Some Practical Guidelines for Effective Sample-Size Determination in Observational Studies

- The purpose of this present study was to determine the right sample size in observational study which is focusing on medical or health sciences field. Sample size calculation is actually depends on the type of how the study is designed. For example different formulas are used to calculate the sample size in different type of the study. In this article, the formula of single proportion and two proportions is discussed and an example from medical research, which may contribute to the understanding of this problem, is presented

Pengaruh zikir terhadap kesihatan mental dan tekanan psikologi dalam mendepani cabaran revolusi industri 4.0

Revolusi Industri 4.0 (IR4) telah memberi implikasi negatif terhadap kesihatan mental dan psikologi dalam masyarakat seperti kemurungan, kebimbangan dan tekanan perasaan. Masalah-masalah ini mampu diatasi dengan amalan zikir sebagai terapi psikospiritual berunsur kerohanian Islam. Kajian ini berbentuk kualitatif dengan menggunakan kaedah temu bual separa-berstruktur serta analisis secara deduktif, induktif dan tematik untuk mengetahui kesan sebelum dan selepas berzikir secara berjemaah. Pendekatan Lataif Qur’aniyyah digunakan untuk memaknakan kedudukan al-zikr dan pengamalannya lebih meluas. Peserta-peserta majlis zikir bulanan dalam kajian ini terdiri daripada 83 orang dan diadakan di Kediaman Rasmi Menteri Besar Selangor. Hasil kajian menunjukkan ‘zikir bersanad’ yang diamalkan secara konsisten merupakan santapan rohani terbaik dalam mempengaruhi jiwa dan emosi individu ke arah celik akal yang menjadi matlamat kemuncak dalam kaunseling. Hal ini berkesan dalam membantu perubahan minda dan tingkah laku manusia dalam pembentukan keluarga dan masyarakat yang bersahsiah dan harmoni. Justeru, zikir yang bersanad, yakni dalam bimbingan bersama guru rohani (Mursyid), dengan fokus niat untuk mencapai ‘keterhubungan kerohanian’ dengan Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w.) dan ‘jiwa fakir’ kepada Allah (s.w.t.), serta memenuhi adab-adab dan syarat-syarat takwa adalah terapi psikospiritual yang mujarab dalam merawat pelbagai masalah mental

The Debt-Equity Ratio Choice: Risk Sharing Instruments, a Viable Alternative

Evidence has been documented in the literature that the interest based debt financing system is experiencing continuous discomfort. The outcome of the 2008 global financial crisis has further create fresh vigor to the assertion. Also, these authors have submitted that debt and leveraging are the two major causes of financial instability in the present system. This paper claims that the existence of the interest-based debt regime is becoming less acceptable, as excessive debt can affect the whole economic system, even in a developed country like United States. From an economic viewpoint, therefore, by banning interest rate-based contracts and decreeing exchange contracts, Islamic financeinspires risk sharing and prohibits risk transfer, risk shedding, and risk shifting. The paper proposes risk sharing based Islamic financing as a suitable alternative to the interest based debt financing. This study concludes that risk-sharing finance has several benefits, especially its potential to minimize, if not circumvent, the debt prompted financial crises that have beset the world.

Enzyme-Based Biosensors for Electrochemical Detection of Pesticides–A Mini Review

Despite their important contribution in increasing crops production, most pesticides are harmful to humans and living beings and can persist in the environment over long a long duration. Traditional chromatographic methods of analysis are expensive and cumbersome. Biosensor technology appears therefore as an efficient and economical alternative for fast detection of pesticides. The devices are portable, rapid, and highly sensitive. Other important features of the devices are their relatively high sensistivity and low response time. Enzymatic biosensors for pesticide detection rely either on the inhibition mechanism or on the catalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme toward a specific pesticide. Metal and carbon based nanomaterials are being widely used as immobilization support owing to novel characteristics such as biocompatibility and enhanced electron transfer ability for sensitive electrochemical detection, among others. This review focusses on the electrochemical detection of organophosphorus pesticides, delineating the limit of detection and response time of biosensors toward a wide range of organophosphorus pesticides

Faktor dan cara gaya hidup serta kemungkinan kembali pulih dalam kalangan lesbian : satu kajian kes

Fenomena kehidupan homoseksual semakin merebak dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia. Kajian ini memfokus kepada salah satu kehidupan alternatif ini, iaitu lesbianisme dalam kalangan remaja. Seramai enam orang responden berorientasikan seksual lesbian yang berbangsa Melayu dan beragama Islam telah dipilih di sekitar Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk melihat faktor dan cara gaya hidup serta kemungkinan untuk kembali pulih dalam kalangan golongan ini. Bagi mendapatkan maklumat, pengkaji menggunakan kaedah temubual melalui teknik persampelan mudah dan persampelan bola salji. Hasil kajian mendapati bahwa faktor dominan yang mempengaruhi remaja untuk terlibat dengan gejala lesbian apabila semua responden melaporkan bahawa mereka amat lemah dalam amalan keagamaan. Selain daripada itu, faktor keluarga, rakan-rakan dan faktor pasangan sejenis yang memahami antara satu sama lain turut menjadi punca kepada kegiatan ini. Semua responden melaporkan bahawa mereka mempunyai kemahuan untuk kembali, namun mereka tidak mengambil insiatif yang sewajarnya dalam usaha untuk kembali pulih. Cara gaya hidup mereka juga menunjukkan kehidupan yang bahagia, hidup bersama, rasa diterima dan berhubungan baik dengan komuniti lesbian, tidak peduli dan mengambil berat terhadap kritikan masyarakat dan sebagainya. Oleh hal yang demikian, ini merendahkan lagi kemungkinan mereka untuk kembali pulih mengikut norma yang sebenar

Learning style tendencies based on fleming’s VARK learning style among TVET students

This study aims to identify learning style tendencies based on the Fleming’s VARK learning style of TVET students. This study uses a questionnaire approach to assess TVET students' learning styles based on Fleming’s visual, auditory, writing or reading and kinesthetic learning styles. The study population is technical students of FPTV, UTHM and the selected sample consists of 53 students from various fields namely General Machining (BBA), Welding and Metal Fabrication (BBD), Electrical & Electronics (BBE) and Creative Multimedia (BBF) who took the subject BBD10803 Information Technology in Education at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. The results of this study indicate that the most preferred Fleming’s VARK learning style is a visual learning style

Contribution of forest floor fractions to carbon storage and abundance patterns of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonisation in a tropical montane forest

Forest floor carbon stocks, which include different components of litter, hemic and sapric materials, have not been empirically quantified in tropical montane forest, although they influence soil carbon (C) pools. To date, the contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizae in C sequestration potentials in tropical montane forests have not been clearly investigated. This study determined the amount of C stocks in the different decomposing layers of forest floor, mainly litter, hemic and sapric materials. The abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal root colonisation differed among forest floor fractions. Forest floor was measured for depth, area density, dry mass and carbon fraction separately in Sungai Kial Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia to calculate C stocks. Percentages of root colonisation in the hemic and sapric materials were investigated. The results showed that forest floor C stocks were significantly higher in hemic (5 Mg C ha−1) and sapric (7.7 Mg C ha−1) compared with the litter fragments (1.5 Mg C ha−1). Mycorrhizal root colonisation was significantly higher (75%) in the toeslope compared with the summit area in the hemic materials. Segregation of forest floor layers provided greater accuracy in forest floor C stocks reporting

Subacute effects of edible film from modified sago starch in rats.

The effects of edible film from modified sago starch were determined on female Sprague-Dawley rats where the aim was to develop a basic guideline for safe use of edible films as food packaging. Rats were fed with 2 g kg-1 (low dose) and 5 g kg-1 (high dose) of body weight edible film for 28 days and the control rats only received normal rat pellet. The study showed that repeated administration of high dose edible film to rats did produce significant change in the liver function (total bilirubin) and renal function parameters (creatinine). Other metabolic parameters tested were: aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase, blood lipid profile; cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride, total protein and glucose concentrations, however, they were not significantly changed with respect to control animals. In conclusion, edible film from modified sago starch at 2 g kg-1 is less likely to develop toxicity as observed in the sub-acute toxicity study

Heat resistant and tensile properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites

The study focuses on E glass fiber laminate with vinyl ester resin. Two types of fiber glass are used namely chopped strand mat (CSM) and woven roving (WR). The objective of this research is to determine the thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity and Modulus Young of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) prepared by vacuum bagging resin infusion process. The samples of GFRP were exposed to cooking gas fire for 5 minutes and 10 minutes for fire test. The tensile test was also conducted for the three samples and the microstructure was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) after tensile testing. The result discovered that WR sample was better than CSM sample because CSM sample yield an average value of 0.236 W/mK for thermal conductivity and 521.6 J/KgK for specific heat capacity while WR sample give a value of 0.205 W/mK for thermal conductivity and 589.5 J/KgK for specific heat capacity. The Modulus Young of WR sample is higher (24.2 GPa) compared with CSM sample (16.1 GPa). From SEM micrograph, the failure occurred on the samples were matrix cracking and fibers separation. From the fire and tensile test conducted, the damage occurred on the samples were quite the same with the failure of the reinforcement and matrix. The findings could be used in the building construction as engineers always looking for the best material as they may have the possibilities of fire exposure and tension load as well as this is a part of the safety requirement for buildings