A Career Guidance Software for Selection of College Majors in Universiti Putra Malaysia

Malaysia university candidates are facing indecisiveness in college major selection in their tertiary education; and thus a career guidance tool is needed to assist them in their college majors’ selection. This research was intended to develop a computer assisted career guidance (CACG) software, which consists of a vocational interest inventory (Putra College Majors Inventory) and a college major finder (Putra College Majors Finder). Putra College Majors Inventory (PCMI) is a vocational interest inventory which consisted of 360 items and was developed based on John Holland’s Theory of Vocational. The process of developing PCMI followed the guideline from Brown (1983), which involved specification of instrument purpose, translating purpose into operational term, develop instrument plan, item writing, item analysis, standardization of scoring, and technical analysis of test. Reliability analysis and content validity were performed to ensure the reliability and validity of PCMI. Putra College Majors Finder (PCMF) consisted of a list of 44 Bachelor Degree programmes of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) where individual programme was assigned with a three-letter environment code. PCMF was developed by assessing the undergraduates’ environment in UPM via Environment Assessment Technique (EAT). A total of 2505 second last semester (2004/2005) undergraduates from all bachelor degree programmes in UPM have been purposively sampled as the sample for this study. Statistical analysis on PCMI yielded an Alpha Cronbach of .98 and content validity index of 8.76 on a ten-point scale. The study shows that the environment profile for UPM is Social (S), Investigative (I) and Artistic (A). The SIA environment profile of UPM is in line with the university’s mission to be a leading Centre of Learning and Research, contributing not only towards human advancement and discovery of knowledge but also to the creation of wealth and nation building. A CACG software was then developed based on data collected from this study. Correlation analysis was performed between the calculated result from computerized PCMI versus the paper and pencil PCMI. The Degree of Correlation was r (335) =1.00, p<0.01 proving that there were no difference found between them

The International Indian Ocean Expedition

The Distinguished Lecture Series 1964-1965, sponsored by Science Bureau, Washington Board of Trade, presented at Georgetown University, January 27, 1965Tonight, I want to tell you about another great oceanographic expedition; one which has been done in the tradition of the past great expeditions, but with all the tools available to modern oceanography. This is the International Indian Ocean Expedition, which constitutes the cooperative efforts of some 27 nations which have committed over 40 oceanographic research vessels to more than 70 cruises in the Indian Ocean over the past four years. It has been supported in this country by the National Science Foundation, the Navy, the Weather Bureau, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Officially, the International Indian Ocean Expedition is being completed during the current year but it will be many years before all the data have been thoroughly analyzed and evaluated

A STUDY ON AN EVAPORATOR-CONDENSER COMBINATION FOR HUMIDITY CONTROL IN AN AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

An experimental study has been perfi)rmed on an evaporator-condenser system for humidity control using a constant speed compressor and fixed air volume. The evaporator-condenser system requires an addition of a reheat coil to the conventional unit. The reheat coil serves to reheat the cooled air leaving the cooling coils, thereby controlling the relative humidity. Preliminary simulations using the software Vapcyc and CoilDesigner show an improvement in the cooling performance and also an improvement in the dehumidification capability of the air conditioning system. Thereafter, an experimental study was performed using a modified commercial ceiling concealed air conditioning unit. Results from the experiments show that the dehumidification capability in terms of absolute humidity and relative humidity had improved, while the cooling performance had declined. Vapcyc and Coi!Designer are not suitable to simulate evaporator-condenser systems as they were only originally designed for conventional cooling systems. A comparison between the evaporator-condenser, desiccant wheel and loop heat pipe systems has been shown. While all systems are able to enhance moisture removal, the evaporator-condenser system is advantageous in simplicity, floor space and method of controlling the moisture removal rate. The concomitant benefits are a more comfortable environment, better productivity and more healthy conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior and Social Media Use by Adolescents

There is a surprising dearth of research related to the phenomenon of self-injurious behavior/nonsuicidal self-injury (SIB/NSSI), such as cutting. Research conducted on SIB has revealed that this maladaptive behavior is more common among adolescents than other populations. The act of posting SIB on social media deserves research attention, as it seems to contradict what had previously been considered a very private behavior. The goal of this qualitative case study was to better understand why adolescents engage in SIB as well as investigate why they post these behaviors on social media. Merton\u27s theory of social strain and anomie, which focuses on impulse control and management being dependent on having social order; Erikson\u27s developmental stages, specifically Identity Versus Role Confusion; and Siegel\u27s research with the adolescent brain were used for the study\u27s theoretical framework. A qualitative observational case study of 30 YouTube videos was conducted to examine what individuals posted about their SIB, why individuals engaged in SIB, and why individuals posted their SIB on social media. Explanations for posting SIB on YouTube ranged from describing the actual objects used for self-harm to expressing shame for engaging in the behavior. The responses for engaging in SIB revealed that the need for self-expression was significant and that the behavior was a means for coping with mental illness or trauma, familial conflict, or some shame related to a failure to conform to social norms. The implications for positive social change include an increased awareness of this behavior for parents, teachers, medical personnel, and mental health providers to better inform treatment and interventions