Siti Aishah Hassan

Phenolics, Flavonoids, Antioxidant Activity and Cyanogenic Glycosides of Organic and Mineral-base Fertilized Cassava Tubers

A field study was conducted to determine the effect of organic and mineral-based fertilizers on phytochemical contents in the tubers of two cassava varieties. Treatments were arranged in a split plot design with three replicates. The main plot was fertilizer source (vermicompost, empty fruit bunch compost and inorganic fertilizer) and sub-plot was cassava variety (Medan and Sri Pontian). The amount of fertilizer applied was based on 180 kg K2O ha−1. The tubers were harvested and analyzed for total flavonoids, total phenolics, antioxidant activity and cyanogenic glucoside content. Total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and aluminium chloride colorimetric method, respectively. Different sources of fertilizer, varieties and their interactions were found to have a significant effect on phytochemical content. The phenolic and flavonoid content were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the vermicompost treatment compared to mineral fertilizer and EFB compost. The total flavonoids and phenolics content of vermicompost treated plants were 39% and 38% higher, respectively, than those chemically fertilized. The antioxidant activity determined using the DPPH and FRAP assays were high with application of organic fertilizer. Cyanogenic glycoside levels were decreased with the application of organic fertilizer. Among the two types of compost, vermicompost resulted in higher nutritional value of cassava tubers. Medan variety with application of vermicompost showed the most promising nutritional quality. Since the nutritional quality of cassava can be improved by organic fertilization, organic fertilizer should be used in place of chemical fertilizer for environmentally sustainable production of better quality cassava.

Nitrate, Ascorbic Acid, Mineral and Antioxidant Activities of Cosmos caudatus in Response to Organic and Mineral-Based Fertilizer Rates

The source and quantity of nutrients available to plants can affect the quality of leafy herbs. A study was conducted to compare quality of Cosmos caudatus in response to rates of organic and mineral-based fertilizers. Organic based fertilizer GOBI (8% N:8% P2O5:8% K2O) and inorganic fertilizer (15% N, 15% P2O5, 15% K2O) were evaluated based on N element rates at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 kg h−1. Application of organic based fertilizer reduced nitrate, improved vitamin C, antioxidant activity as well as nitrogen and calcium nutrients content. Antioxidant activity and chlorophyll content were significantly higher with increased fertilizer application. Fertilization appeared to enhance vitamin C content, however for the maximum ascorbic acid content, regardless of fertilizer sources, plants did not require high amounts of fertilizer.

The Development and Validation of Maternal Spiritual Characteristics Scales

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a family counseling instrument that measures maternal spiritual characteristics. Particularly, the instrument aims to measure three domains of spirituality namely, Maternal Piety, Mercy and Accountability. These characteristics are considered as the characteristics for functional Muslim mothers. The study is designed into three phases. The first phase is a pilot study of a focus group from an Islamic Integrated Primary School (IIPS). In this phase, Cronbach’s alpha is employed to assess the reliability index. Accordingly, Principle Component Analysis is employed to explore the underlying dimensions of Maternal Piety, Mercy and Accountability. The second phase is an ex-post facto study that involved 12 IIPS in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is utilized to examine the construct validity of the instrument. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to investigate the relationship between maternal spiritual characteristics and mother-child attachment as supporting evidence for the criterion-related validity. The third phase was a cross-sectional study that involved 1000 students (age 13-17) from various secondary schools (inclusive of religious and non religious schools) of 4 states in Malaysia. In this phase, multistage cluster sampling technique is employed to select 200 students from each age group of Form 1,2,3,4 and 5. The results provide evidence that the instrument has sound psychometrics properties. This instrument has succeeded the standard Cronbach’s alpha > .70 for internal consistency and proportion variance explained > 50 % for the dimensions of Maternal Piety , Mercy and Accountability. The goodness-of -fit measures GFI, AGFI, IFI, TLI, and CFI > .90 and RMSEA

Cadmium Toxicity Affects Phytochemicals and Nutrient Elements Composition of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Lettuce varieties Bombilasta BBL and Italian 167 were treated with different concentrations of cadmium (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 mg/L) in a nutrient film technique (NFT) system to study its toxicity on phytochemicals and nutrient elements. Antioxidants analysis which employed DPPH and FRAP, flavonoids, phenolic, vitamin C, malondialdehyde (MDA), and proline indicated significant effects of Cd treatment on the varieties tested. Different concentration levels of Cd lead to positive interactions in FRAP, phenolic, and MDA but no significant effect in flavonoids, vitamin C, and proline. Contents of macro- and microelements in the varieties were significantly affected with increase in the toxicity levels of Cd in all nutrient elements tested with interactions exhibited for iron, manganese, and zinc.

Potential Regulatory Role of Gibberellic and Humic Acids in Sprouting of Chlorophytum borivilianum Tubers

Tubers of safed musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum) were immersed in three different concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3) or humic acid (HA) prior to planting. The highest concentration of GA3 (20 mg L−1) and all concentrations of HA (5, 10, and 15%) appeared to hasten tuber sprouting and promote uniform sprouting pattern. The use of 20 mg L−1 GA3 or 15% HA successfully improved sprouting and mean sprouting time. Safed musli growth and development was improved through the increase in the number of leaves, total leaf area, leaf area index, and total fibrous root length. This directly influenced the number of new tubers formed. The use of 20 mg L−1 GA3 or 15% HA gave similar response with nonsignificant difference among them. However, due to the cost of production, the result from this study suggests that 15% HA should be used to obtain improved sprouting percentage, homogeneous stand establishment, efficient plant growth and development, and increased yield of safed musli.

Parental Involvement and Achievement Motivation: Association with Studentsâ Achievement in Vocational Colleges, Malaysia

This study to identify the relationships between parental involvement and achievement motivation with an objective measure of the students’ achievement through students’ perception in vocational colleges, Malaysia. The study also examined the mediating effects of achievement motivation with students’ achievement and moderating role of gender for the link between parental involvement, achievement motivation and students’ achievement. Three hundred and sixty students (106 girls and 264 boys) were selected at thirteen vocational colleges students’ all around Malaysia. Our results showed that parental involvement were positively related with achievement motivation and students’ achievement which in turns achievement motivation also related to students’ achievement. There is full mediation effects between achievement motivation and parental involvement with students’ achievement. While gender were moderately correlated between achievement motivation and students’ achievement. The findings contribute to understanding commonly reported the relationships between parental involvement and achievement motivation elements with students’ achievement among the students in vocational colleges.

Effects of Schema Therapy and Schema-Focused Mindfulness Therapy on Conflict Resolution of Iranian Women in Malaysia

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy and schema-focused mindfulness therapy on conflict resolution among Iranian married women who lived in Malaysia during ?2015-2016. The qualified participants included 96 women who were assigned randomly into three groups, i.e. two experimental groups and a control group. The first experimental group received schema therapy and the second group received schema-focused mindfulness therapy while the control group did not receive any treatment. The treatment sessions lasted nearly three months using conflict resolution subscale from the ENRICH questionnaire, a demographic questionnaire and Youngs schema questionnaire as the instruments. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was also applied to analyze the results. The findings of the study revealed that schema therapy and schema-focused mindfulness therapy had a significant effect on conflict resolution of Iranian women in Malaysia. Moreover, the findings showed more improvement for schema-focused mindfulness therapy group at two months follow-up.

The Reliability Analysis for Malaysian Internet and Sexual Activities Inventory and Its Practical Implication

Despite the increasing number of internet subscribers in Malaysia, parallel with the increment of social issues related with the internet, an established instrument that measure sexual activities and internet that fit with Malaysian sample is crucially needed. Thus, this paper discussed the reliability of Malaysian Internet and Sexual Activities Inventory (MISAI) established by Hassan, Ayob, Talib and Abu Bakar (2013). The MISAI contains 23 items, rated with five-point from “Never true” to “Often true”, with the minimum score of 23 and maximum score of 115. The reliability of the instrument was tested into two sample groups, which are teenager aged 13 to 18 years old and university student aged between 20 to 24 years old. The Cronbach’s Alpha for pre-test for the first group (N=30) is α = .929, where the Cronbach’s Alpha for post-test (N=648) is α = .906. The reliability for the second group (N=30) is α = .834. The results indicate MISAI has high reliability (α> .70) and can be used to measure cybersex involvement among Malaysian sample. Practically, MISAI can be used by the counsellor to identify to what extend the client involved in cybersex activities.

The Influence of Parent Attachment on Self Regulation in Recovery Among Registered Drug Addicts

Drug addiction is an issue that should be taken seriously by all. The growing number of drug addicts from time to time has led to a variety of prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation approaches use to solve the problem. This research aims to identify the relationship between parent attachment and self-regulation in drug addiction recovery. The research has been using descriptive and correlational study design. Stratified random sampling was used to determine the number of drug addicts that have been selected as a sample to represent each district of the state. The study involved a total of 300 registered drug addicts aged between 19 and 36 years old. The instruments that were used contain of demographic questionnaire, parent attachment questionnaire and self-regulation questionnaire. Descriptive data was analysed by using SPSS 22.0 software. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between Parent Attachment and Self-Regulation (N = 300, r = 0.390 **, p = 0.01).

Growth and Flowering Responses of Cut Chrysanthemum Grown under Restricted Root Volume to Irrigation Frequency

Influences of irrigation frequency on the growth and flowering of chrysanthemum grown under restricted root volume were tested. Chrysanthemum cuttings (Chrysanthemum morifolium “Reagan White”) were grown in seedling tray which contained coconut peat in volumes of 73 and 140 cm3. Plants were irrigated with drip irrigation at irrigation frequencies of 4 (266 mL), 6 (400 mL), and 8 (533 mL) times/day to observe their growth and flowering performances. There was interaction between irrigation frequency and substrate volume on plant height of chrysanthemum. Plants grown in 140 cm3 substrates and irrigated 6 times/day produced the tallest plant of 109.25 cm. Plants irrigated 6 and 8 times/day had significantly higher level of phosphorus content in their leaves than those plants irrigated 4 times/day. The total leaf area, number of internodes, leaf length, and leaf width of chrysanthemums grown in 140 cm3 substrate were significantly higher than those grown in 73 cm3 substrate. The numbers of flowers were affected by both irrigation frequencies and substrate volumes. Chrysanthemums irrigated 8 times/day had an average of 19.56 flowers while those irrigated 4 times/day had an average of 16.63 flowers. Increasing irrigation frequency can improve the growth and flowering of chrysanthemums in small substrate volumes.