Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Contextual Teaching and Learning (Ctl) Untuk Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar IPA Siswa Kelas IV B SD Negeri 182 Pekanbaru

The problem in the research was the students achievement in science still low with an average value 60,54 of the fourth graderes SDN 182 Pekanbaru. Among 46 students in class IV B, there were only 15 students (32,60%) who achieved above minimum completeness criteria (KKM), while 31 students (67,40%) still couldn't achieve the minimum completenness criteria (KKM) by the minimum completeness criteria (KKM ) science subject is 70. The research is Classroom Action Research (CAR), wich aims to improve the science learning process of class IV B in year 2014/2015 which are consisted 46 students, with 24 boys and 22 girls. The research was conducted to 2 cycles. Each of first and second cycle were separated by three times meeting, which two times was the implementation of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL), and one was Test at the end of cycle. Before implementation Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) student achievement which was average 60,54. After implementation Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) student achievement improve 9,66% average to 70,20 at UHI, and improve 12,66% average to 73,20 at UH II. Based on the implementation of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL), so its learning model able to improve students achievement in science, it can be found that student achievement in science from pre Classroom Action Research (CAR) or before implementation Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) which was 60,54 average be improved 9,66% to 70,20 in first cycle, and be more improve 12,66% to 73,20 in second cycle. The percentage of teacher activities is also improve, it can be found that teacher activities in first cycle at first meeting is 75,00%, and be improved again at second meeting to 81,25% average. In second cycle at first meeting the teacher activities improve to 87,50%, and improve again to 93,75% average at second meeting. The percentage of students activities were also improve, it can be found that students activities in first cycle at first meeting is 81,25%, and be the same at second meeting by 81,25% average. In second cycle at first meeting the students activities had improving to 87,50%, and be improved again to 93,75% average at second meeting. Based on the result of the research, it can be concluded that the implementation of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) can improve students achievement in science of class IV B SDN 182 Pekanbaru in year 2014/2015

The application of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) in enhancing p availability from contaminated soil / Raja Nabira Raja Zulkifli

The research was conducted on the application of Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB), Baciluss Sinensis in enhancing P availability from contaminated soil due reduce the available P with increases level of heavy metals. The soil samples were obtained from paddy field at Merlimau, Melaka. The soil were contaminated with heavy metals such as copper sulphate and iron chloride and inoculated with Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB). The media were planting with paddy the data was measured based of plant height and plant biomass. The total P was determine using wet digestion (Akinyle and Shokunbi, 2014) and available P were determine using Bray P method (Bray and Kurtz, 1945). From the result study shown that the application of PSB on different level heavy metals has no significances different in term soil pH, plant height of paddy, root biomass and tiller biomass. Meanwhile, for the result Total P, Available P, heavy metals content and root length shown that were significances different after inoculation of PSB with increasing level of treatment. In conclusion, it can be conclude that the application of PSB on contaminated soil can enhance the available P in the soil that making it much more available for the plant uptake

The correlation between salah (prayers) and students’ academic performance / Che Haslina Abdullah… [et al.]

Salah (prayers) is the second pillar of Islam and the most important spiritual practice for Muslims. Salah can bring success to a Muslim's life and by abandoning it, can lead to various problems in one‘s life. In this study, a total of 28 degree students of UiTM Pulau Pinang who have achieved Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) below 2.5 were selected in this research. This study was conducted to determine the students‘ understanding of the importance of salah, their daily routines that have affected their salah, as well as the correlation between their performance of salah and academic performances. The study has shown that there were more male students who have experienced a decline in academic achievement due to their negligence in performing their salah. The reasons being are salah is considered less important and they occupied most of their time by playing games and surfing the Internet. The data also indicated that they have shown penitence and feeling embarrassed to Allah and confessed that the problem in their academic performances most probably occur due to wrath of Allah for their failure in performing prayers

Cattle-grazing in oil palm plantations sustainably controls understory vegetation

Oil palm agricultural practices need to be substantially changed in order to meet the global demand for more ethical and sustainable farming. Livestock integration is an innovative method to control understory vegetation in oil palm plantations, while reducing the need for chemical herbicides, as well as providing additional food security, ecosystem services, and habitat heterogeneity. Understory vegetation is important for faunal biodiversity in oil palm plantations, however it is often decimated by the over usage of herbicides. To determine how cattle-grazing affected the growth of understory vegetation, we collected data from 45 plantations, in Peninsular Malaysia, including those integrated with cattle and without them. Our results revealed that the plantations integrated with cattle had on average 20% more undergrowth coverage, but no difference in undergrowth height, therefore, maintaining undergrowth at an acceptable height for harvesters to access oil palms. We recommend cattle-grazing as a method for oil palm stakeholders to maintain manageable undergrowth and align with sustainable palm oil certification policy by reducing their use of chemical herbicides. To promote cattle-oil palm integration, specific policies are needed to strengthen financial and technical support

The effect of the job demand and perceived job burnout in the context of academicians’ role performance / Raja Mayang Delima Mohd Beta... [et al.]

With the high demands on research outputs, academicians are under pressure to cope with their teaching responsibilities as well as other managerial and administrative responsibilities that may affect their in-role and extra-role performance.Four hundred and thirty-one (431) academicians from twenty (20) Malaysian public universities were sampled which drawn from a stratified sampling process.The study examined the factors affecting in-role and extra-role performance among academicians in Malaysian public universities. There were two (2) proposed affecting factors that being examined; namely job demands as independent factor, perceived job burnout as the mediating factor and religious personality as a moderating factor.The job demands, in-role performance and extra-role performance questionnairerevised by Bakker (2014), while the perceived job burnout questionnaire by Demerouti (2010) and religious personality questionnaire by Krauss (2007) were adopted and adapted. The Job demands-resources theory of burnout guided the study through a quantitative research design.Data were analysed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 approaches of structural equation modelling to test the hypothesised model. The findings of this study largely supported the hypothesised relationships proposed in the theoretical model especially the mediating effect of perceived job burnout between job demands towards in-role and extra-role performance. The study concluded that all research objectives were successfully answered and achieved.Future studies applying the proposed model are therefore recommended to be conducted at the institutions of higher learning across Malaysia in order to verify these findings

Analisis bibliometrik terhadap bahan penerbitan berhubung kapur barus: meneliti potensi penyelidikan terbaru / Mohd Farhan Md Ariffin... [et al.]

Kapur barus (camphor) merupakan khazanah alam semulajadi yang amat bernilai. Trend penerbitan penyelidikan berkenaan kapur barus telah dikaji. Kajian ditumpukan kepada pengumpulan dan analisis kandungan terutamanya dalam bidang penyelidikan utama berhubung kapur barus. Merujuk hasil ‘literature review’, pengkaji mendapati penyelidikan lepas mengenai kapur barus didominasi oleh artikel jurnal (65.6%) dan buku (26.2%). Melihatkan metode analisis yang pernah dilakukan, penyelidikan lepas berkenaan kapur barus kebanyakannya berkisar tentang analisis saintifik (kajian makmal). Bagi kajian sains sahaja, telah terbahagi kepada lima bidang kajian. Fokus aspek perbincangan saintifik terhadap kapur barus meliputi bidang Pharmacology, Bio-Teknologi, Sains Botani, Bio-Perubatan dan Bio-Kimia. Dinilai dari jumlah penyelidikan, sebanyak 43 jenis bahan melibatkan kajian dari aspek saintifik dibandingkan hanya 3 berasaskan pengajian Islam (Islamic Studies) dan 15 berkaitan sejarah (histories). Namun, penyelidikan mengenai pokok dan sifat kapur barus spesies Asia Tenggara Tenggara (jenis Dryobalanops Camphora Aromatica) amat kurang. Kajian paling banyak berkisar mengenai kapur barus yang hanya terdapat di China dan Jepun (jenis Cinnamomum camphora). Oleh itu, bahan ilmiah berkaitan pokok kapur barus Asia Tenggara, Dryobalanops Camphora Aromatica dari kedua sudut agama, juga perincian saintifik amat terhad. Justeru, usaha lanjutan terhadap kapur barus diharapkan mampu menghasilkan sesuatu bagi manfaat Malaysia

Bipolaris sorokiniana: a potential indigenous plant pathogen to control goosegrass (Eleusine indica) in oil palm plantations

Indigenous plant pathogens, namely Bipolaris sorokiniana, Phoma herbarum and Curvularia aeria, were evaluated in the nursery to assess their potential of controlling goosegrass (Eleusine indica). Two experiments were conducted, which involved pathogenicity test and host range test. The pathogenicity test showed that B. sorokiniana was more pathogenic to E. indica compared to P. herbarum and C. aeria. Infection of B. sorokiniana on E. indica occurred on the fifth day after inoculation, with 2 x 106 CFU ml-1. On the Day 35 after treatment, B. sorokiniana caused 94% disease severity, the highest damage compared to the other two fungal plant pathogens. The increase in disease severity affected E. indica’s growth, causing dry weight losses of up to 28.5 g, which was significantly lower than the dry weight of E. indica treated with C. aeria (39.5 g) and untreated control (39.2 g). Nevertheless, B. sorokiniana did not infect oil palm seedlings. In other host plants, such as tomato, lady finger, sweet corn, chives, banana, eggplant, chili, sweet potato, Napier grass and spinach, B. sorokiniana only caused mild disease severity ranging from 10% to 20%. Therefore, this study suggests that B. sorokiniana may have the potential to be used as a biological control agent for E. indica in oil palm plantations

Ab-initio protein structure prediction of Leucosporidium antarcticum antifreeze proteins using I-TASSER simulations

Organisms living in cold environment produce some Antifreeze Protein (AFP) which exhibit special functions as a result of cold adaption. AFP is currently being identified in many organisms such as bacteria, plants, fish, and fungi that exposed to freezing stress. Due to the limited structural information from fold library, it gave a big challenge in its structure prediction. Therefore, this study seeks to predict the three-dimensional (3D) model of the Leucosporidium antarcticum antifreeze protein by using homology modeling, threading and ab-initio methods. As low of percentage of sequence identity, not more than 25% (‘twilight zone’) and poor results in threading methods, the search proceeded with ab-initio method by using I-TASSER simulations, where 5 predicted models were obtained. All the models were then evaluated with PROCHECK and Verify3D servers. Ramachandran Plot showed that the residues in most favored regions were 75.2% with only 4 residues in disallowed regions (Ser21, Phe29, Ala100 and Ala114). For the Verify3D, the structurally and functionally important residues in AFP have scored from 0.30-0.60. These results suggest that ab-initio methods as I-TASSER may soon become useful for low-resolution structure prediction for proteins that lack of close homologue of known structure

Carbon nanomaterials derived from Malaysia’s highway road asphalt waste as electrode for supercapacitor

Developing cost-effective and environmental friendly electrode material for supercapacitor is critical for energy storage technologies. The fabrication of asphalt waste carbon (AWC) combined with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) supercapacitor electrode was performed by using conventional slurry technique. The AWC/MWCNT composite electrode was compared to that of non-mixed AWC electrode. For non-mixed AWC electrode, the specific gravimetric capacitance (Csp) was 1.93 F g-1 at 1 mV s-1 scan rate and the Csp obtained for AWC/MWCNT electrode was 62.94 F g-1. From charge-discharge analysis, the AWC/MWCNT electrode showed nearly symmetrical triangular shapes at different current densities (0.5 to 15 A g-1). It was also clear that the Csp remains about 80% of the initial capacitance after 800 cycles at 15 A g-1 current density, indicating that AWC/MWCNT electrode possessed good ion accessibility and cycling stability

Targeted cattle grazing as an alternative to herbicides for controlling weeds in bird-friendly oil palm plantations

The use of agrochemicals is expected to increase with the global expansion of oil palm plantations. In line with environmentally sustainable palm oil certification, targeted grazing can minimize the dependency on herbicides for controlling weeds in plantations. Here, we show for the first time that targeted grazing would control weeds and improve biodiversity of desired animal species. We sampled birds at 45 oil palm plantations in Peninsular Malaysia that were systematically grazed, non-systematically grazed, or herbicide-controlled plantations without cattle grazing. We found that bird species richness increased with size of grazing area, but decreased with number of cattle. Bird abundance was higher in the systematic grazing system, but negatively related to number of cattle. These factors explained 18.41 and 25.34% of the observed variations in bird species richness and abundance, respectively. Our findings suggest that targeted cattle grazing can be instrumental for transforming conventional oil palm agriculture into more biodiversity-friendly agroecosystems. Targeted grazing is likely to be practical under field conditions in major palm oil producing countries. In addition, the use of targeted grazing as a biological control method for weeds would be welcomed by palm oil consumers and encouraged by sustainable palm oil certification bodies such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)