Self-Directed Learning among Selected Malaysian Women with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among Malaysian women. Learning and understanding the disease is important for the women in order to deal with the crisis situation. Self-directed learning is a learning mode that can facilitate a woman with breast cancer in learning and understanding more about the disease. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of selfdirected learning among selected Malaysia women with breast cancer. The study is guided by the following research questions: 1. Why did they learn? 2. How did they learn? 3. What challenges did they face in their learning? This qualitative study used in-depth interview technique with ten Malaysian women with breast cancer. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling and snowballing techniques. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The validity of data analysis was assured through triangulation, member check, and peer review, and researcher’s bias and assumptions were declared in the study. The findings can be presented in terms of motivation, strategies, and challenges. In terms of motivation, the participants were motivated by the need to confirm information, the need to understand how to deal with their disease, and the need to help the learning of other patients and survivors. Two aspects that emerge under strategies are learning phases and activities. The learning phases involved were coping with the results, seeking information about treatments, preparing for personal life changes, and learning outcomes. The participants used learning activities such as reading Internet articles, books, other printed materials, consulting doctors and asking other survivors. Doctors are generally regarded as the credible learning source. Participants faced two main challenges in their self directed learning, i.e. the emotional effects of exposure to information and the reliability of information. This study presents new understanding of self-directed learning in crisis situations in Malaysian context. This study concluded that self-directed learning of Malaysian women with breast cancer is contextualized by the dimensions of source credibility, cognition, and spirituality

Analysis of Jet Fire on IntumescentCoating Applied on SteelSubstrate

The use of intumescent coatings is one of the easiest, economical and most efficient ways to protect steel component from heat generated in fire. By insulated the steel substrates, the rate of temperature increase experienced by component from fire are substantially reduced. Thus, this insulation imparts additional time for the application of fire suppression and cooling the coated steel component reduces the potential for a material failure of the component or structure. The purpose of this report written was to discuss the progress job done; basic understanding, methodology and result obtain regarding the final year project about the analysis of jet fire on intumescent coating applied on steel substrate. The main objective of this project was to investigate and study the interface bonding between intumescent and the steel substrate before and after the jet fire burning. The investigation revealed the achievement performance intumescent coating as fire retardant. The project was focused on the durability of intumescent coating applied on the steel. The project also includes the characteristic study ofthe intumescent material, the coating method that been applied on the steel, and also to investigate the interface bonding between the intumescent and steel, before and after exposed to the heat

Accountability in waqf mangement: learning from praxis of nongovernmental organisation (NGO)

The paper aims to explore a conceptual framework in which improvement on waqf management may be made focusing on its relationship with beneficiaries. The study uses accountability as the main theoretical lens informing this, where waqf management does not merely see beneficiaries as the passenger in the relationship, rather, as one of the means to improve waqf management. Drawing from NGO accountability literatures, the paper looks at the potential of the holistic accountability where the notion of downward accountability augments the conventional upward accountability. While effort to improve the effectiveness of waqf management tends to focus on upward accountability to board of trustee,there may be a huge potential to listen to and to have dialogue with beneficiaries. An improved accountability relationship downwardly to beneficiaries offers an opportunity for an improvement on the effectiveness and efficiency of waqf management. This is essentially a conceptual paper in which the empirical study is in progress. In presenting the conceptual elements, the paper draws experience from NGO accountability literature and explores the extent to which a theoretical understanding of holistic accountability may offer important insight into the way management of waqf may be improved

Tahap kemahiran guru bahasa Melayu sekolah menengah dalam melaksanakan pentaksiran berasaskan sekolah berdasarkan jantina, opsyen dan tempat mengajar

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji dan mengenal pasti sejauh manakah tahap kemahiran guru-guru Bahasa Melayu dalam melaksanakan Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah(PBS) agar pentaksiran yang dilaksanakan oleh guru-guru di sekolah dapat memenuhi aspirasi yang diharapkan oleh pihak kementerian. Selain itu, kajian ini juga melihat perbandingan tahap kemahiran guru Bahasa Melayu terhadap pelaksanaan PBS berdasarkan jantina, tempat bertugas dan opsyen guru melalui kaedah ujian-t. Satu set soal selidik yang mengandungi 39 soalan telah diedarkan kepada 140 orang guru mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu di 20 buah sekolah menengah di daerah Kota Tinggi. Data yang diperoleh telah dianalisis menggunakan perisian komputer melalui program Package For The Social Sciences SPSS Version 19.0. Statistik yang digunakan ialah statistik deskriptif yang melibatkan frekuensi, skor min dan peratusan, manakala statistik inferensi melibatkan ujian-t bagi menjawab kesemua persoalan kajian. Kajian rintis digunakan untuk mendapatkan kesahan dan kebolehpercayaan instrumen borang kaji selidik untuk memperoleh nilai alpha (a) Cronbach). Nilai a berada pada tahap sangat tinggi (a=>90) secara keseluruhan bagi setiap item dalam borang kaji selidik. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa guru-guru Bahasa Melayu mempunyai kemahiran pada tahap nilai min yang tinggi dalam melaksanakan Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah. Dari segi perbandingan didapati bahawa tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan p>0.05 antara tahap kemahiran guru-guru Bahasa Melayu menunjukkan tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan p>0.05 dengan faktor jantina, opsyen dan tempat guru mengajar terhadap pelaksanaan PBS. Oleh itu, tahap kemahiran yang tinggi guru Bahasa Melayu terhadap pelaksanaan Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah dapat membantu pihak kementerian untuk melaksanakan pentaksiran baharu dalam pendidikan

Evaluation of polymorphic forms of mefenamic acid crystals from solution: modelling and experimental approach / Asna Nabila Ahmad Zamri

Mefenamic acid (MA) is an active pharmaceutical drug (API), used widely as an antipyretic analgesic and anti-rheumatic drug. However it is practically insoluble in water, restricting its utility in clinical trials. It exhibits two polymorphs that show different solubility and stability where form II is more soluble than form I, thus preferable for pharmaceutical production. Hence, it is the objective of this thesis to assess the polymorphic forms of MA crystals produced using crystallization process in different process conditions. Molecular modelling simulation was also done to study the molecular interactions of the crystal in order to increase the level of understanding of the factors affecting the produced crystal. XRPD, DSC and FTIR results reveal that different solvent (acetone and dimethylformamide (DMF)) produces different polymorphic forms; form land form II respectively, with different morphologies. Solubility test was carried out which shows that form II is more soluble than form I. HPLC result reveals that there is small inclusion of solvent in the crystals. The prediction of MA crystal morphology and the effect of solvent on crystal were studied using molecular modelling technique. Predicted morphology reveals similarity with the experimental morphology with low percentage errors of lattice energy between modelling and experimental values (0.07% for form I and 0.72% for form II). Assessment of solvent interaction on MA crystal reveals that both solvents are favorable to attach on the crystal, validating the HPLC result. However, DMF is more favourable to attach on form II than acetone on form I. Detail observations revealthat molecular packing of MA crystal plays an important role in the morphological difference between form I and form II, hence different polymorph, thus explaining the experimental result

Systematic risk factors in stock pricing modeling: A new theoretical conceptualization.

Stock pricing modeling in both modern- and behavioral finance paradigms are remain divided, still incomplete and have been criticized for some philosophical, theoretical and model limitations. These cause the identification of risk factors in stock pricing modeling to remain puzzling. This analytical conceptual paper aims to address these issues with a new theoretical conceptualization of the risk factors in stock pricing modeling

Analysis of Jet Fire on Intumescent Coating Applied on Steel Substrate

The use of intumescent coatings is one of the easiest, economical and most efficient ways to protect steel component from heat generated in fire. By insulated the steel substrates, the rate of temperature increase experienced by component from fire are substantially reduced. Thus, this insulation imparts additional time for the application of fire suppression and cooling the coated steel component reduces the potential for a material failure of the component or structure. The purpose of this report written was to discuss the progress job done; basic understanding, methodology and result obtain regarding the final year project about the analysis of jet fire on intumescent coating applied on steel substrate. The main objective of this project was to investigate and study the interface bonding between intumescent and the steel substrate before and after the jet fire burning. The investigation revealed the achievement performance intumescent coating as fire retardant. The project was focused on the durability of intumescent coating applied on the steel. The project also includes the characteristic study of the intumescent material, the coating method that been applied on the steel, and also to investigate the interface bonding between the intumescent and steel, before and after exposed to the hea

A study of performance of the KLSE Syariah Index

This study compares the performance of the Syariah Index (SI) and the Composite Index (CI) of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) during the period April 1999 to January 2002. Both the raw and risk-adjusted returns were calculated for the indices for the whole and two subperiods. Results based on the raw returns revealed that generally, the KLSE SI and CI recorded the same level of returns. Tests using performance measures of Adjusted Sharpe Index, Treynor Index and Adjusted Jensen Alpha revealed that there were also no significant difference in the (risk-adjusted) performance of both indices. We therefore conclude that Syariah-approved stocks were not more favourable than the other stocks in the KLSE

Behavioural finance perspectives on Malaysian stock market efficiency

AbstractThis paper provides historical, theoretical, and empirical syntheses in understanding the rationality of investors, stock prices, and stock market efficiency behaviour in the theoretical lenses of behavioural finance paradigm. The inquiry is guided by multidisciplinary behavioural-related theories. The analyses employed a long span of Bursa Malaysia stock market data from 1977 to 2014 along the different phases of economic development and market states. The tests confirmed the presence of asymmetric dynamic behaviour of prices predictability as well as risk and return relationships across different market states, risk states and quantiles data segments. The efficiency tests show trends of an adaptive pattern of weak market efficiency across various economic phases and market states. Collectively, these evidences lend support to bounded-adaptive rational of investors' behaviour, dynamic stock price behaviour, and accordingly forming bounded-adaptive market efficiency

My God is not your God: the role of media in handling the uproar caused by the used of 'Allah' by non-Muslims in Malaysia

In late 2007, the Home Ministry of Malaysia has banned the use of the word 'Allah' by the Herald, a Catholic newsletter. The ministry later confiscated 15,000 copies of Malay language Bibles imported from Indonesia in which the word for God is translated as 'Allah'. The reason is 'to avoid the Muslims from being confused' when the non-Muslims talk about their God. In other words the authorities in Malaysia consider the word 'Allah' is monopolized only by the Muslims. Nevertheless, on December 31, 2009 a ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court overruled the earlier ban, asserting constitutional guarantees regarding the freedom of religion in Malaysia. Since then, an already tense situation boiled over, largely due to incitement by a few hasty politicians, the mainstream media and a handful of non-governmental organizations linked by membership and leadership to the United Malays National Organization, the major ruling party. Consequently, Malaysians ushered the New Year by witnessing arsonists and vandal attacks on about ten places of worship, including Christian churches, a Sikh temple, Muslim prayer rooms and mosques. Though there were no physical injuries to anyone and the material damage can be repaired, the same cannot be said about the emotional and psychological wound left behind in the people. After numerous conflicting statements from political leaders and government officials, the underlying causes of the violence were still left unaddressed. Malaysia's reputation as a nation at peace with its ethnic and religious diversity is at stake. In the light of this conflict, what is the role of communication media in the country? Specifically how has the media being used to control the uproar from being escalated into a more chaotic situation? This paper attempts to address the questions, through a study performed on main news media throughout the turbulence in January and February 2010