The Use of Humour in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study explored the use of humour in teaching and learning in higher education classrooms. Despite the growing body of research on humour in higher education, limited studies have attended to teachers’ perspectives. This study focused on understanding humour from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. It drew on an interpretivist approach to explore how and why five New Zealand university teachers used humour while teaching, and how their use of humour affected students’ learning in the classroom. Study participants included five university teachers and 10 students. I recruited the teachers from among those identified as humorous in the annual Students’ Association Teacher of the Year awards. The student participants were learning in these teachers’ classrooms. Data were collected in three stages. First, I observed and video recorded the teachers in university classrooms. Next, I approached the students for one-on-one interviews. Finally, I invited each of the teachers to participate in a stimulated recall interview. To code the data, I drew on superiority, incongruity and relief theories of humour; instructional humour processing theory (IHPT); and emotional intelligence (EI). The teachers used eight types of humour, either intentionally or spontaneously, while teaching. These included self-deprecating humour, disparaging humour, teacher-student teasing, sarcasm, ad-lib humour, funny comments, riddles and funny photos or quiz questions. The teachers noted that they used humour intentionally to facilitate student learning, attract students’ attention, or both. The students indicated that the teachers’ use of humour affected them in two ways: by enhancing their learning (for example, by helping them to understand or recall key concepts); and by engaging their attention (for example, by providing a ‘tension break’ or eliciting laughter). The teachers’ and students’ interview discussions revealed more similar than different perspectives as to what constitutes appropriate (or inappropriate) and relevant (or irrelevant) humour. They described appropriate humour as humour that is relevant, timely and used in a suitable manner; as enhancing teachers’ credibility; and as requiring careful judgement, and sometimes, planning. They described relevant humour as humour that is related to lecture content and/or to students’ daily life experiences. My study findings extend our understanding of ‘instructional’ humour. According to IHPT, instructional humour is appropriate and relevant humour that enhances students’ learning in the classroom. However, my study findings suggest that humour that is not directly content-related can also perform an instructional function, for example, by re-focusing students or allowing them to feel comfortable and ready to learn. Additionally, my study offers some pedagogical suggestions for teachers who wish to incorporate humour effectively in the classroom. These include considering students’ perspectives when using humour, planning the use of humour to illustrate course content and/or foster students’ sense of comfort, and checking jokes or funny anecdotes with others prior to using them

Formaldehyde content and quality characteristics of selected fish and seafood from wet markets

Formaldehyde was used by fishermen and fish vendors to preserve the freshness and quality of fish and seafood. The study was undertaken to determine the formaldehyde content and quality characteristics of fish and seafood from wet markets. Formaldehyde content was in the range of 0.38 to 15.75 μg g-1. Three types of biogenic amines (histamine, putrescine and cadaverine) were detected from all samples in which histamine content ranged from 0.25 to 1.97 μg g-1, putrescine from 0.33 to 9.09 μg g-1 and cadaverine from 0.34 to 5.81 μg g-1. Amino acids as biogenic amines precursor were also determined with lysine ranged from 12.75 to 28.80mg g-1, arginine from 8.17 to 27.83 mg g-1 and histidine from 1.93 to 10.14 mg g-1. As for the microbiological analyses, total plate counts for all fish types ranged from 5.68 to 7.13 log cfu g-1 and the proteolytic counts from 5.12 to 6.91 log cfu g-1. Samples were also analyzed for the presence of putrescine/ cadavarine/ histamine producing bacteria where the counts ranged from 3.50 to 6.52 log cfu g-1. The pH of all selected fish ranged from 6.25 to 7.28. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) among fish purchased from different wet markets. Hence this study suggested that fish and seafood from wet markets can be considered in good quality since the formaldehyde content and microbiological counts were still below the permissible limits

COVD-QOL questionnaire: An adaptation for school vision screening using Rasch analysis

AbstractPurposeTo adapt the College of Optometrist in Vision Development (COVD-QOL) questionnaire as a vision screening tool for primary school children.MethodsAn interview session was conducted with children, teachers or guardians regarding visual symptoms of 88 children (45 from special education classes and 43 from mainstream classes) in government primary schools. Data was assessed for response categories, fit items (infit/outfit: 0.6–1.4) and separation reliability (item/person: 0.80). The COVD-QOL questionnaire results were compared with vision assessment in identifying three categories of vision disorders: reduce visual acuity, accommodative response anomaly and convergence insufficiency. Analysis on the screening performance using the simplified version of the questionnaire was evaluated based on receiver-operating characteristic analysis for detection of any type of target conditions for both types of classes. Predictive validity analysis was used a Spearman rank correlation (>0.3).ResultsTwo of the response categories were underutilized and therefore collapsed to the adjacent category and items were reduced to 14. Item separation reliability for the simplified version of the questionnaire was acceptable (0.86) but the person separation reliability was inadequate for special education classes (0.79) similar to mainstream classes (0.78). The discriminant cut-off score of 9 (mainstream classes) and 3 (special education classes) from the 14 items provided sensitivity and specificity of (65% and 54%) and (78% and 80%) with Spearman rank correlation of 0.16 and 0.40 respectively.ConclusionThe simplified version of COVD-QOL questionnaire (14-items) performs adequately among children in special education classes suggesting its suitability as a vision screening tool

Chronic embryonic exposure of arsenic trioxide induced alteration on motor functions and anxiety-like esponses in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is a heavy metal that is widely used for therapeutic purpose and is found ubiquitously in the environment. Currently, information about the adverse effects associated with exposure to low levels of inorganic arsenic on the developing organisms is limited. We examined the effects of embryonic exposure of As2O3 on motor functions and anxiety-like behaviors in the developing zebrafish. The embryos were exposed to 4 different concentrations (20, 30, 40, 50 µM) starting from 5 hpf until hatching (72 hpf) in a semi-static condition. The control groups were maintained in the embryo media. The mortality rate increased in a dose dependent manner. We found that chronic embryonic exposure to 30 and 40 µM decreased the number of tail coiling, heartbeat, and swimming activity. Meanwhile, exposure 20 µM did not produce any significant alteration in these parameters. To further understand the effects ofAs2O3 interferences on the development of anxiety-related behavior, we chose 30 µM As2O3 exposed larvae since the 40 µM As2O3 achieved 100% mortality before the behavioral recording was conducted on 6 dpf. However, we found no alterations on thigmotaxis, avoidance response, speed and percentage of resting of 6 dpf larvae. Since we found no alterations in all parameters measured for anxiety related behavior, we evaluated the apoptosis in the eye of the larvae using acridine orange. We found a significant increase in the apoptotic signal particularly in the eye region. These results showed that exposure to microconcentration of As2O3 do not alter the anxiety related responses, yet, inducing apoptosis in the retina and lens, which may contribute to visual deficit. The potential underlying mechanisms and implication of As2O3 on visual acuity, motor performance and anxiety-like responses need further investigation

Anti-wax nickel-based coating for stainless steel pipeline

This study aims to determine the efficacy of nickel-based coating as wax repellent for stainless steel pipelines. Two variables for nickel-based coating were studied namely nickel sulphate and sodium hypophosphate. Results show that 100% and 50% reduction of wax deposition for coating with sodium hypophosphate and coating with nickel sulphate respectively. These values indicate that nickel-based coating can reduce wax deposition on the pipe surface. It also depicts that coating with more sodium hypophosphate serve better anti-wax coating compared to nickel-based coating with more nickel sulphate. SEM analysis shows good surface morphology for the coating and displays a microstructure that plays an important role in protecting stainless steel surfaces

Prestasi bahan polimer komposit dicetak menggunakan pemodelan pemendapan bersatu : suatu ulasan ringkas

Penambahan kandungan pengisi polimer komposit dapat meningkatkan kekonduksian elektrik dan terma yang baik, serta mempunyai kekuatan tegangan dan modulus yang tinggi telah memperluaskan aplikasi dalam industri peranti elektronik. Walau bagaimanapun, penambahan kandungan pengisi yang kurang daripada 20 bt.% akan mengakibatkan ketidaksempurnaan dalam penyebaran serta terdapat gumpalan pengisi ke dalam komposit. Ulasan kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti pengaruh penambahan kandungan pengisi bagi bahan konduktif polimer komposit menggunakan percetakan 3D terhadap sifat elektrik, terma dan mekanikal. Ulasan ini merangkumi penggunaan bahan konduktif polimer komposit yang dibentuk melalui kaedah Pemodelan Pemendapan Bersatu (FDM) yang merupakan salah satu daripada percetakan 3D. Proses percetakan 3D yang dilapisi oleh lapisan demi lapisan akan menghasilkan struktur objek yang kompleks serta proses pembuatan yang cepat telah memberi sumbangan kepada penghasilan konduktif polimer komposit. Kekonduksian elektrik dapat ditingkatkan dengan penambahan kandungan pengisi sehingga 50 bt.%. Selain itu, penambahan kandungan pengisi yang dapat menawarkan permukaan yang lebih berkesan antara permukaan pengisi dan matriks telah meningkatkan suhu penghabluran (Tc) dan suhu puncak penghabluran (Tp) dalam sifat terma serta nilai kekuatan tegangan dan modulus dalam sifat mekanik. Penambahan kandungan pengisi polimer komposit sehingga 50 bt.% dapat meningkatkan kesesuaian bahan untuk digunakan pada peranti elektronik

A scoping review on factors influencing milk consumption behavior among adults

Introduction; Milk and dairy products are good sources of high-quality protein. Protein is important during weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance due to the high satiating effect which helps to prevent over-consumption of energy and thereby reduces body fat stores. Furthermore, dairy protein is a good source of essential amino acids for muscle protein synthesis and thus helps to maintain metabolically active muscle mass during weight loss. Regarding milk consumption, it is important to find the association between personal, environmental and behaviour factors with milk consumption. Objective; The aim of the study was to identify factors influencing milk consumption behaviour among adults. Methods; This study was based on the literature review and on different case studies from different parts of the world to fulfill the main scope of factors influencing milk consumption. Results; Based on this review, environmental factors were found to be the main influences on milk consumption behaviour, followed by personal factors and behaviour factors. Conclusion This review is also expected to enrich the documentation on the influencing of milk consumption behaviour among adults

Pengoptimuman parameter sonikasi dan pengacauan magnetik bagi mendapatkan penyerakan sebati komposit kuprum-grafin berdasarkan sifat morfologi

Kajian mengenai grafin kini semakin meluas disebabkan sifat kebolehaliran terma yang mampu meningkatkan potensi bahan komposit. Penambahan grafin dalam matriks kuprum dikaji dengan menggunakan gabungan bahan pengikat iaitu polietilena glikol (PEG), polimetil metakrilat (PMMA) dan asid stearik. Penggunaan grafin sebagai bahan pengisi dalam matriks kuprum merupakan pendekatan baru yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kebolehaliran terma produk yang dihasilkan. Namun, penambahan grafin dalam matriks kuprum boleh menyebabkan ketidaksamarataan zarah komposit kerana penggumpalan zarah-zarah grafin. Oleh itu, kaedah sonikasi dan pengacauan magnetik semasa proses pra-campuran digunakan bagi menghasilkan bahan suapan yang sebati dan penyerakan grafin yang lebih baik tanpa penggumpalan. Suhu proses sonikasi telah ditetapkan pada 55˚C dengan masa sonikasi yang berbeza iaitu 30 minit, 60 minit dan 90 minit. Bagi proses pengacauan magnetik, parameter yang digunakan adalah 55˚C, selama 21 jam pada kelajuan yang berbeza iaitu 300, 350 dan 400 rpm. Analisis imej Pancaran Medan Mikroskopi Elektron Pengimbasan (FESEM) dan Pemetaan EDX telah dijalankan bagi mengkaji penyerakan grafin dalam komposit kuprum grafin. Keputusan menunjukkan hasil yang lebih baik diperoleh selepas proses sonikasi dan pengacauan magnetik dijalankan. Penyerakan terbaik yang lebih seragam dan sebati diperoleh pada masa sonikasi 60 min dan pengacauan magnetik pada kelajuan sederhana iaitu 350 rpm. Zarah grafin didapati kurang bertumpu pada satu tempat dan penggumpalan semula juga tidak berlaku. Penyerakan sebati ini menjadikan hubungan antara muka zarah-zarah grafin dan kuprum menjadi lebih baik seterusnya mampu mengurangkan keliangan bagi penghasilan jasad akhir

Rheological test of flowability and diffusion behavior of carbon fibre reinforced polyamide

Various materials have been produced to be used as feeder material in 3D printing application to obtain the level of mechanical properties and physical properties of a product. Before to its usage as a 3D printing feed material, polyamide-reinforced carbon fibre composites were investigated for flowability and diffusion behaviour. Using a heated nozzle to transform polymer filament into a semi-liquid that is extruded to create a structure layer-by-layer, the primary issue to prevent is delamination. For the success of this study, there are 2 main methods, namely to study the physical properties of carbon fibre reinforced polyamide composites against the composition of 20 wt.% carbon fibre and to study the temperature and rheological load on the rheological properties. Rheological test analysis found that the material flowability of 20 wt.% CF/PA at temperature parameters 210 °C, 230 °C and 250 °C against rheological loads (40, 60, 80) N recorded a range of viscosity values between 48.80 Pa.s to 97.88 Pa.s and shear rate value range between 19700 s-1 to 20270 s-1. Parameter optimization analysis using Taguchi method found that the largest factor contributing to the viscosity of CF/PA composite feed material was the addition of load applied. Moreover, the microstructural results of CF/PA composites show that smoother surfaces and good polymer structural bonding occur at an extrusion temperature of 250 °C. As a result, the rheology-derived flow rate may be used to tackle the problem of delamination and layer separation in 3D printin

Simulation analysis of graphene addition on polymeric composite

Natural fibres in composite materials, such as kenaf fibres, are used to reinforce polypropylene (PP) due to their light weight and high mechanical performance required in various applications, such as automotive. Although natural fibres seem to be the most promising material, manufacturing parameters and material composition are crucial to determining balanced output performance. Therefore, this study provides essential knowledge on defining the parameters and the effect of addition of graphene content to kenaf fibres composites using computer simulation via Abaqus CAE software. Detailed analyses were compared with the experimental data of Young’s modulus and tensile strength. General static and dynamic explicit analyses were conducted using Abaqus CAE simulations, and set at 40 wt. % kenaf fibres, 0, 1, 3, and 5 wt. % graphene. Short kenaf fibres were utilised together with graphene nanoplatelets and prepared using a hot-pressing technique with the temperature set at 190 °C and pressure of 5 MPa for 5 min. The findings indicated that the simulation and experimental data from previous studies data congruent which is Young’s modulus and tensile strength increased with addition of graphene content. Thus, the simulated data could predict the experimental mechanical performance, in which 24 MPa of tensile strength was recorded for 3 wt. % of graphene additions