In the past, Sabah has often been reported as Malaysia’s poorest state, with the recorded highest incidence of absolute poverty among all the other states. The consumption patterns of households in Sabah have been significantly impacted by such circumstances. This further draws light on the adverse impact on the broader economy, as low levels of spending may restrict demand for products and services, stifling economic growth. The understanding of households’ consumption functions based on the Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH) will advance knowledge in identifying the key factors that influence the households’ spending decisions. Pointing out the scant number of past studies done within this very context, and focusing on the Sabah state in particular, further motivated this study, this paper aims to develop a conceptual framework that can estimate and examine the households’ consumption functions in Sabah. As such, the methodology of drawing upon narrative reviews from research in the past will be used in this paper to develop the conceptual framework. The result of this study built upon the framework developed will help in identifying the factors that explain the households’ consumption patterns, in particular, whether the function estimated will be consistent with the Permanent Income Hypothesis (PIH). It is hoped that the conceptual framework built will aid in providing valuable empirical insight for policymakers in designing effective policies that can uplift households that are living in poverty.

Weather and climate services are essential tools that help farmers make informed choices, such as choosing appropriate crop varieties. These services depend considerably on the availability of adequate investments in infrastructure related to weather forecasting, which are often provided by the State in most countries. Zimbabwean farmers generally have limited access to modern weather and climate services. While extensive attempts have been made to investigate farmers’ socioeconomic factors that influence access to and use of weather and climate services, comparative political economy analysis of weather and climate service production and use is limited. To address this knowledge gap, this study examines the production, dissemination, and usage of modern seasonal weather services through a political economy analysis perspective. The findings of this study highlight considerable discrepancies in access and use of seasonal weather forecasts between male and female farmers, those who practise African Traditional Religions versus Christians, and the minority group (Ndau tribe) and the majority group (Manyika tribe). This result suggested the presence of social marginalization. For example, minority Ndau members living in remote areas with limited radio signals and a weak mobile network have limited access to modern seasonal weather forecasts, forcing them to rely much more on indigenous weather forecasts. Further, due to unequal power relations, a greater proportion of male farmers participated in agricultural policy formation processes than their female counterparts. To promote inclusive development and implementation, deliberate efforts need to be made by State authorities to incorporate adherents of African traditional religions, members of minority tribes and female farmers in agricultural policymaking processes, including seasonal weather forecast delivery policies. Further, the study suggests the relaxation or elimination of international sanctions on Zimbabwe by the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States of America, given that they are considerably affecting marginalized groups of farmers in their climate change adaptation practices, including the use of modern weather and climate services. The vast majority of these marginalized farmers never benefitted from the land reform programme and were also not responsible for the design and implementation of this programme which triggered these sanctions.

In the recent years, with global warming and the change in climatic characteristics, buildings and interior arrangements in dry and cold climates, that previously did not have cooling problems, now require built and pre-planned cooling systems as well as heating. On the other hand, the enormous increase in energy consumption and the rapid depletion of energy resources causes concern and anxiety for future generations. In this regard, utilizing natural resources and incorporating sustainable solutions into building design are critical. Vernacular technical systems and design ideas can still be accepted and applied to create sustainable solutions. In this context, design strategies for energy efficiency and provision of physical and spatial comforts could be considered based on traditional architecture. In this study, sustainable building design solutions that have been used in Iran’s vernacular houses, which has four distinct climate zones, aimed to create a paradigm for the general modern passive house designs in the global context. Traditional Iranian residential architecture incorporates architectural features for physical, spatial, and climatic needs, as well as aesthetic comfort for the user. In this manner, user needs and interior space organization in vernacular residential architecture can be considered as a sustainable housing model that meets today’s technology requirements in passive house design.

This longitudinal study is dedicated to the evaluation of the comprehensive impact of educational reforms through a mixed research methodology which is a combination of the quantitative- and qualitative-oriented research methods to check the students’ outcomes. Data was collected in the span of [mention the time frame] from various data sources for instance standardized test scores, school performance statistics, and through open-ended qualitative evaluation from both students and teachers. Data analysis carried on after the reforms had been put in place revealed that there was a considerable rise in mean test scores and success graduation rates. Therefore, formative evaluation demonstrates the need for implementing reforms that will eventually help the students in boosting academic performance. Besides, there is no difference among investor opinions on teachers, administrators, and students who are involved with the implementation of the reforms. Stakeholders manifest this new assistance as an outcome of lasting improvements in curriculum quality, methods of teaching, and student participation. The study approaches two main challenges that are confronted with education reform that is resourcelessness and to society the change of the educational system can be more suitable for the students to excel academically and it can have an impact on the whole community. Even though this study makes important advancements toward the realization of the complex education implementation process and its effect on student academics, there are elements in which it can be criticized. Both quantitative and qualitative performance improvement is important as well as all the important stakeholder participation. This way the transformation process becomes layered. In other words, these results point to the necessity of planning interventions for longer periods that target the challenges and the forces that maintain the low levels of education performance by the counties.

Maintaining balance is essential for daily activities; deficits in hearing-impaired adolescents can severely impact their academics and daily life. Suspension training is employed to enhance the coordination of multiple muscle groups within the body and ultimately to improve balance. A total of 105 students with non-genetic hearing impairments, comprising 65 boys and 40 girls, participated in the study. Balance training using the TRS suspension belt included exercises such as prone elbow brace, supine back brace, kneeling elbow brace, lateral elbow brace, prone hip flexion, and supine hip lift. Strength training using equipment involved exercises like single-leg suspension squat, flying bird brace, supine suspension arm flexion, seated static brace, and standing butterfly pinch chest. The main outcome measures included static balance tests (lambda footwork, Wolfson postural stress test), dynamic balance tests (functional forward reach test, balance beam walk test), and vestibule function tests (rotation-walk test). The results of the lambda footwork and Wolfson postural stress tests revealed highly significant differences between 8 weeks and 16 weeks of intervention (p < 0.01). The Functional Forward Stretch test demonstrated a significant difference between 8 weeks of intervention and 2 weeks of intervention at 16 weeks (p < 0.05). The balance beam walking test indicated a significant improvement at 8 weeks (p < 0.05) and a highly significant improvement at 16 weeks (p < 0.01). In the spin-walk test, no statistically significant differences were observed between the pre-experimental test, the 8-week intervention, and the 16-week intervention (p > 0.05). Leveraging the expropriation system to mediate skeletal muscle movement and muscle contraction coordination can improve balance. Suspension training significantly improved balance during activities requiring static non-interference maintenance. However, suspension training did not demonstrate a significant effect on improving vestibule function. Overall, suspension training was effective in enhancing balance in all patients with non-hereditary deafness.