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This study investigated chemical treatment’s impact on mechanical and flammability properties of rice husk-reinforced recycled high-density polyethylene (r-HDPE) composites. Three treatments (maleate, alkali, acid) were applied to rice husk, and composites were tested for tensile strength, elongation at break, and modulus of elasticity. Results showed that tensile strength decreased with increasing rice husk content, except for composites treated with maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE), which exhibited the highest strength at 10% filler content. Break elongation generally decreased with increased rice husk content, while the modulus of elasticity improved with higher rice husk content, except for acid-treated composites. Scanning electron microscopy revealed better interfacial bonding in composites with lower rice husk loading. Maleate treatment enhanced flame resistance. In conclusion, chemical treatment has the potential to enhance the properties of rice husk-reinforced r-HDPE composites for various applications.

The School Bus Routing Problem (SBRP) is a complex transportation challenge involving finding optimal bus routes. This review paper provides an overview of the recent developments in SBRP research and focuses on three sub-problems: Bus Route Generation, Bus Route Scheduling, and Bus Stop Selection. The paper examines recent publications from 57 relevant articles. It highlights the increasing focus on real-world and complex scenarios, as well as the growing popularity of metaheuristic approaches in addressing SBRP challenges. The analysis reveals the significance of bus route generation, bus route scheduling, and bus stop selection, showcasing the effectiveness of machine learning and heuristic or metaheuristic algorithms in improving route quality. This study also classifies SBRP problems based on the number of schools, service surroundings (urban or rural), mixed-load scenarios, and fleet mix (homogeneous or heterogeneous). Finally, the paper explores the objectives of SBRP research, including minimising the total cost, distance, time, and number of buses. Meanwhile, the constraints of this study are the capacity of a bus, the maximum riding time, time windows, the maximum walking time between two stops and so on. This comprehensive review paper aims to offer a framework for new researchers and provides valuable insights for future research directions in this transportation area.

Digital media is becoming increasingly prevalent in households and classroom settings lowering the age of first exposure to technology; however, little is known about how children experience digital media and how their experiences relate to learning and social engagement. In this case study, we followed a 28-month-old boy in a naturalistic setting for 5 weeks, videotaping the process of his interactions with the iPad. Using a combination of video coding, screen recordings, and a formal academic assessment we evaluated the effects of digital media on specific learning outcomes, child affective states associated with gains in digital literacy, and the role of social interaction in the process of digital media exposure. We found that the number of errors predicted a significant amount of the variance in the child's levels of frustration, attentiveness, help-seeking behaviors, and persistence. Two main types of affect, confusion and attentiveness, predicted gains in his iPad proficiency, providing important insights into the role of emotions in digital learning. With increased levels of iPad proficiency, we observed an inconsistent pattern of child social engagement. This study is the first, to our knowledge, to use a combination of qualitative observation data, standardized assessment, and quantitative analysis of a child's behavior in the process of digital literacy learning.

In Zambia, as well as many other African and non-Western cultures, the extent and kind of children's chores may contribute to their learning, yet often also conflict with their schooling. In the moderation analysis we present in this manuscript, we aimed to explore the interactive effects of schooling and chores on children's mathematics performance at different levels of math knowledge and computational skill, taking into account how the assessment questions were presented. The sample consisted of 1,535 children (719 girls) living in rural and peri-urban communities in Zambia who were administered the Zambia Achievement Test (ZAT). We categorized the 60 items of the ZAT by their targeted content knowledge, sizes of the numbers involved, and forms of representation. Our results showed that chores supported the development of very basic mathematics skills and knowledge in children who had less schooling, but also significantly lowered the performance of students who were in school once their school attendance rose above certain levels. Moreover, this interaction between chores and school attendance was observed predominantly in girls, with a lesser effect of chores on boys., Author(s): Mei Tan [sup.1] , Nan Li [sup.1] , Joseph W. Pirozzolo [sup.1] [sup.2] , David Bolden [sup.3] , Florence Chamvu, Jacqueline Jere-Folotiya, Bestern Kaani, Kalima Kalima, Sophie Kasonde N'gandu, [...]

While the predictive power of genetic information is not yet strong enough to apply to individuals in the classroom, this study aimed to explore how genetic information may be received in educational settings as a potentially important source of individual differences in academic achievement and learning difficulties. Focus group discussions with teachers and parents were analyzed using qualitative and linguistic methods. Results showed that teachers and parents had similar knowledge of and questions about genetic information and how it could be used in education; both expressed concerns regarding the ethics of its use and suggested other professionals that should be involved in decisions regarding genetic input in education. Parents' personal struggles to obtain appropriate diagnoses and support for their children with learning difficulties, however, added an emotional edge to their views. Families' direct experiences with educational systems, often adversarial, afford them an authority that should be acknowledged by policymakers.

This work aimed to study the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) filler suspension on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/ZnO and cPLA/ZnO. Fused deposition modelling, one of the additive manufacturing methods, was used to fabricate the PLA specimen. PLA was used as the main material in this project, and the ZnO suspension was added during the printing process. The speed of the dispenser (low speed = 1,000 rpm, medium speed = 1,400 rpm, and high speed = 1,800 rpm) was the parameter that was varied to control the filler content of the composite. All the samples underwent a tensile test to determine the mechanical properties, followed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test to analyse the fracture surface properties of the tensile test. SEM observations showed the PLA samples’ inherent smooth appearance, but the PLA/ZnO composite showed a rougher surface. PLA and cPLA composites showed an enhanced storage modulus but lower loss modulus than the pure samples. Because of the high thermal and electrical conductivity of carbon black and ZnO, cPLA composites had higher electrical and thermal conductivity than PLA composites.

Background: Diabetes is a common chronic disease which has caused a great burden on families and society. The treatment of diabetes has always been a hotspot. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of miR-30d-5pon inflammation of high glucose-impaired human keloid fibroblasts (HKF).

A vibrant theory of change capable of fueling critical practice may be an indispensable feature of teaching argument in secondary education. According to the PIE model (Perception, Interpretation, Expression), layers of experience build a cognitive scaffold to support the development of critical skills. In addition, incorporating works of art and visual literacy skills stimulates perception and idea production. Thus, diverse practices may contribute to the development of argument. We respectfully disagree with the common core's limited definition of argumentation in both form and content. Instead of limiting students to one specific medium we broadened our practice to include a range of multimodal discourses.

Objective: The aims of this study were (1) to investigate willingness to pay (WTP) for preventive and curative dental care procedures and (2) to determine the factors that influence older adults’ WTP for dental care. Methodology: Older, independently living adults from Singapore aged 60 years and older and eligible for government-subsidised dental care were nonrandomly recruited for this study. Data were collected using questionnaires and a clinical examination which recorded details of caries experience, number and distribution of posterior occluding contacts, prosthodontic status, and periodontal status. Using a contingent valuation method, participants were asked to rate WTP in Singapore dollars [SGD$] for 4 aspects of care: dental fillings, dental scaling, dental extraction, and disease prevention advice. Negative binomial regression was used to assess the relationship between the predictor variables associated with WTP for dental fillings, scaling, extraction, and preventive advice. Results: The mean value of WTP for a dental filling was SGD$30.23 (SGD$31.05), for scaling was SGD$30.28 (SGD$29.46), for dental extraction was SGD$35.08 (SGD$58.54). In a multivariate model, factors associated with higher WTPfees were as follows: (1) dental filling: age (younger), level of education (higher), and frequency of dental visits (regular); (2) scaling: level of education (higher), agree that dental problems affect overall health, and frequency of dental visits (regular); (3) dental extractions: age (younger), level of education (higher), frequency of dental visits (regular), and prosthodontic status (not wearing); (4) preventive advice: age (younger), gender (male), ethnicity (Chinese), level of education (higher), marital status (married), self-perceived oral health (good), and dental visits (regular). Conclusions: The findings of our study suggest that older adults are willing to pay most for extraction and least for preventive advice.

This study made explicit the discourses of 10 teachers working as university-based teacher educators in Singapore to understand their enacted identities. It framed identity as discursive, constructed through language and talk. Interview data were analyzed using descriptive discourse analysis tools, with critical discourse analysis influencing the process. The discourses are as follows: (a) The value of seconded teachers is located firmly within schools, with practice and practitioner elevated above theory and academics; (b) teaching is the core role of seconded teachers, and discourses about learning, development, and research are weak; and (c) an individualistic framing situates the locus of change on teacher-practitioners. Hybrid spaces that bring theory and practice together are discursive spaces. Both the strengths and limitations of existing discursive identities need to be acknowledged, and multifaceted and complex practitioner identities explored. This article contributes to the integration of practitioners into the wider community of teacher educators in the university.

Orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS (HIV OVC) are at risk for cognitive difficulties and lack of access to education. Interventions addressing cognitive or educational outcomes for HIV OVC worldwide were examined through systematic searches conducted from October 2016 to 2019. We examined the summative effectiveness of interventions and the specific effects of participant age and intervention length. Interventions targeting cognitive outcomes had a small, significant effect, with no effect of moderating variables. Interventions targeting educational outcomes had significant effects. Educational interventions over 1 year were effective, but effects of intervention length were not significant. Overall, this review provides support for the effectiveness of interventions targeting cognitive and educational outcomes for OVC and highlights the need for more research on such interventions.

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Folate is an important one‐carbon cycle donor involved in the synthesis of purines, thymine, pantothenic acid, serine and glycine. The present study aimed to explore the capacity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum (L. plantarum subsp. plantarum) to synthesize folate in fermenting MRS and purple cabbage juice (PCJ). The mechanism underlying folate biosynthesis was investigated by transcriptomics. We aimed to find important genes and transcription factors involved in folate production by analyzing gene expression during L. plantarum subsp. plantarum fermentation.The results showed a 44% increase in total folate content in the PCJ medium, with 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate (5‐MTHF) contributing to a substantial 28% of this increase, whereas no folate was detected during MRS fermentation. The mechanism of folate production during the fermentation involved the coordinated regulation of multiple genes. The expression of some key genes (aroC, pabA, folE, folA and MTHFR) was upregulated during fermentation, and the expression of MTHFR, a gene related to 5‐MTHF synthesis, was increased by 8.4 times. These genes play roles in different steps of the folate synthesis pathway, including substrate synthesis, metabolic regulation and catalytic reactions.Our results revealed the expression of all genes involved in the biosynthesis of 5‐MTHF during L. plantarum subsp. plantarum fermentation, indicating the integrity of its biosynthetic pathway. The findings provide a scientific basis for folate production by optimizing fermentation conditions, further helping research on folate synthesis in other fermented foods. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]