The New Standardized Malaysian Healthy Eating Index

Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a diet quality measure that assesses the population’s compliance towards dietary guidelines. In Malaysia, diet quality measure, though existing, has some limitations in terms of application and relevance. This study aims to develop a new standardized Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (S-MHEI) that can measure the diet quality of all Malaysians regardless of their energy requirement level. The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines (MDG) 2010 and MDG for Children and Adolescents (MDGCA) 2013 were used as main references in developing the index components. In addition, the latest Malaysian Adults Nutrition Survey (MANS) and Adolescent Nutrition Survey (ANS) were also referred to ensure the relevance of the components selected. For adequacy components, the least restrictive method was used in setting the standard for the scoring system. Meanwhile, the scoring system for moderation components was built based on the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2017. The new S-MHEI comprises of 11 components with a maximum total score of 100. The least restrictive method allowed the index to be used across energy requirement levels. However, the index will not be sensitive towards adhering to the specific recommended amount of intake—which in effect, made the index focus on measuring diet quality rather than diet quantity.

The role of heat-flux–temperature covariance in the evolution of weather systems

<p>Local diabatic heating and temperature anomaly fields need to be positively correlated for the diabatic heating to maintain a circulation against dissipation. Here we quantify the thermodynamic contribution of local air–sea heat exchange on the evolution of weather systems using an index of the spatial covariance between heat flux at the air–sea interface and air temperature at 850 hPa upstream of the North Atlantic storm track, corresponding with the Gulf Stream extension region. The index is found to be almost exclusively negative, indicating that the air–sea heat fluxes act locally as a sink on potential energy. It features bursts of high activity alternating with longer periods of lower activity. The characteristics of these high-index bursts are elucidated through composite analysis and the mechanisms are investigated in a phase space spanned by two different index components. It is found that the negative peaks in the index correspond with thermodynamic activity triggered by the passage of a weather system over a spatially variable sea-surface temperature field; our results indicate that most of this thermodynamically active heat exchange is realised within the cold sector of the weather systems. Finally, we will discuss the implications of our findings, including a link with meridional heat flux pulses and a novel way of understanding whether such pulses are due to enhanced correlations or enhanced variances.</p>

ESG Disclosures and Stock Price Crash Risk

In this study, we investigate the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures and stock price crash risk. A stock price crash is a dreadful event for market participants. Thus, exploring stock price crash determinants is helpful for investment decisions and risk management. In this study, we use samples of major market index components in Europe, the United States, and Japan to perform regression analyses, after controlling for other potential stock price crash determinants. We estimate static two-way fixed-effect models and dynamic GMM models. We find that coefficients of firm-level ESG disclosures are not statistically significant in the static model. ESG disclosure coefficients in the dynamic model are not statistically significant in the U.S. market sample. On the other hand, coefficients of ESG disclosure scores in the dynamic model are statistically significant and negative in the European and Japanese marker sample. Our findings suggest that ESG disclosures lower future stock price crash risk; however, the effect and predictive power of ESG disclosures differ among regions.

Indexes to assess feeding practices of children under 2 years old: a systematic review

Objective: To systematically review studies that used indexes to assess feeding practices of children under 2 years. Design: Seven databases were searched with no limit on language or publication date. Setting: The reviewed studies included thirteen Asian, ten Latin American, four European, four North American, three Oceanian and three African. Participants: Children under 2 years. Results: We analysed thirty-six studies: twenty-two presenting original indexes and fourteen using adapted indexes. Among the original indexes, thirteen assess breast-feeding, fourteen food consumption, ten food groups, and ten other feeding practices. Original indexes were mainly adapted to fit the data available in the study, to update for current nutritional recommendations or to add components not present in the original indexes. Seven studies evaluated the associations between the indexes and nutrient intake or nutritional status. The main limitations cited by the authors were: flaws in the definition of the index components, criteria for cut-off points and weighting of the evaluated index components. Conclusions: The assessment of feeding practices for young children and its comparison across countries remains a challenge, especially due to the lack of consensus on the construction of indexes and regional differences in dietary recommendations and practices. Lack of validation for some indexes also makes it difficult to choose the most appropriate index for a given objective. Adapting existing indexes is a viable option. We point out relevant recommendations that may contribute to future research. Validation and longitudinal studies in diverse populations are favourable to qualify the assessment of feeding practices in this group.

Analisis Pengaruh Islamicity Performance Index terhadap Profitabilitas Bank Umum Syariah di Indonesia Tahun 2014 – 2018

Sharia banking performance needs to be measured with an approach that is by sharia objectives in addition to using conventional approaches. An alternative to this approach is to use the Islamicity Performance Index. This study was conducted to obtain empirical evidence about the effect of Islamicity Performance Index components on the profitability of Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia which is proxied by Return on Assets (ROA). This research was conducted using seven samples of Islamic banks in Indonesia using the 2014-2018 quarterly financial reports. The sample selection method uses purposive sampling. The data used in this study are secondary data obtained from each Islamic bank's website. The method used in this research is panel data regression using the eviews 10 application program. The results of this research indicate that simultaneously the selected component of the Islamicity Performance Index has a significant effect on the profitability of Islamic Commercial Banks in Indonesia. Partially, the profit sharing ratio and zakat performing ratio have no significant effect on the profitability of Islamic Commercial Banks in Indonesia. Meanwhile, the equitable distribution ratio has a significant positive effect on the profitability of Islamic Commercial Banks in Indonesia.

Quality suitability regionalization analysis of Angelica sinensis in Gansu, China

The genus Angelica encompasses 80 species worldwide. Among them, only Angelica sinensis is widely used in China and Japan. To explore the quality and geographical distribution of A. sinensis, we collected 1,530 plants from Gansu Province and analyzed them for their contents of chlorogenic acid (CA), ferulic acid (FA), senkyunolide I(SI), senkyunolide A(SA), senkyunolide H (SH), coniferyl ferulate (CF), ligustilide (LI), and butenyl phthalide (BP) using UPLC. We also assessed the relationship between the ecological environment and quality of A. sinensis through maximum entropy modeling and a geographical information system. The habitat suitability distribution demonstrated that the most influential ecological factors for the growth of A. sinensis were altitude, precipitation during March, May, and December, precipitation during the wettest month, and the soil pH. The most suitable areas for cultivation are concentrated to the south of Gansu Province, including Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Dingxi City, Tianshui City, south of Wuwei City, east of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, north of Longnan City, and northwest of Pingliang City. The quality suitability regionalization analysis divulged that the most influential ecological factors for the index components of A. sinensis were the altitude, sunshine, rainfall, temperature, and soil pH. The highest quality A. sinensis grow in Dingxi City, Tangchang, Lixian, and Wen counties in Longnan City, Wushan County in Tianshui City, Lintan, Zhouqu, and Zhuoni counties in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Kangle and Linxia counties in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. The experiment yielded highly accurate results (accuracy of 0.955), suggesting that the results were consistent with the actual distribution of A. sinensis in Gansu. The inferences of this research will naturally draw the attention of the authorities in the fields of natural resources and agriculture departments and provide a scientific basis for the rational selection of A. sinensis cultivation areas.

A Study on the Influence of Social Leisure Activities on the Progression to the Stage of Frailty in Korean Seniors

In this study, we performed a logistic regression analysis according to the frequency of participation in social leisure activities (education, clubs, social groups, volunteer activities, religious activities, and senior citizens’ welfare center use) by men and women aged ≥ 65 years. We investigated the frequency of participation in social leisure activities and their association with the level of frailty (health vs. pre-frailty, health vs. frailty, pre-frailty vs. frailty). This study included 10,297 older adults (men: 4128, women: 6169) who participated in the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans, and were divided into three groups (healthy, pre-frailty, and frailty). Five frailty index components were used to measure the frailty level. There was a positive relationship between the elderly’s religious activities, four times a week, from the healthy stage to the frailty stage, from the healthy stage to the pre-frailty stage, and from the pre-frailty stage to the frailty. In addition, positive associations emerged in leisure activities and club activities, respectively, from the healthy stage to the frailty stage (once a week, respectively). Positive association also emerged from the healthy stage to the pre-frailty and from the pre-frailty stage to the frailty stage (once a month to once in a two-week period).

The role of heat-flux–temperature covariance in the evolution of weather systems

Local diabatic heating and temperature anomaly fields need to be positively correlated for the diabatic heating to maintain a circulation against dissipation. Here we quantify the thermodynamic contribution of local air–sea heat exchange on the evolution of weather systems using an index of the spatial covariance between heat flux at the air–sea interface and air temperature at 850 hPa upstream of the North Atlantic storm track, corresponding with the Gulf Stream extension region. The index is found to be almost exclusively negative, indicating that the air–sea heat fluxes act locally as a sink on potential energy. It features bursts of high activity alternating with longer periods of lower activity. The characteristics of these high-index bursts are elucidated through composite analysis and the mechanisms are investigated in a phase space spanned by two different index components. It is found that the negative peaks in the index correspond with thermodynamic activity triggered by the passage of a weather system over a spatially variable sea-surface temperature field; our results indicate that most of this thermodynamically active heat exchange is realised within the cold sector of the weather systems.

Drivers of farm performance in Czech crop farms

When analysing drivers affecting the farm performance, the presence of different technologies should be taken into account. We assume that the technology used by crop farms is not the same for all producers and therefore we use latent class model to identify technological classes at first. Class definition is based on multidimensional classification and determination of indices given by the values of individual components. The principal components analysis is applied to estimate significant and robust weights for the index components. FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) database, Czech crop farms data from 2005 to 2017 were used and three groups of technology classes of farms were identified with a determinant influence of the structure index and localisation. The other indices characterise sustainability, innovation, technology, diversification, and individual characteristics. Three distinct classes of crop farms were found, one major class and two minor classes. Family driven farms are usually smaller farms in terms of acreage. Highly sustainable crop farms are most likely located in lower altitudes and not in less-favoured areas. Innovative farms are also likely to be more productive. The results indicate that agricultural production farms with a more sustainable way of farming are most likely to be more productive.