Analisis Keperluan Bagi Pembangunan Modul Untuk Pengekalan Pengetahuan Konseptual Dan Prosedural Matematik Tingkatan 1

In design and development study, a need analysis needs to be carried out to ensure that the learning module for retention of conceptual and procedural knowledge to be developed can meet the needs of the study target. A need analysis has been conducted to identify the Form 1 topics that students find difficult, moderate difficult and most difficult to learn, examine students’ perceptions on the difficulties they encounter in learning Mathematics and examine students’ perceptions on the characteristics of module that they want into retaining conceptual and procedural knowledge of Form 1 Mathematics topics learnt. The respondents of this study consisted of 150 Form 1 students and 150 Form 2 students. Data collection was done using questionnaire form. The results of descriptive statistics analysis showed Linear Equation as the most difficult topic, Algebraic Expressions as moderate difficult topic and Linear Inequality as difficult topic to be learnt in Form 1 Mathematics. As for the difficulties students encounter in learning Mathematics, the results of descriptive analysis found that students faced difficulties in terms of procedural and conceptual knowledge mastery, remembering and recalling. In addition, characteristics of module that students want into retaining conceptual and procedural knowledge of Form 1 Mathematics topics learnt indicated that the respondents’ consent level were Very High for most of the proposed module features. The implication of this study informed the researcher on what to consider when developing a learning module to retain conceptual and procedural knowledge of Form 1 Mathematics topics.

Financial literacy among working women: A Study on university staff in Kedah

The involvement of women in the employment sector has helped boost the Malaysian economy. Therefore, it is imperative for our economy to consider the fact that where and how women work to spend or invest their funds. In this case, for the proper use of funds, working women need to be financially literate. This study to determine the relationship between the factors towards financial literacy among working women and to investigate the risk of financial literacy among working women. Sample data were gathered using self-administered questionnaire among working women in government university in Kedah and later analyzed using statistical software namely, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0 and Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) version 25.0. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) together with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was used both to access the model fit and identify the significant direct influence financial literacy among working women. As a result, five factors that influence financial management have been highlighted which are financial attitude, financial knowledge, financial education, financial behavior and financial literacy. The result indicates that only financial attitudes significant towards financial literacy among working women as supported by the previous study. However, other factors are also important in assessing the level of financial literacy of an individual because each of these factors plays a role in ensuring an individual's financial management and avoid yourself from financial risk.

Development and perception of students on e-Assessment Module for Chemistry Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

The results of the needs analysis and previous studies indicate that the implementation of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has not yet achieved the target set by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the e-assessment module for Chemistry MOOC and investigate the perception of 129 respondents among Bachelor of Chemistry Education students. This is a design and development research using ADDIE model. The instruments involved are the module content validity evaluation form, the module reliability questionnaire and the perception questionnaire. The results showed that the S-CVI/Ave value obtained for the 389 items in the evaluation of module content validity was 1.00. Furthermore, the Cronbach’s alpha value obtained for the module reliability was 0.97. The mean and standard deviation of students' perceptions of the e-assessment module were 3.44 and 0.58, respectively. In conclusion, validity index, Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient and mean value for students' perceptions of the e-assessment module are good. The implication is that the use of this e-assessment module for Chemistry MOOC can help students conduct self-assessments online, strengthen their understanding of chemistry concepts while helping lecturers diversify their assessment methods.

Perlakuan Metakognitif Pelajar Tingkatan Empat di Sekolah Hulu Selangor dalam Menyelesaikan Masalah Matematik

Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti perlakuan metakognitif murid Tingkatan Empat dalam menyelesaikan masalah Matematik. Secara spesifiknya kajian ini mengenal pasti perbezaan tahap perlakuan metakognitif murid dalam menyelesaikan masalah Matematik berdasarkan jantina dan tahap pencapaian Matematik mereka. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan reka bentuk kaedah tinjauan. Instrumen yang digunakan ialah borang soal selidik metakognitif yang merangkumi konstruk kesedaran, strategi kognitif, perancangan dan pengesanan kendiri serta menggunakan instrumen ujian. Dapatan menunjukkan tahap perlakuan metakognitif murid Tingkatan Empat dalam menyelesaikan masalah bagi konstruk kesedaran, strategi kognitif, perancangan dan pengesanan kendiri adalah tinggi. Hasil analisis ujian-t menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat perbezaan signifikan antara tahap perlakuan metakognitif murid berdasarkan jantina. Kajian juga menunjukkanidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan antara tahap perlakuan metakognitif murid dalam menyelesaikan masalah Matematik berdasarkan tahap pencapaian mata pelajaran tersebut.

Phytochemical and Physicochemical Studies of Fermented Liquid of Citrulus lanatus (Egusi) Pod as a Potential Herbicide

The fermented liquid of Citrulus lanatus (Egusi) pod was observed to have a herbicidal behavior after discarding it on grasses in the process of removing the seed from the pod which includes washing and filteration. Preliminary studies like phytochemical screening, physicochemical analysis (colour, pH, chloride, phosphate, phosphorus, total alkalinity, odour) and heavy metals (Zn and Cu) determination were carried out on the fermented Egusi pod liquid. The phytochemical screening showed that steroids, triterpenoids, saponins, terpenoids and triterpenes were present, while phenol, alkaloids, glycosides, anthracenes and flavonoids were absent. The physical analysis showed that the fermented liquid colour is creamy, turbid in appearance, a pH of 4.59, with an objectionable odour. The chemical analysis showed the absence of chloride, total alkalinity and total hardness. The total amount of phosphate and phosphorus present were 217.8 mg/L (4.35%) and 71.03 mg/L (1.42%) respectively, while the amount of Zn and Cu were 0.4426 mg/L and 4.4352 mg/L respectively. The herbicidal behavior could be attributed to its acidic nature and the high amount of phosphate.

Indoor Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Comfort Parameters in a University Building

This study aims to determine the particulate matter (PM2.5) mass concentrations and the comfort parameters (total bacterial counts (TBC), total fungal counts (TFC), relative humidity and temperature) in a university building. The samplings were carried out in three different indoor areas, including lecture hall, laboratory and lecturer office. PM2.5 samples were collected over a period of 8 h sampling using a low volume sampler (LVS). The anemometer Model Kestrel 0855YEL was used to measure relative humidity and temperature parameters. The sampling of airborne microorganisms was conducted by using microbial sampler at 350 L air sampled volume. The results showed that the highest average of PM2.5 was at lecture hall (88.54 ± 26.21 µgm-3) followed by lecturer office (69.79 ± 19.06 µgm-3) and laboratory (47.92 ± 24.88 µgm-3). The mean of TBC and TFC readings recorded as follow; 32.71 ± 5.91 cfu m-3 and 76.71 ± 21.5 cfu m-3 for laboratory, 112.1 ± 29.06 cfu m-3 and 124.67 ± 23.35 cfu m-3 for lecturer office, 121.74 ± 19.33 cfu m-3 and 115.33 ± 8.08 cfu m-3 for lecture hall. The average of all comfort parameter was within the prescribed standard by Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 for all sampling sites. Therefore, all occupants of the building can work in a conducive and comfortable environment. This study is in line with the objectives of National Policy on the Environment (DASN), which focusing on achieving a clean, safe, healthy and productive environment for present and future generations.

Normality for Non-normal Distributions

It has been usually assumed that a sample data is normally distributed when the sample size is at least 30. This is the general rule in using central limit theorem based on the sample size being greater or equal to 30. Many literary works also assumed normality when sample size is at least 30. This study aims to determine the least required sample size that satisfy normality assumption from three non-normal distributions, Poisson, Gamma and Exponential distributions. Computer simulations are carried out to study the least required sample size for the three distributions. Through the study, it is found that sample data from Poisson and Gamma distributions need sample size less than 30, while Exponential needs more than 30 to achieve normality.

Pembinaan lengkungan peralihan berbentuk C yang memuaskan Data Interpolasi Hermite G2

Makalah ini membincangkan satu kaedah pembinaan lengkungan peralihan berbentuk C yang memenuhi syarat-syarat data interpolasi Hermite Lengkungan peralihan ini dibina berasaskan gabungan dua pilin kuadratik nisbah Bezier atau gabungan bersama satu segmen garis lurus bagi mencapai keselanjaran pada keseluruhan binaan. Kaedah analisis geometri bersama syarat kemonotonan suatu lengkungan kuadratik nisbah Bezier telah digunakan bagi mencapai objektif kajian. Hasil kajian yang dicapai adalah satu teknik pembinaan yang membolehkan kita memperolehi lengkungan peralihan secara terus, mudah diaplikasikan serta tanpa perlu menggunakan sebarang prosedur tranformasi affin. Syarat untuk lengkungan peralihan ini terhasil ditentukan oleh data Hermite yang diberi dan kepelbagaiannya pula dikawal oleh panjang segmen garis lurus yang menghubungkan kedua-dua pilin berkenaan. Keupayaan memenuhi sifat-sifat interpolasi ini memberi banyak kelebihan dan amat sesuai untuk aplikasi tertentu di dalam CAGD (Computer Aided Geometric Design), umpamanya rekabentuk produk industri, trajektori robot non-holonomic, serta rekabentuk mendatar landasan keretapi dan lebuhraya. Oleh kerana kuadratik nisbah Bezier merupakan sebahagian daripada perwakilan NURBS (Nonuniform Rational B-splines) maka adalah mudah bagi kita mengabungjalinkan formulasi lengkungan peralihan yang dicadangkan ini ke dalam kebanyakan sistem pengaturcara CAD (Computer Aided Design).

Prevalence and associated risk factors of Entamoeba histolytica, E. dispar and E. moshkovskii infection among Orang Asli communities in Slim River, Perak

Entamoeba infection is still widespread in Malaysia’s rural area particularly among Orang Asli communities which usually associated with poverty and lack of sanitation. Due to scarce information on these Entamoeba infections in Slim River, Perak we conducted this study to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors towards this infection. A total of 55 stool samples from voluntary participants with and without symptoms of amoebiasis were collected and examined using PCR technique. PCR analysis showed 16.4% stool samples were detected positive for Entamoeba spp., discriminated as 7.3% that were positive for E. histolytica and 9.1% for E. dispar. No E. moshkovskii was detected at all. Factors such as indiscriminate defecation, improper sewage disposal and not washing hand after playing with soil or gardening showed significant association with E. histolytica infection; while gastrointestinal symptom such as vomiting was associated with E. dispar infection. In conclusion, the study reveals there is still an occurrence of Entamoeba spp. among Orang Asli communities in Slim River, Perak. This implies that good personal and hygiene practices should be enhanced through awareness strategy to control Entamoeba infections in Orang Asli communities in Malaysia.

Isolation and Cloning of Tropomyosin and Arginine Kinase from Tiger Prawn Penaeus monodon and Blue Swimming Crab Portunus trituberculatus

Shellfish is an important source of food and plays a significant role in human nutrition and health. However, shellfish allergy is a long-lasting disorder which mostly persists throughout life and is often associated with severe reactions [1]. Among the various consumed shellfish, prawns and crabs are the most widely consumed and can lead to the most severe reactions. At present, allergies to shellfish are diagnosed similarly to other food allergies. The diagnosis relies upon careful evaluation of history, the presence of appropriate clinical signs and confirmation with in vivo or in vitro tests to demonstrate the presence of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) [2]. However, both in vivo or in vitro diagnostic approaches are mainly based on the use of crude allergen extracts. Crude allergen extracts are obtained from biological sources and consist of mixture of allergenic components with high amounts of undesirable products that can interfere with diagnosis. In many cases, only few of the several proteins found in crude allergen extracts act as the essential allergens in the majority of patients that are allergic to the substance. The most important ones are called major allergens. Problems associated with using crude allergen extracts for allergy diagnosis may be overcome with recombinant allergens. Recombinant allergens with high purity can be produced by using controlled production procedures that yield defined molecules with known molecular, immunologic and biological characteristics [1]. Tiger prawn Penaeus monodon and blue swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus, are among the widely consumed shellfish in Malaysia. Our earlier study involving 131 atopic patients in Allergy Clinic, Kuala Lumpur Hospital demonstrated that patients in Malaysia suffering from allergic responses to shellfish including tiger prawn Penaeus monodon and blue swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. Amongst the shellfish extracts tested, prawn elicited the highest frequency of positive reactivity in 39% of the patients. Further, crab was the second most common shellfish to elicit a positive reaction in 24% of the patients [3]. Our first phase study has successfully identified tropomyosin and arginine kinase as the major allergens in both species of shellfish. However, more information about the individual allergenic species-specific components is needed. Therefore, we continued our study to isolate and clone the tropomyosin and arginine kinase from these two species of shellfish, tiger prawn Penaeus monodon and blue swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. Tropomyosin and arginine kinase were isolated from the total RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) obtained from both prawn and crab muscles followed by RT-PCR (Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction). The RT-PCR products were then cloned into the cloning vector, pJET 1.2 and transformed into Escherichia coli host. Transformants were screened for positive clones by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) colony and sequenced. The 855 bp tropomyosins have been isolated and sequenced from both prawn and crab. Arginine kinases isolated and sequenced from prawn and crab were 1071 bp and 1074 bp, respectively (Figure 1). The GenBank BLAST search for the sequences showed high homology to the targeted proteins as shown in Table 1. Tropomyosin is a 34 to 38 kDa heat-stable protein that belongs to a highly conserved family of actin filament binding proteins, which plays a functional role in contractile activities in muscle cells [4]. Arginine kinase is a 40 to 42 kDa heat-labile protein that plays an important role in regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during bursts of cellular activity [5]. Tropomyosin and arginine kinase from the prawn and crab have been isolated and the full-length sequences were obtained. Current ongoing study focuses on sub-cloning and full-length expression of tropomyosin and arginine kinase in order to produce respective recombinant proteins, and subsequently investigate their physicochemical and allergenic characteristics.