The formulation of Halal and Catering Regulation on board is a new draft proposal in shipping industry in the nation to ensure Muslim seafarers will be protected under social welfare. Currently, there are no regulations in place regarding the formulation of provision of Halal and Catering which have been enforced by several authorities at different sector in the nation. However, Halal JAKIM is an expert and focal point with the right to issue Halal certification not only in this nation but globally. The main objective of the study was to form a Halal committee on board for the co-ordination of responsibilities between the agencies, and the second objective was to establish the Halal and Catering Regulations on the merchant vessel for the Malaysian flag. The problem is that seafarers feel insecure about the preparation of halal food and no regulations have been issued to date. In fact, this study requires Qualitative methods because several actions related to the Halal-Toyibban Policy and food preparation rules should be obtained through closed-ended interviews with Halal regulatory experts, ship-owners, and selected stakeholders. Therefore, the analytical process will refer to the use of transmitted transitions from oral to text through the coding system in facilitate the content analysis process; and further to the level of discussion and findings. Ship-owners should ratify the Halal and Catering Regulations once they are enacted. The results of this study are expected to formulate the framework for the Halal and Catering Committee involving the agency by reference to interdependent theory. The second finding was to formulate a draft of the Halal and Catering Regulations on the Malaysian merchant vessel by reference to the application of benchmarking theory. Finally, this study will benefit the Muslim seafarer with the cooperation of the ship-owner and the relevant government agencies.

Background: The gastrocnemius (GCM) is one of the lower extremity muscles that tend to tighten easily. GCM tightness results in limited ankle dorsi-flexion (DF), especially when the knee joint is fully extended. Joint flexibility is determined by the morphological and physiological characteristics of joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Impaired joint flexibility can be attributed to increased susceptibility to muscle injury. High-frequency diathermy is clinically used to reduce pain and muscle tightness and to improve limited range of motion. Objects: This study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of high-frequency therapy in subjects with GCM tightness. Methods: The study was designed as a one-group before–after trial. The subjects included 28 volunteers with GCM tightness (an active ankle DF angle of less than 12°) without any known neurological and musculoskeletal pathologies in the ankle and calf areas. WINBACK Transfer Electrode Capacitive and Resistive Therapy equipment was used to apply high-frequency therapy to the subjects’ GCMs for 10–15 minutes. The pennation angle and the fascicle length of the GCM were measured using ultrasonography. The flexibility of the ankle joint, peak torque to the passive ankle DF (Biodex), and soft tissue stiffness (MyotonPRO) were also measured. Results: The pennation angle was significantly decreased following the treatment; however, no significant difference in the fascicle length was found (p < 0.05). The flexibility was significantly increased and both the passive peak torque to passive ankle DF and the soft tissue stiffness significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Conclusion: High-frequency therapy is immediately effective for improving the muscle’s architectural properties and functional factors in subjects with GCM tightness. Further longitudinal clinical studies are required to investigate the long-term effects of high-frequency therapy on subjects with GCM tightness from various causes.

Background: Augmented somatosensory feedback stimulates the mechanoreceptor to deliver information on bodily position, improving the postural control. The various types of such feedback include ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) and vibration. The optimal feedback to mitigate postural sway remains unclear, as does the effect of augmented somatosensory feedback on muscle co-contraction. Objects: We compared postural sway and ankle muscle co-contraction without feedback (control) and with either of two forms of somatosensory feedback (AFOs and vibration). Methods: We recruited 15 healthy subjects and tested them under three feedback conditions (control, AFOs, vibration) with two sensory conditions (eyes open, or eyes closed and the head tilted back), in random order. Postural sway was measured using a force platform; the mean sway area of the 95% confidence ellipse (AREA) and the mean velocity of the center-of-pressure displacement (VEL) were assessed. Co-contraction of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles was measured using electromyography and converted into a cocontraction index (CI). Results: We found significant main effects of the three feedback states on postural sway (AREA, VEL) and the CI. The two sensory conditions exerted significant main effects on postural sway (AREA and VEL). AFOs reduced postural sway to a level significantly lower than that of the control (p = 0.014, p < 0.001) or that afforded by vibration (p = 0.024, p < 0.001). In terms of CI amelioration, the AFOs condition was significantly better than the control (p = 0.004). Vibration did not significantly improve either postural sway or the CI compared to the control condition. There was no significant interaction effect between the three feedback conditions and the two sensory conditions. Conclusion: Lower-extremity devices such as AFOs enhance somatosensory perception, improving postural control and decreasing the CI during static standing.

The fish influx and behavioral properties at a set-net off Goseong, South Korea were investigated using an imaging sonar. As a result, the average influx of fish was 33.9% at day time and 66.1% at night time, respectively, which indicated that a majority of fish entered into a playground in the set-net at night. The fish behavioral properties such as target (fish) length, range, orientation and major-axis angle were examined and compared among survey dates (4, 5, and 6 June 2019) using the statistical analysis tool (analysis of variance, ANOVA). The behavioral properties presented differently sometime of survey dates. This is preparatory study to support fish behavior properties in a set-net. It is expected that more elaborated behavioral information of fishes in the set-net is beneficial for designing and deploying a set-net fishing gear as well as general fish behavior research in the future.