Calixarenes, being well-known macrocyclic structures, have attracted considerable interest in the field of nanosensors due to their diverse advantages. 4-Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) was aimed to be detected by both calix[4]arene (C4) and calix[6]arene (C6) in this host-guest investigation. This study investigated the development of C4-PABA and C6-PABA complexes using the Langmuir–Schaefer (LS) method and first-principles density functional theory (DFT). All of the LS films formed were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen elemental analyser (CHNS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, this work applied DFT to compute the binding energy and band gap. Morphological and elemental analysis based on the conducted characterisations indicated the incorporation of PABA via lower rims into both C4 and C6. The computed binding en.....

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Teachers’ perceptions of their teaching and learning activities are critical, especially given that the Malaysian preschool curriculum has undergone multiple revisions recently. The purpose of this study was to measure Malaysian teachers’ perceptions on teaching early mathematics. The study aimed to assess teachers’ perception of six constructs, namely, (1) knowledge about early mathematics, (2) readiness to involve in the early mathematics, (3) understanding of the importance of early mathematics, (4) past experience in mathematics, (5) attitudes towards early mathematics, and (6) importance of knowledge about teaching early mathematics. This study gauged the 76 Malaysian preschool teachers using a set of questionnaire. As this research discovered, the teachers in this study believed that they knew about early mathematics, were eager to get involved in early mathematics activities at preschool, understood the importance of Mathematics literacy, were positively disposed towards i.....

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Digitalization technology has emerged as a critical tool for promoting and sustaining rural entrepreneurship by providing greater access to information and new business opportunities. It can enhance the competitiveness of rural entrepreneurs by enabling them to leverage e-commerce platforms, social media, and other digital tools to access the global market. However, the uneven distribution of digital infrastructure and the lack of digital literacy in rural areas can create significant barriers to digital adoption and pose challenges to promoting sustainable rural entrepreneurship. Hence, this paper aims to structurally review related studies from 2 databases (Scopus and EconBiz) by utilizing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A total of 30 papers were eligible for evaluation. The findings were discussed based on three themes: the role, challenges and opportunities, and impact of digitalization technology on rural entrepreneurship. The adoption .....

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This research delves into how design education can catalyze rural revitalization and the digital renewal of non-heritage artifacts, blending traditional values with modern innovations. By establishing a comprehensive evaluation framework, we analyzed trends across 31 provinces from 2013 to 2022, focusing on rural growth and the digitization of non-heritage cultural elements. Our methods included the entropy value and TOPSIS methods, alongside a coupled coordination degree model, uncovering that economic prosperity and enhanced living standards drive rural development, with notable digital advancements in regions such as Beijing and Guangdong. The study highlights a growing synergy between rural and digital non-heritage development, reaching moderate coordination by 2022. It underscores the transformative effect of design education on rural and digital heritage sectors, recommending the establishment of an online education platform for wider knowledge dissemination. © 2023 Yanjun Yang,.....

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Low-back pain (LBP) has significantly reduced daily activities, work hours and societal productivity, with an increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to investigate the effects of progressive lumbar stabilization exercises (LSE) on back flexibility and pain intensity after four weeks and follow-up until week eight in students with Non-specific low-back pain (NSLBP) after COVID-19. A total of 34 UPSI students with NSLBP (pain duration: >6 months, age: 23.4±2.1 years, weight: 67.2±9.2 kg, BMI: 24.9±1.35 kg.m-2) participated in this study and they were randomly assigned to the LSE (n=17) or control (n=17) groups. The LSE group performed pelvic tilt, double knee-to-chest, bridging, bird dog, superman, cat and camel and partial curl-up exercises for eight weeks, 30 minutes and three sessions per week. The Sit and Reach test was used to assess back flexibility, and pain intensity was assessed using the VAS at the baseline, weeks 4 and 8. In baseline, week 4th and endpoint ti.....

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This paper presents the numerical investigation of natural convection heat transfer of copper-alumina/pure water hybrid nanofluid in an oblique U-shaped enclosure. The dimensionless governing equation is formed in the stream function-vorticity formulation using dimensionless variables. The Galerkin weighted residual finite element method with the damped Newton-Raphson iteration method is applied to the problem. The heat transfer performance for the system is investigated by varying the Rayleigh numbers, nanoparticle volume fractions and their ratios, and the oblique angles of the enclosure. The fluid flow, heat transfer, and vorticity analysis are conducted extensively for the Rayleigh number up to 106. It was found that the oblique enclosure dwindled the overall heat transfer performance. Correspondingly, the maximum vorticity is at the lowest with zero obliquenesses. The results are used to gain a deeper understanding of the fluid flow and thermal behaviour of the system to achieve m.....

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Visualization strategies are strategies that utilize images to help strengthen the students' understanding of reading comprehension. Through this strategy, students will describe the meaning obtained from the text in the form of rough sketches. The use of these images allows the students to be more focused on the continuation of reading because they understand the meaning more clearly. This study aims to investigate the impact of information visualization techniques on reading comprehension performance among elementary school students in Malaysia. The study adapted quantitative study through a quasi-experimental design and survey questionnaire. 300 students from Standard 4 to Standard 6 (10 to 12 years old) were chosen as the participants of the study. They were divided into Experimental Group (n=150) and the control Group (n=150). The experiment has been done in 2 classes per week, in a total of 6 weeks. The participants in the Experimental Group were taught reading comprehension usin.....

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The current study describes the chemical composition, antifungal, antibiofilm, antibacterial and molecular docking studies of Syzygium dyerianum growing in Malaysia. The essential oil was obtained through hydrodistillation and characterized using gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antifungal and antibacterial activities were developed using the broth microdilution assay, whereas the effect on the microbial biofilms was determined using a semi-quantitative static biofilm assay. A total of 31 components were identified, which represent 99.5 % of the essential oil. The results revealed that the essential oil consisted mainly of β-pinene (15.6 %), α-terpineol (13.3 %), α-pinene (11.1 %), caryophyllene oxide (8.8 %), limonene (8.1 %), borneol (6.0 %) and viridiflorol (5.1 %). The results of the microdilution method showed that essential oil exhibited activity against Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans with minimal inhibitory concentra.....

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Gamification strategies have been used increasingly in e-learning environments for improved engagement and effectiveness of learners. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the benefits and challenges of gamification of e-learning systems. Additionally, it has also objective to examine the impact of gamification on the effectiveness of learning in e-learning systems. Therefore, this systematic review explores the advantages of incorporating game elements into e-learning systems, addresses the challenges encountered during this integration, and discusses the future research opportunities presented in recent studies. A total of 37 studies published in the past decade, between 2014 and 2023, were reviewed in this paper. The findings revealed that gamification had improved student motivation and engagement levels. Moreover, from a design perspective, teachers believe that there is a need to enhance the design elements of gamified e-learning systems to better align the gamified el.....

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[No abstract available]..

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