Are sociodemographic characteristics and attitude good predictors of speeding behavior among drivers on Malaysia federal roads?

Objective: The increasing number of road crashes and fatalities on Malaysian federal roads is a cause for concern. The main causes of road crashes and fatalities on federal roads have been attributed to the speeding behavior among drivers. As such, this research investigates the possible predictors from sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes in predicting speeding behavior among drivers on Malaysia federal roads.

Methods: A face-to-face survey was conducted via purposive sampling on 300 drivers at rest areas at 6 crash hotspots on Malaysian federal roads. A set of questions related to speeding behavior was developed. The questionnaire consisted of 10 questions related to sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, 37 questions regarding attitudes toward speeding, and 1 question regarding speeding behavior. Subsequently, the sociodemographics were analyzed using binary logistic regression and the attitude variable was analyzed using factor analysis and binary logistic regression.

Results: The findings from the sociodemographic data revealed that male gender, single/separated status, broad driving experience, crash experience, and leisure/vacation trip purposes emerged as significant predictors for speeding behavior. Additionally, the results of factor analysis for the attitude variable revealed 3 components: Affective, behavioral, and cognitive. These 3 components are originally derived from the ABC model of attitude (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) that was adapted in this study. Furthermore, the findings from binary logistic regression appeared consistent with the model assumption, signifying that behavioral aspects significantly influenced speeding behavior among drivers. Nevertheless, affective and cognitive components were insignificant predictors. Furthermore, strong agreement with speeding countermeasures was observed among the participants.

Conclusion: In conclusion, sociodemographic characteristics and attitude have been proven to affect speeding behavior among drivers on Malaysian federal roads. The findings have important implications in designing driver risk profiles on federal roads to develop suitable countermeasures based on the 4E approach (engagement, education, enforcement, and engineering) to enhance road safety.     

Studies on the toxicity, metabolism, and anticholinesterase properties of acephate and methamidophos

The toxicity of acephate to four species of aquatic insects, as well as the metabolism and cholinesterase-inhibiting properties of the chemical in the rat were studied. The results indicated that mayfly larvae were very sensitive to the toxic effects of acephate, whereas larvae of the stonefly, damselfly and mosquito were much less sensitive. In the rat, orally-administered acephate was rapidly absorbed from the intestines and severely inhibited the cholinesterases in the blood and brain. The enzymes began to recover after 24 hours, while the chemical was completely eliminated within three days. The amount of methamidophos observed in the liver was extremely low. The cholinesterase-inhibiting properties of acephate and methamidophos were compared in vitro to that of paraoxon, a known strong anticholinesterase. Enzymes from four vertebrates were used. In all cases, except one, acephate was found to be six orders of magnitude weaker than paraoxon, whereas methamidophos was three orders weaker. Trout brain cholinesterase was the exception; it was as sensitive to paraoxon as it was to methamidophos. Finally, four cholinesterases were inhibited with methamidophos, and their ability to reactivate spontaneously or to recover by induction with pyridine aldoxime methiodide (PAM) in vitro were determined. The results suggested that methamidophos-inhibited cholinesterases did not reactivate spontaneously; instead the enzymes remained inhibited either in a phosphorylated or an aged state. The significance of these results are discussed in relation to the use of acephate for forest insect pests.     

Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia

Introduction. Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration from grass-cutting machines has been associated with increasing occurrences of symptoms and signs of occupational diseases related to hand–arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out using an adopted HAVS questionnaire on hand–arm vibration exposure and symptoms distributed to 168 male workers from the grass and turf maintenance industry who use hand-held grass-cutting machines as part of their work. The prevalence ratio and symptom correlation to HAVS between high and low–moderate exposure risk groups were evaluated. Results. There were positive HAVS symptoms relationships between the low–moderate exposure group and the high exposure group among hand-held grass-cutting workers. The prevalence ratio was considered high because there were indicators that fingers turned white and felt numb, 3.63, 95% CI [1.41, 9.39] and 4.24, 95% CI [2.18, 8.27], respectively. Less than 14.3% of workers stated that they were aware of the occupational hand–arm vibration, and it seemed to be related to the finger blanching and numbness. Conclusion. The results suggest that HAVS is under-diagnosed in Malaysia, especially in the agricultural sectors. More information related to safety and health awareness programmes for HAVS exposure is required among hand-held grass-cutting workers.     

Polymeric Nanocomposite-Based Herbicide of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Coated-Zinc/Aluminium Layered Double Hydroxide-Quinclorac: A Controlled Release Purpose for Agrochemicals

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this work, the use of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is highlighted in enhancing the controlled release behaviour of zinc/aluminium layered double...     

Modeling the fate and transport of non-volatile organic chemicals in the agro-ecosystem: A case study of Cameron Highlands,Malaysia

Many pesticides used in agricultural activities are considered environmentally non-volatile. The main purpose of this paper is to develop multimedia model to be used as a tool to predict the overall fate and transport of non-volatile organic chemicals (NVOCs) dynamic in the agro-ecosystem. The model was developed based on the EQuilibrium Criterion (EQC) model for type 2 chemicals introduced by Mackay and colleagues in 1996. Mackay’s model only considered four environmental compartments, which are air, water, soil and sediment. The present model adds the vegetation compartment, in addition to previous compartments that shape the agro-ecosystem. The vegetation compartment is described by two sub-compartments consisting of the above ground plant (AGP) and roots. The model was parameterized for the Cameron Highlands region, Malaysia, and runs with an illustrative emission rate of 1 kg h^?1 into the air for three selected pesticides, namely, mancozeb, spinosad and chlorosulfuron. The simulation results with and without vegetation compartment were compared. The estimated results indicating that the AGP captures 99.9% of introduced NVOCs (i.e., of 100% or 1 kg h^?1) and transfers them to the ground below due to the slight degradation losses of 10^?4% and the non-volatility property of the evaluated chemicals. Root uptake of chlorosulfuron accounted the highest removal process from soil while degradation of spinosad in the soil is the major loss mechanism. Leaching to groundwater loss for mancozeb is about 2-fold greater than that of degradation, which together accounted the major removal process from soil. Based on the estimated results of mass distribution on the overall system, vegetation compartment accumulates 0.04%, 0.5% and 2.02% of the mancozeb, spinosad and chlorosulfuron, respectively.     

Adoption of green banking practices and environmental performance in Pakistan: a demonstration of structural equation modelling

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Banking industries are blamed to be among the major factors that affect global climate change both directly and indirectly. The green banking concept...     

Secondary organic aerosol formation from ozone-initiated reactions with nicotine and secondhand tobacco smoke

We used controlled laboratory experiments to evaluate the aerosol-forming potential of ozone reactions with nicotine and secondhand smoke. Special attention was devoted to real-time monitoring of the particle size distribution and chemical composition of SOA as they are believed to be key factors determining the toxicity of SOA. The experimental approach was based on using a vacuum ultraviolet photon ionization time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (VUV-AMS), a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and off-line thermal desorption coupled to mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) for gas-phase byproducts analysis. Results showed that exposure of SHS to ozone induced the formation of ultrafine particles (<100 nm) that contained high molecular weight nitrogenated species (m/z 400–500), which can be due to accretion/acid–base reactions and formation of oligomers. In addition, nicotine was found to contribute significantly (with yields 4–9%) to the formation of secondary organic aerosol through reaction with ozone. The main constituents of the resulting SOA were tentatively identified and a reaction mechanism was proposed to elucidate their formation. These findings identify a new component of thirdhand smoke that is associated with the formation of ultrafine particles (UFP) through oxidative aging of secondhand smoke. The significance of this chemistry for indoor exposure and health effects is highlighted.     

Measurement of biochemical oxygen demand of the leachates

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the leachates originally from the different types of landfill sites was studied based on the data measured using the two manometric methods. The measurements of BOD using the dilution method were carried out to assess the typical physicochemical and biological characteristics of the leachates together with some other parameters. The linear regression analysis was used to predict rate constants for biochemical reactions and ultimate BOD values of the different leachates. The rate of a biochemical reaction implicated in microbial biodegradation of pollutants depends on the leachate characteristics, mass of contaminant in the leachate, and nature of the leachate. Character of leachate samples for BOD analysis of using the different methods may differ significantly during the experimental period, resulting in different BOD values. This work intends to verify effect of the different dilutions for the manometric method tests on the BOD concentrations of the leachate samples to contribute to the assessment of reaction rate and microbial consumption of oxygen.     

Role of religious communities in enhancing transition experiments: a localised strategy for sustainable solid waste management in Malaysia

Religion in its most ideal form is seen as a powerful force to create ecological transformations to succeeding generations that share similar religious beliefs. This provides an interesting argument for enhancing their role in sustainability transitions. Malaysia is a relevant geographical context in this regard since almost all of its citizens formally embrace some kind of religious belief. However, such ideas are discussed mostly at the theoretical level with little systematic empirical investigation. This paper aims to fill this gap by presenting theoretically informed empirical insights on how a number of religious communities are currently creating successful experiments in recycling within the context of an urban community in Malaysia. The paper argues that such evidence may demonstrate the ‘potential’ role of religious communities to provide localised resources for recycling experiments that can be advantageous for the transition towards a more sustainable municipal solid waste management in Malaysia. The empirical basis of this paper is based on an exploratory multiple case study of successful recycling programmes conducted by selected religious communities from four key religions in Malaysia—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. The theoretical framework for this research is based on the sustainability transitions literature, particularly the ‘transition experiment’ framework.