Reactions of Long-run Private Consumption in Malaysia to Crises, Economic Leadership and Telecommunication Technology

We estimate the long-run reactions of private consumption in Malaysia to crises, economic leadership, information and communications technology (ICT), and other key determinants using time series econometrics. This study covers the quarterly sample from 1990:Q1 to 2020:Q4. We find that Malaysia's private consumption and its key determinants are cointegrated, demonstrating that a reliable long-run private consumption function can be estimated. We find that both economic and health crises, namely the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98, SARS and COVID-19 pandemic are likely to reduce private consumption in Malaysia. However, the long-run estimation results show that ICT and economic leadership are positively related to consumption. Therefore, policymakers should set the goal of encouraging the development of ICT infrastructure and good economic leadership in order to promote private consumption, which eventually sustains long-term economic growth and development. © 2023 Malaysian Economic Association. All rights reserved.

Initial five and ten-minute regional cerebral oxygen saturation as a predictor of the futility of resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of cerebral regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) during the initial 5 and 10 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compared with an initial rSO2 and mean rSO2 during entire CPR to predict the futility of resuscitation for patients without of-hospital-cardiac arrest (OHCA). This was a prospective study involving 52 adult patients presenting in OHCA and whose cerebral rSO2 values were measured until either CPR was terminated or sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved. Receiver operating characteristics analyses were used to evaluate which time and type of measurement is better to predict non-ROSC. The area under the curve (AUC) of each rSO2 value according to measurement time (overall, initial 5 minutes and 10 minutes) were the highest value of 0.743, 0.724, and 0.739, mean values of 0.724, 0.677 and 0.701 and rSO2 (Changes in values of regional cerebral oxygen) value of 0.722, 0.734 and 0.724, respectively, while all of the initial values had a poor AUC (<0.7) and also were not statistically significant. The optimal cut-off value of each rSO2 values during overall, initial 5 minutes and 10 minutes were the highest value of 26% (sensitivity, 53.9% specificity, 92.3%), 24% (sensitivity, 56.4% specificity, 92.3%), and 30% (sensitivity, 61.5% specificity, 84.6%), mean value of 15.2%, 15.3% and 16%, respectively. None of the patients with a persistent rSO2 <=18% during the overall period achieved ROSC. Initial 5 minutes and 10 minutes cerebral rSO2 values an out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest (OHCA) are a better predictor in deciding the futility of CPR, compared to initial and overall measurements.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.

Reactions of Long-run Private Consumption in Malaysia to Crises, Economic Leadership and Telecommunication Technology

We estimate the long-run reactions of private consumption in Malaysia to crises, economic leadership, information and communications technology (ICT), and other key determinants using time series econometrics. This study covers the quarterly sample from 1990:Q1 to 2020:Q4. We find that Malaysia's private consumption and its key determinants are cointegrated, demonstrating that a reliable long-run private consumption function can be estimated. We find that both economic and health crises, namely the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98, SARS and COVID-19 pandemic are likely to reduce private consumption in Malaysia. However, the long-run estimation results show that ICT and economic leadership are positively related to consumption. Therefore, policymakers should set the goal of encouraging the development of ICT infrastructure and good economic leadership in order to promote private consumption, which eventually sustains long-term economic growth and development.

Changing Undergraduate Medical Students' Perception of Online Learning and Assessment During the Covid-19 Pandemic: a One Year Follow-up Study

Introduction: Like most educational institutions, our medical school transitioned to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. An initial survey of 192 undergraduate medical students conducted in June 2020 revealed a low acceptance of online assessments, lack of work-readiness, perception of online discussions as being inferior to face-to-face, and prevalent anxiety. Following this, we implemented pedagogic changes to encourage independent learning, improve patient contact, and increase social interactions between students. Methods: A follow-up study was conducted 12 months later in the same student population, excluding those who had graduated. The same 14-item anonymized survey questionnaire was administered, and comparisons were made between the follow-up and initial responses. Results: At follow-up, 45.6% of participants felt that online assessments can adequately and fairly assess students' performance compared to the initial study (26.2%, p = 0.002). Participants at follow-up were generally more agreeable that discussion using an online learning platform was as effective as face-to-face learning compared to before (p = 0.017). Subgroup analysis showed that this was only true for Year 2 - 4 students. Year 5 students perceived online learning as less effective then face-to-face, reported lower confidence in their ability to apply their knowledge, and an increased in anxiety compared to before. Conclusion: While perception of online learning and assessment had improved at follow-up, the ramifications from restrictions to medical education over the past two years are now being felt most severely by the current final year students, emphasizing the importance of anticipating and addressing these concerns much earlier. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Energy Saving Potential and IAQ Improvement of an Environmental-Controlled Fan System for Residence during the COVID-19 Era

This paper presents an evaluation of the potential energy-saving and indoor air quality (IAQ) improvement when using an environmental-controlled fan without causing any thermal discomfort to residents in a tropical country (Malaysia). In the past year, countries enforced complete/partial lockdown to control the spreading of Covid-19, consequently increasing the time spent at home from approximately 63 % to 90 %. The mobility restrictions have contributed tremendously to limiting the spread of the pandemic but resulted in the increase of energy consumption in residential buildings and the decrease in indoor air quality. These unacceptable indoor air quality conditions and high energy consumption resulting from over-dependence on air conditioners, the absence of natural ventilation, and the minimal usage of ceiling fans have inspired the idea of using an environmental-controlled fan. The research was conducted in a master bedroom over a period of two weeks, where a volunteer was assumed to be sitting in a quiet position practicing an exercise with limited movements such as reading or writing with only a ceiling fan turned on. The investigation demonstrated how the reliance on a ceiling fan could reach as high as 75% with an energy-saving of 31.4 % under acceptable indoor air conditions without causing any uncomfortable thermal sensation. © 2021 IEEE.

Asunaprevir, a Potent Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitor, Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Propagation

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has become a global health concern. Various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been developed and are being used for vaccination worldwide. However, no therapeutic agents against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been developed so far;therefore, new therapeutic agents are urgently needed. In the present study, we evaluated several hepatitis C virus direct-acting antivirals as potential candidates for drug repurposing against COVID-19. Theses include asunaprevir (a protease inhibitor), daclatasvir (an NS5A inhibitor), and sofosbuvir (an RNA polymerase inhibitor). We found that asunaprevir, but not sofosbuvir and daclatasvir, markedly inhibited SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effects in Vero E6 cells. Both RNA and protein levels of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly decreased by treatment with asunaprevir. Moreover, asunaprevir profoundly decreased virion release from SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. A pseudoparticle entry assay revealed that asunaprevir blocked SARS-CoV-2 infection at the binding step of the viral life cycle. Furthermore, asunaprevir inhibited SARS-CoV-2 propagation in human lung Calu-3 cells. Collectively, we found that asunaprevir displays broad-spectrum antiviral activity and therefore might be worth developing as a new drug repurposing candidate for COVID-19.