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Massive investments in higher education have witnessed a proliferation of public and private universities in Malaysia. A parallel development of concern is the view that public university graduates are finding it more difficult than their private university counterparts in transiting from university to work. To test the empirical veracity of this widely expressed belief, data from 441 currently employed graduates from three major urban centres were analysed to determine factors that increased the probability of securing permanent employment within six months of graduation, the officially used cut-off period. While the findings indicated that the transition is eased largely by personal endeavours (other than being Chinese) such as mastering English, attaining a high GPA, and participating in extracurricular activities, we also found a negative association between having a public university qualification and the length taken to secure the first permanent job. We discuss the implications of these findings for Malaysian education policy. If a public university degree indeed disadvantages a graduate in transiting to work, it would undermine the role of public universities as avenues for the upward social mobility of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, the large expenditures on public universities would appear to be misallocated.

Purpose: This study reports on the effectiveness of Digital Games (DG) in learning biology among Form 4 students in Malaysia. Likewise it presents the general overview of the students' interest and their problems while using digital games in the learning process. Methodology: This study was conducted in a sub-urban secondary school in Kinta District, Perak. Six Form 4 students, consisted of four males and two females participated in this study. A qualitative research design was utilized to answer the research questions. Individual in-depth interviews and also laboratory observations were carried out to collect the data needed for this study. The data were analysed using coding. 'Verbatim Transcripts' were used to describe the data. Findings: Analysis of the data revealed that digital games aroused students' interest as well as motivated them in learning biology. In addition, the results also indicated that students benefitted in the learning process by using digital games. On the whole, the findings of this study showed that students have positive perception towards the usage of digital games in learning biology. Significance: The findings of the study will be beneficial to the students as they could apply digital games in their learning process and will make them more interested in the subject of biology. Students can use variety of digital games related to biology to enhance their understanding of the particular topic and make development in the subject matter. To the Biology teachers, this is an advanced teaching method whereby students learn by themselves and teachers facilitate.

Purpose - This study reports on the effectiveness of Digital Games (DG) in learning biology among Form 4 students in Malaysia. Likewise, it presents the general overview of the students' interest and their problems while using digital games in the learning process. Methodology - This study was conducted in a suburban secondary school in Kinta District, Perak. Six Form 4 students consisted of four males and two females participated in this study. A qualitative research design was utilised to answer the research questions. Individual in-depth interviews and laboratory observations were carried out to collect the data needed for this study. The data were analysed using coding. 'Verbatim transcripts' were used to describe the data. Findings - Analysis of the data revealed that digital games aroused students' interest as well as motivated them in learning biology. In addition, the results also indicated that students benefitted in the learning process by using digital games. On the whole, the findings showed that students have positive perception towards the usage of digital games in learning biology. Significance- The findings of the study will be beneficial to the students as they could apply digital games in their learning process and will make them more interested in biology. Students can use variety of digital games related to biology to enhance their understanding of the particular topic and make development in the subject matter. The biology teachers could also benefit since students learn by themselves with digital games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrast-enhanced examinations of the abdomen region have a greater radiation exposure due to the multiphase abdominal CT protocols. Therefore, the study intends to evaluate the feasibility of a BMI-based low-dose protocol for contrast-enhanced abdomen and pelvis and its influence on radiation dose and image quality. 120 patients were scanned using the standard protocol [120 kVp], and 96 patients were imaged using the low-dose BMI-based protocol [80 kVp for low BMI; 100 kVp for normal and overweight BMI]. The effective dose was estimated using region-specific conversion factors. Image quality was evaluated Objectively for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), image noise, and contrast enhancement index. Subjectively, image quality was evaluated by two radiologists on a 5-point scale. BMI-based low-dose protocols were able to reduce the radiation dose by 70.9%, 44.4 %, and 38%, respectively, among low BMI, normal BMI, and overweight patients. Objective: analysis demonstrated higher noise, lower SNR, and marginally better CNR in the low-dose BMI protocol. In subjective analysis, a majority of images were scored between 4 and 5, indicating excellent or above-average image quality. Lowering the tube voltage according to BMI can reduce the radiation dose significantly. There is also an improvement in contrast enhancement, which is highest in the low BMI protocol, thereby making it possible to minimise the contrast dose as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In developing countries like Malaysia, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing at an alarming rate. Various complications develop in patients diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetic foot is one such complication that is a threat to morbidity and mortality rate owing to its risk of amputation. Understanding the microbiology of diabetic foot infection becomes an essential part of management as it can help to channel the exact treatment rather than empirical treatment. Aim To determine the distribution and prevalence of microorganism causing diabetic foot infection in Hospital Serdang and Hospital Ampang for the year 2010 till 2014. Methodology This was a cross-sectional study using retrospective data from January 2010 to December 2014 of 885 patients with diabetic foot infection in Hospital Serdang and Hospital Ampang, tertiary hospitals in Klang Valley. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 for Windows. Results A total of 1356 pathogens were isolated from 885 patients, with a rate of 1.53 isolates per culture (IPC). The prevalence of gram-negative bacteria was predominant in DFI accounting for 71.27% whereas gram-positive was only 28.73%. Among the gram-negative isolates, the most common pathogen was Pseudomonas aeroginosa accounting for 24.49% followed by Proteus mirabilis (14.34%) and Klebsiella spp. (11.12%). Gram-positive isolates consist of Staphylococcus aureus with a percentage of 66.77% and Streptococcus spp. 33.23%. The Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounts for 26.24% of the isolates. There were more monomicrobial cultures than polymicrobial culture (465 vs. 420). The most common antibiotic prescribed is ampicillin/sulbactam (55.57%) followed by cloxacillin (13.29%) and penicillin (10.77%) Conclusion The prevalence of gram-negative bacteria in DFI is higher than gram-positive bacteria. The most common gram-negative bacteria is Pseudomonas aeroginosa followed by Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella spp. whereas the most common gram-positive bacteria is Staphylococcus aureus. The rate of monomicrobial infection is slightly higher than polymicrobial infection. Ampicillin/sulbactam is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for a patient with DFI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The business tourism sector is recognized as a high-yield component of the tourism industry with hedonic economic impact on businesses, destinations, local economies, and the development of human capital. It is considered as one of the fastest developing and most profitable sectors. Therefore, the current research was set out to investigate the size and economic value of the business tourist market in Malaysia by highlighting the microareas of business tourists' expenditure and their experience, and presenting a model defining the total economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced), contribution to employment, and contribution to tax revenue generated for Malaysia. A quantitative research approach was applied with two self-administered survey questionnaires used to collect the data (n = 5,555) in order to observe the travel information, spending patterns, and experiences of international travelers attending business events in Malaysia, which are mainly conferences and exhibitions. The economic impact assessment in the study was made using a money generation model (MGM). The current study provides its novel findings at a national level and defines business tourists (international travelers) as conference delegates and exhibition buyers attending/joining business events in Malaysia. Along with presenting the demographics, spending patterns, and behavioral patterns of the business tourists, the results also show that in 2014 the business tourism sector contributed significantly to the Malaysian economy at MYR4.7 billion (US$1.44 billion) of direct economic value, MYR9.7 billion (US$2.96 billion) of total economic impact (direct, indirect, and induced), along with 325,437 job opportunities in the local economy and MYR416 million (US$127.2 million) in tax revenue (direct, indirect, and induced). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New Economic Model, launched in 2010, affirmed that employing immigrant labor has delayed the upgrading of Malaysian manufacturing. We found that evidence based on the share of skilled workers, wage rate growth, capital use and productivity growth is consistent with this assertion. The way forward should embrace, among other factors, two thrusts: better regulation of foreign workers and the cost of using them in order to pressure firms to upgrade and increasing the talent pool to support the transformation. The latter thrust should include measures to raise the skills of natives, retain skilled natives, attract native talent residing abroad and enticing non-native talent to help the upgrading process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The construction industry has always been a major generator of construction waste and is often faced with the issue of its effective management in minimising environmental pollution. This research paper focuses on the construction waste generated from the construction of high rise buildings using 3 construction methods; Conventional Construction (Category I), the Mixed System (Category II) and Industrialised Building System (IBS, Category III). The construction waste for each construction category were characterised into its mineral and non-mineral components. The construction waste usage efficiency (CWUE), waste generation, reuse and recycling rates were also calculated. The IBS (Category III) was found to be the most efficient construction method with a waste generation rate (WGR) of 0.016tons of construction waste/m2 floor space compared to the Mixed System (Category II) at 0.030tons/m2 and the Conventional Construction (Category I) at 0.048tons/m2. The construction waste usage efficiency (CWUE) was the highest in Category III (IBS) at 94.1% with only 5.9% of the total construction waste in this category being disposed at landfills. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of Malaysia has recognised its benefits and has actively promoted the use of IBS in Malaysia. The waste characterisation data and its uses (reuse and recycling) obtained from this study could be used as baseline data to promote and encourage the Malaysian construction industry to adopt the use of precast technology, the Industrialised Building System (Category III) and move away from the more traditional resource hungry Conventional Construction (Category I). The inclusion of the Mixed System (Category II) in this study as an intermediate construction method was aimed at providing the link between the Conventional Construction (Category I) and the IBS (Category III). The Mixed System (Category II) incorporates both the IBS and Conventional Construction methods. The Conventional Construction (Category I) with the incorporation of new construction technologies could easily be reclassified as the Mixed System (Category II), allowing Malaysian contractors to easily adopt it. This paves the way for better understanding for the use of precast technology which eventually would result in a positive shift towards the use of the IBS (Category III) by Malaysian contractors in the future. Thus, improving the construction industry''s environmental performance and commitment to sustainable development as outlined by the CIDB''s Construction Industry Master Plan 2006–2015 for Malaysia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two new species of Pharta, P. sudmannorum sp. nov. (♂♀, Borneo) and P. koponeni sp. nov. (♂, Thailand) are described. Furthermore, Ibana senagang gen. nov. & sp. nov. from Malaysia is described based on its exceptional palp, which has a reduced, movable conductor and thick-long spines on the distal, ventral surface of the tibia, reminiscent of Epidius Thorell, 1877.