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The association between classroom climate qualitity and students’ academic achievement has been well researched. The relationship of a student to the classroom climate can be viewed from the seminal work of Moos (1974) in classifying the dimensions between individual relationship and the surrounding environment into “relationship”, “personal growth” as well as “systems maintenance and change”. Students’ perspective on their classroom climate can be used as a mechanism for classroom assessment to provide useful information regarding the strengths and weaknesses as well as an opportunity for teacher’s reflection in teaching practices. Hence, the main objective of this study is to produce empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of the item in Malay version of What is Happening in This Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire in the context of Malaysian rural secondary schools which is used to study students’ perceptions of their mathematics learning experiences in the classroom. PLS-SEM approach with aided by Smart PLS version 3.2.8 software was used to examine the internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity. The translated questionnaire was administered to 338 students of rural secondary schools in Sabah, Malaysia by using the multi-stage cluster sampling. Results showed a PLS-SEM measurement model with 48-items demonstrating good convergent and discriminant validity and reliability. This finding concluded that all items in the Malay version of WIHIC are valid and reliable to be used in future study. Lastly, the current study supports the use of WIHIC for educational practices improvement that could be beneficial to stakeholders such as teachers, administrators and policy makers.

PDF file, 113K, Supplementary Tables 4-7: These tables summarize in detail, the prognostic associations of VEGF pathway polymorphisms with drug response/survival on survival parameters.

Angiogenesis is an important host process that interacts with cancer cells to promote growth, invasion, and metastasis. Numerous therapeutic agents targeting the VEGF pathway have been developed. Host variability in VEGF pathway can influence angiogenesis-dependent signaling, altering sensitivity to antiangiogenic drugs and prognosis. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted (May 1990–July 2011). Eligible studies involved cancer patients and compared polymorphisms in the VEGF pathway [VEGF and molecules directly interacting with VEGF: KDR, FLT1, FGF, FGF2, FGFR, NRP1, endostatin (encoded by COL18A1)], and reported one of the following outcomes: overall survival, progression-free survival, time to recurrence, disease-free survival, response rate, or drug toxicity. We identified 48 cancer studies assessing prognosis and 12 cancer studies exploring pharmacogenetics of anti-VEGF therapy across various VEGF pathway polymorphisms. There was marked inter- and intradisease site heterogeneity in the effect of polymorphisms on both outcome and response to therapy. Meta-analyses of 5 VEGF polymorphisms (+936C>T, −460T>C, +405G>C, −1154G>A, and −2578C>A) identified a significant prognostic relationship: VEGF +405G>C variants showed a highly statistically significant improvement in overall survival [HR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.60–0.91; P = 0.004]. Variants (heterozygotes and/or homozygotes) of VEGF +405G>C were significantly associated with improved survival in a meta-analysis of multiple cancer sites. Clin Cancer Res; 18(17); 4526–37. ©2012 AACR.

PDF file - 136K, Profile of studies used in this meta-analysis. Of the 51 original articles included in this report, 49 are shown here: two were excluded from this table as they did not contribute to any of the main analyses (case-only). Contribution to aims 1-3 are indicated by √ in initiation of carcinogenesis, progression of disease, and overall risk of cervical cancer, respectively.

PDF file, 160K, Supplementary Figure 1: This figure displays the forest plots for both the A) pooled and B) zygosity-segregated analysis of VEGF +936C>T as a prognostic marker of overall survival in cancer.

PDF file - 108K, Supplementary Figure 1. Funnel plot for included studies that evaluated overall risk. The included studies were summarized in Supplementary Table 1. Supplementary Figure 2. Forest plot with OR for risk of cervical cancer compared to normal controls. OR and heterogeneity measures are shown for each subset as a subtotal A) HPV positive subset; B) HPV negative subset and for the pooled analysis as a total. Weights of individual studies are represented by black boxes. Diamonds represent weighted OR with 95% confidence limits. Recessive model shown.

PDF file, 141K, Supplementary Figures 2-4: These figures display the pooled meta-analysis results and forest plots of the other three VEGF polymorphisms analyzed (VEGF -2578C>A, -1154G>A, -460C>T).

PDF file, 59K, Supplementary Table 1: Summary of sequence variants/polymorphisms found in systematic review and their common, Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) and RefSNP annotations.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with clinical signs and symptoms that deteriorate over time. We have previously demonstrated that a combination of transcranial and remote photobiomodulation treatment has the potential to improve some clinical signs of Parkinson’s disease for up to one-year. The objective of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of continued home photobiomodulation treatment over a three-year period. Eight of the original twelve participants returned for reassessment at 2 years and six at 3 years. Participants were assessed for mobility, fine motor control, balance, and cognition. Median values for mobility and cognition continued to improve to 2 years and slightly declined to 3-years although not to pre-treatment levels. Individual participants typically improved in some outcome measures to 2-years and some participants continued to improve to 3-years. Cognition was the most sustained outcome improvement and static balance the least. Two participants who discontinued treatment after 1 year showed a decline in outcome measures. No negative side-effects of the treatment were reported. In conclusion, results suggested that at-home photobiomodulation treatment was effective to maintain improvements in clinical signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for as long as treatment continued. The results of this study warrant a larger prospective randomized trial.

This study investigated the use of an e-Portfolio for assessment at a Malaysian public university. Prior to the advent of the Internet, paper portfolios are ubiquitous forms of projects and assessments. However, they have limitations in terms of portability, shareability, and delayed two-way communication between instructors and students about progress. In lieu of paper portfolio, the e-Portfolio was introduced in an advanced English language course at a public university in Malaysia. The novelty of the e-Portfolio’s implementation renders it necessary to seek the insights of those who are directly involved in its use. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions of the instructors and students regarding their use of the e-Portfolio throughout the course. This is a qualitative study whereby the main data collection method involved interviews. The data were imported to NVivo 12, and thematic analysis was used as the primary method of data analysis. A total of three instructors and 18 students participated in this study. The findings reveal that the instructors and students perceived the contribution of the e-Portfolio in the aspects of writing stages, digital artefacts, accessibility, personalised writing experience, feedback and communication, and motivation. The results demonstrate that mutually perceived challenges by the instructors and students were poor Internet connectivity and difficulty adapting to the e-Portfolio. The study highlights the benefits and shortcomings of using the e-Portfolio as an assessment tool for academic writing. This will guide practitioners and researchers to better implement the e-Portfolio in higher education institutions.

Background and Purpose: This paper presents a comprehensive review of the research on reading comprehension interventions for ESL learners. Although numerous reviews have reported the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching in improving reading outcomes, only few reviews focused on the use of these strategies in ESL contexts. Hence, this review identified, evaluated and synthesized relevant literature in search of the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching and the features that are associated with improved reading comprehension outcomes. Methodology: Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), a thorough search was performed on five major databases using the search terms “reciprocal teaching” or “reciprocal reading” and “reading comprehension” or “text comprehension”. Findings: The comprehensive search resulted in a total of 18 articles. The analysis coded these articles into eight main themes with four main themes concentrated on the features of the reciprocal teaching interventions: (a) purposes, (b) learning environment, (c) comprehension-monitoring, and (d) scaffolding, and another four main themes on the outcomes of the interventions: (e) results, (f) comprehension outcome measures, (g) reading strategies, and (h) conceptual change. Contributions: Conclusively, reciprocal teaching fulfilled the key features of effective intervention as significant gains were mostly observed in the research using reciprocal teaching as intervention. The versatility of reciprocal teaching makes the technique adaptable to learners of varying backgrounds, ages and levels of education. Keywords: reciprocal teaching, reading strategies, interventions, ESL learners, comprehension. Cite as: Dew, T. P., Swanto, S., & Pang, V. (2021). The effectiveness of reciprocal teaching as reading comprehension intervention: A systematic review. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 156-184. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp156-184

The absence of a context factor evaluation study instrument for the implementation of STEM education elements led to this study being implemented. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Contextual Factors Questionnaire for the Implementation of STEM Education Elements in teacher teaching and learning. Based on the literature reviewed and analysis of the existing relevant questionnaires, the constructs and items identified contributing to the context of the implementation of STEM elements in teacher teaching and learning were successfully developed. The Context Factor Questionnaire went through face validation and content validity involving 13 experts, meanwhile, the construct validity and reliability of the instrument were checked by analyzing the questionnaire items using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) Version 25.0. A total of 825 secondary school teachers were involved in this study. The factor loading for each item was in the range of 0.538 to 0.819, while the reliability value (alpha) of each item was, a = 0.965. The validity and reliability results indicate the instrument is suitable to be administered for the actual study.

In the 21st century, the basic concept of instructional leadership has not changed much but its needs are still relevant and have become an important pulse for principals’ leadership towards the achievement of curricular excellence in schools. This study aims to identify instructional leadership practices and their implementation by island school principals in the state of Sabah. The qualitative study using this case study approach involved principals, senior curriculum assistants, and school subject teachers as study participants. The study data collected through interview, document analysis, and observation methods were processed and analyzed using ATLAS software. ti 8. The findings of the study show that the practice of instructional leadership in terms of defining the mission of the school, managing instructional programs, and creating a positive school climate is very important to ensure school excellence can be achieved. Principals of island schools should practice instructional leadership in their leadership not just to achieve curricular excellence but as a platform to perform their responsibilities as change leaders in schools in driving schools towards effective schools according to current changes. In conclusion, the instructional leadership practices of school principals are very important in ensuring curriculum excellence and the effectiveness of teachers' teaching and learning can be achieved in a planned and systematic manner and able to keep up with the current changes in the context of global education.

Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk membangunkan dan mengesahkan Soal Selidik Penerimaan Pelaksanaan Elemen Pendidikan STEM dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Guru dari perspektif guru sebagai pelaksana di Sekolah Menengah. Berdasarkan penerokaan literatur, konstruk dan item yang dikenal pasti menyumbang kepada pelaksanaan elemen STEM dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran dari aspek penerimaan guru berjaya dibangunkan. Soal Selidik telah disahkan melalui kesahan muka dan kesahan kandungan instrumen yang melibatkan 13 orang pakar manakala, kesahan konstruk dan kebolehpercayaan instrumen di analisis menggunakan perisian Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) Versi 25.0. Seramai 825 orang guru sekolah menengah terlibat dalam kajian ini. Muatan faktor bagi setiap item berada dalam julat 0.562 hingga 0.799, manakala keputusan analisis kebolehpercayaan adalah, a=0.974. Keputusan menunjukkan instrumen mempunyai kesahan dan kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi dan sesuai diaplikasikan dalam kajian sebenar.

Emerging evidence is increasingly supporting the use of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) to improve symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). The objective of this study was to analyse the safety and efficacy of tPBM for PD motor symptoms. The study was a triple blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial with 40 idiopathic PD patients receiving either active tPBM (635 nm plus 810 nm LEDs) or sham tPBM for 24 min per day (56.88J), six days per week, for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measures were treatment safety and a 37-item MDS-UPDRS-III (motor domain) assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. Individual MDS-UPDRS-III items were clustered into sub-score domains (facial, upper-limb, lower-limb, gait, and tremor). The treatment produced no safety concerns or adverse events, apart from occasional temporary and minor dizziness. There was no significant difference in total MDS-UPDRS-III scores between groups, presumably due to the placebo effect. Additional analyses demonstrated that facial and lower-limb sub-scores significantly improved with active treatment, while gait and lower-limb sub-scores significantly improved with sham treatment. Approximately 70% of participants responded to active treatment (≥5 decrease in MDS-UPDRS-III score) and improved in all sub-scores, while sham responders improved in lower-limb sub-scores only. tPBM appears to be a safe treatment and improved several PD motor symptoms in patients that responded to treatment. tPBM is proving to be increasingly attractive as a possible non-pharmaceutical adjunct therapy.

Background and Purpose: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the formal school curriculum can be described as a STEM-related individual subject; as a learning package offering learning pathway for STEM elective subjects and as an integrated STEM learning approach. This study focuses on the needs assessment of STEM education as a learning approach among lower secondary school teachers in a local district in Malaysia. The current and desired situations were analysed as well as the causal factors which guide the choice of any intervention programs to address the actual needs. Methodology: Three schools were selected through heterogenous purposive sampling. The teachers from each school were selected through criterion sampling based on predetermined criteria. 31 teachers from the lower secondary level who teach STEM related subjects as well as the head of panel and departments of the STEM subjects, were selected as the participants. Focus group and one-to-one interviews were conducted with the participants after receiving their consent. Findings: There is a gap between the desired situation and the current situation in the implementation of integrated STEM education. The implementation of STEM education at the lower secondary level can be facilitated through various means such as a comprehensive STEM education professional development or training for teachers, collaborations between STEM subjects teachers through lesson studies or professional learning community, and working together with local STEM expertise or community of practice. Contributions: The findings provide relevant information and guidance on the selection of intervention for the integrated STEM education in addressing the needs. It also initiates the planning of the integrated STEM education programs which focuses on the gaps as the means to achieve the desired results. Keywords: STEM education, needs assessment, case study, gap, interventions Cite as: Loh, S. L., Pang, V., & Lajium, D. (2021). A case study of needs assessment of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in lower secondary schools. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 242-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp242-264

Genetic studies have identified several epithelial-derived genes associated with airway diseases. However, techniques used to study gene function frequently exceed the proliferative potential of primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) isolated from patients. Increased expression of the polycomb group protein BMI-1 extends the lifespan of HBECs while maintaining cell context plasticity. Herein we aimed to assess how BMI-1 expression impacted cellular functions and global mRNA expression. HBECs from six donors were transduced with lentivirus containing BMI-1 and cells were characterised, including by RNA sequencing and impedance measurement. BMI-1-expressing HBECs (B-HBECs) have a proliferative advantage and show comparable in vitro properties to low passage primary HBECs, including cell attachment/spreading and barrier formation. The B-HBEC mRNA signature was modestly different to HBECs, with only 293 genes differentially expressed (5% false discovery rate). Genes linked to epithelial mesenchymal transition and cell cycle were enriched in B-HBECs. We investigated the expression of genes implicated in asthma from genetic and expression studies and found that 97.6% of genes remained unaltered. We have shown that increased BMI-1 expression in HBECs delays lung epithelial cell senescence by promoting cell cycle progression and highlighted the flexible utility for B-HBECs as an important platform for studying airway epithelial mechanisms., A method to extend the lifespan of primary human bronchial epithelial cells that maintain a normal epithelial cell phenotype, thus providing a platform to investigate respiratory disease mechanisms over prolonged periods https://bit.ly/353Rklc

Background: Asthma is a complex disease with multiple phenotypes that may differ in disease pathobiology and treatment response. IL33 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reproducibly associated with asthma. IL33 levels are elevated in sputum and bronchial biopsies of patients with asthma. The functional consequences of IL33 asthma SNPs remain unknown. Objective: This study sought to determine whether IL33 SNPs associate with asthma-related phenotypes and with IL33 expression in lung or bronchial epithelium. This study investigated the effect of increased IL33 expression on human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) function. Methods: Association between IL33 SNPs (Chr9: 5,815,786-6,657,983) and asthma phenotypes (Lifelines/DAG [Dutch Asthma GWAS]/GASP [Genetics of Asthma Severity & Phenotypes] cohorts) and between SNPs and expression (lung tissue, bronchial brushes, HBECs) was done using regression modeling. Lentiviral overexpression was used to study IL33 effects on HBECs. Results: We found that 161 SNPs spanning the IL33 region associated with 1 or more asthma phenotypes after correction for multiple testing. We report a main independent signal tagged by rs992969 associating with blood eosinophil levels, asthma, and eosinophilic asthma. A second, independent signal tagged by rs4008366 presented modest association with eosinophilic asthma. Neither signal associated with FEV 1, FEV 1/forced vital capacity, atopy, and age of asthma onset. The 2 IL33 signals are expression quantitative loci in bronchial brushes and cultured HBECs, but not in lung tissue. IL33 overexpression in vitro resulted in reduced viability and reactive oxygen species–capturing of HBECs, without influencing epithelial cell count, metabolic activity, or barrier function. Conclusions: We identify IL33 as an epithelial susceptibility gene for eosinophilia and asthma, provide mechanistic insight, and implicate targeting of the IL33 pathway specifically in eosinophilic asthma.

Kompetensi pengetua sekolah dalam meningkatkan keberkesanan dan kecekapan pengurusan sesebuah sekolah merupakan satu isu dalam pendidikan. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti amalan kompetensi kepimpinan dan pelaksanaannya oleh pengetua sekolah di sebuah pulau di negeri Sabah. Kajian kualitatif ini menggunakan pendekatan kajian kes. Peserta kajian terdiri daripada pengetua, penolong kanan kurikulum dan guru mata pelajaran sekolah. Proses pengumpulan data dibuat dengan menggunakan kaedah temu bual, pemerhatian dan analisis dokumen. Data-data kajian diproses dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan perisian ATLAS. ti 8. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa kompetensi kepimpinan dari aspek pengetahuan, kemahiran dan tingkah laku sangat penting bagi pengetua sekolah berkenaan untuk memastikan kecemerlangan sekolah dapat dicapai. Pengetua sekolah pulau ini harus memiliki kompetensi kepimpinan dari aspek pengetahuan, kemahiran dan tingkah laku dalam melaksanakan tugasnya sebagai pemimpin secara cekap dan berkesan sama ada berfokuskan kepada kepimpinan sekolah, pengajaran guru, mahu pun aspek operasional. Kesimpulannya, kompetensi kepimpinan pengetua sekolah berkenaan sangat penting dalam memastikan pengurusan dan kepimpinan sekolah sentiasa terancang dan sistematik serta mampu mengikuti arus perubahan semasa dalam konteks pendidikan global.

Background Since 2003, 200 cases of bird flu (H5N1) cases have been reported with 168 death (case fatality rate: 84%) in Indonesia. Pandemics are unpredictable, but the threat is imminent. Therefore, pandemic preparedness, which includes full simulation exercises, is a key to reduce this threat. Responding to the challenges, Ministry of Health (MoH) Indonesia adopted WHO pandemic risk management guideline, developed contingency plan and conducted full scale epicenter influenza pandemic simulation. Method The exercise outlines the Government of Indonesia operational plans for Avian Influenza (AI) control from the detection of AI cases (from poultry to human transmission) and containment of human to human transmission of novel influenza virus in influenza pandemic epicenter at Setu village South Tangerang. The simulation covers multiple locations in community, hospitals, point of entry and live bird market. 25 evaluators and around 800 observers involved in the exercise. Results The full scale pandemic epicenter containment exercise has demonstrated Indonesia capacity in whole of society approach pandemic risk management in the overall national emergency response framework, covering command and coordination, animal health response surveillance, medical response, laboratory, risk communication, perimeter control, pharmaceutical interventions, non-pharmaceutical interventions and civil-military interoperability. It is served as a momentum to improve multisector commitment on pandemic preparedness. The outcome of this exercise has contributed to identification of gaps that require further strengthening of IHR core capacities in the country to reduce the threat of the next influenza pandemic. Conclusion There is also a critical need for more evidence-based strategies and policy formulation to strengthen pandemic preparedness.

The effect of poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer modifiers on the adhesion strength of epoxies was evaluated. Three block copolymer modifiers of varying block weigh...

Access to formal education is an arduous and difficult process for undocumented and stateless children with entry into government schools often hindered by their status and prevailing national policies and procedures. The Alternative Education Programme (AEP) is structured as a response for the need to provide some form of schooling for children under this classification. This study investigated students’ attainment in the AEP curriculum at Murni Alternative Education Centre (MAEC). A questionnaire, which incorporated a proxy pre-test, measured the achievement of children pre and post-participation in the MAEC learning among 136 female and 113 male learners with the mean age being 10.17 years. Achievement of the intended outcomes of the MAEC curriculum was investigated using Rasch Analysis. Achievement of MAEC objectives was demonstrated in the five curriculum components. In Literacy and Numeracy, item difficulty of reading, speaking, writing and counting showed significant decreases. In Religious Practice, a slight improvement was found with learners able to read the Quran and perform Islamic obligations and acts of worship. For Civics and Citizenship, increase in awareness and appreciation of Malaysian nationhood was ascertained with almost all children identifying themselves as ‘Malaysians’. Improvement in Self-Management was also demonstrated through increased awareness of personal hygiene and well-being except in the matter of environment upkeep. For Living Skills, the majority concurred that MAEC learning equipped them with skills to generate income. These insights into the MAEC learning outcomes from the perspectives of learners themselves could serve as guidelines towards any restructuring of AEP curriculum in MAEC in particular, and Sabah in general. Keywords: Alternative education programme, alternative learning centre, curriculum evaluation, Rasch analysis, undocumented children Cite as: Pang, V., Ling, M. T., & Tibok, R. P. (2019). Achievement of children in an alternative education programme for refugee, stateless and undocumented children in Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 335-361. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp335-361

Modul pendekatan projek menggunakan persekitaran luar berkaitan kemahiran awal Matematik kanak-kanak prasekolah semakin menjadi tumpuan penyelidik pada masa kini. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan kesahan kandungan modul pendekatan projek menggunakan EcoCampus UMS untuk pencapaian awal Matematik kanak-kanak prasekolah. Kajian ini berbentuk kuantitatif dengan menggunakan kaedah tinjauan untuk mendapatkan pandangan pakar dan guru berkaitan kandungan reka bentuk modul pendekatan projek tersebut. Analisis data kajian ini adalah menggunakan Content Validity Index (CVI), iaitu persetujuan pakar dan guru sebanyak 70% ke atas menunjukkan item-item mempunyai kesahan kandungan yang tinggi dan sah untuk digunakan.