The game of beach soccer at the elite level is characterised with a high tempo that leads to the scoring of many goals in a match. A draw cannot decide the outcome of a match, and thus, a winner is decided by a team that scores more goals than the opponent hence, investigating performance indicators (PIs) that could lead to a higher goal-scoring opportunity in this game is non-trivial in ensuring the success of a team during a match. In the present study, an analysis of performance indicators was carried out through which a total number of 16 relevant performance indicators were considered, and multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to extract the significant PI that could lead to chances of scoring goals. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to predict the opportunities for scoring goals based on the extracted PIs. The MLR was able to extract shot at back third, pass at front third, short inside box, turnover, tackling, as well as fouls committed as the most significant PI w.....

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The relationship between customers and retailers is more complicated nowadays due to the sophisticated trends of the current service retail landscape and consumers? high expectations. This study investigates how perceived retailer innovativeness (PRI) influences consumer engagement (CE) and brand loyalty. Based on the wheel of retailing theory and signaling theory, we empirically analyzed these relationships based on 723 customers who patronize service retailers. The empirical findings suggest that product innovativeness has the strongest impact on CE, followed by service innovativeness and experience innovativeness. However, only product and experience innovativeness influence brand equity. Further results imply that CE not only contributes directly to the brand building, but also significantly mediates the relationship between product innovativeness?brand equity, service innovativeness-brand equity, and experience innovativeness-brand equity. The research adds new insights to the ret.....

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| INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a relatively significant impact on the world. Malaysia implemented a countrywide social isolation strategy to flatten the epidemic curve. As limits on movement and social interaction have come into force, more individuals appear less physically active. OBJECTIVE: To determine the perceived barriers to physical activity among Malaysian young adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 217 participants included with age group from 18-40 years old voluntarily participated in this study. Participants were excluded if they were non-Malaysian and had any psychological problems and physical impairment that hindered physical activity. The barrier to Being Active quiz (BBAQ) questionnaire was circulated through various social media platforms from January 2021 to May 2021. Categorical data were presented using simple and absolute frequency on the distribution of sociodemographic profiles and BBAQ responses. Pearson Chi-squa.....

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The 14th General Election in Malaysia was a pivotal turning point for the progressive parliamentary reform agenda. Recognising that parliamentary reform in Malaysia is highly complex, parliament plays a vital role in monitoring the SDG implementation. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to analyse the roles of parliament in advancing the SDGs through its reform agenda. It will be of great significance in elucidating parliamentary reform and embedding the 2030 Agenda to advance the functioning of parliament. The analysis was conducted using a qualitative approach through analysing parliamentary documents. The paper proposes an independent select committee, re-introduce the Parliamentary Service Act, empower the opposition, amend Standing Orders, and institutionalise a Parliamentary Research Services. The incorporation of the SDGs in the parliamentary reform agenda is vital to support parliamentarians in carrying out their duties effectively, which in turn assist the parliamen.....

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Purpose: The developmental, individual-difference and relationship (DIR)/Floortime? approach is a commonly used parent-implemented intervention with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Currently, no evidence is available about the intervention?s implementation and utility in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to investigate the applicability and impact of implementing the parent-implemented home-based DIR/Floortime? intervention program for children with ASD and their parents in a Malaysian context from parents? perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with eight mothers and four fathers of children with ASD was conducted. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: Five themes were developed. Theme 1 described the implementation of DIR/Floortime? intervention; Theme 2 reported challenges parents faced when implementing the intervention; Theme 3 explored parents? perspective on play; Theme 4.....

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Since its de facto creation, Israel has endeavoured to legitimize its existence and mystify the ethnic cleansing it perpetrated in 1948, systematically working to efface historic Palestine from the Arab and global public memory. Visual discourse plays a constitutive role in the construction and preservation of national themes. This paper, a critical discourse analysis of a corpus of visual representations, aimed to examine how visual representation serves to memorialize and reconstruct national themes, and so how this semiotic mode of representation can act as a form of counter-hegemonic discourse against attempts at the memoricide of the other and mystification of history. Using Kress and van Leeuwen?s (2006) grammar of visual design as a framework for visual analysis, this social semiotic research analyzed the visual structure of a number of Nakba images to examine the role of visual representations in the memorialization of key Palestinian national themes, and so the reconstruction .....

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A system of bio-silica borotellurite glasses was fabricated based on the chemical formula [(TeO2)0.7 (B2O3)0.3]1-x (SiO2)x with x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 using the melt-quenching technique using silica (98.548% SiO2, from rice husk), TeO2 (Alfar Aeser, 99.9%) and B2O3 (Alfar Aeser, 99.9%). Measurements and characterizations such as density and molar volume measurements, XRD analysis, FTIR, and UV?Vis spectroscopes were performed on the studied glasses. The objective was to determine the glasses? applicability in optoelectronics, non-linear optics, and laser technologies through polarizability, linear electric susceptibility, and optical basicity study. Apart from confirming the amorphous nature of the glasses, the XRD analysis identified the presence of a crystalline phase of tellurium oxide (?-TeO2) formed. The FTIR spectral study revealed the presence of TeO3, BO3, and SiO4 structural units in the studied glasses. The refractive index (2.3026 ? 2.2651), molar polarizability (8.0696 .....

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Background: Organizational ambidexterity is an emerging concept and it permeates too many functional domains in the discussion of organizational performance. The importance of understanding this concept motivates researchers to explore organizational ambidexterity as internal and external capabilities in the context of supply chain. Despite its importance in building oriented capabilities to organizations, little information is known about organizational ambidexterity in supply chain context. The objective of this review is to produce a comprehensive mapping of themes related to organizational ambidexterity studies in supply chain research, particularly in improving firm performance. Method: A scoping review of the literature was conducted using Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and EconBiz databases to identify what is the nature of published scientific literature on this topic and what are the emerging themes of organizational ambidexterity in relation to supply chain studies. Result: Thi.....

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Background and Objective: The specific condition with slow-drying mechanisms of cacao seeds may prove to be a possible break through in improving the short-term storage of this recalcitrant species. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of storage conditions on the changes of physiological, microstructural and soluble sugars associated with slow-drying mechanisms in cacao seeds. Materials and Methods: Seeds from ripened cacao pods (PBC 123) were demucilaged, placed in zip-lock polyethylene bags and stored at 14 and 16�C (40 and 80% RH), RT (25�C) and control (freshly extracted seeds). Results: In this study, seeds at RT and 16�C, 40% RH showed a similar germination percentage as the control. Thus, it shall be convenient for the storability up to 12 days. The SEMmicrographs proved that the mild dehydration in seeds of both treatments caused the least cells? morphological changes, which leads to lesser cell damage. However, seeds at RT reduced their storability due to 8-10% of ge.....

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This research aimed to investigate the ultrafiltration of water from emulsified oily wastewater through the application of surface-functionalized ceramic membrane to enhance its water permeability based on optimized parameters using a cross-flow filtration system. The interactive effects of feed concentration (10?1000 ppm), pH (4?10), and pressure (0?3 bar) on the water flux and oil rejection were investigated. Central composite design (CCD) from response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for statistical analysis, modeling, and optimization of operating conditions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the oil rejection and water flux models were significant with p-values of 0.0001 and 0.0075, respectively. In addition, good correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.863 were obtained for the oil rejection and water flux models, respectively. The optimum conditions for pressure, pH, and feed concentration were found to be 1.5 bar, pH 8.97, and 10 ppm, respectively with.....

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