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Purpose Gaining independence from fossil fuels and combating climate change are the main factors to increase the generation of electricity from renewable fuels. Amongst the renewable technologies, solar photovoltaic (PV) is believed to have the largest potential. However, the number of people adopting solar PV technologies is still relatively low. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the household consumers’ acceptance of solar PV technology being installed on their premises. Design/methodology/approach To examine the solar PV technology acceptance, this study uses technology acceptance model (TAM) as a reference framework. A survey was conducted to gather data and to validate the research model. Out of 780 questionnaires distributed across Malaysia, 663 were returned and validated. Findings The analysis revealed that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude to use significantly influenced behavioural intention to use solar PV technology. Research limitations/implications This study contributes by extending the understanding of public inclination towards the adoption of solar PV technology. Also, this study contributes in identifying the areas which need to be examined further. However, collecting data from urban peninsular Malaysian respondents only limits the generalization of the results. Practical implications On the policy front, this study reveals that governmental support is needed to trigger PV acceptance. Originality/value This paper uses TAM to analyse the uptake of solar PV technology in Malaysian context.

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Role of feed-in tariff policy in promoting solar photovoltaic investments incan be expected, while for the least favourable scenario, expectations would be only about 10 GW. On the expenditure side, the most favourable scenario can cost up to Malaysia Ringgit (MYR) 15 billion, whereas, for the least favourable ones, the cost can be as low as MYR2 billion. The maximum cost of CO 2 abatement can vary from MYR 0.05 per kg to the lowest value of MYR 0.02 per kg.

Background Evidence from randomized control trials suggest that coupled with smoking cessation interventions, CVD events can be reduced significantly if hypertension and diabetes patients are properly managed, raising practical what-if questions at the population level. This research aims to develop a dynamic simulation model using the systems modelling methodology of system dynamics, to evaluate the medium to long-term impact of hypertension and diabetes management, as well as smoking cessation intervention on CVD events, CVD deaths and post-CVD population. Methods The systems modelling methodology of system dynamics was used to develop a simulation model to evaluate the impact of aggressive hypertension, diabetes and smoking cessation management on CVD outcomes at the population level. Result The insights from this research suggest that despite that at the individual level, hypertension management is associated with the highest risk reduction for CVD (50%) compared to diabetes and smoking (20%) and is also the most prevalent risk factor, at the population level, diabetes management interventions are projected to have higher impact on reducing CVD events compared to hypertension management or smoking cessation interventions. However, a combined intervention of diabetes and hypertension management, as well as smoking cessation has the most impact on CVD outcomes. Conclusion Due to aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions in Singapore, the number of CVD events in Singapore is projected to rise significantly in the near future—hence the need for proactive planning to implement needed interventions. Findings from this research suggest that CVD events and its associated deaths and disabilities could be reduced significantly if diabetes and hypertension patients are aggressively managed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7429-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Aims The 4S-AF classification scheme comprises of four domains: stroke risk (St), symptoms (Sy), severity of atrial fibrillation (AF) burden (Sb), and substrate (Su). We sought to examine the implementation of the 4S-AF scheme in the EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry and compare outcomes in AF patients according to the 4S-AF-led decision-making process. Methods and results  Atrial fibrillation patients from 250 centres across 27 European countries were included. A 4S-AF score was calculated as the sum of each domain with a maximum score of 9. Of 6321 patients, 8.4% had low (St), 47.5% EHRA I (Sy), 40.5% newly diagnosed or paroxysmal AF (Sb), and 5.1% no cardiovascular risk factors or left atrial enlargement (Su). Median follow-up was 24 months. Using multivariable Cox regression analysis, independent predictors of all-cause mortality were (St) [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 8.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.60–25.9], (Sb) (aHR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08–1.35), and (Su) (aHR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.14–1.41). For CV mortality and any thromboembolic event, only (Su) (aHR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.45–2.06) and (Sy) (aHR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.00–1.66) were statistically significant, respectively. None of the domains were independently linked to ischaemic stroke or major bleeding. Higher 4S-AF score was related to a significant increase in all-cause mortality, CV mortality, any thromboembolic event, and ischaemic stroke but not major bleeding. Treatment of all 4S-AF domains was associated with an independent decrease in all-cause mortality (aHR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55–0.92). For each 4S-AF domain left untreated, the risk of all-cause mortality increased substantially (aHR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.16–1.56). Conclusion  Implementation of the novel 4S-AF scheme is feasible, and treatment decisions based on this scheme improve mortality rates in AF.