The Importance of Health Information Seeking Among Diabetes Patients in Malaysia: A Preliminary Observation

The sharing of health information by educating patients and encouraging them to seek relevant information is one of the main strategies in disease prevention. By evaluating patient's information seeking behaviour and identifying the health information seeking trends, it is possible to establish effective techniques to deliver the necessary information to the patients to enhance their self-management skills. It is critical to keep people informed about effective preventative techniques that can control their disease progression. Thus, this study aimed to highlight the role and importance of health information seeking behaviour among people with diabetes in Malaysia.

On the Surface and Beyond. Degradation Morphologies Affecting Plant Ash-Based Archaeological Glass from Kafir Kala (Samarkand, Uzbekistan)

The study focuses on an assemblage of glass finds from the citadel of Kafir Kala, Uzbekistan, located along one of the major Eurasian branches of the “Silk Roads” with a consistent occupation between the 8th and 12th century CE. Glass fragments for this study were selected based on marked surface alterations they showed, with stratified deposits of different thickness and colours. Starting from a preliminary observation under Optical Microscope, fragments were clustered into four main groups based on the surface appearance of the alterations; Scanning Electron Microscopy investigations of the stratigraphy of the alteration products were then carried out, to evaluate micro-textural, morphological and compositional features. Data from the analyses allowed identifying preferential patterns of development of the various degradation morphologies, linkable to compositional alterations of the glass due to burial environment and the alkali leaching action of the water. Iridescence, opaque weathering (at times associated with black stains), and blackening were identified as recurring degradation morphologies; as all but one sample were made of plant ash-based glass, results show no specific correlation between glass composition and the occurrence of one or the other degradation pattern, often found together. Framed in a broad scenario, the paper aims to set the basis for the development of a study approach dedicated to the degradation morphologies affecting archaeological glasses, a topic still lacking systematisation and in-depth dedicated literature.

Peningkatan Pengetahuan Ergonomi Terhadap Pembuat Konveksi Tas

Konveksi memiliki peran yang besar terhadap peningkatan sosial dan ekonomi masyarakat. Akan tetapi, proses kerja di industri konveksi memiliki risiko kesehatan dan keselamatan terhadap pekerja. Hasil observasi pendahuluan menunjukkan bahwa pekerja konveksi X bekerja lebih dari 12 jam per hari. Diketahui pula bahwa tempat kerja (work station) yang digunakan kurang ergonomis. Pengabdian masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi yang relevan terkait aspek ergonomi terhadap pembuat tas. Pemberian informasi ergonomis dilakukan terhadap 6 orang pekerja konveksi PT. X. Advokasi melalui diskusi langsung dilakukan terhadap pemilik konveksi. Pre-Test dan Post-Test diberikan kepada pekerja yang menunjukkan peningkatan skor setelah dilakukan pemberian informasi. Pemilik konveksi X bersedia untuk mengubah work station dan penyesuaian tugas para pekerja. Diharapkan dengan peningkatan pengetahuan pada pekerja sekaligus penyesuaian work station dan tugas dapat menurunkan risiko keluhan musculoskeletal pada pekerja PT.X---It has been known that convection industry has the big impact to improve the social and economic aspects among society. However, the work processes in the industry have the health and safety risks. The preliminary observation shows that the workers of Convection X work more than 12 hours a day. It also been observed that the work station was lack of ergonomic aspect. The ergonomic information and knowledge were given to 6 workers. The advocation was conducted to the owner. Pre-Test and Post-Test was conducted to the workers and show the score improvement after the counselling was delivered. The owner agreed to change the work station and adjust the workers’ tasks.

RE-THINKING THE STATE’S DUTY TO PROTECT AND UPHOLD THE RIGHT TO LIFE IN A CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONTEXT

The central question posed in this contribution is whether the right to life has been employed by our courts as a workable constitutional concept in order to promote a quality of life − referred to herein as a “safe” life − lived in accord with the constitutional rights and values of human dignity, equal worth and freedom. A preliminary observation is that the South African judiciary is generally hesitant to interpret the right to life as the right to a certain “quality of life”. This is due to the fact that the state’s obligations regarding the entitlements that would enable such an existence are dealt with effectively by other rights already codified in the Constitution. In addition, the courts are traditionally wary of imposing duties on the state. Our courts have thus employed an interpretation of this right that is limited to the right not to be deprived of one’s life in cases involving social policy issues. As such, thejudiciary has failed to address the entitlement to a quality of life that would impose positive obligations on the state effectively. In order to explore more fully the ambit of the right to life, the authors turn to the Indian experience, which provides an excellentexample of a more creative interpretation of this right. It is submitted that the Indian position could provide useful guidelines in advancing a more activist interpretation of the right to life in order to facilitate the effective application of this right in a criminaljustice context.