The genus Piper is among the most important genera in the Piperaceae family, consisting of over 2000 species and widely distributed globally, mainly in the Southeast Asian region. It is known for several medicinally and economically important species that have been used throughout their native range. Piper species have great diversity in the worlds tropical regions and are represented mainly by aromatic shrubs and trees with significant production of essential oils. Essential oils are largely consumed as they are beneficial to humans as natural remedies and have been known for years to find usefulness in foods, drugs, and cosmetics. In recent years, studies on the essential oils of the Malaysian Piper species have been progressing, and many of them have reported interesting pharmacological activities. This review attempts to summarize information on the essential oils from Malaysian Piper species concerning their medicinal uses, chemical composition, and bioactivities. Information on t.....

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This study investigates predictive causality between stock prices and exchange rates over the period of January 2005 to May 2020 in Malaysia, Singapore, China, and USA. The methodology applied in this study allows for structural changes during the global financial crisis, as past studies have shown that tests can be biased towards non-rejection if structural breaks are not accounted for. Thence, Gregory and Hansen cointegration and Granger causality tests are implemented in this study. Results revealed that unidirectional Granger causality relations are established in Malaysia, the US, and Singapore. However, signs for causal effects differ even though two markets have the same unidirectional Granger causality relation. Additionally, stock prices and exchange rates are found to be cointegrated in the US and Singapore. Meanwhile, there is no causal effect between stock prices and the exchange rate in China, for both the short-run and long-run periods. Copyright 2023 Inderscience Enterpr.....

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The peer tutoring approach is a student-cantered teaching method in which students learn in pairs with teacher supervision. The study discussed in this paper is a systematic literature review related to the effectiveness of peer tutoring approaches which has been published within the last 5 years. A complete text analysis was conducted using 20 research papers stating the impact of the peer mentoring approach for this writing. Among the things obtained from previous studies are the variety of ways to implement peer tutoring approach, the impact on 3 aspects in students which are mathematical achievement, social skills and cognitive skills and the teaching theories used. The findings of the study indicate that most past studies used quantitative research methods with the concept of age peer approach. Then, constructivism theory was the most frequently applied with a sample of high school students. In conclusion, this systematic literature review shows that the peer tutoring approach in .....

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Crustaceans exhibit discontinuous growth as they shed hard shells periodically. Fundamentally, the growth of crustaceans is typically assessed through two key components, length increase after molting (LI) and time intervals between consecutive molts (TI). In this article, we propose a unified likelihood approach that combines a generalized additive model and a Cox proportional hazard model to estimate the parameters of LI and TI separately in crustaceans. This approach captures the observed discontinuity in individuals, providing a comprehensive understanding of crustacean growth patterns. Our study focuses on 75 ornate rock lobsters (Panulirus ornatus) off the Torres Strait in northeastern Australia. Through a simulation study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models in characterizing the discontinuity with a continuous growth curve at the population level. 2023 American Institute of Mathematical Sciences. All rights reserved...

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Increasing developments on the application of copper complexes as dyes are due to their dual function in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as redox mediators and dye sensitizers. The economical (abundance, low cost) and environmentally friendly properties of copper motivate researchers on the use of copper complexes for replacement of ruthenium-based dyes in solar cells. A novel [Cu(I)(2,9-dmp)(phen-dione)]PF6 (A2) bearing polypyridyl ligands, 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phen-dione), 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dmp) was prepared by metal complexation reaction. The photofunctionality of A2 as a promising photosensitizer in DSSCs was studied. Interestingly, A2 exhibited two absorption peaks, one is detected in the ultraviolet region due to p-p* transition and the other is a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) band at 405nm in the visible region. A2 was compared to the same complex with Cu(II) ion as the metal centre which only absorbed light in the ultraviolet region thereby.....

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The expenses associated with software maintenance and evolution constitute a significant portion, surpassing more than 80% of the overall costs involved in software development. Refactoring, a widely embraced technique, plays a crucial role in streamlining and minimizing maintenance activities and expenses. However, the effect of refactoring techniques on quality attributes presents inconsistent and conflicting findings, making it challenging for software developers to enhance software quality effectively. Additionally, the absence of a comprehensive framework further complicates the decision-making process for developers when selecting appropriate refactoring techniques aligned with specific design objectives. In light of these considerations, this research aims to introduce a novel framework for classifying refactoring techniques based on their measurable influence on internal quality attributes. Initially, an exploratory study was conducted to identify commonly employed refactoring .....

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Paper-capillary micropumps are advantageous as they are small in size, cost-effective, and easily disposable. However, capillary-based micropumps fabricated using the photolithography technique prevent exchanging of the pumping element. The liquid movement in paper-based micropumps is also difficult to control and manipulate as compared to non-paper-based micropumps. Therefore, in this study, the performance of a multi-angle paper-based capillary micropump that utilizes both hydrostatic and paper-capillary effects with a detachable paper matrix is presented. The design offers enhanced and controllable flow rates based on paper matrix types and platform inclination angles. In addition, the paper matrix pumping element does not involve in the analytical processes but rather only for fluid driving. Standalone operation shows a working range of flow rate comparable to some purely capillary- and hydrostatic-based micropumps reported in the literature. The proposed micropump shows that the f.....

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This study determines the level of financial well-being and marital satisfaction of young married couples in Malaysia and examines the effect of financial well-being on marital satisfaction. This study employed a quantitative approach. Data were collected from a sample of 250 young married individuals, aged 20 to 40 years old with a marriage age of 1 to 10 years, using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Simple Linear Regression. The findings reveal a significant positive effect of financial well-being on marital satisfaction. In conclusion, a favourable perception of financial wellbeing among young married individuals is more likely to increase their marital satisfaction. Thus, the findings propose guidance to tackle financial problems and provide fresh insights to the relevant parties in exploring the plausible solution to overcome financial and divorce problems among young married couples and promote family harmonization 2023, World S.....

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This study aims to investigate the chem-ical composition and acetylcholinesterase activity of essential oil from Syzygium pyrifolium leaves. The es-sential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and its chemical composi-tion was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-two volatile components were identified in S. pyrifolium leaves oil, including geraniol (73.8%), ?-pinene (7.0%), ?-pinene (5.7%) and (E)-?-ocimene (4.5%) as the major components. Acetylcholinester-ase activity was evaluated using Ellman method and the essential oil showed strong inhibitory activity (I%: 82.5%). Our findings demonstrate that S. pyri-folium essential oil could be useful for an alternative raw material of food and medicinal products for pharmaceutical applications. 2023, Latin American Applied Research. All Rights Reserved...

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This paper presents a mathematical model for free kick and penalty in Soccer. The modeling is done by assuming the ball moves inside the air fluid and takes into account the influence of the direction, speed, rotation, and the elevation angle of the ball with the ground, and gravitational acceleration of aerodynamic forces such as drag force and Magnus force. The results of this modeling can explain physically how a player can do a very spectacular free kick, the ball soars high over the posse and suddenly dips towards the goal. Moreover, if the player gets the optimal value of the components, goals can be scored from these shots. 2023, Taru Publications. All rights reserved...

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