2,2'-[2,5-Bis(hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene]dithiophene

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C26H34O2S2, comprises one half-mol­ecule located on an inversion centre. The thio­phene groups are twisted relative to the benzene ring, making a dihedral angle of 5.30 (7)°, and the n-hexyl groups are in a fully extended conformation. In the crystal, there are short C—H(...)π contacts involving the thio­phene groups

3,5-Dibromo-2-[2,5-dibutoxy-4-(3,5-dibromothiophen2-yl)phenyl]thiophene

The title mol­ecule, C22H22Br4O2S2, is centrosymmetric with an inversion centre located at the centre of the benzene ring. The 3,5-dibromo­thio­phene groups are twisted relative to the benzene ring, making a dihedral angle of 41.43 (9)°

Rasch model assessment of algebraic word problem among year 8 Malaysian students

Word problems continue to be a challenge for students today. All students must meet the prerequisites for problem solving and reasoning skills, which are important components of the critical thinking component of 21st century skills. This study is being conducted to assess students’ strategies for solving word problems with numbers, consecutives, and ages. The Rasch model is used to analyze the item difficulty level of word problems and students’ strategies for solving ten-word problems at various levels of item difficulty in a similar trait. Then, Pearson correlation analysis is used to investigate the item difficulty level in relation to linguistic, algebraic, and arithmetic factors of word problems before evaluating students’ performance on solving these word problems using various strategies. Rasch model found these algebraic word-problem questions are slightly harder for year 8 Malaysian students in relative to an international standard. Meanwhile, the item difficulty of word problems is driven by linguistic and algebra factors where students can score accurately if the word problems contained explicit information. However, the students encountered difficulties while losing their solution strategy when the questions contained implicit data that demanded critical thinking ability

4,5,7,8,17-Penta­hydr­oxy-14,18-dimethyl-6-methyl­ene-3,10-dioxapenta­cyclo­[9.8.0.01,7.04,19.013,18]nona­dec-14-ene-9,16-dione methanol solvate dihydrate

The title quassinoid compound, C20H24O9·CH3OH·2H2O, is a natural eurycomanone isolated from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia. The mol­ecules contain a fused five-ring system, with one tetra­hydro­furan ring adopting an envelope conformation, one tetra­hydro­pyran-2-one ring in a screw boat conformation, one cyclo­hexenone ring in a half-chair conformation and two cyclo­hexane rings in chair conformations. Intra­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions generate S(5) ring motifs and an O—H⋯O inter­action generates an S(7) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via inter­molecular O—H⋯O inter­actions along the b axis and further stacked along a axis. The absolute configuration of the title compound was inferred from previously solved structures of its analogues

Kesan ketebalan filem terhadap fotoelektrokimia titania dioksida (TiO2) yang disediakan melalui kaedah pemendapan bantuan aerosol wap kimia (AACVD)

Titanium oksida (TiO2) merupakan semikonduktor yang mempunyai jurang jalur yang besar dengan ciri-ciri foto penukaran dalam spektra UV sesuai digunakan dalam pelbagai aplikasi. Dalam penyelidikan ini, kaedah pemendapan bantuan aerosol wap kimia (AACVD) digunakan bagi menghasilkan lapisan filem TiO2 dengan ketebalan yang berbeza berdasarkan tempoh pemendapan yang dikenakan (3, 5 dan 7 min). Lapisan filem dimendapkan pada suhu 450oC. Melalui kedah AACVD, lapisan TiO2 yang dimendapkan di atas kaca FTO (florin dop tin oksida) akan menjadi lebih nipis dan struktur lapisan menjadi lebih padat.Titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) dan etanol digunakan untuk menghasilkan pelopor AACVD. Ciri morfologi dan ketebalan filem nipis TiO2 diuji menggunakan mikroskopi daya atom (AFM) yang menunjukkan permukaan berliang pada filem nipis tersebut. Ciri optik filem nipis TiO2 diuji menggunakan spektra pancaran ultra-lembayung cahaya nampak (UV-Vis) dan keputusan menunjukkan filem nipis memberikan ketelusan yang tinggi pada kawasan kelihatan berdasarkan jurang jalur yang diperolehi. Prestasi filem nipis dicirikan menggunakan voltammetri sapuan linear (LSV) dan spektroskopi impedans elektrokimia (EIS). TiO2-5 min memperoleh purata ketebalan 61 nm melihatkan prestasi J-V terbaik iaitu 6.30 x 10-4 A/cm-2 dan memberikan rintangan cas yang terendah. Tambahan, pemendapan filem menunjukkan kelekatan yang baik pada substrat, kebolehkeluaran semula dan permukaan filem nipis yang sekata. Berdasarkan keputusan yang diperolehi, TiO2 yang disediakan menggunakan kaedah AACVD sangat sesuai digunakan dalam pelbagai aplikasi seperti sel suria generasi ketiga yang memerlukan filem nipis dengan ketebalan yang rendah, berliang, ketelusan yang tinggi, fotoaktif, dan stabil

Mindful gratitude journaling: psychological distress, quality of life and suffering in advanced cancer: a randomised controlled trial

Context Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can reduce stress and improve quality of life. Objective Our study aimed to examine the effect of mindful gratitude journaling on suffering, psychological distress and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer. Methods We conducted a parallel-group, blinded, randomised controlled trial at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. Ninety-two adult patients with advanced cancer, and an overall suffering score ≥4/10 based on the Suffering Pictogram were recruited and randomly assigned to either a mindful gratitude journaling group (N=49) or a routine journaling group (N=43). Results After 1 week, there were significant reductions in the overall suffering score from the baseline in both the intervention group (mean difference in overall suffering score=−2.0, 95% CI=−2.7 to −1.4, t=−6.125, p=0.000) and the control group (mean difference in overall suffering score=−1.6, 95% CI=−2.3 to −0.8, t=−4.106, p=0.037). There were also significant improvements in the total Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (mean difference=−3.4, 95% CI=−5.3 to −1.5, t=−3.525, p=0.000) and the total Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being score (mean difference=7.3, 95% CI=1.5 to 13.1, t=2.460, p=0.014) in the intervention group after 7 days, but not in the control group. Conclusion The results provide evidence that 7 days of mindful gratitude journaling could positively affect the state of suffering, psychological distress and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer

Eleven novel polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers from the green-lipped mussel, Perna viridis

We report on the characterization of 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci in P. viridis, the first set of such markers developed and characterized for this species. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 7, whereas the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.0447 to 0.4837. These markers should prove useful as powerful genetic markers for this species

A Mini Review: Can Graphene Be a Novel Material for Perovskite Solar Cell Applications?

Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have raised research interest in scientific community because their power conversion efficiency is comparable to that of traditional commercial solar cells (i.e., amorphous Si, GaAs, and CdTe). Apart from that, PSCs are lightweight, are flexible, and have low production costs. Recently, graphene has been used as a novel material for PSC applications due to its excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. The hydrophobic nature of graphene surface can provide protection against air moisture from the surrounding medium, which can improve the lifetime of devices. Herein, we review recent developments in the use of graphene for PSC applications as a conductive electrode, carrier transporting material, and stabilizer material. By exploring the application of graphene in PSCs, a new class of strategies can be developed to improve the device performance and stability before it can be commercialized in the photovoltaic market in the near future

1,4-Dibromo-2,5-dibutoxybenzene

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H20Br2O2, contains one half-molecule located on an inversion centre. The molecule is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation from the best plane of the non-H atoms of 0.054 (2) Å for the O atoms. The butoxy group adopts a fully extended all-trans conformation. In the crystal, molecules are connected via C—Br...O halogen bonds [Br...O = 3.2393 (19) Å] into a two-dimensional corrugated network in the bc plane