Background: The birth year is a criterion for grouping competitive categories in various sports. Children born in the early months of the calendar can benefit during their formative process because they have a higher chronological age and are more likely to be in more advanced stages of biological maturation. Objectives: To test the association between skill-related fitness performance and birth quartiles for understanding the relative age effect (RAE) among 12-year-old children in Malaysia. Method: A total of 462 school children (226 boys and 236 girls) with mean age of 12.5 ± 0.5 years were involved in this study. The children underwent four skill-related fitness assessments: 30-metre run, agility t-test, stork balance stand test, and standing broad jump test. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) was used to assign participants to the high performance (HPG), moderate performance (MPG), and low-performance (LPG) groups. The groups were split into a contingency table according .....

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The genus Anisophyllea belongs to the class Magnoliopsida, order Cucurbitales of the Anisophylleaceae family. The species are distributed widely throughout the Old World tropics, including Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo. Literature reviews indicated that only a small number of species in the genus Anisophyllea have been investigated for their chemical compounds and biological activities. Phytochemical investigation of the Anisophyllea species led to the isolation of triterpenoids and phenolic compounds that showed antifungal, antibacterial, anti-leishmanial, and cytotoxicity activities [1]. Anisophyllea corneri Ding Hou is locally known as delek or peparah in Malaysia and is a small to medium-sized tree that can reach up to 30 m height and 67 cm in diameter. This species can be found throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan). It grows in primary lowland dipterocarp forests to upper hill dipterocarp forests up to 1,06.....

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Mosquito-repellent textiles are classified as protective textiles designed to mitigate the presence of mosquito species recognised as vectors for diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of employing a nanoemulsion system containing lemongrass essential oil encapsulated with biopolymers, specifically tragacanth gum and cationic guar gum, as finishing materials on cotton and polyester fabrics. Being anionic biopolymer, tragacanth gum has resulted in outstanding zeta potential, polydispersity index, particle size and encapsulation efficiency with the values of − 38.1 mV, 0.2, 14.1 nm and 99%, respectively. The positively charged guar gum that interacted with aluminium chloride led to precipitation, which disfavoured retention and repellency properties. Based on correlation coefficient (R2) values for tragacanth gum (0.9832) and cationic guar gum (0.9761)-based nanoemulsions, the release of lemongrass essential oil from nanoemulsions follo.....

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The aim of this study was to design and develop an interdisciplinary Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) teaching module for first year university students. In order to derive appropriate elements of the teaching module in terms of interdisciplinary knowledge and HOTS, 18 experts were recruited to participate in the design development and module review. A total of 3 rounds of the Delphi method were implemented to derive the module elements, and we used interquartile range (IQR) and Z-score to determine the degree of consensus of the panellists, which resulted in 39 consensus module elements out of 41 items, which were consolidated into 7 constructs, and these were applied to the development of the teaching module. _ 2024, Creative Publishing House. All rights reserved...

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Embracing digital business enhances company resilience, yet small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack resources to combat cyber threats, unlike larger enterprises. Sophisticated cyberattacks surpass standard antivirus software, necessitating a shift in cybersecurity strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between knowledge, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and the adoption of cybersecurity among small-and-medium entrepreneurs in Perak, Malaysia. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this ongoing research employed a quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to 400 digital entrepreneurs in the small and medium-sized business sectors in Perak. The findings revealed that the majority of entrepreneurs possessed a relatively high level of knowledge about cybersecurity. Furthermore, the study identified a strong positive correlation between knowledge and perceived usefulness (correlation coefficient r = 0.639), as we.....

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Although there is a surge in female students attaining bachelor_s degrees, their involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in China remains disproportionately low, posing a continuing concern. This study explores the reasons behind this gender gap and identifies factors influencing females_ intentions to pursue STEM Education in China. The study aims at investigating the level of psychological constructs related to identity, interest, the role of self-concept, and self-efficacy. It seeks to identify the differences in these psychological constructs based on interests and to examine the relationships between variables within psychological construction. The independent variables include identity, interests, the role of self-concept and self-efficacy. Data were gathered from 64 females with educational qualifications from different levels in Cheng Gong districts in Yunnan province, China. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential ana.....

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Upon return to campus after the pandemic, students were subjected to receiving lectures online, in class, or by the emerging hybrid approaches. This study reports students_ preference over the three approaches based on the experience gained during the 2022/23 academic session. The study aimed to understand the post-pandemic considerations/factors likely to influence students_ preferences for or against any of the three modes (based on their experiences with each), and implications for developing university sustainability frameworks in the post-pandemic era. One hundred and twenty-seven (127) on-campus Education students in one public university in Malaysia participated in the study. Data were collected through an online forum and interviews with the participants. The data collected were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. Preference for the hybrid approach emerged as a key finding for this study. Additionally, a perceived lack of Faculty engagement and support in the online l.....

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Cyanobacterial bloom is a serious threat to the safety of public drinking water resources due to potential cyanotoxin microcystin contamination. Water operators inadequately monitor occurrences and dynamics of cyanobacterial blooms and their toxic potential. An effective monitoring and risk assessment can be challenging as the commonly used cyanobacterial biomass indicator might not explain the actual bloom_s toxicity. This study aimed to determine a reliable cyanobacterial biomass indicator for monitoring toxigenic blooms in the reservoir used for public drinking water supply. The reservoir was sampled for 12 months at three sampling sites to determine its water physicochemical properties, cyanobacterial biomass abundance, and toxigenic potential estimated by mcyE gene copy numbers. Cyanobacterial biomass was quantified as total chlorophyll-a and blue-green algae phycocyanin (BGA-PC). The results showed that total chlorophyll-a and BGA-PC are highly variable on temporal and spatial sc.....

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This research aimed to compare physics syllabi on the diffraction concept implemented in Indonesian, Malaysian, and International schools. This research used a qualitative approach with document analysis and interview methods. The analysis showed that the syllabi used in the three schools exhibit significant differences even though both neighboring countries use similar instructional languages. The differences are highlighted in concept usage terms, students’ ages, and the concept delivery flow. The interview findings showed that the teachers developed their teaching and learning activities based on the students’ circumstances and the availability of teaching aids and practicum instruments. © 2024 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)..

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In recent years, the electrical and electronic sector has monopolized the world_s top three export products. Asian developing countries are the most influential countries exporting electrical and electronic products. Nevertheless, many external issues, such as competitors and unexpected incidents, specifically the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, affected international trading performance. This study aims to model the export price of electrical and electronic with exchange rates among Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines by fitting the Bayesian approach to the normal mixture model. Results depicted a negative effect between electrical and electronic export value and exchange rate for sampled countries. Meanwhile, brand new probability density functions are generated for future forecasting purposes. The input of this study can guide investors and traders in making a successful investment by understanding the factors that affect the performance of trade exports. Lastly, this study greatl.....

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