Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka kefahaman Pengetahuan Pedagogi Kandungan (PPK) guru bukan pengkhususan mata pelajaran Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi (RBT) di Sekolah Menengah. Kajian ini adalah kajian kualitatif single case yang melibatkan dua orang guru bukan pengkhususan mata pelajaran RBT dipilih sebagai peserta kajian. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kaedah temu bual, pemerhatian dan juga analisis dokumen. Proses analisis data melibatkan tiga peringkat koding dalam Grounded Theory iaitu open coding, axial coding dan selective coding. Hasil kajian mendapati kedua peserta belum memahami dan menguasai sepenuhnya hala tuju, matlamat dan fokus KSSM RBT. Selain itu, mereka juga masih menghadapi masalah dalam menguasai isi kandungan mata pelajaran tersebut dengan baik. Dari aspek pengetahuan pedagogi, walaupun peserta kajian sedar tentang pendekatan-pendekatan PdPc yang dicadangkan dalam DSKP KSSM mata pelajaran RBT, namun mereka kurang menggunakan pendekatan tersebut dan masih cenderung menggunakan pendekatan pengajaran tradisional yang lebih berpusatkan kepada guru dan menggunakan kaedah syarahan semasa proses PdPc.
Malaria is one of the most devastating infectious diseases of humans. It is problematic clinically and economically as it prevails in poorer countries and regions, strongly hindering socioeconomic development. The causative agents of malaria are unicellular protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium. These parasites infect not only humans but also other vertebrates, from reptiles and birds to mammals. To date, over 200 species of Plasmodium have been formally described, and each species infects a certain range of hosts. Plasmodium species that naturally infect humans and cause malaria in large areas of the world are limited to five-P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi. The first four are specific for humans, while P. knowlesi is naturally maintained in macaque monkeys and causes zoonotic malaria widely in South East Asia. Transmission of Plasmodium species between vertebrate hosts depends on an insect vector, which is usually the mosquito. The vector is not just a carrier but the definitive host, where sexual reproduction of Plasmodium species occurs, and the parasite's development in the insect is essential for transmission to the next vertebrate host. The range of insect species that can support the critical development of Plasmodium depends on the individual parasite species, but all five Plasmodium species causing malaria in humans are transmitted exclusively by anopheline mosquitoes. Plasmodium species have remarkable genetic flexibility which lets them adapt to alterations in the environment, giving them the potential to quickly develop resistance to therapeutics such as antimalarials and to change host specificity. In this article, selected topics involving the Plasmodium species that cause malaria in humans are reviewed.
A survey of ticks and other ectoparasites was carried out during a national biodiversity scientific expedition at Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah, Malaysia from 23-29 March 2003. A total of 161 animals comprising 20 species of birds, 16 species of bats, six species of non-volant small mammals and 12 species of reptiles were examined for ticks and other ectoparasites. From these animals, nine species in five genera of ticks, 10 species in two families of Mesostigmatid mites and five species of chiggers were collected. Three of the ectoparasitic species found, Dermacentor auratus, Ixodes granulatus and Leptotrombidium deliense are of known public health importance. This survey produced the first list of ticks and other ectoparasites in the forest reserve and the third study of ectoparasites in Kedah. Fourteen species of these ectoparasites are new locality records.
Kajian ini dilaksanakan untuk melihat penerimaan terhadap penggunaan mobile learning di kalangan pelajar tingkatan 6 dalam mata pelajaran geografi. Kaedah kuantitatif digunakan dalam kajian ini yang melibatkan sebuah pusat tingkatan 6 yang terletak di daerah Kota Kinabalu, Sabah seramai 137 orang pelajar. Semua pelajar yang mengambil mata pelajaran geografi telah diambil sebagai sampel kajian. Borang soal selidik digunakan sebagai instrumen dalam kajian ini yang telah diubahsuai dan dirujuk daripada Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) untuk menentukan tahap penerimaan terhadap penggunaan mobile learning di kalangan pelajar tingkatan 6 dalam mata pelajaran Geografi. Hasil daripada analisis statistik menunjukkan bahawa tahap penerimaan pelajar terhadap mobile learning berada di tahap yang tinggi.
Serabut kenaf merupakan salah satu serabut berasaskan tumbuhan di dalam kumpulan serabut asli yang semakin luas
penggunaannya. Serabut kenaf dicampurkan dengan bahan plastik (epoksi) bagi menghasilkan suatu bahan baharu
dengan sifat mekanikal yang baik dengan kos pembuatan yang rendah. Bahan kerja ini terbahagi kepada dua jenis iaitu
serabut kenaf ekaarah dan serabut kenaf tenunan. Uji kaji ini akan menumpukan kepada pembandingan kesan faktor
pelekangan Fd yang terhasil semasa proses pemesinan kisar ke atas bahan komposit tersebut dengan penentuan set
parameter mesin yang paling optimum bagi mengurangkan kesan Fd. Uji kaji dijalankan berdasarkan analisis kaedah
gerak balas permukaan (RSM) dengan pendekatan reka bentuk Box-Behnken bagi mendapatkan hasil faktor bersandar
terhadap sambutan. Faktor yang terlibat adalah kelajuan pemotongan, kadar suapan dan kedalaman pemotongan. Proses
pengisaran secara lelurus (lurah) dilakukan bagi melihat kesan Fd yang terhasil dengan menggunakan perkakasan mata
alat jenis Keluli Berkelajuan Tinggi (HSS) tidak bersalut hujung rata berdiameter 10 mm. Imej daripada mikroskop
menunjukkan bahan komposit serabut kenaf ekaarah menghasilkan faktor pelekangan yang tinggi berbanding kesan
ke atas bahan komposit serabut kenaf bertenun. Bagi set parameter optimum pula, bahan kerja serabut kenaf ekaarah
ialah kelajuan pemotongan, kadar suapan dan kedalaman pemotongan yang rendah. Manakala bagi bahan kerja serabut
kenaf bertenun, set parameter optimum adalah kelajuan pemotongan yang rendah dengan kadar suapan dan kedalaman
pemotongan yang tinggi.
Six species of strigeoid trematodes are reported from Malaysia. One new genus and 3 new species are described: Apatemon (Apatemon( jamesi sp. n (Strigeidae); cercaria Cotylurus sullivani sp. n. (Strigeidae); Neodiplostomum (Neodiplostomum) sp. (Diplostomatidae); Fibricola ramachandrani (Diplostomatidae); Pseudoscolopacitrema otteri gen. n. et sp. n. (Diplostomatidae); and cercaria Cyathocotyle malayi sp. n. (Cyathocotylidae). The life cycles of A. jamesi and C. malayi have also been investigated.
Cryptosporidium parasites can infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts including reptiles, mammals, and birds. Due to the zoonotic nature of cryptosporidiosis and its close contact with exotic birds and humans, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. in exotic birds of southwest of Iran, by the staining and molecular methods. In the present research, 369 stool specimens were randomly collected from exotic birds and stained by modified acid-fast stain using Ziehl-Neelsen method. The slides were examined using light microscopy at a magnification of 100X. Then, the extracted DNA was amplified using the PCR method. Finally, all genotypes and positive samples from PCR assay were sequenced by Bioneer Company (Daejeon, South Korea). Among 369 stool specimens, 25 and 27 cases were found to be positive for Cryptosporidium spp. by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining and the PCR methods, respectively. Based on the genotyping, C. avian genotype III and C. meleagridis were detected in 25 and 2 stool samples, respectively. The results revealed a relatively high prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in exotic birds in the southwest of Iran. Due to the zoonotic nature of C. meleagridis, these exotic birds can be a significant source of cryptosporidiosis. It is important that high-risk people, including immune-deficient patients, receive correct information about the risk of indirect and direct contact with infected exotic birds.