Correlation of Amoebic form in ceramic modular sculpture / Noor Ashraf Noor Othman

Since the debut and popularization of Duchamp’s fountain, post modern and contemporary sculpture had been symbolized and identified by the nature surrounding, the effect of post-colonial and post-war mentality had altered our worldview and perception which in turn affected our sense of narratives. Postmodern visual culture lend to it a certain freedom in narratives building, unrestricted by the motives and conditions of previous visual tradition. My work deals with this sense of a narrative, which is formed and shaped not in the traditional manner, but looking to microorganisms. Rather the narratives, for the works often with the object rather than artistic intentions. This which explain my sculptures. Doing experiments to find amoebic forms and shapes for my sketches on paper and sketches on clay and other material, which is guides my artistic decision which the similarity and juxtapositions of Amoebic form. Sculptures is an aspects in art that can connect people to the artwork such as the interaction from the idea of composition setting, the manipulation of space in terms of artworks presentation, and the knowledge of materials which sometimes involves everyday objects. My sculpture tends to focus on the amoebic forms and characters which leads to concept in developing the modular system in a sculpture methods. I am using clays, paper clays, cements, and plasters as my main materials because of my personal interests and specialization. These materials have their own characteristic which are relative to my sculpture contents. On the formal level, my work is constructed by assembling and manipulating these materials to create Amoebic forms with metaphorically within a historic assembling style. In my journal, I would attempt to explain my inspiration and the aesthetic decision that lead me to my works. The progress of the works would also be documented and all observation are explained in this decantation

Kandungan logam berat di dalam tiram (Crassostrea iredalei) di kawasan penternakan akuakultur tiram di lagun Mengkabong

Lagun Mengkabong yang terletak di daerah Tuaran, Sabah merupakan sebuah kawasan yang sangat penting dari aspek ekologi dan ekonomi. Lagun ini kaya dengan kepelbagaian biologi dan merupakan salah satu kawasan penternakan akuakultur tiram yang penting di Malaysia. Parameter kualiti air (saliniti, suhu, pH dan oksigen terlarut)dan min kepekatan logam berat (kadmium, plumbum dan zink) dalam sampel tiram yang diambil di kawasan penternakan akuakultur tiram di tiga buah stesen di kawasan lagun tersebut telah diukur. Tiram yang dikaji adalah daripada spesies Crassostrea iredalei. Daripada tiga jenis logam yang dikaji, didapati hanya logam zink yang berjaya dikesan kehadirannya dalam sampel tiram dan kepekatannya dipengaruhi oleh saiz tiram tersebut. Julat kepekatan logam zink adalah antara 940-1457 mglkg manakala saiz tiram yang dikaji pula dibahagikan pula kepada dua saiz iaitu saiz keeil = 4.5 em dan saiz besar = 8.7 em. Hubungan di antara parameter kualiti air dan juga kadar kepekatan logam zink dalam tiram diukur dengan menggunakan analisis korelasi. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa parameter kualiti air yang dikaji tidak mempengaruhi kepekatan zink dalam tiram kerana tidak mepunyai nilai yang signifikan (p>0.05)

Prior educational experiences and cultural factors in the learners’ attitudes and behaviours: A case study of distance learning English course at UiTM, Malaysia

This thesis is a case study that investigates the attitudes and behaviours of learners of a Preparatory English distance learning course (BEL 100 e-PJJ) offered at the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, and whether those attitudes and behaviours are influenced by their prior educational experiences and whether cultural factors may also have influence in the attitudes and behaviours of these learners. The research adopts a mixed-method case study design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to the data collection and analysis. Thematic analysis has been adopted as a tool to analyse the interview data qualitatively. The thematic analyses constructed thematic networks which Attride-Stirling (2001) stressed served as an organizing principle and an illustrative tool in interpreting the analysed interview data. Another major source of data collected for this study was the asynchronous forum discussion transcripts. To match the needs of this study, several categories and examples of Henri’s (1992) framework combined with elements from Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) CoI model and Hofstede’s (1991) cultural values tool were adapted in analysing the asynchronous forum discussion transcripts. This was to identify the factors which contributed to the attitude and behaviour of the BEL 100 e-PJJ learners. This study has highlighted that the process of learning and teaching of the UiTM Malay/Bumiputera learners depend on the support and training given to the distance learners and facilitators. Learners’ attitudes, behaviours, facilitators’ intervention and purposeful tasks were found to be important in supporting active participation and effective interaction within the course

Effect of Atmosphere and Biomass Form on torrefaction

Torrefaction of palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB), mesocarp fibre and kernel shell, wastes from the palm oil industry, was carried out in a fixed bed tubular reactor in the presence of oxygen at different concentrations from 0 to 15 % (nitrogen balance). The effects of torrefaction conditions, oxygen concentration (0, 3, 9 and 15 %), temperature (493, 523 and 573 K) and biomass size (0.375, 1.5, 3 and 6 mm), on the mass and energy yields were investigated. The mass yield decreased with an increase in temperature and oxygen concentration, but was not affected by biomass size. The energy yield decreased with an increase in oxygen concentration. It was found that oxidation was occurring along with torrefaction in this project. The ultimate analysis was also conducted

WILL THEY STAY? JOB SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION AMONG NOVICE TEACHERS

Students’ motivation to learn and teach is a symbiotic relationship. Students are motivated and inspired by great teachers. There are many inspiring success stories of students who named their teachers as their role model and icon for success. As such, teaching can be a rewarding or a challenging task to teachers. Lack of motivation from teachers can have a negative impact on students’ learning. Some teachers may begin highly motivated but end up losing the motivation as years go by. There are many factors that can act as satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors among novice teachers. This study looks into the factors affecting novice teachers’ motivation in the workforce. 176 novice teachers responded to survey on what satisfies and dissatisfies them towards teaching. Findings reveal that novice lecturers are satisfied by some factors to become effective at work; yet can be dissatisfied by certain issues surrounding the institution.  Article visualizations

EXPLORING THE FUNCTIONS AND REASONS FOR INTER-SENTENTIAL CODE-SWITCHING AMONG LECTURERS

The two most common categories in the code switching are intra-sentential and inter-sentential. Intra-sentential code switching occurs when the speaker code switch within sentences. Inter-sentential code switching, on the other hand, refers to the mixing of two languages in two separate sentences in an utterance. This research investigates the use of inter-sentential code switching among lecturers of a public university in Malaysia, where English is mainly the medium of instruction for many core courses. The need to conduct this study is due to the lack of empirical evidences on the difference in code-switching among teachers across age, experience, and faculties. 85 lecturers from six faculties who teach in a public university participated in a quantitative survey. The findings of this study reveal the categories of code-switching used by the lecturers from different faculties, as well as the functions and reasons for the code-switching. Future studies should consider the need for a standardized measurement of evaluating the functions and reasons of code-switching among the teachers and students.  Article visualizations

Strategi pembelajaran kemahiran menulis Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kedua dalam kalangan pelajar Melanau daerah Daro

Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah tinjauan iaitu berasaskan pendekatan kuantitatif. Seramai 150 orang responden dalam kalangan pelajar etnik Melanau tingkatan 4 daripada tiga buah sekolah menengah di daerah Daro, Sarawak terlibat dalam kajian ini. Instrumen soal selidik digunakan untuk tujuan pengumpulan data. Data yang dikumpul dianalisis menggunakan SPSS Versi 22. Ujian-t digunakan untuk mengenal pasti perbezaan min penggunaan strategi pembelajaran menulis antara jantina. Ujian korelasi Pearson pula digunakan untuk menentukan hubungan penggunaan strategi pembelajaran kemahiran menulis dengan pencapaian pelajar. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa terdapat perbezaan min yang signifikan antara penggunaan strategi pembelajaran dengan jantina. Selain itu, dapatan kajian turut memperlihatkan tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara penggunaan strategi pembelajaran kemahiran menulis dengan pencapaian pelajar Melanau dalam mata pelajaran Bahasa Melayu. Implikasi kajian ini ialah guru-guru Bahasa Melayu perlu menggunakan pelbagai strategi pembelajaran kemahiran menulis untuk membantu pelajar etnik Melanau ini mempelajari dan menguasai Bahasa Melayu dengan baik

Internal validity, performance and dimensionality of the Body Shape Questionnaire among female students in the Kurdistan Iraq Region

The objective of this study to modify and adapt the “Body Shape Questionnaire” for use in the Kurdistan Iraq society; to study the internal validity and the dimensionality of the measure when used with normal sample in the Iraqi society. Across-survey research was complete comprising (160) female students selected in the Salahaddin University, and (120) female students selected in the AL-Hyate University and Chihan University in Kurdistan Iraq. The thirty four items of “Body shape Questionnaire” original version and a questionnaire to evaluate demographic data were used. The result of “internal consistency” of BSQ-34 measured by “Cronbach Alpha” was (0.98) for Kurdish version and (0.97) for Arabic version, indicated that the items of the measure converge to the same concept. The principle component analysis “PCA” of the measure resulted in four-dimension solution accounting by160 Kurdish female student, however the “PCA” for the measure resulted three-dimensions accounting by 120 Arab female students. The old age was (18-20) 53.1% and (21-25) 46.9% for Kurdish sample, while Arabs student old age was (18-20) 55.0% and (21-25) 45.0%. Regarding the final results of BSQ, the mean score of BSQ Arab students were 89.1 3 with SD (33.83). The mean score of BSQ Kurdish female students were 103.03 with SD (43.40). The study found statistically significant race variances in the mean of “BSQ” scores. Kurdish female students showed higher dissatisfaction than Arab female students as to their body shape concern as measured by “BSQ” scale. The adapted versions of the scale seem to maintain the properties of the original one