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Proximate and Mineral Composition of Anabas Testudineus (Climbing Perch) in Peninsular Malaysia
No full textAnabas testudineus (Climbing Perch) is commonly eaten by Malaysians due to its tender flesh and tasty flavor. Usually, it is either freshly cooked or made into various dish including fermented fish called pekasam. This study was done to determine proximate composition, macromineral composition and micromineral composition in climbing perch from 3 states in Peninsular Malaysia. Fish with average body weight 73.18 g and total body length 15.93 m were sampled randomly from fish markets in Terengganu, Selangor and Perak. Proximate composition analysis was carried out using the AOAC method to assess the percentage (%) of protein, fat, moisture and ash. In addition, mineral composition analysis was conducted by using ICP-OES to study the concentration of Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Cr in mg / kg in fish. Results from the analysis have been compared and analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The study found moisture content was the highest in Selangor (76.56 ± 0.44) % while ash and protein were higher in Perak`s fish (26.98 ± 0.21) % and (43.19 ± 0.81) % respectively. Terengganu`s fish contained the highest fat content at 17.19 ± 1.54 %. Perak`s fish demonstrated the highest macromineral content (Ca, P and Mg) which were 84336.87 ± 1525.41 mg/kg, 46843.90 ± 172.13 mg/kg and 1203.96 ± 10.45 mg/kg respectively. Perak`s fish also showed the highest content of micromineral (Fe and Cu) at (31.31 ± 0.09) mg/kg and (1.52 ± 0.00) mg/kg while Selangor`s fish showed the highest content of Zn and Mn (32.61 ± 0.64) mg/kg and (28.05 ± 0.57) mg/kg. In conclusion, climbing perch caught from Perak and Selangor might be good sources of macromineral and micromineral for human consumption
Effects of Bee Bread on Male Reproductive System of Sprague Dawley Rat
No full textBee bread has been traditionally consumed for enhancement of male fertility. There has been an increasing
demand for natural products, particularly the bee products. However, to date, the role of bee bread and its
underlying potential mechanism for protecting or improving sperm parameters has not been reported. Therefore,
this study determines the role of bee bread supplementation on male reproductive organ weight and sperm
parameter in adult male rat. There are two groups which consist of treated and control group with 6 male rats in
each group. The control rats were administered with 1ml of distilled water, while the treated rats were
administered with 0.5g/kg body weight of bee bread (diluted in 1 ml of distilled water) for 28 days. At the end of
experiment, rats were euthanised, and reproductive organs weight were collected and weighed. Cauda epididymis
was collected for sperm count and sperm morphology evaluations. Apart from the prostate gland, there is no
significant difference observed between the mean weight of testis, seminal vesicle, epididymis of the control rat
and the treated. In addition, there is no significant difference in sperm count and sperm morphology between the
control group and treated group. The results of this study show that bee bread supplementation causes an
increase in the weight of the prostate gland in adult rats
In-Service Needs for Knowledge & Practice and Perceived Innovative Characteristics among Frontline Officers on Integrated Pest Management Extension Campaign in Terengganu
No full textTerengganu has been reported to have the highest infestation of Red Palm Weevil (RPW) in Malaysia since 2007.
A continuous extension campaign on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been implemented in Terengganu
since early 2017 to eradicate this RPW infestation. While past studies covered the biology aspects, infestation
system and damages caused by RPW as well as IPM technical approaches; none is known about the human and
technology aspects of IPM such as knowledge and practice of IPM among frontline officers and their perceived
innovative characteristics on IPM. These are crucial elements to facilitate effective delivery of IPM extension
campaign. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the in-service needs on frontline officers’ knowledge
and practice and their perceived innovative characteristics towards IPM extension program on RPW. This study
employed the quantitative research design with the self-administered questionnaire as the study instrument. Data
collection was performed at Agricultural Offices around Terengganu in April 2018. A total of 57 frontline
officers participated in this study. Reliability analyses for the study variables ranged from 0.89 to 0.97.
Descriptive Analysis and Explanatory Factor Analysis were performed to describe the trend of study variable,
whereas, MANOVA was used to compare the study variables by four selected background characteristics of
frontline officers, specifically, age, education level, office location and participant in IPM extension campaign.
About 56% of frontline officers were 43 years old and younger with low education and mostly were located at
federal and state offices. More than 50% of them participated in IPM extension program to eradicate IPM more
than two times. This study found that higher percentage of frontline officers expressed high (~50%) to very high
need (50%) for in-service on advanced than basic IPM knowledge. In contrast, higher percentage of them
expressed need (~50%) to high need (~40%) for in-service on basic than advanced skills on IPM. These
frontline officers highly characterized IPM with four main characteristics, i.e. compatibility, relative advantage,
simplicity and trialability. Contradictory, they less viewed IPM possessed visible and invisible observability
characteristics. This study discovered that the in-service needs for knowledge, practice and perceived innovative
characteristics were undifferentiated by frontline officers’ demographic background. Finally, suggestions are
made for effective IPM extension campaign that include classify the IPM training content into basic and
advanced IPM knowledge and practice; repackage IPM and its extension campaign to highlight all its innovative
attributes with special emphasis on observability; employ Sequential Exploratory Design research method for a
follow-up study
Difficulties Encountered by Arab Students in Pronouncing English Correctly
No full textSince spoken language is the most important channel of communication, it is supposed to be the first skill to master when learning a language. However, in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, learners encounter various problems limiting their abilities. One of the remarkable phenomena in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning is the inability of most students to utter English correctly and fluently. The present study investigates the difficulties that hamper high school students from pronouncing English vocabulary and simple sentences correctly and fluently. This research was carried out in an attempt to assess the English course outcomes that were reflected in learners disabilities of correct and fluent English pronunciation. The data were collected through surveying second-year high school students’ responses to two instruments. A questionnaire was addressed to a sample of 100 Saudi male students from 4 secondary schools, and semi-structured interviews with 5 students from the population were conducted to provide deeper diagnosis regarding problems of English pronunciation. In order to provide further details about the subject studied, analyses of the syllabi are presented. The study recommends remedial pronunciation activities, practice of confusing words, and phonics practices throughout the course
Psychological Well-Being among University Students in Malaysia.
No full textUnexceptionally for university students, the
occurrences of psychological distress are believed to be higher
for them to encounter. There has been an increaseamong
theinternationalpublic concerning the mental health and the
impact of unidentified and untreated mental illness among
university students.Theaim of this study is to identify the level of
psychological well-being of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin
(UniSZA) students.Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-
21) were used for data collection together with the sociodemographic
questionnaire. Data were collected from 443
UniSZA students. This study used descriptive analysis to obtain
accurate results. The findings of this study showed that
depression, anxiety, and stress found among UniSZA students
were 42.2%, 73.7%, and 34.8% respectively. Findings revealed
that students who faced psychological distress level possessed
relatively hightendency for depression, stress, and
anxiety.Psychological distress poses negative impacts on the
physical, mental and academic. What is more worrying is that
students who faced this kind of problem do not seek help or
treatment because of the public stigma against mental illness
Student Awareness about the Use of Electronic Cigarettes in Malaysia
No full textElectronic cigarettes are used as an option to nicotine
supplier as tobacco cigarettes. It is also used as a cessation base
for someone who has the intention to quit smoking. Majority of
electronic cigarette users have argued that electronic cigarettes
are a lesser amount of dangerous and safer than tobacco
cigarettes. Public awareness of the presence of electronic
cigarette makes it an increasingly popular trend in Malaysia.
The aim of this study is to identify the awareness of using
electronic cigarette among students in Malaysia. This study uses
descriptive research method that uses statistic percentage and
frequency to accomplish the research objectives. The study was
carried out on September to October 2018. This research study
uses a quantitative method in the form of an online survey. The
respondents of this study were students aged 19 to 26 years old.
The number of respondents in this study was 440 persons
consisting of 156 males and 284 females. The finding of this study
also found that there were only a small number of respondents
using electronic cigarettes in their daily lives. Awareness about
the use of electronic cigarettes is also at a high stage among
students. Almost all the respondents have high levels of
knowledge and awareness on the use of electronic cigarette
Factors Influencing Household Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling Participation
No full textThe amount of electronic waste (e-waste) has relatively increased along with the rapid increases in
technological and economic development in Malaysia. In order to avoid dumping massive amounts of
electronic waste in landfills, recycling programs were implemented by policymakers and governments
to attract people to participate in these programs. The success of recycling programs largely depends
on household participation and their commitment. Therefore, a better understanding on recycling
behaviour will help to design and improve the effectiveness of these programs. This paper studies the
profile of people who are involved in recycling activities and examines the factors influencing
household recycling participation. The findings of this study suggests that socioeconomic variables,
for example, education and income, are the predictors of recycling behaviour. Attitudinal factors were
also found to affect recycling participation, such as ATTITUDE, BELIEF, CONVENIENCE,
KNOWLEDGE, and SOCIAL PRESSUR
Branding Image of Zero Food Waste Management Actions for Corporate Reputation Development
No full textFood waste is a global issue with environmental, social, and economic consequences. The problem with food waste has become more
and more evident during recent years and a reduction of the waste would be one important step towards a more sustainable society. Food
waste is a global issue with environmental, social, and economic consequences. As fast food industry strives to develop distinctive
identities, deeper understanding about topics such as brand identity, meaning, image, and reputation will enable brand owners to
communicate more effectively with stakeholders including shareholders, customers, employers, and others. Many studies have focused
on investigating the sources of food waste from households, while very little is known about other outlets such as food plants and
restaurants whose services contribute to the food waste amounts. The study was conducted through a literature review and interviews
with the actors that included 3 QSR fast food restaurants management and 1 official from AYAMAS Food Corporation Sdn. Bhd. To
broaden the scope of the research several supporting frameworks were utilized and aided in the generation of a complete understanding
of the thoughts of the actors. The results from the research showed a variety of the actions they have taken to address the issue, and the
opportunities and obstacles they see for the management of food waste. However, the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of
the issue were acknowledged by the interviewees, being the latter the most relevant one for them, stating the importance of a change in
behavior and raising of awareness and consciousness from all people towards the issue
Forced Displacement and the Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Northeast Nigeria
No full textSince the end of the Cold War, the phenomenon of forced displacement gained more global attention. Forced displacement involves the involuntary movement of people from their habitual place of residence to a location within their country of nationality; or across an internationally recognised border. This situation in most cases exposes the displaced people to some vulnerabilities. Among other classes of displaced people, the most notable groups of concern are refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In contemporary time, conflict is identified to be the primary cause of forced displacement. Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency and the counter-insurgency by the Nigerian security forces turned northeast Nigeria into a conflict zone. The crisis has forced more than 2 million people to flee for safety within Nigeria as internally displaced persons (IDPs); while many crossed the border into countries neighbouring Nigeria from the Lake Chad region as refugees. This paper explored and discussed the suffering of the people internally displaced by Boko Haram conflict from the framework of forced displacement. It is found that, the IDPs in Nigeria suffered from multifaceted problems, ranging from the issues of inadequate life-saving assistance, protection related crisis, and the unclear prospect of achieving durable solutions. Moreover, the lack of a clear national policy, institutional, and legal frameworks in addressing internal displacement in Nigeria is found to be the prime cause of the intensification of the plight of IDPs. Thus, it is recommended that, there should be a legally backed national policy on IDPs, which should include punitive measures for corrupt humanitarian officers. Also, provision should be made for effective coordination among national humanitarian agencies. Lastly, a clear rule of engagement between the Government and the international humanitarian agencies should be clearly defined
Investigation of Road Bank Failures based on Mineralogical Composition Studies in Kano-Abuja Road Northern, Nigeria
No full textThis article investigated the general compositions of the areas (the road) including the geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry to explore
the reason for the road failure. The zone is underlain basement (storm cellar) and sedimentary rocks of different textures, mineralogy, and
geochemistry. The results implies that the areas that is most stable along the road portions is underlain by the granite-gneiss, granites,
amphibole schist and quartz, schist and small sandstone while portions with the failures are underlain by mica schist, phyllite, and
coarse-grained granite. It is apparently sure from this study that poor quality metasedimentary rocks constitute the formation of the failed
portions. However, the high numbers of the sediment and sandstone present in the area that can easily be weathered due to the climate
variation have increased the failure. In conclusion, the result will help the engineers during reconstruction of these parts need to be excavating
deeply and replace with granite-gneiss, granites, amphibole schist and quartz for better result