Introduction: Attitudes towards animal welfare are important in influencing how animals are treated. Studies of attitudes towards animal welfare in veterinary students are scarce. It is hope that the findings will enhace a diverse research in the future in order to explore variety of factors in relation to animal welfare since such study is currently limited.
Objective: The study is to determine the associations of gender,year of study and empathy level of undergraduate DVM students in UPM into their attitude towards animal welfare.
Method: Questionnaires were given to 440 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine undergraduate students in UPM to study the associations between gender,year of study and empathy level with attitudes towards animal welfare. Data were collected from respondents through two sets of self guided questionnaires. Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) which assessed empathy level where only two sub-scales from the IRI were used. Empathic Concern (EC) and Perspective Taking (PT). Animal Attitude Scales (AAS) were used to assess attitudes towards animal welfare. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.
Result: 367 (83.4%) out of 440 students participated in this study. Antu-animal welfare attitude (74.9%) was the highest compared to the pro-animal welfare attitude (25.1%). Analysis showed a significant difference (p0.005) between gender and attitudes towards animal welfare (p=0.057) as well as between empathy level and attitudes towards animal welfarefor empathic concern sub-scale (p=0.194) and perspective taking sub-scale (p=0.320).
Conclusion: Majority of sudents were categorized as anti-animal welfareand the attitudes were significantly different among years of study. Female and malestudents have nomsignificant differences in their attitudes towards animal welfare. Students with ggod and poor empathy level also have no significant difference in their attitudes towards animal welfare.
The concentrations of cadmium, copper, zinc and lead, in the total soft tissues of green-lipped mussel Perna viridis of a wide range of sizes (2-11 cm), were determined from a population at Pasir Panjang. The metal contents (μg per individual) and concentrations (μg per g) of cadmium, lead, copper and zinc were studied in P. viridis to find the relationships with body sizes. Smaller and younger mussels showed higher concentrations (μg per g) of Cd, Pb and Zn than the larger and older ones. The results of the present study showed that the plotting of the metal content, against dry body flesh weight on a double logarithmic basis, gave good positive straight lines; this observation is in agreement with Boyden’s formula (1977). This indicated that P. viridis showed a different physiological strategy for each metal being studied, which is related to age.
Two major types of services in sepak takraw are kuda and sila services. Even though both services are delivered at high speed, each is composed of different kinematic features. The purpose of the study was to determine the fundamental differences in perceptual strategies in
anticipating the kuda and sila services. The receiver of the game in sepak takraw makes decisions under severe time constraint in both spatial and temporal uncertainty. The study examined two groups of 12 players each; the experts and the novices. Perceptual displays in anticipation of the
kuda and sila services were prompted using video stimulations consisting of seven temporal occlusions t1 (240 milliseconds at pre-contact), t2 (160 milliseconds at pre-contact), t3 (80 milliseconds at pre-contact, t4 (0 millisecond at contact), t5 (80 milliseconds at post-contact), t6 (160
milliseconds at post-contact), and t7 (no occlusion). Significant differences amongst expert players in anticipating kuda and sila services were at t1 F (14, 180) = 2.37; p < 0.05], t2 F (14, 180) = 5.60; p < 0.05], t3 F (14, 180) = 3.81; p < 0.05] and t4 F (14, 180) = 2.00; p < 0.05]. Similar comparisons at t5, t6, and t7 did not yield any significant differences. In addition, there were significant differences amongst novice players in anticipating kuda and sila services at t2 F (14,
180) = 2.27; p < 0.05], t3 F (14, 180) = 1.94; p < 0.05], t4 F (14, 180) = 2.61; p < 0.05], and t5 F (14, 180) = 9.38; p < 0.05]. Overall findings revealed that expert players found it more difficult to anticipate kuda service compared to sila service at t1. Hence, the kuda service is more
difficult to anticipate than sila service. Participants of this study demonstrated a more effective visual perceptual strategy to counter attack a sila service than they would with a kuda service.