Model orientasi pembelajaran matematik berasaskan penyesuaian pelajar: pendekatan ‘structural equation model-partial least squares’

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk membina model orientasi pembelajaran matematik berasaskan penyesuaian dalam kalangan pelajar di Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia. Model Persamaan Berstrukutur-Kuasa Dua Terkecil Separa digunakan untuk menilai kebagusan item-item yang digunakan dari aspek kesahan serta kebolehpercayaan. Seterusnya, model orientasi pembelajaran matematik telah dihasilkan dalam kajian ini. Data diperoleh dengan mengedarkan instrumen kajian kepada 95 orang pelajar Persediaan Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan (PPISMP) major pendidikan Matematik di IPGM. Item kajian diterjemah dan diadaptasi daripada ‘Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire’ (SACQ) dan Orientasi Pembelajaran Matematik (OPM). Penilaian kesahan dilakukan berdasarkan kepada kesahan konstruk dan kesahan menumpu item-item pengukuran. Seterusnya, kebolehpercayaan gubahan dinilai melalui ketekalan dalaman berdasarkan nilai alpha cronbach dan kesahan pembeza. Keputusan statistik menunjukkan bahawa nilai varians bagi orientasi pembelajaran matematik dipengaruhi oleh penyesuaian pelajar. Justeru, bagi memperbaiki orientasi pembelajaran matematik, dapatan kajian dan model yang dibina boleh digunakan oleh pihak IPGM, BPG, pensyarah dan seterusnya para pelajar sebagai rujukan

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Higher Education and Research: Learning from Experience and the Way Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on many countries in early 2020 after the first case was reported in China at the end of 2019. Malaysia was not spared either and the Government was forced to take a bold yet drastic measure in implementing the Movement Control Order (MCO) in earnest on 18 March 2020. The measure, akin to a lockdown, practically forced all forms of socio-economics and socio-educational activities to come to an abrupt stop. Schools, institutions of higher learning and training centers were directed to close its doors to students. Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) had to abruptly implement contingency plans in the wake of the negative impact brought about by the pandemic. Almost all academic activities had to be reorganized when majority of the students opted to return to the safety of their home environment, and the staff were required to work from home in compliant with the MCO. This development necessitated the University to introduce the remote learning mode in place of the traditional face to face learning and teaching (T&L). Various other strategies and measures were also introduced by the University which required reprioritization of tasks and determining possible risks that could impede normal daily operations. UUM opted for a holistic approach to address the impending concerns and to ensure the continuity of the education process and to address the wellbeing of its staff who are forced to work from home

Representative candidate of gelatinase encoded gene in Enterobacter aerogenes (Strain EA1) for hydrolyzing porcine gelatin

Enterobacter aerogenes (Strain EA1) was characterised as gelatinase species-specific bacterium to porcine and fish gelatin. This bacterium offers the possibility of enzymes production to each species gelatin. In this study, a bioinformatic analysis toward genome sequence of E. aerogenes was perfomed to determine genes encoded for gelatinase. E. aerogenes were partially genome sequenced resulting in 5.0 mega basepair total size of sequence. From pre-process pipeline, 78.58% of high quality reads was obtained for E. aerogenes. Genome assembly produced 120 contigs with 55.17% of GC base content. Protein prediction analysis determined 4705 genes from E. aerogenes. Two gelatinase candidate target genes selected from E. aerogenes were NODE_9_length_26866_cov_148.013245_12 containing 1029 bp sequence and NODE_24_length_155103_cov_177.082458_62 containing 717 bp sequence with highest similarity identity percentage against gelatinase enzyme available in Swiss-Prot and NCBI online database. Then, primers were designed for each target genes based on the open reading frame of selected genes. The expected gene candidate showed, 1029 bp and 717 bp amplicons for gen NODE_9_12 and gene NODE_24_62, respectively. Thus, gelatinase candidate encoded genes of E. aerogenes were identified for hydrolyzing porcine gelatin

Oil and Gas Offshore Pipeline Leak Detection System: A Feasibility Study

Pipelines leaks normally begin at poor joints, corrosions and cracks, and slowly progress to a major leakage. Accidents, terror, sabotage, or theft are some of human factor of pipeline leak. The primary purpose of Pipeline leak detection systems (PLDS) is to assist pipeline operators in detecting and locating leaks earlier. PLDS systems provide an alarm and display other related data to the pipeline operators for their decision-making. It is also beneficial because PLDS can enhance their productivity by reduced downtime and inspection time. PLDS can be divided into internally based or computational modeling PLDS Systems and external hardware based PLDS. The purpose of this paper is to study the various types of leak detection systems based on internally systemtodefine a set of key criteria for evaluating the characteristics of this system and provide an evaluation method of leak detection technology as a guideline of choosing the appropriate system

Pencirian jujukan genom mitokondria spesies Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) di Semenanjung Malaysia

Rafflesia terkenal sebagai tumbuhan yang menghasilkan bunga tunggal yang terbesar di dunia. Namun, ia semakin jarang ditemui dan ialah spesies dalam bahaya. Sistem pengelasan spesies Rafflesia ialah komponen penting dalam usaha pemuliharaan lazimnya bergantung kepada pencirian morfologi bunga. Walau bagaimanapun, pendekatan molekul, termasuk yang berasaskan kepada jujukan genom mitokondria (mtDNA), berupaya menyediakan kaedah pengelasan yang lebih berkesan. Untuk meneroka kemungkinan ini, jujukan mtDNA empat spesies Rafflesia di Semenanjung Malaysia, iaitu R. cantleyi, R. azlanii, R. kerrii dan R. sharifah-hapsahiae telah dihimpun dan dicirikan dalam kajian ini. Bacaan jujukan mtDNA untuk setiap spesies kajian pada mulanya telah ditentukan masing-masing daripada set data genom keseluruhan menggunakan pendekatan pemetaan berbantukan rujukan. Proses penghimpunan secara de novo dan perancahan kemudiannya telah dijalankan ke atas bacaan jujukan yang telah dikenal pasti untuk menghasilkan jujukan mtDNA bagi R. cantleyi (441,992 pb), R. azlanii (472,723 pb), R. kerrii (500,932 pb) dan R. sharifah-hapsahiae (453,747 pb). Seterusnya, anotasi mtDNA bagi setiap spesies telah mengenal pasti sekurang-kurangnya 31 gen pengekodan protein, enam gen tRNA dan tiga rRNA. Perbandingan gen mitokondria mendapati bahawa beberapa gen seperti cob, rpl10, mttB dan ccmB mempamerkan orientasi yang berbeza dalam spesies Rafflesia yang tertentu manakala analisis penjajaran jujukan berganda menunjukkan jujukan gen nad1 adalah berbeza antara keempat-empat spesies Rafflesia yang dikaji. Analisis filogenetik dengan menggunakan jujukan bagi tujuh gen pengekodan protein yang terpelihara berupaya membezakan spesies Rafflesia yang dikaji. Kesimpulannya, hasil pencirian jujukan mDNA menunjukkan bahawa jujukan gen mitokondria yang khusus berupaya membezakan spesies Rafflesia yang dikaji dan berpotensi untuk digunakan bagi tujuan pengenalpastian serta pengelasan spesies Rafflesia dalam usaha pemuliharaan organisma yang unik ini

Characterisation of Tetrastigma rafflesiae mitochondrial genes and assessment of their potential as sequence markers

Tetrastigma rafflesiae (Miq.) Planch. is a climbing plant species that is known for its unique relationship with holoparasitic plants of Rafflesiaceae. Knowledge on the mitochondrial genes of this species may contribute towards the development of molecular approaches for species identification. This study aimes to identify and characterise genes from the T. rafflesiae mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) and assess their potential to discriminate different Tetrastigma species. Mitochondrial-specific sequences were first selected by mapping T. rafflesiae whole-genome sequences to mitogenomes from several reference plant species. De novo assembly of these selected sequences produced a T. rafflesiae mitogenome with a size of 336 kb. Gene annotation revealed that the T. rafflesiae mitogenome contains at least 40 protein coding genes, 20 tRNAs and two rRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis using several mitochondrial genes, namely ccmB, cob, matR, nad6 and rps3 was able to differentiate T. rafflesiae from three other Tetrastigma species, indicating the potential of these genes as species-specific sequence markers. These findings supplement additional genetic information on T. rafflesiae and may aid in the effort of species classification and conservation

Biodiversity and functional metagenomic profiling of microbial communities in Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu

Tasik Kenyir located in the state of Terengganu is the largest artificial lake in Southeast Asia with mean-depth of 37 m. This lake plays an important role in maintaining the biodiversity in the surrounding environment. Microbial communities in the lake are important, as most of the nutrients are recycled through the “microbial loop”. Thus, understanding the connection between the diversity composition and functional role of aquatic microbial community is crucial for proper lake management. This study aims to determine the diversity and functions of microbial assemblages in Tasik Kenyir by means of shotgun metagenomics analysis. Briefly, water samples were collected from pristine and disturbed areas. Metagenome DNA were then extracted directly and subjected to clone-independent sequencing. Data sequences of all samples were analyzed and functional annotated using bioinformatics software MEGAN6. Analysis showed up to 41 phyla that had been detected from the water samples with the presence of dominant bacterial populations of more than 90% in all samples. Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum, representing more than 70% of the microbiome in all samples. Other taxa such as Bacteriodetes, Terrabacteria group, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes and Chloroflexi were also found as part of the microbial communities. The first sample from the disturbed area, TKSA1 had 3% of total contigs read assigned to genera Pseudomonas while the other samples appeared to be more homogeneous. The lake also appeared to contain a mixture of autotrophs and heterotrophs capable of performing main biogeochemical cycles. Findings of the present study has provided us valuable information on the microbial diversity structures and their functions in the nutrient processing pathways that occurred in the Tasik Kenyir environment and thus sheds light on the importance of freshwater microbial communities for ecosystem and human health

Identification and expression profiles of amino acid biosynthesis genes from psychrophilic yeast, glaciozyma antarctica

The mechanism of amino acid uptake and synthesis in the psychrophilic microorganism lives and proliferate in the extreme low-temperature environment is still not well understood. The aim of this study was to identify genes involved in amino acid generation for psychrophilic yeast, Glaciozyma antarctica and to determine their expression profiles when cells grow in media rich in amino acids or with limited amount of amino acids. The identification of genes was carried out by generating expressed sequence tags (EST) from two cDNA libraries generated from cells grown in complex growth medium and minimal growth medium without amino acids. A total of 3552 cDNA clones from each library was randomly picked and sequenced, generating 1492 unique transcripts (complex medium) and 1928 unique transcripts (minimal medium). Homology analyses have identified genes encoding proteins required for free amino acid uptake, biosynthesis of amino acids and recycling of amino acids based on the pathway used in the model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR showed that genes required for free amino acid uptake showed a higher expression profile in the complex medium, whereas the expression of most genes encode for proteins essential for biosynthesis and recycling of amino acids are higher in the minimal medium. In summary, genes that are involved in the generation and the uptake of amino acids for psychrophilic microorganism are conserved as in their mesophilic counterparts and the expression of these genes are regulated in the presence or absent of free amino acids in the surrounding

Pengenalpastian dan profil pengekspresan gen biosintesis asid amino yis psikrofil, Glaciozyma antarctica

Mekanisme pengambilan dan penghasilan asid amino bagi mikroorganisma psikrofil yang bermandiri dan berpoliferasi pada persekitaran sejuk melampau masih belum difahami sepenuhnya. Objektif kajian ini ialah untuk mengenal pasti gen yang terlibat dalam penjanaan asid amino bagi yis psikrofil, Glaciozyma antarctica serta menentukan pengekspresan gen tersebut semasa kehadiran dan kekurangan asid amino dalam medium pertumbuhan. Pengenalpastian gen telah dilakukan melalui penjanaan penanda jujukan terekspres (ESTs) daripada dua perpustakaan cDNA yang dibina daripada sel yang dikultur dalam medium pertumbuhan kompleks dan medium pertumbuhan minimum tanpa asid amino. Sebanyak 3552 klon cDNA daripada setiap perpustakaan dipilih secara rawak untuk dijujuk menghasilkan 1492 transkrip unik (medium kompleks) dan 1928 transkrip unik (medium minimum). Analisis pemadanan telah mengenl pasti gen mengekod protein yang terlibat di dalam pengambilan asid amino bebas, biosintesis asid amino serta gen yang terlibat dengan kitar semula asid amino berdasarkan tapak jalan yang digunakan oleh yis model, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analisis pengekspresan gen menggunakan kaedah RT-qPCR menunjukkan pengekspresan gen mengekod protein yang terlibat di dalam pengambilan asid amino bebas iaitu permease adalah tinggi pada medium kompleks manakala pengekspresan kebanyakan gen mengekod protein yang terlibat dalam kitar semula dan biosintesis asid amino adalah tinggi di dalam medium minimum. Kesimpulannya, gen yang terlibat dalam penjanaan dan pengambilan asid amino bagi mikroorganisma psikrofil adalah terpulihara seperti mikroorganisma mesofil dan pengekspresan gen-gen ini adalah diaruh oleh kehadiran atau ketiadaan asid amino bebas pada persekitaran

Effect of inorganic fertilizer application on soil microbial diversity in an oil palm plantation

Excessive fertilizer applications in oil palm plantations are conventionally done to increase the oil yield, but they result in high production cost and environmental pollution. There have been only separate reports on the effects of fertilizer application on soil physical, chemical characteristics, and microbial biodiversity. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the correlation between soil characteristics and soil microbial biodiversity in oil palm plantation after long-term frequent chemical fertilizer application compared with secondary soil, using molecular methods of polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and MiSeq. Secondary forest soil was chosen as the control. The results showed that after 25 years of fertilizer application, the total nitrogen and organic carbon contents decreased from low to very low scale, indicating soil infertility condition. Reduction of Firmicutes was related to suppression of soil borne diseases, and Bacteroidetes which is an indicator of soil health were both almost eliminated after 25 years of fertilizer application. In conclusion, long-term inorganic fertilizer application reduced the soil nitrogen, and organic carbon, altered beneficial microbes in the soil