Genotyping in the Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1/SnaBI) gene of Pasundan cattle with PCR-RFLP method

Gen Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) pada mamalia berfungsi untuk mengontrol pertumbuhan tulang dan otot. Oleh karena itu gen IGF1 banyak digunakan sebagai salah satu kandidat gen untuk seleksi ternak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi genotip gen IGF1 (ekson 1) menggunakan metode PCR-RFLP dengan enzim restriksi SnaBI (TAC*GTA). Sebanyak 90 ekor sampel DNA sapi Pasundan dari Kabupaten Ciamis dan Pangandaran, Jawa Barat telah digunakan pada penelitian ini. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa seluruh sampel yang dianalisis memiliki genotip CC dengan alel C sebagai alel yang umum pada gen IGF1/SnaBI. Genotip CC yang diperoleh pada penelitan ini disebabkan karena terdapat mutasi transisi pada posisi basa ke g.218T/C (GenBank: KF202095). Mutasi ini menyebabkan perubahan asam amino dari methionine (AUG) menjadi valine (GUG). Disimpulkan bahwa gen IGF1/SnaBI pada sapi Pasundan bersifat monomorfis dan tidak dapat digunakan untuk seleksi molekuler

Student perceptions of teaching quality in five countries: A partial credit model approach to assess measurement invariance

This study examines measurement invariance of student perceptions of teaching quality collected in five countries: Indonesia (n students = 6,331), the Netherlands (n students = 6,738), South Africa (n students = 3,422), South Korea (n students = 6,997) and Spain (n students = 4,676). The administered questionnaire was the My Teacher Questionnaire (MTQ). Student perceived teachers’ teaching quality was estimated using the partial credit model (PCM). Tests for differential item functioning (DIF) were used to assess measurement invariance. Furthermore, if DIF was found, it was explored whether an application of a quasi-international calibration, which estimates country-unique parameters for DIF items, can provide more valid estimates for between-country comparisons. Results indicate the absence of non-uniform DIF, but presence of uniform DIF among most items. This suggests that direct comparisons of raw mean or sum scores between countries is not advisable. Details of the set of invariant items are provided. Furthermore, results suggest that the quasi-international calibration is promising, but also that this approach needs further exploration in the context of student perceptions of teaching quality

Genetic Polymorphism of SCD1 Gene of Holstein-Friesian Cows in Indonesia

Stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) belongs to the fatty acid family of desaturases. In lactating ruminants, the SCD1 protein is highly expressed in the mammary gland and is relevant for the fatty acid composition of milk and dairy products. Polymorphism of SCD1 gene in Holstein-Friesian (HF) cows could be used as a basis of molecular selection of cattle in order to increase their productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the polymorphism of SCD1 gene of Holstein-Friesian cows in Indonesia. A total of 162 blood samples of HF cows were collected from four different locations i.e. Bogor, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya and Enrekang districts. Genotyping of SCD1 gene used PCR-RFLP method with NcoI restriction enzyme. The result showed that three genotypes (AA, AV and VV) and two alleles (A and V) have successfully found and polymorphic. A allele was dominant in all populations (0.63) and in Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. The highest A allele was found in Sukabumi (0.78) and the lowest was in Bogor (0.55). Heterozigosity observed and expected reached 0.471 and 0.470, respectively. In conclusion, genetic polymorphism was found in all population with dominant of A allele. This finding can be used as a early genetic information of Holstein-Friesian cattle in Indonesia and to build breeding strategy for improving of productivity especially improving of healthy fat milk.

Observing Teaching Behavior Using the International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching Measure Across Countries: Is There Measurement Invariance?

Objectives Measurement invariance (MI) is a necessary condition when comparisons of scores across countries is aimed for. In this study, we investigated MI of the International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching (ICALT, Van de Grift et al., 2014) instrument for measuring teaching behavior and we subsequently compared effective teaching behavior across 10 countries. Theoretical framework We used the effective teaching behaviour model (ETBM) of Van de Grift (2007) as the theoretical framework for studying teaching behaviour. The ETBM is based on reviews of evidence-based teaching effectiveness research (e.g., Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008). The model includes six observable domains of teaching behaviour that have been proven to affect students’ learning and outcomes: Learning Climate, Classroom Management, Clarity of Instruction, Activating Teaching, Differentiated Instruction, and Teaching Learning Strategies. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to study factor structure and measurement invariance. Method and data analysis The study included 3,583 teachers from 10 countries: The Netherlands (Nteacher = 606), Indonesia (Nteacher = 335), South Africa (Nteacher = 304), South Korea (Nteacher = 581), Hong Kong-China (Nteacher = 218), Spain (Nteacher = 344), The United Kingdom (Nteacher = 153) and the United States (Nteacher = 320). The ICALT instrument (Van de Grift et al., 2014) was used for measuring teaching behaviour (Table 1). The instrument was translated and back-translated from English to the participating countries’ languages following the international guideline (Hambleton, 1994). Classroom observers were trained by expert trainers. Inter-rater reliability ranged from 70% to 96%. The measurement model was tested in each country separately using Categorical Confirmatory Factor Analysis (C-CFA), followed by Categorical Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (C-MGCFA). MPlus 8.1 (Muthén & Muthén, 2017) was used. Configural, metric, and scalar levels of MI were tested (Putnik & Bornstein, 2016). Findings and conclusion The full measurement model of C-CFA, shows reasonable model fit for most countries, except for Hong Kong-China, Spain and the USA (Table 2). The USA data yielded the worst fit (excluded for C-MGCFA). Results of C-MGCFA with all 32 items for nine countries confirmed configural invariance only (Table 3). A closer inspection of modification indices revealed that items 17 and 22 were problematic in multiple countries. After deleting these two items, configural, partial metric, and scalar invariance was reasonably confirmed. Using the Netherlands as reference group (Table 4), South Korean teachers outperformed on the six domains of teaching behaviour. Mongolian and South African teachers were rated lower on the basic skills, but higher on the complex skills. English and Spanish teachers were rated higher on all domains except learning climate. Indonesian, Pakistan, and Hong Kong – Chinese teachers were rated lower on all domains, except teaching learning strategies. Significance This study contributes to the measurement field by applying the C-MGCFA technique based on the SEM framework for studying measurement invariance of the ICALT scales across countries. It paves the way for investigating the non-invariance items more specifically in each country on its potential sources and causes to inform further improvement of the measure