The Cobb-Douglas production function (Cobb and Douglas, 1928) is still today the most ubiquitous form in theoretical and empirical analyses of growth and productivity. The estimation of the parameters of aggregate production functions is central to much of today_s work on growth, technological change, productivity, and labour. Empirical estimates of aggregate production functions are a tool of analysis essential in macroeconomics, and important theoretical constructs, such as potential output, technical change, or the demand for labour, are based on them. It is usually fitted by first linearizing the models through logarithmic transformation and then applying method of least squares (Prajneshu, 2008), but the ordinary least squares (OLS) is not the best estimation method (Kahane , 2001). In statistics and econometrics, more and more attention is paid to techniques that can deal with data containing atypical observations, which can arise from outliers, miscoding, or heterogeneity and no.....

59 hits

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk membangunkan sebuah koswer glosari istilah-istilah Biologi berasaskan Huraian Sukatan KBSM untuk pembelajaran Biologi. Koswer ini digunakan dengan penekanan terhadap penerokaan menggunakan strategi pembelajaran kendiri dan dibina dengan berkonsepkan interaktif. Reka bentuk kajian ini telah merujuk dan menggunakan Model ADDIE. Koswer glosari istilah-istilah Biologi ini telah dibina menggunakan koswer Macromedia Flash Version 8, Adobe Photoshop CS2, dan Sound Forge Version 7 untuk membina elemen-elemen multimedia. Penilaian dijalankan ke atas sampel kajian yang terdiri daripada 20 orang pelajar tingkatan 4 yang dipilih secara rawak dan 2 orang guru Biologi. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah set soal selidik dan sesi temu bual. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan secara keseluruhan kesemua pelajar memberi pandangan positif dengan tahap interpretasi sangat baik bagi reka bentuk informasi (min = 4.06), tahap baik bagi reka bentuk persembahan maklumat (min= 3.35) d.....

20 hits

Learning Attitudes about Physics (LAAP) inventory is an instrument designed to measure students_ beliefs about physics and learning physics. This instrument was psychometrically adapted from the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey or CLASS (Adams et al., 2006), resulting in three clusters or factors of empirically determined groupings of statements that are grounded on 132 Malaysian university physics students_ responses. The first factor, consisting of 10 items, reflects students_ attitude towards an interest in metacognition as evidenced in their affinity in thinking, problem solving, relating, and establishing relationships amongst variables. The second 3-item factor reflects students_ attitude towards learning physics, a composite view of what constitute the knowledge in physics, what step to take when the outcome in solving a problem is not as expected, and understanding physics formulas. Finally, a group of 3 items that forms the third factor reflects students_ attit.....

26 hits

Artikel ini membincangkan model pengeluaran optimum cassava (manihot esculenta crantz) melalui fungsi pengeluaran Cobb Douglas dalam penghasilan bioetanol. Bagi membentuk dan menilai model optimum cassava dalam penghasilan bioetanol, beberapa pembolehubah utama telah berjaya dikenalpasti. Pembolehubah ini termasuklah ruang tanaman, baja dan buruh. Pemilihan model optimum adalah berdasarkan penelitian beberapa rangkaian model pengeluaran. Penggunaan praktikal fungsi pengeluaran memerlukan beberapa andaian, terutamanya bentuk fungsi teknologi pengeluaran, imbalan ikut skala, sifat-sifat hambatan teknologi dan fungsi pasaran. Berdasarkan pertimbangan yang dinyatakan, model optimum cassava berdasarkan kaedah calibration melalui fungsi pengeluaran Cobb Douglas dibangunkan bagi menganggar parameter pengeluaran bioetanol daripada cassava. Kata kunci Model pengeluaran optimum cassava, fungsi pengeluaran Cobb Douglas dan kaedah Calibration..

15 hits

Low-frequency noise measurement is a scientific technique which is capable of probing down to localized microscopic phenomena of electron devices. It can be used as a diagnostic tool in application concerning the reliability of electron devices. In this research, a low-frequency noise measurement (LFNM) setup to measure 1/f noise is designed, developed and validated. The measurement setup consists of a biasing circuit, a transimpedance amplifier and a dynamic signal analyzer. Two metal boxes were used to shield the setup from signal interference. A LabView-based program is developed to extract the noise power spectral density data from the dynamic signal analyzer for further analysis. Validation of the measurement setup was made by measuring the thermal noise of two standard resistors. The obtained results were similar to the theoretical values. Keywords low-frequency noise measurement, 1/f noise, noise power spectral density..

21 hits

The population survivorship and demographic parameters of the predatory asopin bug, Cantheconidea furcellata (Wolff.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), was determined using larvae of selected species, individually or in combinations, as prey under laboratory conditions of 28 _ 2_C, 60-80% RH and a photoperiod of 12L:12D. Initial mortality of the nonfeeding first instar nymph occurred between 3rd and 4th day after emergence. The female bugs when fed on mealworms, Tenebrio molitor (L) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) alone, showed the longest lifespan (40 days). However, the lifespan shortened to 35-36 days when the bugs were fed rice moth larvae, Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) or supplemented with banana leaf rollers, Erionata thrax (L.) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Fecundity of the female bugs was influenced by the food preyed upon. Total number of eggs laid was the highest (1013 eggs) when the bugs fed on the mealworms, whereas 349 and 901 eggs were produced on rice moth lar.....

18 hits

The Schiff_base ligand 2,6_diacetylpyridine_di_(1R)_(-)_fenchone diazine (9) was prepared by heating 2,6_diacetyl_pyridine (7) and fenchone hydrazone (8) in boiling ethanol in the presence of acetic acid as the catalyst for 28 h. Treatment of (9) with [Mo(CO)4(nbd)] or [W(CO)4(nbd)] in benzene at 80 0C gave the tetracarbonylmolybdenum(0) (10) or tetracarbonyltungsten(0) (11). The complexes (10) and (11) showed that the diazine (9) acted as a bidentate chelating ligand bonded through the pyridyl nitrogen and only one of the imino nitrogen donor atoms of the ligand involved in the bonding. However, diazine (9) acted as a planar terdentate N,N,N_donor_ligand when reacted with palladium(II) to give the cationic products of (12), (13) and (15), respectively. Keywords Molybdenum complexes, tungsten complexes, palladium complexes; bidentate- N,N ligand complexes, terdentate-N,N,N ligand complexes, fenchone azine ligand complexes..

20 hits

According to the central limit theorem, the distribution of the sample mean is approximately normal if the sample size, n, is sufficiently large, regardless of original data distribution. However there seems to be a difference in opinion on how large n should be. Some books said that n = 25 is sufficient enough while some considered n = 30 to be sufficient. This paper investigates the size of n that would allow us to apply the central limit theorem when samples taken are from a  population. Keywords normal, central limit theorem..

14 hits

Phenoxyherbicides, namely 2(3-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid (cloprop) was intercalated into the interlamellae of Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide (LDH) by direct co-precipitation method. Powder x-ray diffraction patterns of the resulting materials show that the interlayer spacing expanded from 8.9 A in the Zn/Al-LDH to 20.5 A in the nanohybrid. This together with FTIR and compositional studies show that cloprop was successfully intercalated into the Zn/Al-layered double hydroxides interlayer for the formation of organic-inorganic nanohybrid. TGA/DTG thermal analysis shows that hybridization of cloprop into the interlayers of Zn/Al-LDH host enhanced the thermal stability of cloprop. Keywords Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide; 2(3-chlorophenoxy)propionic acid; nanohybrid; direct co-precipitation...

21 hits

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of the Malaysian-Based Pictorial Vocabulary Learning Model (MBPVLM) on lower secondary ESL students_ vocabulary learning. The mixed-methods research approach, specifically, the quasiexperimental research design was employed. The instruments used were the Pre-Test, Post-Test, Student Feedback Form and Semi-Structured Interview. Using convenience sampling, 60 Form 2 students from two secondary schools in Penang were selected for the study. 30 students were placed in the Experimental Group and another 30 in the Control Group. The scores gained from both Pre and Post-test were analysed by using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test as quantitative data. The qualitative data from the semi-structured student_s interview was transcribed and analysed by using thematic analysis. The results based on the descriptive statistics depicts the percentage of improvement for experimental and control group .....

21 hits