Search

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a highly prevalent disease in Malaysia. Early identification using cost-effective methods such as chest radiography can reduce the health burden of a TB epidemic. However, normal chest radiographic findings are common. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings during an outbreak. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of 56 pulmonary TB cases registered at Kodiang Health Clinic from April to October 2022. Smear-negative and extrapulmonary TB cases were excluded. Relevant information was extracted from the medical records and recorded in a case report form for data management and analysis. Results: Approximately 60.7% of the cases had symptoms lasting >2 weeks, and 89.3% showed abnormal findings upon clinical examination. Additionally, 73.2% had sputum acid-fast bacilli counts of ≥1+, and the sputum Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and sensitivity test findings were positive in 82.1% of the cases. The proportion of smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings was 42.9%. The factors associated with smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings included being under 18 years old (P=0.021), being a student (P=0.010), being single (P=0.012) and being asymptomatic (P=0.04). Conclusion: Normal chest radiographic findings may lead to a misdiagnosis of smear-positive pulmonary TB, especially during an outbreak. Therefore, active case detection among close contacts with risk factors for normal radiographic findings should consider additional supportive tests.

In the present paper, we investigate the casual characterizations of W-directional curves of null curves in Minkowski 4-space. In section two, the basic concepts of curves with their Frenet equations in Minkowski 4-space are provided. In section three, the principal normal directional and donor curves of null curves in Minkowski 4-space are defined and their casual characterizations are also derived. In section four, we define the B_1 directional and donor curves of null curves and show their properties as well. In the last section, the B_2 directional and donor curves of null curves are also defined and their causal characterizations are provided.

Background: Malocclusion often occurs in children due to discrepancies between primary teeth and permanent teeth. An assessment of the severity of the malocclusion is necessary for establishing the diagnosis and determining the need for treatment. The Occlusal Feature Index (OFI) and Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) are indices that assess the need for orthodontic treatment, but they use different weights. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the need for orthodontic treatment based on the OFI and DAI in 10–14-year-old children. Methods: The sample in this study is secondary data in the form of 66 study models pre-treatment in children aged 10–14 years at the Universitas Sumatra Utara (USU) Dental Hospital. All samples were collected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The measurement results were analysed statistically by the Chi-square test to see the comparison between the OFI and DAI. The results obtained are presented in the form of frequency and percentage. Results: For the OFI, 42.4% of the samples had no orthodontic treatment needed, 31.8% were indicated to treat, and 25.8% require mandatory treatment. For the DAI, 47% of samples had no/little treatment need, 25.8% had elective treatment need, 16.7% had treatment considered mandatory, and 10.6% treatment highly desirable. Based on the assessment to compare the OFI and DAI using the Chi-square test, p=0.001 was obtained. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the need for orthodontic treatment between OFI and DAI in children aged 10–14 years at the USU Dental Hospital.

The development of a smart grid electricity distribution network with advanced technology in smart metering will produce a massive amount of data. However, the limitation in communication network bandwidth makes it hard to transmit these data to the control center. Data compression is one of the best solutions to overcome this limitation. This study presents the use of multiresolution matrix factorisation (MMF) as a data compression technique for a smart distribution system. MMF will compress a data matrix into a core matrix with lower dimension via a series of orthogonal transformations. Experimental results gained from this study show that MMF is applicable in compressing large size data into lower dimension matrix with low error rates and high in speed. The MMF compression technique is able to reduce the volume of data to be transmitted through the communication network and thus save the bandwidth. Besides, MMF compression performs faster than the singular value decomposition method, especially with large size matrix. Findings from this study prove that MMF can serve as an alternative data compression technique for the smart distribution system, with a potential for an online application due to the high speed and high accuracy of the algorithm.

This paper was to analyse the voice of stakeholders on key elements for peace education curriculum objectives for Malaysian higher education system as a contribution to the progressive effort on fostering interactions among multiracial community. The larger focus of the study is to develop a peace education curriculum model based on an intercultural context that can be applied at the tertiary level. The model was developed based on Tyler’s Model (Tyler, 1949). The model proposed four domains which were the objectives of the curriculum, curriculum content, and implementation and evaluation. However, this paper only focuses on elements of the curriculum objectives which is also the instrumental domain for curriculum development. Fuzzy Delphi technique and Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) were employed. The findings of model consisted of 19 Objective curriculum elements. All proposed objective elements generated through literature review were accepted by the stakeholders and the four highest agreeable elements were “To create in the learner the knowledge of the concept of peace and conflict”, “To nurture respect for and appreciation of differences”, “To enable students to acquire a sense of belonging towards a larger society, and to empathize and relate with individuals from other groups within that society”, and “To create in the learner, the knowledge of national identity”. The outcome has reflected on the three important dimensions of knowledge and value. The skill dimension was ranked lower, as response to stakeholder views that the importance of knowledge and value (concept of peace, respect, sense of belonging and national identity) should be first inculcated and followed with other skills. The outcome of the study would implicate in the systematic structuring of peace building among the multi-cultural society through peace education.

Inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia has taken place more than a century ago either in the form of ‘dialogue of life’ or in the form of intellectual discourse. ‘Dialogue of life’ normally occurs in a superficial ways of interaction such as ‘open house’ during festive seasons and daily interaction in market places, offices or schools while dialogue in the form of intellectual discourse occurs in official events such as forum, seminar and public lecture. Earliest endeavours of inter-religious dialogue were championed by non-Muslim organizations with the aim to protect their rights that was allegedly threatened with the execution of Islamization policy in 1980s. The involvement of Muslim’s organizations could only be seen until 1990s with a pioneering attempt by Center for Civilizational Dialogue (University of Malaya) in 1995 that aimed to generate greater inter-religious understanding. The implementation of inter-religious dialogue in the form of intellectual discourse however is still limited due to its nature which is apparently more appealing to the intellectuals’ community. On top of that, inter-religious dialogue also facing constant objections by some critics due to misunderstanding of the actual goals of inter-religious dialogue. Therefore, correct understanding about the concept of inter-religious dialogue must be nurtured among the masses prior to commencing any inter-religious dialogue program.

Over the years, many organizations have involved in the implementation of inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia. However, there are stillthose who doubt the role and purpose of interreligious dialogue. This might be due to lack of information and understanding regardingthe methodology of dialogue and also about different types that it may take. The present study is aimed at exploring a few models ofinter-religious dialogue that have been practised by some organizations that actively involved in dialogue. The study focuses on a review of selected organizational or institutional dialoguemodels such as Center for Civilizational Dialogue (CCD), Students Representative Council of Malaysia Science University (HealthCampus) and Inter-faith Spiritual Fellowship (INSaF). This study provides information concerning the various designs of inter-religiousdialogue model in Malaysia and proposes that different designs of inter-religious dialogue rely on its different types and goals. It is found that, the commonly practiced type of dialogue in Malaysia is educational type which focuses on exploring inter-religious commonalities as well as differences which consequently willincrease understanding and foster meaningful engagement between people of different ethnic and religious background in Malaysia. Thistype of dialogue is distinguished from conflict resolution types of dialogue which aims at identifying issues and generating action plansto conflicts or disputes.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a highly prevalent disease in Malaysia. Early identification using cost-effective methods such as chest radiography can reduce the health burden of a TB epidemic. However, normal chest radiographic findings are common. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings during an outbreak. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the medical records of 56 pulmonary TB cases registered at Kodiang Health Clinic from April to October 2022. Smear-negative and extrapulmonary TB cases were excluded. Relevant information was extracted from the medical records and recorded in a case report form for data management and analysis. Results: Approximately 60.7% of the cases had symptoms lasting >2 weeks, and 89.3% showed abnormal findings upon clinical examination. Additionally, 73.2% had sputum acid-fast bacilli counts of ≥1+, and the sputum Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and sensitivity test findings were positive in 82.1% of the cases. The proportion of smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings was 42.9%. The factors associated with smear-positive pulmonary TB with normal chest radiographic findings included being under 18 years old (P=0.021), being a student (P=0.010), being single (P=0.012) and being asymptomatic (P=0.04). Conclusion: Normal chest radiographic findings may lead to a misdiagnosis of smear-positive pulmonary TB, especially during an outbreak. Therefore, active case detection among close contacts with risk factors for normal radiographic findings should consider additional supportive tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Akuakultur Indonesia is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The subsidence of the railway track occurred due to the collapse of the excavation wall known as Pile Cap 14, not far from the track. This excavation is part of the railway facility development project from Manggarai to Jatinegara (Phase II Main Line II). The occurrence of this event is the background for this research, which aims to analyze the factors that are the main causes of the landslide, directly leading to the subsidence of the active railroad track at Manggarai Station, and to determine its mitigation. The evaluation of the modeling was conducted using the Plaxis program. Primary and secondary data were used as input parameters for the modeling. The modeling results revealed a safety factor (SF) for the excavation with a value of <1. This indicates that the excavation does not meet safety criteria and is a factor causing the collapse. The sheet pile reinforcement installed on the existing excavation was also unable to withstand lateral forces from the soil. The construction improvement planning involved reevaluating the construction design and restructuring the structure of the excavation. Additionally, anchors were added at a height of 0.5 m from the excavation's ground surface. The results of this experiment showed a safety factor for a 5 m high excavation of 1.622, exceeding the applicable standards. This indicates that the soil condition after excavation to a depth of 5 m has adequate stability, and the potential for collapse is not identified with the presence of dead loads such as ballast and pads and the live load from the train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]