Morphometric and meristic variation in two congeneric archer fishes Toxotes chatareus (Hamilton 1822) and Toxotes jaculatrix (Pallas 1767) inhabiting Malaysian coastal waters

A simple yet useful criterion based on external markings and/or number of dorsal spines is currently used to differentiate two congeneric archer fish species Toxotes chatareus and Toxotes jaculatrix. Here we investigate other morphometric and meristic characters that can also be used to differentiate these two species. Principal component and/or discriminant functions revealed that meristic characters were highly correlated with pectoral fin ray count, number of lateral line scales, as well as number of anal fin rays. The results indicate that T. chatareus can be distinguished from T. jaculatrix by having a greater number of lateral line scales, a lower number of pectoral fin rays, and a higher number of anal fin rays. In contrast, morphometric discriminant analyses gave relatively low distinction: 76.1% of fish were ascribed to the correct species cluster. The observed morphometric differences came from the dorsal and anal spines lengths, with T. chatareus having shorter dorsal and longer anal spines than T. jaculatrix. Overall, meristic traits were more useful than morphometrics in differentiating the two species; nevertheless, meristics and morphometrics together provide information about the morphological differentiation between these two closely related archer fishes.     

Counseling Services for Malaysian Gifted Students: An Initial Study

This is a preliminary study that was conducted in regard to 180 gifted students who attended the ‘Malaysian Gifted Centre’s School Holiday Camp’ in 2011. Data indicated that only about 7 % of the respondents had a tendency to seek a counsellor’s help to solve their problems, and the need for counselling services was higher among female than male students. It was also found that career counselling was the most preferred type of counselling service needed by the Malaysian gifted students. Findings from the study reveal five different elements that need consideration when providing counselling services for gifted students: counsellor personality, student issues, the therapeutic environment, approaches used by the counsellor, and the counsellor’s role.     

神兵天降

巨大的引擎轰鸣声难以让布鲁克镇定下来,这是他第一次在军事演习中跳伞,他的内心完全没有表面看上去那么淡定。在即将到达指定跳伞地点之前,他最后一次检查自己的装备。往日艰苦的训练场景与教官的训导浮现在脑海中,他的心中逐渐充满了自信。     

“NAEYC’s Key Attributes of Quality Preschool Programs” Applied to the Jordanian Kindergarten Context

Jordan’s education system is currently undergoing rigorous and comprehensive reform processes that focus on improving the status of educational policies and experiences for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Kindergarten education in Jordan has been dominated until recently, by the private-sector. For the past decade, the Ministry of Education has taken initiative to provide government-funded kindergarten programs. The main objective of this research was to evaluate program practices implemented by private and public-sector programs and examine their alignment with Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Using NAEYC’s “Top 10 Signs of a Good Kindergarten Classroom” as evaluative guidelines, observational data was collected from 118 classrooms (50-private, 68-public). Demographic data were also obtained from classroom teachers; level of education, specialty, and years of experience. The results of the analysis revealed significant differences in application of the 10 NAEYC guidelines between public and private-sector programs. Ministry of Education kindergarten classroom practices were found to be closely aligned to best practices compared to private-sector programs. Also, teachers with bachelor’s degrees and those with early childhood education backgrounds outperformed their counterparts in the application of Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Years of experience yielded no significant results for this sample of teachers. Reflecting on the results of this study, several recommendations were posed.     

The scholarship of teaching and learning: challenges for Malaysian academics

This paper explores the adoption of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by 10 Malaysian university academics. SoTL was part of a pioneering sector-wide initiative for improving teaching and learning. The qualitative study showed that there had been no true learning phase for SoTL because academics had high expectations of rapid success in their new research area, including journal publication. Most of their peers did not understand or value SoTL and so SoTL researchers established minority self-sustaining groups across disciplines and universities. SoTL brought new ways of thinking about teaching that were transformational for the teacher but not necessarily welcomed by the students. Students resisted radical change, and teachers were drawn back to educational practices they no longer valued. SoTL was experienced in a hierarchical educational culture where questioning of self and others was difficult and this hindered teacher development. We conclude with recommendations about realistic expectations and the importance of social learning for those considering SoTL for academic development.     

Technology and school leadership

As the demand for schools to become more effective and efficient learning communities increases, the need for principals to cultivate broad‐based, skilful participation in the work of leadership is essential. It is important for educational leaders to recognise the significance of their role in technology implementation and utilisation. They should be proficient in the use of technology and then provide leadership in the use of technology for administrative, instructional, and learning functions. Relatively few studies have empirically examined the level of computer use by principals, their perceived computer competence and their leadership style. This paper will report on these issues from an initial analysis of baseline data gathered from 30 secondary school principals in Tehran, a large province in Iran. Findings indicate that school principals spent a few times a week working on their computers and they had moderate levels of information technology competency. This paper also suggests that transformational leadership can help school leaders increase successful use of technology in schools. Hence, policy makers must design professional development programmes, such as leadership studies, in order to teach the components of transformational leadership: idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration to future administrators.     

Chip morphology predictions while machining hardened tool steel using finite element and smoothed particles hydrodynamics methods

Chip morphology predictions in metal cutting have always been challenging because of the complexity of the various multiphysical phenomena that occur across the tool-chip interface. An accurate prediction of chip morphology is a key factor in the assessment of a particular machining operation with regard to both tool performance and workpiece quality. Although finite element (FE) models are being developed over the last two decades, their capabilities in modeling correct material flow around the tool tip with shear localization are very limited. FE models with an arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) approach are able to simulate correct material flow around the tool tip. However, these models are unable to predict any shear localization based on material flow criteria. On the other hand, FE models with a Lagrangian formulation can simulate shear localization in the chip segments; they need to make use of a mesh-based chip separation criterion that significantly affects material flow around the tool tip. In this study a mesh-free method viz. smoothed particles hydrodynamics (SPH) is implemented to simulate shear localization in the chip while machining hardened steel. Unlike other SPH models developed by some researchers, this model is based on a renormalized formulation that can consider frictional stresses along the tool-chip interface giving a realistic chip shape and material flow. SPH models with different cutting parameters are compared with the traditional FE models and it has been found that the SPH models are good for predicting shear localized chips and do not need any geometric or mesh-based chip separation criteria.     

贝雷帽逸事

贝雷帽,是英文＂Beret＂的音译,亦称画家帽。这是一种平顶的圆形无帽檐儿软帽,款式无男女之分,戴的时候软顶经常偏向一边。贝雷帽是很多军队和警察部队的制服,在有些国家甚至是精锐部队的标志之一。关于贝雷帽,可是有很多有趣的逸事呢,你想知道吗？     

Isolation of cells for selective treatment and analysis using a magnetic microfluidic chip

This study describes the development and testing of a magnetic microfluidic chip (MMC) for trapping and isolating cells tagged with superparamagnetic beads (SPBs) in a microfluidic environment for selective treatment and analysis. The trapping and isolation are done in two separate steps; first, the trapping of the tagged cells in a main channel is achieved by soft ferromagnetic disks and second, the transportation of the cells into side chambers for isolation is executed by tapered conductive paths made of Gold (Au). Numerical simulations were performed to analyze the magnetic flux and force distributions of the disks and conducting paths, for trapping and transporting SPBs. The MMC was fabricated using standard microfabrication processes. Experiments were performed with E. coli (K12 strand) tagged with 2.8 μm SPBs. The results showed that E. coli can be separated from a sample solution by trapping them at the disk sites, and then isolated into chambers by transporting them along the tapered conducting paths. Once the E. coli was trapped inside the side chambers, two selective treatments were performed. In one chamber, a solution with minimal nutrition content was added and, in another chamber, a solution with essential nutrition was added. The results showed that the growth of bacteria cultured in the second chamber containing nutrient was significantly higher, demonstrating that the E. coli was not affected by the magnetically driven transportation and the feasibility of performing different treatments on selectively isolated cells on a single microfluidic platform.