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Examining student rating of teaching effectiveness using FACETS

Mat Daud N, Abu Kassim NL

J Appl Meas, 2011;12(2):135-43.
PMID: 22089510

Students' evaluations of teaching staff can be considered high-stakes, as they are often used to determine promotion, reappointment, and merit pay to academics. Using Facets, the reliability and validity of one student rating questionnaire is analyzed. A total of 13,940 respondents of the Human Science Division of International Islamic University Malaysia were involved in the study. The analysis shows that the student rating questionnaire used was valid and reliable, and it allows identification of staff for the institution's prestigious teaching excellence awards, and those needing in-service training. It was found that there was no significant difference in terms of rank, age and gender of the staff. The study also shows that the majority of staff have problems keeping the class interested and getting students to participate in class activities. Faculty also hardly discussed common errors in assignments and tests.
Smartphone use patterns and the impact on accommodation and convergence system of the eyes among Malaysian teenagers

Chellapan T, Mat Daud N, Narayanasamy S

Int J Ophthalmol, 2024;17(11):2093-2099.
PMID: 39559302 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2024.11.16

AIM: To determine the smartphone use patterns and effects of smartphone use on accommodation and convergence system of the eyes among Malaysian teenagers.
METHODS: A total of 62 participants aged between 13 and 17y were involved. A self-administered questionnaires containing 12 items was used to evaluate the smartphone usage patterns. This was followed by an eye examination, involving a battery of accommodation and convergence assessments before and after the smartphone use. The data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and correlation coefficients.
RESULTS: The use of smartphones is at a high level and at an optimal distance daily, with more than 6h a day watching video films, games, and completing school projects. Majority of the participants not reported eye strain factors and eye prescription changes with the use of digital devices. The use of a smartphone continuously for 30min was found to significantly decrease amplitude of accommodation, accommodative facility, and positive relative accommodation (P<0.001). Meanwhile, the lag of accommodation parameters and negative relative accommodation increased with the use of smartphones significantly (P<0.001). The near point of convergence (NPC) and distance and near negative fusional vergence decreased significantly (P<0.001). The NPC parameter was found to have a weak negative association with the frequency of smartphone use (R=-0.276, P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Frequent and continuous use of smartphones have increased visual stress and resulted in weakness of accommodation and vergence functions. Therefore, frequent break is mandatory when using a smartphone and appropriate visual hygiene, the 20-20-20 rule (every 20min, view something 20 feet away for 20s) are required during smartphone use to maintain visual function.
Fulltext Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Related to Vitamin D and Its Relationship with Vitamin D Status among Malay Female Office Workers

Jamil NA, Shahudin NN, Abdul Aziz NS, Jia Qi C, Wan Aminuddin WAA, Mat Ludin AF, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 11 27;16(23).
PMID: 31783521 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16234735

This study assessed knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) related to vitamin D and its relationship with vitamin D status among Malay female office workers. A total of 147 women aged between 20 and 55 years were recruited from a university in Kuala Lumpur. They answered questionnaires related to KAP on vitamin D, sun exposure, dietary vitamin D intake and physical activity. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was analysed using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Nearly half (45%) of the subjects had good knowledge but moderate attitude (76%) and practice (84%) towards sunlight exposure and dietary vitamin D intake. Median serum 25OHD was 34.1 nmol/L with the majority (91%) had vitamin D insufficiency (25OHD < 50 nmol/L). Knowledge was weakly associated with attitude (r = 0.29, p < 0.001) but no association was found between knowledge and practice (r = 0.08, p = 0.355) nor attitude and practice (r = -0.001, p = 0.994). Serum 25OHD was positively associated with sunlight exposure (r = 0.22, p = 0.008) and dietary vitamin D intake (r = 0.37, p < 0.001). It can be implied that this group is at increased risk of low bone health status, which highlights the needs of public health campaigns to improve their vitamin D status.
Fulltext Circulating pancreatic polypeptide concentrations predict visceral and liver fat content

Sam AH, Sleeth ML, Thomas EL, Ismail NA, Mat Daud N, Chambers E, et al.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2015 Mar;100(3):1048-52.
PMID: 25490276 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-3450

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: No current biomarker can reliably predict visceral and liver fat content, both of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Vagal tone has been suggested to influence regional fat deposition. Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is secreted from the endocrine pancreas under vagal control. We investigated the utility of PP in predicting visceral and liver fat.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fasting plasma PP concentrations were measured in 104 overweight and obese subjects (46 men and 58 women). In the same subjects, total and regional adipose tissue, including total visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total subcutaneous adipose tissue (TSAT), were measured using whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. Intrahepatocellular lipid content (IHCL) was quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
RESULTS: Fasting plasma PP concentrations positively and significantly correlated with both VAT (r = 0.57, P < .001) and IHCL (r = 0.51, P < .001), but not with TSAT (r = 0.02, P = .88). Fasting PP concentrations independently predicted VAT after controlling for age and sex. Fasting PP concentrations independently predicted IHCL after controlling for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, homeostatic model assessment 2-insulin resistance, (HOMA2-IR) and serum concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Fasting PP concentrations were associated with serum ALT, TG, TC, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure (P < .05). These associations were mediated by IHCL and/or VAT. Fasting PP and HOMA2-IR were independently significantly associated with hepatic steatosis (P < .01).
CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic polypeptide is a novel predictor of visceral and liver fat content, and thus a potential biomarker for cardiovascular risk stratification and targeted treatment of patients with ectopic fat deposition.