An ethnographic study on the use of English among students at Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia

This article is based on a four-week ethnographic study of a discourse community i.e. first and second year students of Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia (KUIM). The researchers believe that the ethnographic approach could help provide valuable insights that would indirectly help them to understand the use of the English Language by the discourse community. Tools of inquiry such as non-participant observations, specialist informants, interviews, and questionnaire as well as a re-examination of relevant documents were employed for data gathering purposes. The findings of this study indicate that English Language use at KUIM is not only dependent on the conventions laid down by the university but also by the discourse community. The paper discusses the implications of the findings on producing and designing meaningful teaching-learning material for the discourse community

Speech Act of Promising among Jordanians

Abstrac

Effects of brine concentration, thickness and microwave finish drying on the textural characteristics of buffalo jerky

Jerky, a ready-to-eat snack, known for its high protein and low-fat content. Current methods used in jerky processing take 6-10 hours in a conventional oven, dehydrator or smokehouse. In this study, whole buffalo meat was sliced to 5mm and 6mm and cured in three different salt concentrations of 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% for 24 hours at 4°C. The effects of microwave finish drying (5, 10 and 15 seconds) were examined after samples were dried in a convection oven for three hours. Cured buffalo slices showed significant (p<0.05) lower initial moisture content compared to uncured slices. This is due to the effect of salt which increased the protein solubility thus reducing its moisture content. Buffalo jerky treated with 2.0% salt showed the lowest final moisture content and the highest weight loss. Analysis of the texture characteristics showed that lower salt content and higher microwave duration produced softer buffalo jerky. The colour analysis of dried buffalo jerky implied that altering salt concentration and drying treatment did not give negative impact to the colour. Thus, microwave finish drying is capable of producing a good buffalo jerky without jeopardizing its quality

Effect of storage temperature on the antioxidant properties of active bilayer polyethylene/soy protein isolate (PE/SPI) film

Polyethylene (PE) is considered to be one of the most widely used plastic in the world due to its vast array of applications depending on the particular type. It is well known that petroleum-based plastic is a good material for food packaging for its good mechanical properties. Meanwhile, biopolymer films have poor mechanical and water barrier properties compared to conventional plastics. Soy protein isolate (SPI) with mangosteen pericarps extract (MPE) was laminated on PE film to form a bilayer film with antioxidant property. The PE/SPI film was stored at two different temperatures; 25°C and accelerated temperature at 40°C for 9 weeks. The color and opacity of the film increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) after 9 weeks observation. There is no change in the morphology of the film after 9 weeks stored at both temperatures. The antioxidant properties of film were measured by total phenolic content (TPC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay for each week interval. The antioxidant activities of films decreased significantly (P≤0.05) throughout the storage time at both temperatures. Higher temperature also reduced the antioxidant properties of bilayer film significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Addition of mangosteen pericarps extract contributes to the enhanced antioxidant properties of bilayer film

Effect of addition of resistant starch on oxidative stability of fried fish crackers as influenced by storage temperatures and packaging materials

The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of the addition of resistant starch (unmodified potato starch) on physicochemical properties and lipid stability of fried fish crackers packed in two types of packaging. Fish crackers added with one part of resistant starch were prepared, packed into two types of packaging with four different layers of packaging material; (i) polyethylene terephthalate-polyethylene-aluminium-linear low density polyethylene and (ii) oriented polypropylene-polyethylene-metallized polyethylene terephthalate-linear low density polyethylene and stored at 25, 40 and 60°C for 12 weeks. The linear expansion and oil absorption of the fried fish cracker were 58.00 ± 3.46% and 12.60 ± 1.34% respectively. Physical analyses showed an increase in moisture contents (from 2.75-3.47% to 4.08-4.54%), water activities (0.297 to 0.436aw) and a* and b* values (5.27 to 9.14% and 21.09 to 25.27%, respectively), while a decrease in L* value (from 63 to 58%), hardness (from 2.110 to 1.117 kg) and crispiness (from 12.46 to 8.18 kg/sec) throughout 12 weeks of storage at all temperatures tested. The lipid yield of the crackers increased during the storage time and the concentrations of conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances showed a gradual increase and decrease, respectively. These results showed that the fried fish crackers in the storage study had undergone lipid oxidation where physical and chemical deterioration were observed and measured. In conclusion, the addition of one part of resistant starch in crackers has given positive effect on the stability of the resulting fried fish crackers

Effect of Chlorinated Water and Sodium Tripolyphosphate Spray Washing on Microbiological Quality of Quail Carcasses

Quail is considered a high protein product, with such nutrients that are appropriate for the growth of the microorganisms, for example, bacteria, fungal and yeast. This condition can contribute to easy spoil of the product. The comparison  between tap water (control), chlorinated  water (CL)  and  sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) at 30 and 60°C on the total microbial count of quails. Carcasses were sprayed for 60 s with a tap, (CL) or STPP solution, subjected to 30 °C and 60 °C temperature. Treated carcasses were then diluted up to 10-5 for microbiological analyses; total plate count using plate count agar (PCA), yeast, and mould count using potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Salmonella count using hektoen enteric agar (HEA). Results indicated that a higher bacterial population were found on sample treated with control, followed by a CL-treated sample and STPP solution recorded the  least  for  both PCA and PDA agar  when  in 30°C.  However, when  being  introduced  to  the  high temperature of 60 °C, (CL) showed the best antimicrobial activity, recorded 4.23 log cfu/g bacterial count for PCA. Meanwhile, STPP solution with 4.42 log cfu/g and control with 4.79 log cfu/g. A different pattern was observed in yeast and mould count, whereby it showed sample treated with control and STPP solution does not significantly different in decreasing the yeast and mould count, in turn, CL counted with the highest microbial load of 4.64 log cfu/g. There was also no presence of Salmonella spp found on the quail of all treatments. The pH of the quail after each treatment was ranging from pH 6 to 7. This indicated that STPP had shown a stronger antimicrobial activity as spray washing for quails than CL and control, at 30°C

Effect of emulsifier diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM) and enzyme transglutaminase on quality characteristics of rice bran croissants

Rice bran (RB) is a good source of dietary fibre. Addition of rice bran into croissant interferes with the gluten formation of dough and hence affect the physicochemical properties of croissant. The effect of RB addition on physicochemical properties of croissant were determined by using 0%, 10% and 15% RB. Besides, additives such as emulsifiers and enzymes can be used in pastry to enhance the physicochemical properties of croissant. Diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono-diglycerides (DATEM) and transglutaminase (TGase) were used respectively on 0%, 10% and 15% RB to investigate the effect of such additives on physicochemical properties of croissant. Increased % RB and DATEM, produced a significant decrease in specific volume, together with a significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness. With increased % RB, TGase caused significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness but significant decrease in specific volume. The overall moisture sorption isotherm curves of the croissant belong to the Type III isotherm, also known as Flory-Huggins Isotherm (J-shaped). The critical aw obtained from the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) equation showed that the shelf life of croissants were not positively impacted by the addition of DATEM and TGase and the addition of RB did not cause any significant positive effects on quality characteristics of croissants

Effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties and microbiological quality of yellow noodle with addition of rice bran

Irradiation is principally used as preservation to improve food shelf-life. The effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties and microbiological quality of yellow noodles with addition of rice bran were observed. Wheat flour was replaced with rice bran at different levels (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). The rice bran yellow (RBY) noodles were exposed to different irradiation doses (4 kGy, 6 kGy 8 kGy) using Cobalt-60. Gamma irradiation significantly decreased the pH, moisture content, hardness, lightness and redness; whereas significantly increased the breaking length of RBY noodles. Total plate count of RBY noodles stored at 8°C was observed on day 0, 3, 5 and 7. No bacterial growth was observed at dose 6 kGy and 8 kGy on day 5 and 7. Micrograph of RBY noodles under SEM at 500x magnification showed that different gamma irradiation dose and replacement of rice bran resulted in small changes on starch granules. Additionally, increment of rice bran showed significant increase in moisture content, breaking length, redness, cooking yield and cooking loss; but significantly decreased the water activity at high dose, hardness, lightness and yellowness. In conclusion, irradiation positively impacted the microbiological quality and incorporation of rice bran gave positive effect on the cooking yield

Investigation of the effects of the social power and social distance on the realization of apology between Jordanian and English cultures

The current study investigated the influence of context-external variables; social power (High, Equal and Low) and social distance (Familiar and Unfamiliar) on the perception of Jordanian and English speech act of apology. Discourse Completion Test (DCT) and Scaled Response Questionnaire (SRQ) were used to elicit data from three groups: 40 Jordanian L2 speakers in Malaysia, 40 Jordanian non-English speakers in Malaysia and 40 English native speakers from British Council in Jordan. The three groups of respondents were asked to assess four context-internal variables i.e. the severity of the offence, the possibility of the offender apology, the difficulty of the apology by the offender and the likelihood of apology acceptance by the offended party.  Results of the study were accomplished using one way ANOVA and Tukey HSD post hoc statistical tests. The findings revealed that Jordanians have high sensitivity toward hierarchical power and social distance more than English native speakers. Moreover, results revealed that there are negative sociopragmatic transfers from L1 to L2 by JL2Ss based on their four-context internal variables perception.  Findings could be used to increase the cultural awareness toward some similarities and differences between both cultures</p

Stature approximation of Malays, Chinese and Indian in Malaysia using radiographs of Femur, Tibia and Fibula

The study was conducted to create specific formulae for stature estimation of adult male population in Malaysia based on measurements of femur, tibia and fibula lengths using radiographic method. A number of thirty two Malaysians from hospitals involved as subjects in this study. The subjects were Malays (14), Chinese (8) and Indians (10) from 25-45 years old. The standing height of the subject was recorded before femur, tibia and fibula were scanned with an x-ray machine. The bones length was measured on the x-ray film in centimetres (cm) and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0 for Windows. The results showed a significant relationship (p < 0.05) between stature and measurements of length of femur, tibia and fibula. Stature of Malays and Indians were significant (p < 0.05) with measurements of length of femur, tibia and fibula but insignificant in Chinese. Simple Linear Regression Analysis was used to derive regression equation for single bone and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis was used to derive regression equation for combination of femur, tibia and fibula. Six formulae for stature estimation of adult male population in Malaysia were derived. The formulae consist of three formulae for single bone, a formulae for combination bones with unknown race, a formulae for combination bones of Malays population and a formulae for combination bones of Indians population. Formulae for combination bones had the highest correlation coefficient compared to the formula using a single bone. Standard error was found to be high in all the formulae due to small sample size. Extension for this study is essential to provide Malaysia with accurate formulae