of water was expected to reduce the viscosity of DES and improve the process consequently. This study investigated the effects of water content in the DES (choline chloride:urea in 1:2 M ratio) on delignification of oil palm fronds (OPF), which are underutilized but available abundantly in Malaysia. The pretreatment was carried out at 120 °C for 4 h using DES at a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10 (w/v). In terms of lignin removal, 30 vol% of distilled water in DES was determined to achieve the optimal result at 16.31% in delignification of OPF. Delignification of OPF was further confirmed via a series of characterization tests. In comparison with pure DES, the aqueous DES enabled more favorable improvement of lignin removal in a biomass pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To tackle the crisis associated with the rising commercial food waste generation, it is imperative to comprehend how corporates' recycling behaviour is influenced by different industry structures and economies. This study aims to fill in the information gap that various factors might be affecting corporates' recycling behaviour in two different economies due to environmental inequality by comparing upper-middle-income region (Malaysia) and high-income region (Hong Kong), respectively. A questionnaire survey regarding food waste management according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour was conducted with representatives coming from diverse industries of the hotel, food and beverage, and property management. The questionnaire responses were evaluated based on quantitative structural equation modelling and correlation analysis. The analysis results showed that the model fit the data well, explaining 78% of the variance in recycling behaviour. The findings demonstrated that the most substantial factor on individual's recycling intention by Malaysian commercial food waste generators was perceived behavioural control, and logistics and management incentives. Subjective norms demonstrated significant and adverse effects on the behaviour of food waste recycling. The variable of administrative incentives and corporate support presented strong positive correlations with moral attitudes as well as logistics and management incentives. Hotel industries from both Hong Kong and Malaysia have a higher acceptance level on human resources regarding food waste recycling. In comparison, food and beverage industries from both regions have a lower acceptance level. These findings could enrich our knowledge of the concerns in establishing regional policy strategies to encourage economic behavioural changes for sustainable development. [Display omitted] • Commercial food waste recycling behaviour is compared in Hong Kong and Malaysia. • Latent variables' relationships of recycling behaviour are revealed and quantified. • Malaysian concerns perceived behaviour control more than Hong Kong. • Malaysian food and beverages industry shows a higher acceptance in recycling costs. • Administrative incentives and corporate support are positively related to moral attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]