Web-based evaluation system for a Problem-Based Laboratory

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Technology Malaysia is currently moving towards a Problem-Based Laboratory implementation rather than the conventional instructional-based laboratory for final year students. The laboratory has commenced session with about 500 students＇ registration in the 2007/08/1. The Problem-Based Laboratory requires each group of four or five students to solve three given problems in three different laboratories per semester. Each problem has to be solved by conducting the related experiment within four weeks. As they are various evaluation criteria that need to be considered, a web-based evaluation system is proposed in determining the final grade of the students. The evaluation system allows the laboratory coordinators to log in as administrators in order to monitor the evaluation process, which involves both the laboratory technicians and students. The developed web-based evaluation system has proven its capability in working interactively with the users. From the uploading of student＇s information, group division, marks insertion and total marks calculation for the final grade. It is anticipated that the web-based evaluation system can ensure reliability and security in determining a student＇s grade in a Problem-Based Laboratory in a shorter time especially when dealing with a large number of students.     

Metabolic Syndrome in Childhood: Rare Case of Alstrom Syndrome with Blindness

Alstrom’s syndrome (AS) is a rare autosomal recessive ciliopathic condition affecting 1:10,00,000 children. It’s a single gene disorder of ALMS1 on chromosome 2 with multisystem involvement with cone-rod retinal dystrophy causing juvenile blindness, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 Diabetes mellitus, hypogonadism and sensorineural hearing loss. Till now only 800 patients with this disorder has been identified so far. In this report, we describe the case of a 9-year old male boy from south India. He had been initially referred for polyphagia, polyuria, polydipsia, generalized weakness from 1 weeks. On examination he was demonstrated features suggestive of AS, including blindness, obesity, type 2 diabetes, altered lipid profile, hypogonadism, acanthosis nigricans, seborrheic dermatitis, right ear discharge and episodes of respiratory tract infections. So, diagnosis of AS is critical as it can easily be overlooked because of the many features associated with metabolic syndrome starting at age 7, a relatively early age.     

Use of antigen prepared from in vitro culture ofPlasmodium falciparum for the detection of antibodies in sera from patients exposed toPlasmodium vivax

The blood stage parasites fromin vitro cultures ofPlasmodium falciparum were employed for the detection of malaria antibodies in patient sera havingP. vivax infections employing indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The antibody titres obtained for theP. vivax infected sera ranged from 1∶128 to 1∶1024. Control slides smeared with non-immune sera did not show any fluorescence. On the basis of the results of the present study it maybe concluded that antigen prepared fromin vitro cultures ofP. falciparum cross-reacts withP. vivax antibodies.     

International students’ choice to study in China: an exploratory study

Tertiary Education and Management - International higher education is a major source of revenue in many developed countries. Historically the top destination countries for international students...     

Partial derivative properties of multivariable cascaded networks1

Some partial derivative properties of the impedance function of a resistively-terminated network which is a cascade of m lossless two-ports of variables p₁ to p_m dre established. Those cases where some of the lossless two-ports are lowpass or highpass ladder networks with all of their transmission zeros at the origin or at infinity are also examined. Necessary and sufficient conditions involving partial derivatives and under which an m-variable reactance or positive real function can be realized as the impedance function of a p_i-variable lowpass or highpass ladder network, with all of its transmission zeros at p_i = 0 or p_i = ∞, and terminated in a reactance or positive real impedance function in the other variables are derived.     

The analytic hierarchy process of the decision-making factors of African students in obtaining higher education in the United Arab Emirates

The mobility of African students beyond national territories has become common worldwide. However, the underlying reasons motivating students to leave their countries of origin in pursuit of higher education in other developing nations and why these factors are important have not been fully explored. This study attempts to explore why and how African students travel to the United Arab Emirates for higher education. A push-pull factor theory of the international student’s choice of destination is developed to identify factors influencing the choices made by these students. The analytic hierarchy process is used to examine the relative importance of these factors. The findings of this quantitative study indicate that learning environment and geographic proximity are the two most important factors for African students, while other factors have a moderate impact. The findings contribute to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the needs and choices of existing and potential students from this continent, with a view to applying a segmentation approach to attract these students.     

The role of gestures in the mathematical practices of those who do not see with their eyes

In this paper, we aim to contribute to the discussion of the role of the human body and of the concrete artefacts and signs created by humankind in the constitution of meanings for mathematical practices. We argue that cognition is both embodied and situated in the activities through which it occurs and that mathematics learning involves the appropriation of practices associated with the sets of artefacts that have historically come to represent the body of knowledge we call mathematics. This process of appropriation involves a coordination of a variety of the semiotic resources??spoken and written languages, mathematical representation systems, drawings, gestures and the like??through which mathematical objects and relationships might be experienced and expressed. To highlight the connections between perceptual activities and cultural concepts in the meanings associated with this process, we concentrate on learners who do not have access to the visual field. More specifically, we present three examples of gesture use in the practices of blind mathematics students??all involving the exploration of geometrical objects and relationships. On the basis of our analysis of these examples, we argue that gestures are illustrative of imagined reenactions of previously experienced activities and that they emerge in instructional situations as embodied abstractions, serving a central role in the sense-making practices associated with the appropriation of mathematical meanings.     

The face of digital literacy for Muslim teenage girls: a comparative study of Bradford Muslim girl schools

This paper is grounded in a qualitative approach, to call forth the views of Muslim teenage girls on their access and use of learning technologies for inclusive educational practice. The 45 Muslim teenage girls, aged 14–19 years old, from three British Muslim girls schools participated in this empirical study. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and the data were analysed using template analysis, matrix analysis, and cross-case analysis. The pupils had strong aspirations that learning technologies and computers should support their learning and attainment, but their access and use to supporting technologies was mixed. It was found through a comparative analysis of the data that all the Muslim teenage girls that entered Muslim schools felt secure and performed competently. Furthermore, the educational success of School A was attributable to educational norms and values relative to the provision of digital resources and skilled teaching staff. The educational experiences of School B and School C were more variable due to access to digital technologies, provision of digital contents and skilled teaching staff. Furthermore, this research study seems to highlight a marked difference between the Muslim School environment and the social context of teenage girls outside the educational setting.