Universiti Malaysia Sabah Research Articles

Development and Behaviour of Interlocking Compressed Earth Bricks in Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Conventional bricks such as Fired Clay Bricks (FCB) contribute to environmental issues due to the production process. Previous study has shown that interlocking bricks have potential as alternative way for sustainable development. The Interlocking Compressed Earth Bricks (ICEB) is a sustainable construction material which all the main constituents locally available and stabilize with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Thus, this study focusses on determination of proper mix design for the ICEB in line with that to reduce the contribution to environmental issues. Six (6) different of cement contents were investigated, which 0% to 10% by incremental of 2%. All the ICEB samples were tested for water absorption and compressive strength at the ages 7, 14 and 28 days. The ICEB with 10% of cement contents show the highest compressive strength which have exceeded the minimum required stated in BS3921:1985 (5 N/mm2) however the water absorption exceeds the allowable limit of 15% based on MS 76:1972. This study may contribute and act as manual for mix design of the ICEB.

KEBERKESANAN PENGAJARAN DAN PEMBELAJARAN DALAM TALIAN BAGI KURSUS PENGHAYATAN ETIKA DAN PERADABAN (PEdP): KAJIAN KES DI KALANGAN PELAJAR PRASISWAZAH DI UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH

The Appreciation of Ethics and Civilization (PEdP) is a compulsory university course introduced in 2020 for the Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) in replacement of Ethnic Relations. As a new compulsory university course, among its objectives is to ensure the students appreciate the ethics and civilization that appears in the multi-ethnic society of Malaysia. Accordingly, High Impact Education Practices (HEPs) have been practiced in Teaching and Learning activities to improve the students’ critical and analytical thinking in dealing with challenges both at present and in the future. This paper presents a discussion on the effectiveness of online teaching and learning of PEdP in accordance with the new norm. To do so, a study was conducted among the undergraduate students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The matters examined include the objectives, curriculum, and methods of teaching and learning. The study shows that the fundamental aims and objectives of this course were achieved despite being thought entirely online but it is expected that both goals and objectives can be highly achieved vita the application of traditional teaching and learning method of face to face teaching and learning activities.

PREFACE

On behalf of the organising committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the International Conference on Biodiversity (ICB 2020). This conference is hosted by Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and jointly organised with Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Also, it is supported by Johor National Parks Corporation(JNPC) and Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Malaysia (KETSA). The theme for this year is ‘Sustaining Biodiversity for Bio-economy Transformation’ which the committee chose to reflect the manner of biodiversity knowledge that transcends boundaries of academics and industry.Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Conference on Biodiversity (ICB2020) was changed to a virtual format to ensure the health and safety of the participants and organizers. Since the organization of the conference on a biannual basis is part of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and Universitas Gadjah Mada Indonesia, the committee has decided to conduct the conference virtually instead of postponing it to the year 2021.The virtual conference was conducted on the 4th and 5th of November 2020 in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Pagoh Campus, KM 1, Jalan Panchor, 84600 Panchor, Johor, Malaysia. using Google Meet and Zoom video conference platform. Overall, the virtual conference was a success. Photos and screenshots of the conference are provided with this volume.There were four technical sessions conducted throughout the conference. For each technical session, three parallel session rooms were provided based on the presentation category. Each presenter was given 10 minutes to present their research followed by 5 minutes of discussion and Q&A. In total there were 90 papers presented with participants coming from different government and non-government organizations, universities and research institutions from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nigeria.We believe that this conference will provide an excellent platform for exchanging scientific knowledge and research experiences. Selected papers from ICB 2020 will be published in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science which are indexed in several databases such as SCOPUS, Thomson Reuters and Web of Science. We hope these open access publications can contribute to the growing literature on biodiversity and its applications. We are especially grateful to all of the keynote and invited speakers: Mr. Arief IskandarMohamad (KETSA), Prof. Dr. Mohd Shahir Shamsir Omar (UTHM), Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono (UGM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Monica Suleiman (UMS), Prof. Emeritus Datin Dr. Maryati Mohamed (UTHM), Mrs. Lili Tokiman (JNPC), Dr. Bambang Retno Aji (UGM), Dr. Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim (UMS) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siti Hamidah Mohd Setapar (UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia, UTM) for their willingness to share a snapshot of their field of expertise. We also would like to acknowledge the members of scientific committee who reviewed all the submissions as well as the conference committee who have worked tirelessly for the past year to organise this conference. We are also grateful to all our sponsors and collaborators. On behalf of the committee members, I apologize for any shortcomings in organising this conference. Finally, I wish the best of luck to those who are presenting in this conference.Thank you.ASSOC. PROF. Ts. DR. MOHD FADZELLY ABU BAKARCHAIRPERSONINTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIODIVERSITY (ICB2020)International Conference on Biodiversity (ICB2020), Conference Committee, these titles are available in this pdf

Evaluation of varietal performance for yield and yield contributing attributes of local brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) germplasm collections

Brinjal is the second most important vegetable crop after Tomato in relation to its total production. Better production from any crop can only be achieved from a better variety. But in most cases the producers especially the rural farmers are not aware about the selection of high yielding varieties. Without any justification they just buy those seeds are easily available in nearby shops resulting harvest a poor yield with very unsatisfactory return. In this regard five different brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) germplasm collections were evaluated for their major yield and yield contributing attributes along with total chlorophyll content as physiological parameter. The study was conducted in rain shelter 10, at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, arranged in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. Research findings revealed significant variations for all the measured parameters among different brinjal cultivars. Round purple brinjal (V1=Mte2) had the highest fruit weight (238.60g; which is about 88.14% increased fruit weight over V4), followed by long red purple brinjal (V2=H117) with 167.50g (about 83.10% increased fruit weight over V4), long green brinjal (V3=H249) with 119.70g (about 76.36% increased fruit weight over V4) and the lowest fruit weight (28.30g) was found in brinjal variety V4 (Telunjuk), respectively. On the other hand red purple brinjal (V2) was the longest (24.23 cm) in size with 5.60 cm in diameter, but the highest fruit diameter (12.24 cm) was recorded in V3 brinjal. Long red purple brinjal (V2) showed the shortest days to 50% flowering with 49 days compared to Kermit brinjal (V5) which took the longest 61 days to 50% flowering. The highest total leaf chlorophyll content was detected in V5 (51.02 nmol/mg) while the lowest (44.06 nmol/mg) was in V3. From the correlation analysis significant correlation were detected among days to 1st flowering and days to 50% flowering; plant height and fruit diameter, while significant but negative correlation was seen among numbers of leaves and fruit diameter; plant height and fruit weight with chlorophyll content. From the cluster analysis primarily; V1, V2, and V3 were grouped into one cluster while V4 and V5 into another clusters, while in secondary clustering V1 alone in one group, V2 and V3 in 2nd group and finally V4 and V5 were in third groups which indicated a significant diversity among cultivars. On an average; considering varietal performance for yield and yield contributing attributes of five (5) different brinjal cultivars, it was revealed that the fruits of V1 gained the highest weight, while the fruits of V2 had the highest length and the fruits of V3 gained the highest diameter. Regarding earliness; variety V2 was the earliest among all 5 varieties, which is one of the desirable characteristics for any crops; especially in vegetables.

Determination of water quality in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Kota Kinabalu: The effectiveness of stormwater management systems

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) campus in Kota Kinabalu consists of a large detention pond that stores the stormwater and limits the outflow rate into Likas' estuary. It is no doubt the detention pond has been designed per the Urban Stormwater Management Manual (USMM) requirement in terms of quantity control, however rapid development and changes in surrounding landscapes may affect the water quality. This study investigates the stormwater quality from the UMS detention pond and drainages within the campus. Water sampling was primarily taken during the dry period to justify worst-case scenarios without dilution from the rainfall season. Then the water quality parameters were tested using standard laboratory procedures mainly for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) with a minimum of a triplicate experimental run at the Environmental Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, UMS. The determined water quality was compared with the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) from the Department of Environment Malaysia. Overall the stormwater quality obtained for Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), AN and pH is within Class II to III, which is slightly polluted. However, the TSS from ponds near to main road and construction areas exceeds Class IV, indicating polluted conditions. There is a slight increase for BOD and AN parameters when comparing samples between June 2020 (post-MCO) and January 2017, which was suspected briefly due to fertilizing work for the campus landscapes. Although the TSS value is low, the TSS volume would increase over a period, raising the temperature while reducing the DO concentration and endanger the aquatic species and the ecosystem. Hence, it is recommended for a future study to emphasize TSS value as it would contribute significantly in designing sustainable stormwater management, particularly for the stormwater treatment, such as when optimizing for the utilization of alternative filter media, which reduces the maintenance and increasing the lifespan of the system.

Qualitative evaluation of slaughterhouse bovine ovaries by histological study

This study was conducted at the Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Sandakan Campus from August 2016 until October 2016 to do a reach work on the analysis of the slaughterhouse bovine ovaries in term of the quality by histochemistry studies. The objectives that been set for this study were to identify the quality of follicles in bovine ovaries and to find out the relationship between the quality of follicles and ovarian state. The ovaries were collected from slaughterhouse and morphological evaluations such as weight and number of visible follicles on the surface of the ovaries were counted. The ovaries been classified into two groups as ovary with corpus luteum (CL+) and without corpus luteum (CL-). The recorded percentages of ovaries that been retrieved from the slaughterhouse is 75.0% CL- and 25.0% CL+. The visible follicles on the surface of the ovaries that been recorded at average level for CL+ (23.0 ± 2.4) is lower than the CL­(26.0 ± 2.2). From the collected ovaries represented several ovaries from both groups been used for histochemistry study. The ovaries then been prepared for histological study by fixation, dehydration, clearing, embedding, and blocking with paraffin wax. The waxed sample block been trimmed with microtome at 6µm and stained with Hematoxylene and Eosin (HE). The sample observed under microscope and the number of follicles and the granulosa cells integrity been recorded. From the finding, the CL- ovaries were contained good quality follicles (8.8 ± 0.3) at grade

Effects of Type-2 Resistant Starch (High-Amylose Maize Starch) on the Glycemic Index of Chinese Steamed Buns and Its Influence on Glycemic Response in Healthy Human Subjects

The incorporation of resistant starch (RS) in food has gained importance to be a good replacement for carbohydrate. This study aimed to determine the effects of resistant starch (RS) known as high-amylose maize starch (HM) as wheat flour substitute in Chinese steamed bun (CSB) formulation on postprandial glycemic response in healthy human subjects. In the single-blind cross-over experimental trial, subjects (female, n=15) consuming 30% HM (HM30) composite CSB had significantly lower postprandial blood glucose response compared with control consuming CSB (without HM) within 2 hours after ingestion of both samples. Compared with control CSB, HM30 produced lower glycemic response with a mean iAUC of 105.2 mmol x min/L. The mean iAUC of control CSB was 186.1 mmol x min/L. The low GI property of HM30 stabilized the blood glucose concentration level and did not cause sudden rapid increase in blood glucose concentration similar to high-GI reference food and medium-GI control CSB. Funding Information: This study was supported through funding from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MoHE), project code: FRGS/1/2017/STG/UMS/02/5. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was ethically approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Malaysia Sabah [Refer to Appendix D; UMS/FPSK6.9/100-6/1/95; JKEtika 3/18(7)]. The informed consent form was signed by the subjects to ensure their voluntary enrolment to participate in the study.

Knowledge and Attitude on Halal Food and Islamic Eating Practices among Students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah

The preservation of future generation and the protection of consumer welfare is a priority in view of the incremental negative behaviours existing in today’s societies at large. The study involved 414 respondents through convenience sampling by using questionnaires. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 25. This study highlighted that family is the main reference for source of information on halal food products followed with the internet and lecturer. All faculties at UMS has high level of knowledge about the concept of Halal and Haram in halal food, followed with Islamic law on halal food and beverages. This is maybe due to courses on halal and haram foods being offered at various faculties in UMS. Although the majority of respondents has high level of knowledge on halal food but the practices of respondents consuming the sunnah food is low. This happens because the fruits such as dates, pomegranates and figs are quite expensive and not easily accessible in the city of Kota Kinabalu. The study found that the Muslim respondents have positive attitude towards halal food and eating practices whereby they will always choose halal and tayyib food whenever they want to eat and they will eat in a congregation (with friends or family) when they want to eat. The respondents have satisfactory level on Islamic eating practices such as washing hands before and after eating, saying “Bismillah” before eating and sharing food with friends, but not because it is encouraged by Islam, but because it has become a custom or a part of their daily eating practices. This happens because the Malaysian public is not familiar with eating food from Arab countries where it was a way of life for the Prophet s.a.w. Results also showed that knowledge on Halal food was significantly correlated with attitude (r=0.217; p<0.05) and practices (r=0.085; p<0.05) of the UMS students showing positive linear correlations which confirms that better knowledge can lead to positive attitude and subsequently in good practices.

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING EQUIPS UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH WORKPLACE SKILLS

The new emerging trend for recent employment is the employers expect the university graduates to have more than academic excellence to be employed. They prefer graduates who possess soft skills such as communication skills, creativity, teamwork, management, and problem-solving. As a result, many educators are forced to change and find a new teaching and learning strategy to be incorporated in the classroom that would facilitate the students to develop both academic as well as interpersonal skills which are commonly known as soft skills. The holistic approach of Project-Based Learning (PBL) which integrates learning through working collaboratively in a project and bringing in the authentic experiences of the real world beyond the classroom walls has proven that PBL is designed to do both. The present study aimed to investigate how PBL can prepare students with related workplace skills and their perception of PBL in developing their soft skills. A set of a questionnaire is designed and administered to 77 second-year students, who are taking English for Occupational Purposes subject at Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus. The result of the study showed that PBL has able to equip the students with work-related skills, and by completing the projects, they were able to improve their soft skills, mainly in communication and self-confidence. Hence, the findings of the study proved that PBL is a relevant approach in a classroom to help in developing students' soft skills.

Multiple Intelligences and English Writing Proficiency Levels among Malaysian Pre-university Students with Rural and Urban Socio-economic Backgrounds: A Comparative Study

The disparity of the English language performance between the Malaysian rural and urban students remains a crucial issue, yet much is to be known about factors that actually influence the students' English proficiency across levels, especially those who live outside the cities. The objectives of this paper are to identify the Multiple Intelligence profiles and the significant intelligence of the urban and rural pre-university students at a public university in Malaysia, and to investigate whether there is any difference in the English writing test scores between the two groups. A demographic questionnaire, Multiple Intelligence Profiling Questionnaire (MIPQ III) and a Paper 800/4 (Writing) Question 2 of Malaysian University English Test (MUET) March 2016 question were used in this study. Sixty pre-university students were purposively selected for the current research from Preparatory Centre of Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. The data were collected and analyzed using the Independent Sample t-test. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of Interpersonal, Environmental, and Visual-Spatial intelligences between the urban and rural pre-university students. Unexpectedly, the findings show that the urban students display higher Environmental intelligence compared to the rural group. Additionally, a significant difference is also identified between urban and rural students in their writing scores, as the results show that the urban students performed better in the writing tests than the students in the rural areas. This study calls Malaysian English educators to acknowledge students' differences in learning, thus creating a conducive classroom experience and redesigning the lessons by incorporating all intelligences for the students to actively manifest their preferred learning styles in acquiring English language. Future research would include more language skills to be examined in a bigger number of students.

First report of plant fungal pathogen Zasmidium musae associated with moribund eggs of ornate spiny lobster (Panulirus ornatus) in Sabah

Fungal infections have been reported as one of the main hindrances for successful crustacean seed production. In a shrimp hatchery of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, abnormal sponge development of the ornate spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus was observed and it was suspected as fungal infection due to a change in sponge colour. Fungus was isolated from egg samples of P. ornatus and transferred to Peptone-Yeast-Glucose-Seawater (PYGS) agar to identify and to reveal its morphological characteristics. Interestingly, the isolate in PYGS broth transferred into sterilized seawater did not show any characteristic feature of any asexual reproduction of Oomycete infection on crustacean. Consequently, slide culture was performed for a more detailed examination, where the fungus isolate showed septate hyphae and vesicle-like fruiting body only upon staining via Iodine-Glycerol stain. Based on the morphological characteristic features, the present isolate was determined as a non-oomycete organism and designated as IPMB LE01 strain. According to the ITS nucleotide sequence analyses of IPMB LE01, it has matched to Zasmidium musae. This species was mainly reported in plant fungal infection and rarely observed in aquatic animals. Hence, it is considered as the first report of fungus-associated on the moribund eggs of ornate spiny lobster in Sabah.

Rapid Observational Assessment on Urban Forest Trails Established at UMS Peak of Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Universiti Malaysia Sabah housed a dense secondary forest that served as one of the urban forests and green lungs in Kota Kinabalu of Sabah, and this urban forest was known as UMS Peak. Few formal and informal trails were established within UMS Peak, and their conditions were yet to be properly evaluated since their establishments in 2009. Therefore, a preliminary assessment was required to assess existing conditions of these urban forest trails within UMS Peak. Two identified formal trails (Waterfall Trail and Chancellery Trail) and one informal trail (Kg. E Trail) were selected for rapid visualobservation assessment. Distance from starting point, elevation, slope steepness, trail forest structure condition, visual value, and management condition for each trail were assessed at the sample posts established every 100 m along the trail. Surrounding plant community, facility and infrastructure, slope steepness, elevation, attractive scenicfeatures, recreational impact, and ground cover were insignificant different, while trail visibility, trail width, soil compaction, forest layer, potential risk, surrounding scenic invisibility, and trail management condition were determined to be significantly different, between the three trails. Chancellery Trail suffered from worse recreational impact, andthen Waterfall Trail was determined to be worse in trail condition compared to Kg. E Trail. Additionally, interior segments were discovered as main contributors to significant differences between trails. Therefore, further detailed evaluation on these informal and formal trails are required to obtain accurate information and much comprehensive understanding on factors with significant influences towards overall and segment conditions of these three different trails.

A University-Wide Preparedness Effort in the Alert Phase of COVID-19 Incorporating Community Mental Health and Task-Shifting Strategies: Experience from a Bornean Institute of Higher Learning.

.The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise, causing millions of confirmed cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Hence, the Malaysian government announced a Movement Control Order at the start of the containment phase to flatten the epidemiological curve. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), a public university in Borneo, was accelerated into alert phase because of high risk of case importation from more than 400 China incoming undergraduates. Measures to mitigate the potential COVID-19 outbreaks in its population were taken by using conventional public health measures with special attention to task-shifting and widespread community mental health interventions. A Preparedness and Response Centre was established to overseer the mitigating measures happening inside the university. Measures taken included empowerment of frontline staff, strengthening of restrictions, strengthening university health center, vigorous contact tracing, widespread health education, maintaining cultural sensitivity, and establishment of early standard operating procedures and university continuity plans. Hence, UMS was able to ensure no importation of cases into its campus during both acute and containment phases at the nationwide level.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE AS A COPING MECHANISM TO COMBAT MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG MALAYSIAN TEENAGERS

ABSTRACT Mental health is one of the major issues highlighted by the Malaysian government. Taking into account the increasing number of Malaysian facing with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and stress, this study was conducted specifically among the semester 1 students, Centre for Science Foundation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, in order to get a preliminary view on the student’s mental health level. A total of 98 students were involved using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire and the inventory of Beck’s Depression (BDI). Environmental change and the transformation of learning patterns from school to university, have put pressure on students as well as holding the trust and expectation of parents in seeing their success. Considering that mental issues do not count on one’s background, this study focuses on the pattern of mental health problems among the academic excel students to examine what dominates their thinking from an emotional point of view. Findings show that students are more dominated by the feelings of anxiety in relation to academic performance and overthink each event happening in life. In order to cope with these negative emotions, majority of the students opt to sleep, eat, hearing music, share with significant others, and meditation such as praying, dua’ and reciting the Al-Quran in order to reduce their anxiety feelings. Therefore, this study is expected to provide a preliminary picture of the emotional level of students as well as exploring their coping mechanisms that includes spirituality in reducing the level of anxiety so that it does not lead to a more serious mental health level. Keywords: Mental Health, Adolescence, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Spiritual.

Preliminary Observation of Phenolic Acids on Basal Stem Rot Infected Oil Palm

An observation was conducted in Kam Cheong Plantations Sdn Bhd, Lungmanis Fields 8 and 10, Sandakan, Sabah from October 2018 to September 2019. A biocontrol formulation consisting of phenolic acids was applied to Ganoderma infected palms via trunk injection to control the basal stem rot (BSR) and reduce the oil palm yield losses. The formulation was first produced in Universiti Malaysia Sabah before being applied to the infected palms. A total of three rounds of the phenolic acids formulation were applied to 120 infected palms in Kam Cheong with two months interval each. Every infected palm was injected with 40 ml of the formulation (20 ml/injection hole) using a manual trunk injector. This was followed by monitoring and recording of the oil palm yield and disease recovery. The recovery of the infected palms was assessed based on the physical changes of the palms. Out of the 120 treated palms in the two affected areas, 68.33 per cent were still productive although infected, 13.33 per cent recovered from the infection, 9.17 per cent had dead Ganoderma fruiting bodies but with BSR foliar symptoms while 9.17 per cent collapsed or died after the six months’ observation. The fresh fruit bunch yield increased from 1.24 to 3.14 tonnes per hectare in Field 10, an increment of about 154 per cent. However, the yield varied in Field 8 during the observation. This paper serves as a preliminary report on the benefits of phenolic acids to Ganoderma infected palms. More research may be necessary in the future to confirm this result especially on the effect of yield. Keywords: Ganoderma, phenolic acids, biocontrol, oil palm, basal stem rot.

MENGATASI KESALAHAN BACAAN TEKS BAHASA ARAB DALAM KALANGAN PELAJAR UMS-KAL MELALUI KAEDAH PEMBELAJARAN BERASASKAN PROJEK (PBP)

Foreign language learning is certainly accentuating on the mastery of basic skills including reading skills that need to be emphasized by every student in the early stages. Similarly, the same goes for Arabic language learning which is the third language or also recognized as a foreign language in the Malaysian community. One of the skills focused on this study is the focus on reading Arabic texts. The objective of this study is to identify the common reading mistakes that students often make while reading Arabic texts and to determine how well the Project-Based Learning (PBL) method can overcome and reduce their reading errors. This study utilizes a qualitative approach with the method of observation performed on students when they were reading texts during pre and post-reading tests. The reduction of these mistakes was identified from before and after the PBL procedure was implemented. The study sample consisted of 69 students who registered for the 3rd level Arabic course in the 2019/2020 study session at Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus (UMS-LIC). The instrument used was a set of pre and post-reading tests based on the KSSR (Primary School Curriculum Standards) guidelines set out by the MOE (Ministry of Education, 2015).

KURSUS TAMADUN ISLAM DAN TAMADUN ASIA (TITAS) SEBAGAI MEDIUM PEMBENTUKAN TOLERANSI ETNIK DI UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH (UMS): SATU ANALISIS KEPERLUAN

The Islamic Civilisation and Asian Civilisation (TITAS) course is offered as a compulsory subject in Malaysian institutions of higher learning (IHL) to expose undergraduates to the world and regional civilization history. In addition, it is aimed at inculcating ethnic tolerance among university students in aspects of diversity relevant to the context of Malaysia with its diverse races, ethnicities, and religions. This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of the TITAS course in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) as a medium for the inculation of ethnic tolerance and also to identify the necessity of continuing to offer TITAS as a liberal course in the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning (PPIB) in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The survey method was utilized and a questionnaire that had been adapted to suit the research objectives administered to 475 undergraduates enrolled in the TITAS course during their first year of studies. Descriptive analysis of the findings suggested that TITAS should be continued in PPIB so as to maintain its role as a medium for the inculcation of ethnic tolerance among undergraduates.

Effects of Drought Stress on the Growth, Yield and Physiological Traits of Thai Super Sweet Corn

Growth and yield performances of Thai Super Sweet (TSS) corn cultivar treated with various drought stress levels (25%, 50% and 100% Field Capacity, FC) at various growth stages (vegetative, pre-flowering and flowering) were investigated in an insect-proof net-house of Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sandakan Campus. Drought treatments were applied at vegetative (14 to 34 days after sowing (DAS)), pre-flowering (35 to 55 DAS) and flowering (48 to 68 DAS) stages. Parameters measured and statistically analysed were growth, chlorophyll content, proline content and yield. The experiment was conducted as 3 x 3 factorial arrangements of treatments with a completely randomised design with four replications for each treatment. Length of first cob and fresh weight of the first cob showed interaction effects among the drought and growth stage treatments while chlorophyll content, number of cobs, cob girth, number of grains, 100 grains weight and proline content showed significant effects among drought levels treatments and cob girth showed significant effect among growth stages. Shorter flowering time (tasseling at 42 DAS) was found on drought treatment of 25% FC at the pre-flowering stage. It can be concluded that vegetative and flowering stages were sensitive to drought compared to the pre-flowering stage, where the yield components of vegetative and flowering stages were lower compared to the pre-flowering stage. During the pre-flowering drought period, TSS expressed tolerance response through the higher levels of chlorophyll and proline contents and hence able to perform the best overall yield components.

Prevalence and risk factors of prehypertension in university students in Sabah, Borneo Island of East Malaysia.

Unhealthy lifestyle contributes mainly to an increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases tend to increase in Malaysia. These diseases lead to an increased risk of end organ damage and cardiovascular complications. In this study, the prevalence of prehypertension and its associated risk factors among a cohort of university students in Sabah was determined.This is a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted among 365 undergraduate students irrespective of faculties at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Standardized and validated World Health Organization (WHO) STEPS questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic data. Additionally, clinical and anthropometric data were measured and recorded by a trained staff, followed by descriptive and logistic regression analyses.A total of 365 UMS undergraduate students aged 18 years and above participated in the study. The prevalence of prehypertension among university students was high (31%) (95% CI [29.1%, 34.3%]). Well-known risk factors for hypertension including family history of hypertension, reduced sleep duration, reduced physical activity, smoking, being overweight or obese were significantly associated with the risk of developing prehypertension (P < .05) among UMS students. However, no association was observed between ethnicity, age, and gender with prehypertension.A worryingly high percentage of UMS students are prehypertensive, indicating the need of early preventive strategies aimed at increasing awareness, early screening, and lifestyle modification to reduce the rising burden of the disease and the associated complications in this age group.

Performance of the Final Year Medical Students - Universiti Malaysia Sabah in the End Surgical Senior Posting (SSP) Examination

Introduction: Assessment methods are used to provide students with both formal and informal feedback on their progress, and should be congruent with the objectives of the curriculum. To achieve this, it is necessary to bring the theories of learning and assessment together. Senior surgical posting is an intensive eight weeks attachment with overall surgical revision, provide an opportunity for the students to develop clinical skills, knowledge and attitudes, at it’s end the students will be evaluated through three forms of assessment, their knowledge by MCQs, MEQs, and essay and their clinical skills by OSCE, short case and long case examination together with that there was continues assessment (log book and two handwritten case reports), the passing marks is 65 of 100, and passing the clinical section is mandatory. Materials and Methods: This paper studied the performance of final year (Year 5) medical students Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)-school of medicine in the end senior surgical posting examination. Results and Conclusion: Through analysis of the data of their assessment results in this examination, it shows that the continuous assessment have strong effect on the final results of the students, and students have defect in theory back ground reflected by their poor MCQs performance, and the mode of UMS students learning is more towards deep approach.