Publication Abstract:
Purpose: To obtain epidemiologic data of the Linburg-Comstock anomaly in Malaysia and to study the effect of the anomaly on key pinch strength.
Methods: Two hundred ninety two healthy subjects (162 females and 130 males) were examined bilaterally for the presence of the Linburg-Comstock anomaly. Each subject¿s key pinch strength was measured bilaterally using a pinch meter.
Results: The Linburg-Comstock anomaly was present in 101 of the 292 subjects (35%). Twenty two percent of the subjects had it unilaterally, and 12% had it bilaterally. The anomaly was associated with superior key pinch strength.
Conclusions: Linburg-Comstock anomaly is common and correlates with superior key pinch strength.
Clinical Relevance: The study provides epidemiologic data of this anomaly in Malaysia and considers its anatomical influence on key pinch strength.
Publication Title
:
Psychosocial safety climate: Conceptual
distinctiveness and effect on job demands and
worker
psychological well-being.
Publication Abstract:
Psychosocial safety climate is an emerging construct that refers to shared perceptions regarding policies,practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety. The purpose of the research was to: (1) demonstrate that psychosocial safety climate is a construct distinct from related climate measures (i.e., physical safety climate, team psychological safety, and perceived organizational support); and (2) test the proposition that organizational psychosocial safety climate determines work conditions (i.e., job demands) and subsequently worker psychological health. We used samples from two different cultures; an Australian sample (N = 126 workers in 16 teams within a primary health care organization) and a Malaysian sample (N = 180 workers in 31 teams from different organizations and diverse industries). In both samples confirmatory factor analysis verified that psychosocial safety climate is a construct distinct from related climate measures. Using hierarchical linear modeling, psychosocial safety climate was superior to other team level climate measures in its negative relationship to both job demands and psychological health problems. Results supported a mediation process, psychosocial safety climate --> job demands --> psychological health problems, corroborating psychosocial safety climate as a preeminent stress risk factor, and an efficient target for intervention. We found both physical and psychosocial safety climates were stronger in the Australian, compared with the Malaysian work context. Levels of psychosocial safety climate were significantly lower than those of physical safety climate in both countries indicating a ‘universal’ lack of attention to workplace psychological health.
Publication Title
:
Additions to the Taiwan marine eel fauna with
first records of three rare moray eels
(Anguilliformes: Muraenidae).
Publication Abstract:
-The specimens of three new records of moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) were identified for the first time off the eastern (Changbin) and southern (Kenting) coast of Taiwan. They were Enchelynassa canina (Quoy and Gaimard), Gymnothorax elegans Bliss and Gymnothorax fuscomaculatus (Schultz). The monotypic genus Enchelynassa which had only one species in the genus was also a newly recorded genus to Taiwan. In this paper, we reported the three rare moray species, included diagnostic characters and the fresh coloration on whole body, head, dorsal and ventral sides; as well as their dentitions; and the key to the relative species.
Publication Title
:
An Overview of nematodes infecting urban and wild rats
(Muridae) in Malaysia.
Rodents particularly those belonging to the Muridae family in Malaysia have been well studied because of their medical and economic importance. Much of the work on rodents has been focusing on the identification of endo and ecto parasites. Parasites in rats (Murids) particularly helminthes belonging to the Nematoda family have been described by many workers for more than a century. This paper is an attempt to compile 56 papers on rodent nematodes that has been published in various scientific journals over the last 100 years in Malaysia. It is hoped that this literature overview on rodent nematodes will come useful as a reference material for the budding parasitologist and biology scientist.
Home ownership for the urban poor poses a major challenge to metropolitan management and urban governance. The key aim of this study is to determine the role of the state in providing the opportunity for the urban poor to become home owners. Secondly, it also seeks to examine the level of sustainable owner-occupation amongst the urban poor given the opportunity to enter into homeownership. Drawing upon a case study of low-income housing in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur the study establishes that for many decades the governance of Kuala Lumpur has played an active role in designing and implementing a wide range of housing policies to house the low-income groups. The study argued that the establishment of strong institutional capacity is vital towards successful implementation of urban poor housing programs. Further insights into the level of sustainable owner-occupation amongst the households of low-income housing project confirm that the state has been successful in providing decent and affordable housing to its urban poor.
