This study explored the factors influencing students’ willingness to continue with the online learning system during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by adopting the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theory. This study also incorporated e-learning readiness, performance, and satisfaction as mediators. The present study employed the purposive sampling method, whereby 2215 data of undergraduate students from a public university were gathered using an online survey and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with Smart Partial Least Squares (SmartPLS). The results revealed that students’ e-learning readiness, performance, and satisfaction positively influenced their willingness to continue online learning. Besides, students’ e-learning readiness, performance, and satisfaction sequentially mediated the relationship between the online learning system quality and willingness to continue online learning. Significantly, this study provided new insights into the literature on students’ willingness to continue online learning by providing empirical evidence on the factors that support their willingness to continue online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Terubok (Tenualosa toli) is one of Malaysia commercially important fish which is found mainly in Sarawak. Their numbers of catch have been declining in the past 15 years due to heavy exploitation. Hence, a study was done to determine the mitochondrial genetic diversity of T. toli from Daro and Mukah, Sarawak inferred by partial Cytochrome b gene. DNA extraction was done on 84 T. toli samples. PCR amplification using Cyt-b primers had been carried out and sequence of 469 bp length was obtained from each sample. Next, phylogenetic analysis was performed to study the relationship among the individuals. The genetic diversity of the population was determined through the haplotype and nucleotide diversity. Result of the study showed that the Haplotype Diversity (HD) of T. toli was relatively low for Daro (Hd = 0.232) and Mukah populations (Hd = 0.178). The nucleotide diversity was also low for both populations. Moreover, only nine haplotypes were identified from the 84 individuals. A single haplotype was shared amongst 76 individuals. These findings correlate with previous study that showed the number of the fish caught had declined drastically and might cause a genetic deprivation towards its population. Comparably, maximum likelihood analysis revealed that two T. toli individuals were separated from the main clade, suggesting that these two individuals might come from another Terubok population. Genetic diversity of the mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome b of the T. toli obtained in this study would be useful in the implementation of conservation and fisheries management of this species in Sarawak.

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Without proper preparation by higher institutions, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to rely on online learning. Even students of social science and science are looking for different knowledge and skills. Currently, both groups rely on the same method to gather knowledge for future undertakings. Given the uncertainty regarding the resolution of COVID-19, which has driven students to continue using online learning, the current study aims to identify the factors of willingness to continue online learning among social science and pure science students by extending the use of expectation-confirmation theory. Applying a purposive sampling method, 2,215 questionnaires were collected among undergraduate students from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) using an online survey. Current study found that expectation and confirmation positively affect satisfaction. Attitude, satisfaction and readiness were found to have a positive relationship with willingness to continue online learning. Meanwhile, self-efficacy was found unsupported hypothesis for the direct effect. For multigroup analysis, readiness was found to have a significant difference between students of social science and pure science. The findings of this research enrich the literature about online learning, especially in the COVID-19 setting. Moreover, this work is useful for higher education institutions seeking to design a better strategy that allows students to return to campus.

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A study was done to clone a cDNA of the Malaysian mahseer (Tor tambroides) growth hormone (GH) gene. In this study, an RT-PCR technique was used to isolate the GH gene using RNA extracted from brain tissue of T. tambroides. The fragment obtained was purified and cloned into pGEM-T easy cloning vector. The GH cDNA of T. tambroides consists of 1,189 nucleotides (nt) excluding the poly (A) tail, with a 36 nt untranslated region (UTR) at the 5' region and a 520 nt UTR at the 3' region. The GH cDNA contains an ORF of 633 nt and encodes for a polypeptide of 210 amino acids (aa), including a signal peptide of 22 aa. Comparison of the T. tambroides GH gene with other teleost GH genes indicated that it has the highest similarity with C. carpio GH type 1 (GHI) with which it share 99% and 98% homology in terms of amino acid and nucleotide sequences, respectively. Molecular characterization of the T. tambroides GH gene showed it exhibits typical GH features similar with other teleost GH genes. Therefore, the GH sequence of T. tambroides was successfully isolated and the sequence added to the GenBank database (JF428142). This is the first report of the isolation of a GH gene from this Malaysian indigenous species, and will assist in understanding the molecular characteristics of the T. tambroides GH gene. This could lead to the use of molecular approaches to better understanding the growth of T. tambroides and give an insight into the molecular aspects of its growth performance in aquaculture.

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This study aims to investigate the effect of soft skills and ethics and value on the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) graduates, together with the moderating effect of knowledge on the relationship between soft skills and the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. The study’s respondents comprised of 208 employers in Malaysia who responded through an online survey using Google Forms. The survey data was then analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), indicating that soft skills positively affected the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. Nevertheless, ethics and value were found to be insignificant factors on the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. It was also revealed that knowledge had the moderating effect on the relationship between soft skills and the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. Therefore, universities were recommended to invest in soft skills and knowledge education to ensure that graduates met the employers’ professional recruitment standards in areas of expertise.