Lumpur Research Articles

Menumbuhkan Kreativitas dan Cinta Lingkungan Anak Pekerja Migran di Sanggar Bimbingan Kepong Malaysia dengan Proyek Pancasila Berbasis Zero Waste

This service aims to foster creativity and love for the environment in the children of migrant workers at the Kepong Guidance Center, Kuala Lumpur, through the Zero Waste-Based Pancasila Project. Children of migrant workers often face a variety of difficulties, such as lack of access to essential services and difficult economic conditions. This program provides formal and value-based education of Pancasila, which is integrated with the concept of zero waste. Through lecture and participatory methods, children are taught to utilize waste, especially paper, into products of economic value. This activity not only improves creative and critical thinking skills, but also in stills environmental sustainability values. The results of the program show the active participation and high enthusiasm of the children in the educational and practical process. In addition to increasing creativity, the program also strengthens children's awareness of the importance of an eco-friendly lifestyle and social responsibility. This program makes a positive contribution to improving the quality of life and future opportunities of migrant workers' children.

The Determinants of Monetary Policy in Malaysia: Impact on Economic Activity

The overnight interbank rate is a key tool for central banks to influence economic activity and maintain financial stability. It represents the rate at which banks lend and borrow short-term funds from one another, often overnight, and plays a crucial role in monetary policy transmission. Changes in this rate can affect borrowing costs and credit availability, which in turn impacts consumption, investment, and economic activity. Bank Negara Malaysia (2021) highlights that overnight transactions in the interbank market operate alongside the Kuala Lumpur Interbank Offered Rate (KLIBOR). This study analyzes time series data from 1991 to 2021 to identify relationships between the overnight interbank rate and macroeconomic variables using the ordinary least square (OLS) method. The analysis focuses on unemployment (UR), domestic private credit (DGR), gross domestic product (GDP), foreign exchange reserves (FER), and inflation (I), with data sourced from the World Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank (FRED). The results show that unemployment and inflation significantly impact monetary policy. High unemployment suggests underused resources, often prompting lower interest rates to stimulate investment and economic growth. In contrast, rising inflation typically leads central banks to increase interest rates to slow spending, while falling inflation may result in rate cuts to spur economic activity.

Anti-colonial raced capitalism in Malaysia: Contested logics, gendered repertoires

Abstract This paper offers a non-Eurocentric account of raced capitalism in Malaysia, articulated as a developmental state project that has navigated the contested racial logics of British colonialism and Japanese imperialism. By historicising Malaysia’s experience, I provide a reading of the Malaysian developmental state as a project that has taken the form of anti-colonial raced capitalism. This is not meant to valorise raced capitalism as anti-colonial, but to suggest that decolonisation must also confront hegemonic elements engraved on the anti-colonial register of nationalised raced capitalism. In bringing a feminist critique to anti-colonial projects that leave capitalist relations uncontested, the paper makes three contributions. First, it recentres race and colonialism in its analysis of the developmental state, offering anti-colonial raced capitalism as a language that speaks to similar projects that enable, legitimise, and obscure new forms of racial/gender domination with counter-hegemonic frames. Second, it brings back politics to anti-colonialism, reestablishing it as a political space with competing visions, imaginations, and agendas, shaped by the geopolitics of empires. Third, it features gender, social reproduction, and the household as key sites to ground the politics of anti-colonialism, enacting the scaffolding for gendered understandings of raced capitalist development on the periphery of the global economy.

Exploring hormone replacement therapy dynamics among menopausal women in Kuala Lumpur – a community based survey

BackgroundWomen may lack awareness of the existence of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), its benefits, and potential drawbacks. Furthermore, they may be uninformed about the treatability of menopausal symptoms. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to HRT among menopausal women within the Malaysian population. Presently, no studies have reported on the inside, attitudes, and practices regarding HRT among menopausal women in Kuala Lumpur. This study sought to determine the prevalence, knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards HRT and its association with socio-demographic characteristics of the study population.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted among menopausal women (n = 404) living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data was collected using convenient sampling. This research consists of 5 major parts which are (A) Socio-demographic characteristics of participants, (B) HRT knowledge among respondents, (C) Attitudes towards HRT, (D) Practice of HRT, and (E) Menopausal symptoms. All appropriate data from the project was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Ver 26.ResultsA total of 404 participants were recruited in this survey. Overall, participants had good knowledge (n = 254, 62.9%) and negative attitude (n = 213, 52.7%) towards HRT. The majority of them (83.4%) had never taken HRT. The common menopausal symptoms reported were hot flashes (35.4%), irritability/ mood swings (31.9%), and night sweats (29.2%). There was a significant association between knowledge of menopause and HRT and attitude towards HRT use. Participants (68.7%, n = 103) with poor knowledge of menopause and HRT showed a negative attitude towards HRT (p < 0.01).ConclusionsOverall, the prevalence of HRT use among the respondents is low. 83.4% of them have never taken HRT before. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude towards HRT use. Healthcare systems should educate the public using various educational tools and social media.

Knowledge of Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) in Children among Eye Care Professionals in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Objective: Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI), a brain-based visual disorder that affects neural networks that process incoming visual information throughout the brain, poses challenges in diagnosis and managing visual impairment in children. With the prevalence rise in CVI cases among children, there is a growing demand for ophthalmologists and optometrists to address these conditions, emphasising the importance of improving knowledge and awareness for better visual rehabilitation. This study intends to quantify the level of understanding of CVI in children among eye care professionals in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Material and Methods: Two hundred thirty registered eye care professionals, including ophthalmologists and optometrists across Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, participated in this cross-sectional web-based survey. A standardised questionnaire was created through Google Forms and distributed via social media platforms between April and June 2022.Results: The finding showed that the eye care professionals have significantly basic knowledge regarding CVI in children (x2=369; df=2; p-value≤0.01). Most respondents correctly identified variable loss of vision, visual field defects, and abnormal behaviour as clinical features of CVI in children. Additionally, over half of the respondents selected magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the appropriate investigation choice.Conclusion: These findings indicate that eye care professionals have basic knowledge and awareness of CVI in children. More research is needed to enhance knowledge and raise awareness about CVI in children among eye-care professionals.

Navigating the digital landscape: social media’s influence on luxury brand equity and purchase intention

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how social media affects luxury brand equity and purchase intention in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were distributed across shopping malls in the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, targeting Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above with a history of luxury purchases. Using random sampling, the study collected and analysed 300 valid responses. Findings The findings demonstrate that social media has a positive effect on luxury brand equity and that brand equity significantly influences purchase intention. However, the study reveals a negative impact of social media on purchase intention. Originality/value This study explores the profound impact of social media on luxury brand equity in Malaysia, revealing its role in shaping brand awareness, associations, uniqueness, loyalty and perceived quality.

Factors influencing health-related quality of life of children with overweight and obesity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ABSTRACT Introduction: Overweight and obesity among children may have psychological consequences, with potentially lasting effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aims of this study were to compare HRQOL across weight status among children and to determine the factors influencing HRQOL among children with overweight and obesity. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved school children aged 9–16 years that were recruited from eight randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. The validated Malay version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) was used to measure HRQOL. Complex sample general linear model was used to determine the significant factors associated with HRQOL among children with overweight and obesity. Results: From 928 students, 41.2% (n = 375) of them had either overweight or obesity. Children with obesity reported lower overall HRQOL, physical functioning, social functioning, and psychosocial health summary, compared to normal weight children. In the final model, children with obesity had significantly lower HRQOL and physical functioning compared to children who were overweight, while those who lived with a single parent reported poorer HRQOL compared to children who lived with both parents. Children with history of being bullied had lower HRQOL and psychosocial health. Whereas those with lower self-esteem reported significantly lower scores in all three domains. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity have negative impacts on HRQOL of children. Among children with overweight and obesity, factors such as degree of obesity, family structure, history of being bullied, and self-esteem were found to be significantly associated with HRQOL. Therefore, assessing and managing HRQOL should be included as a part of the obesity prevention programme.

International Architecture News

The news section reports on World Architecture Day, World Environment Day, the UIA International Forum in Kuala Lumpur, and the winner of the 2024 Serpentine Pavilion Design Competition.

The Effectiveness of the RESPEK Program on Resilience and Coping Strategies among Adolescents in At-Risk Areas in Kuala Lumpur

The Effectiveness of the RESPEK Program on Resilience and Coping Strategies among Adolescents in At-Risk Areas in Kuala Lumpur

Association between physiological responses and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressions in the vulnerable populations of Kuala Lumpur

ABSTRACT Continued heat exposure can cause physiological and cellular responses. This study investigated the association between physiological responses and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressions in Kuala Lumpur’s urban vulnerable population. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 54 participants from four areas classified as experiencing moderate to strong heat stress. Physiological measurements included core body temperature, heart rate, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure. RT-qPCR and ELISA were also performed on blood samples to assess HSP70 gene and protein expressions. Despite indoor heat stress, participants maintained normal physiological parameters while there were significant indications of HSP70 expression at both the gene and protein levels. However, our study found no significant correlation (p > 0.05) between physiological responses and HSP70 expressions. This study shows no interaction between physiological responses and HSP70 expressions in the study population, revealing the complex mechanisms of indoor heat stress in vulnerable individuals.

Agri-Solar Water Pumping design, energy, and environmental analysis: A comprehensive study in Tropical Humid climate

Agrivoltaics is an innovative approach where solar energy, water, land and biodiversity are integrated into the same area to maximize resource utilization for sustainable development, also known as Agrivoltaism. The combination of solar water pumping and agri-solar has led to the development of a new generation of irrigation systems that are highly sustainable and efficient. Agri-solar water pumping can irrigate crops, feed livestock, clean solar modules, cool the PV system, generate energy, store water, and provide community drinking water. This paper addresses the basic design and capacity requirements of solar water pumping systems for irrigating a 0.5-hectare Agrivoltaics system in Kuala Lumpur. The SISIFO tool has been used to simulate the Agri-solar water pumping performance for tropical humid climatic conditions. The various parameters like site details, climate data, type of PV modules, DC pump -motor and converters are used as input data to evaluate the energy yield parameters (output energy in DC and AC form), hydraulic parameters (volume of water pumped), loss parameters (capture and system losses) and efficiency parameters (performance of the system). Lettuce was chosen as it is fast growing with good yield per hectare. Based on the result, a detailed analysis of the agrivoltaic lettuce plant is performed. A detailed analysis of the solar resource assessment, system design, Key performance indicators, loss analysis and environmental analysis of the Agri-solar water pumping has been carried out. Considering their specific climatic conditions, this can significantly assist policymakers in selecting the optimal solar pumping station for agrivoltaic plants. The importance of considering various factors when choosing a solar pumping station for agrivoltaics is also highlighted

Exploring Differentially Expressed Genes and Immune Modulation in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma through RNA Sequencing Analysis.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is globally recognized as the most prevalent and aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. While conventional treatments are effective initially, the disease can become resistant or relapse over time. This study aimed to examine the differentially expressed genes at the transcriptome level and molecular pathways in DLBCL patients. This investigation utilized RNA sequencing analysis to compare differentially expressed gene samples from five diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with two healthy volunteers. These participants were admitted to UKM Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur between 2019 and 2020. The differentially expressed genes were identified using the DESeq2 R package (version 1.10.1) using a negative binomial distribution model. The obtained P values were corrected with the Benjamin and Hochberg method and identified using a False Discovery Rate threshold of <0.05, with log2 fold change (FC) of ≥2 or ≤-2. Results showed 73 differentially expressed genes between the two groups, among which 70 genes were downregulated, and three genes were upregulated. The differentially expressed genes analyzed with the Reactome pathway were significantly associated with the downregulation of antimicrobial humoral response (P<0.001), neutrophil degranulation (P<0.001), chemokine receptors bind chemokines (P=0.028), defensins (P=0.028) and metabolism of angiotensinogen (P=0.040). These findings suggest that the identified pathways may contribute to cancer progression and weaken the immune response in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients. This study offers fresh insights into previously undiscovered downstream targets and pathways modulated by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Arts Community Resilience in Malaysia during the Time of COVID-19: Five Arts Centre’s Open House Initiative

The intrusion of COVID-19 in Malaysia had resulted in the disruption of many art projects for the whole year of 2020. Due to the country’s countermeasures to combat the disease’s ongoing spread, several art groups and art projects were facing mass postponements, cancellations, and uncertainty—arts communities were vulnerable to economic losses, social and environmental limitations during the volatile period. However, there were few art groups that managed to adapt their practices and work around the pandemic constraints they’ve encountered. Five Arts Centre arts collective was sampled and interviewed for this year-long study which looks at the preliminary impacts and responses of COVID-19 on the arts communities in Kuala Lumpur. The results indicate Malaysian arts communities were able to remain resilient against the pandemic mostly due to their social connectedness across the arts practitioners and institutions within the arts ecosystem. Added with their intuitive instrumentalisation of existing resources to meet the environmental limitations that the COVID-19 presented. The research findings are analysed through the utilisation of an adapted resilience framework to help explain the sampled art groups’ experiences through the pandemic period.

Enthusiastic Study of Children of Indonesia Migrant Workers in Selangor, Malaysia Who Do Not Have Access to Formal Education

The purpose of this study is to provide a description of the results of observations on the children of Malaysian migrant workers, especially about the enthusiasm or enthusiasm for learning children not only learning about understanding social sciences but one of them is learning religious science through religious science lessons and forms of application in the form of daily prayers, prayer readings, recitations and da'wah practices in the form of lectures. This material not only conveys the knowledge but also in practice and application as well as the way of delivery and good and correct lecture techniques, besides that also with lectures children can learn public speaking, speaking in public with good and directed conduct. Indonesia's children are future leaders and future generations of the Indonesia nation for the next 10 years, therefore the position of the young generation of Indonesia's children is very much needed. The enthusiasm for learning children in the Sungai Buloh area of Selangor has a very extraordinary spirit of learning. Most of the residents of the community in the Sungai Buloh Selangor area are Indonesia citizens who have lived in Malaysia, so there are quite a lot of children aged 7-13 years who are in elementary school. The Sungai Buloh Learning Studio is one of the main avenues for children of migrant workers to learn social and religious sciences, most of the people in the Sungai Buloh area of Selangor lack access to education due to their incomplete documents so that it is difficult for children to continue to public schools in Kuala Lumpur, this is one of the things that is worrisome because of the lack of access to education for the children of Indonesia migrant workers who are domiciled in the Sungai Buloh region of Selangor, Malaysia. With the enthusiasm of good children to learn but hindered by their incomplete documents, access to education for migrant workers living in the Sungai Buloh Selanggor area, Malaysia is quite difficult.

Participatory Strategies for Empowering Indonesian Migrant Worker Unions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Improving Welfare and Rights

Participatory Strategies for Empowering Indonesian Migrant Worker Unions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Improving Welfare and Rights

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT ON ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARDS HALAL HOTELS

This study is aimed at examining the impact of religious commitment on Malay Muslim behavior to select a halal hotel which attitude is considered a mediating variable. The research findings are beneficial for both academicians and practitioners in the domain of Islamic tourism.The study is based on the Theory of Reasoned Action , arguing that religious commitment affects the willingness of Malays to note their intention and dislike the halal hotel selected.A Structural Equation Modeling approach was adopted to analyze the data drawn from the survey of 492 respondents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Respondents who agreed to participate in the survey had to sign the consent form.It was discovered that religious commitment has a significant impact on the attitude as well as the behavioral intention of consumers when the obtained effect sizes are equal to.306 and.443, respectively. On the other hand, the attitude serves as a partial mediating factor with an effect size of.129. The research findings may be useful for hoteliers wishing to develop their marketing strategies to attract Malay Muslim customers who consider the intention to select a halal hotel as well as their attitude.

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT ON ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARDS HALAL HOTELS

This study is aimed at examining the impact of religious commitment on Malay Muslim behavior to select a halal hotel which attitude is considered a mediating variable. The research findings are beneficial for both academicians and practitioners in the domain of Islamic tourism.The study is based on the Theory of Reasoned Action , arguing that religious commitment affects the willingness of Malays to note their intention and dislike the halal hotel selected.A Structural Equation Modeling approach was adopted to analyze the data drawn from the survey of 492 respondents at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Respondents who agreed to participate in the survey had to sign the consent form.It was discovered that religious commitment has a significant impact on the attitude as well as the behavioral intention of consumers when the obtained effect sizes are equal to.306 and.443, respectively. On the other hand, the attitude serves as a partial mediating factor with an effect size of.129. The research findings may be useful for hoteliers wishing to develop their marketing strategies to attract Malay Muslim customers who consider the intention to select a halal hotel as well as their attitude.

PENINGKATAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN MUDA BERBASIS LIFE SKILL PROGRAM 5.0 DI SANGGAR BIMBINGAN KEPONG MALAYSIA

The government has carried out many entrepreneurship improvement programs. However, the program needs to be more comprehensive and felt by all educational institutions, especially non-formal education. One of them is the Sanggal Bimbingan in Kuala Lumpur. Children at the Sanggar Bimbingan Kepong (SB Kepong) need more infrastructure and resources to develop learning and skills. Skills for SB Kepong children are necessary so that they can improve their standard of living. This service activity aims to increase the entrepreneurial spirit needed by SB Kepong children so that they can open their insights about the importance of entrepreneurship from an early age. The service activities were conducted at SB Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This service activity focuses on three aspects, namely entrepreneurship, finance, and technology. The entrepreneurship improvement program is carried out by equipping literacy and training in making products with a selling value. In addition, the service team strengthens businesses' financial aspects and digitalization to support entrepreneurial skills. The results of this service activity include SB Kepong children increasing their entrepreneurial skills, which can later open up insights and business potential in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, the service participants were able to capture the potential of waste into products that have a high selling value.

Impelementation of Kurikulum Merdeka (Freedom curriculum) in science learning: A case study in Sekolah Indonesia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Many countries have focused on developing curricula that emphasize competencies within their educational frameworks. In Indonesia, schools have adopted the "Kurikulum Merdeka" (Freedom Curriculum), backed by government initiatives. Indonesian schools abroad have also implemented this curriculum, notably in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This study investigates the implementation of the Kurikulum Merdeka (KM) at the Indonesian School Kuala Lumpur (SIKL), with a specific emphasis on science education. The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture developed KM, a novel curriculum that prioritizes the growth of students' competencies and character. This research utilized a mixed-method approach, employing an explanatory sequential method, to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The study involved 14 teachers representing various educational levels and subjects, including three dedicated to science. Findings revealed that 71.4% of teachers still needed to establish learning objectives; 64.3% had not created teaching modules; and all used electronic teaching materials. Furthermore, 92.9% participated in P5 activities, albeit not always as implementers, and 42.9% faced difficulties in grasping the concept and execution of P5. Qualitative analysis indicated that all science teachers had integrated the Kurikulum Merdeka into their teaching processes. However, they encountered challenges such as generating teaching ideas, the high cost of project implementation, diverse student abilities, and limited resources.

Prevalence of offering menopause hormone therapy among primary care doctors and its associated factors: A cross-sectional study.

Guidelines recommend Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) as the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms. However, a local study found that the usage of MHT among menopausal women was low (8.1%), with one of the main reasons being it is not recommended by doctors. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of offering MHT in treating symptomatic menopausal women among primary care doctors (PCDs) and its associated factors. This cross-sectional study involved PCDs from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, the Federal Territory of Putrajaya and the state of Selangor. All PCDs provided services in government primary care clinics from the three states were invited through the doctor in charge of each clinic. An online survey links was provided for the participants to the self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included PCDs' demographics, their menopause management practices, attitudes towards MHT, perceived barriers in offering MHT, knowledge of related guidelines and received training on menopause management. The outcome variable was offering MHT which defined as either prescription of MHT or referral to hospital for MHT initiation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with offering MHT. The response rate was 42.9% (559/1301). Of those who participated in the study, 77.8% of PCDs were female and 89.1% were medical officer. Although 66.9% of the participants reported offering MHT to their patients, the actual prescription rate was low (0.9%). Most PCDs (66%) would refer the patients to hospitals. 87.1% of PCDs (487/559) reported that MHT was not available in their clinic. In the past 12 months, 83% of PCDs had not received any related training. Female PCDs (AOR:2.5, CI: 1.51-4.13, p<0.001), perceiving MHT as preference treatment for menopause symptom (AOR:3.6, CI: 2.13-6.19, p < 0.001), having likelihood to recommend MHT to family and friends (AOR:3.0, CI: 1.87-4.83, p < 0.001), and receiving training on menopause management (AOR:2.7, CI: 1.30-5.56, p = 0.008) were the positive predictor of offering MHT. The negative predictors in offering MHT were no-experience in prescribing MHT (AOR: 0.4, CI: 0.15-0.87, p = 0.024) and lack of information regarding MHT for the patient (AOR: 0.4, CI:0.20-0.67, p < 0.001). The study revealed a low rate of MHT prescription among PCDs, with many relying on referrals to hospitals for managing menopausal symptoms. The findings underscore the need for strategies that includes fulfilling professional training gaps, improving MHT availability, and improving information dissemination for patient.