Study of chitosan modification to MgAl-LDH to increase surface basicity for improving biodiesel production from palm oil has been performed. Modification was conducted by chitosan gel impregnation onto prepared MgAl-LDH. Furthermore, the physicochemical character of material was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, gas sorption analysis, and determination of solid basicity. The XRD, specific surface area, pore distribution, and TEM analyses confirmed the reduced specific surface area due to the exfoliated LDH conformation. However, the increased surface basicity aroused from the modification leads to improved catalytic activity and yield. The maximum biodiesel yield of 92.8 % was achieved by the methanol to oil ratio of 10:1 at 90 °C for 2 h. The prominent reusability until the 5th cycle of usage without significant activity change is a potency for advocating the suitability of the low-cost catalysis technology for comme.....

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The coast of Tanjung Mas, Semarang City, is an industrial area used by the community to cultivate milkfish using stick-net pens. Furthermore, heavy metal contamination such as Cr, Cd, Cu, and Pb potentially disrupts milkfish meat's growth, quality, and safety. This study aims to determine heavy metals concentration in the waters and milkfish meat in stick-net pens cultivation in Tanjung Mas, Semarang City. The study was conducted using exploration, with five observation sites representing household waste disposal flow, industrial discharge, open sea, and intermediate areas. The observation sites were selected based on the milkfish cultivation activity. The sample and data, including water, milkfish, and environmental factors (temperature, pH, salinity, water current, and dissolved oxygen), were collected three times every two weeks. The heavy metals were detected using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The highest heavy metal concentration is Cr, which ranges from 1.70 ± 0.32 ppm .....

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The application of Virtual Reality (VR) in the design process has gained growing attention as the technology accelerates the potential of designing spaces in the landscape architecture field, particularly for educational purposes. As VR can be described as a computer-generated environment that closely resembles reality, its application may expand the visual sense and comprehension in promoting natural interaction between humans and the environment. However, the potential and limitations of integrating VR applications in landscape architecture design are still being determined. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate the potentials and limitations of VR application in the landscape architecture design stage where VR technology is currently applied. Forty (40) papers were thoroughly reviewed using PRISMA as a systematic literature review tool. The study found that VR enhances visualisation, immersion, interactivity, and spatial thinking in the landscape design process. However, the applica.....

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[No abstract available]..

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This research aims to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected children's social, emotional, and moral development. Articles and related studies were gathered from the Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Scopus, and Science Direct databases. After a quality review following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, 16 articles were selected for a systematic literature review (SLR). The findings from this review were organized into four main themes: (1) the impact of technology and distance learning on children, (2) children's behavior and emotions, (3) the conditions of people around them, and (4) social support. It is suggested that future studies focus on the positive effects of COVID-19 on education. © 2024 The Authors...

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The research was done to analyze the quality of the coloring result of mangsi (phyllanthus reticulatus) fruit extract as natural dyes in cotton fabric dyeing. Extraction method was carried out through maceration process using some solvents namley water, ethanol, acidic ethanol, methanol, and acidic methanol in a ratio of 1:10 with pre-mordanting and fixation using mordant alum, calcium carbonate, and ferrous sulphate. The conducted observations included color direction test, color opacity test and color fastness to soap washing test. The result of color direction was brown to yellow-orange and blue to dark blue. The value of color opacity on cotton fabrics was in the “medium” to “very opaque” color category. The resulting value of color fastness to soap washing test was in the “good” to “poor” category. The dyeing results on cotton fabric generated an even color. © 2024, Semarak Ilmu Publishing. All rights reserved...

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In this work higher Cu2+ removal efficiency was achieved by graphene oxide GO-based electrode with the constant magnetic field (CMF)-assisted electrodeposition system. The GO was initially synthesized by the electrochemical exfoliation method in the electrolyte containing custom-made surfactant. The as-prepared GO solution was then spray coated on the pre-heated stainless steel-cathode before annealed at 400°C for 1 hour. GO-based electrode with CMF-assisted electrodeposition system was successful removed 89.1% of Cu2+ from aqueous solutions as compared to the electrode without GO of only 75.5% of Cu2+ removal within a fixed 3 hours’ time. The efficient of Cu2+ removal by GO-based electrode was believed due to the high specific surface area of GO that increases the accommodation of the active species (Cu2+) at the electrode surfaces. In the meantime, it was found that the presence of CMF of 23 Gauss parallel to cathode surfaces enhances the convection and mass transport of Cu2+ char.....

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Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based photovoltaic systems due to their efficient light-to-electricity conversion. A critical component of DSSCs is titanium dioxide (TiO2), responsible for converting light into electrical energy. Spray pyrolysis was one of the methods for fabricating TiO2 thin films. However, there are several drawbacks, such as challenges in particle size control, maintaining homogeneity of the thin film, and scalability issues during the deposition process. Modifications to the manufacturing process are necessary to achieve optimal performance in DSSCs, particularly with the thickness of the cell. This work focuses on the 2-axis spray pyrolysis process, a cost-effective way to create thin and thick films. In particular, it focuses on TiO2 thin films utilized as working electrodes in DSSC applications. The method was performed at different motor speeds, namely MS80, MS100, and MS120. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) spe.....

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According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) external situation report on the multi-country outbreak of Monkeypox in 2023, from 11 countries in Southeast Asia Regions, Thailand recorded the highest reported cases, totaling 461. The ongoing Monkeypox outbreak has raised significant public health concerns due to its rapid spread across several nations. Early detection and diagnosis are imperative for effectively treating and controlling Monkeypox. Given this context, this study aimed to determine the most efficient model for detecting Monkeypox by employing interpretable deep learning techniques. This study utilizes deep learning techniques to diagnose Monkeypox based on images of skin lesions. We evaluate based on four models— convolutional neural network (CNN), gated recurrent unit (GRU), long short-term memory (LSTM), and bidirectional long short term memory (BiLSTM)—using a publicly available dataset. Additionally, we incorporate Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanati.....

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Due to the increasing stormwater runoff in urban areas, stormwater infrastructure requires modification to address the flash flooding issues. Occurrences of floodwater overflowing the urban drain have urged drainage engineers to re-look its design. Conventionally, the urban drain is designed to free flow following the provided drain slope. This paper is challenging the old design by introducing orifices into the drain. The lesser-known stormwater characteristics restricted by orifices in open drains were investigated. In this case, twenty-four units of terrace houses were selected as the study area with special attention to the 170 m front drain with a dimension of 0.5 m x 0.55 m. The drain was inserted with one to three orifices of 0.45 m diameter separating the drain into one or more compartments. Three scenarios were formulated, namely S1 with one orifice plate at 170 m, S2 with two orifice plates at 86 and 170 m, and S3 with three orifices at 50, 110 and 170 m, from the starting po.....

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