Jambi University

Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) relies on criterion weights to represent the relative importance of evaluation criteria in ranking alternatives. However, conventional Entropy Weighting may generate highly imbalanced weights when criteria exhibit substantially different levels of information variation, potentially causing excessive dominance of particular criteria. This study proposes Adaptive Balanced Entropy (A-Entropy), an objective weighting method that integrates the information-based principle of Entropy Weighting with an adaptive balancing mechanism. The method derives entropy-based weights, measures weight imbalance using a Weight Imbalance Index, and adaptively adjusts the weights according to the identified imbalance level. The effectiveness of A-Entropy is evaluated through two MCDM case studies involving lecturer selection and leasing customer selection. The resulting weights are compared with conventional Entropy Weighting, while their effects on alternative rankings are evaluated using MOORA and PIV, respectively. The results show that A-Entropy substantially reduces weight concentration in the lecturer selection case, where the highest weight decreases from 0.4368 to 0.3333 and the lowest weight increases from 0.0042 to 0.0665. In the leasing customer selection case, the adjustment is more moderate due to its comparatively lower initial imbalance. Furthermore, A-Entropy produces higher Spearman correlations with the original rankings than Entropy, increasing from 0.8303 to 0.9030 for lecturer selection and from 0.9758 to 0.9879 for leasing customer selection. These findings indicate that A-Entropy reduces excessive criterion weight imbalance while preserving meaningful differences in criterion importance and maintaining high ranking consistency. Therefore, A-Entropy provides an adaptive objective weighting approach for MCDM-based Decision Support Systems.

Tropical forests harbour high taxonomic and phytochemical diversity, with specialised metabolites mediating ecological interactions likely contributing to species coexistence. However, tropical forest loss threatens the existence of many tree species, with a risk of irreversible loss of yet undiscovered phytochemicals. While restoration efforts often target taxonomic recovery, the assembly of phytochemical diversity during restoration remains underexplored. In this study, we characterised the phytochemical diversity of naturally regenerating woody species in a biodiversity enrichment experiment consisting of 52 tree islands varying in area and planted tree diversity, embedded in an industrial oil palm plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Using untargeted metabolomics, we characterised phytochemical diversity among 76 regenerating woody species from 34 families occurring 10 years after tree islands establishment. Furthermore, we examined how island area and planted tree diversity influenced phytochemical diversity via stem density and diversity of the regenerating woody species. In addition, we assessed the relationship between chemical dissimilarity (pairwise and of the overall community) and community assembly. We found 27,122 phytochemical features, from which around 40% were alkaloids and terpenoids, while 17% remained unclassified, suggesting the presence of novel metabolites. Phytochemical diversity increased with tree island area, whereas the initial planted tree diversity had no significant effects. The effect of area was mediated by the diversity of regenerated species, whereas stem density had no effect. When accounting for sampling coverage, island area also showed a direct positive effect on phytochemical diversity, suggesting additional area-associated mechanisms beyond differences in sampling completeness. Community-level chemical structure showed a weak tendency towards overdispersion, suggesting that species tend to be chemically more dissimilar to their neighbours than expected by chance. Synthesis. Our study shows that establishing tree islands within oil palm plantations can enhance phytochemical diversity through natural regeneration. Larger tree islands support higher species diversity and phytochemical diversity, underscoring the role of area in restoration. These insights are important to advance our understanding of the role of phytochemistry in ecosystem recovery and to guide restoration practices aiming to enhance biodiversity and phytochemical diversity in human-modified landscapes. Los bosques tropicales albergan una alta diversidad taxon & oacute;mica y fitoqu & iacute;mica, en donde los metabolitos especializados median interacciones ecol & oacute;gicas que probablemente contribuyen a la coexistencia de especies. Sin embargo, la p & eacute;rdida de bosques tropicales amenaza la persistencia de numerosas especies arb & oacute;reas, con el riesgo de una p & eacute;rdida irreversible de fitoqu & iacute;micos a & uacute;n no descubiertos. Aunque los esfuerzos de restauraci & oacute;n suelen centrarse en la recuperaci & oacute;n taxon & oacute;mica, la reconstituci & oacute;n de la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica durante la restauraci & oacute;n permanece poco explorada. En este estudio, caracterizamos la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica de especies le & ntilde;osas regeneradas naturalmente en un experimento de enriquecimiento de biodiversidad compuesto por 52 islas de & aacute;rboles que var & iacute;an en & aacute;rea y en diversidad de & aacute;rboles plantados, inmersas en una plantaci & oacute;n industrial de palma aceitera en Sumatra, Indonesia. Mediante metabol & oacute;mica no dirigida, caracterizamos la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica en 76 especies le & ntilde;osas de 34 familias presentes diez a & ntilde;os despu & eacute;s del establecimiento de las islas. Adem & aacute;s, examinamos c & oacute;mo el & aacute;rea de la isla y la diversidad inicial de & aacute;rboles plantados influyeron en la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica a trav & eacute;s de la densidad de tallos y la diversidad de especies le & ntilde;osas regeneradas. Asimismo, evaluamos la relaci & oacute;n entre la disimilitud qu & iacute;mica (por pares y a nivel de comunidad) y el ensamblaje comunitario. Detectamos 27.122 rasgos fitoqu & iacute;micos, de los cuales alrededor del 40% correspondieron a alcaloides y terpenoides, mientras que el 17% permaneci & oacute; sin clasificar, lo que sugiere la presencia de metabolitos novedosos. La diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica aument & oacute; con el & aacute;rea de las islas, mientras que la diversidad inicial de & aacute;rboles plantados no mostr & oacute; efectos significativos. El efecto del & aacute;rea estuvo mediado por la diversidad de especies regeneradas, mientras que la densidad de tallos no tuvo efecto. Al considerar la cobertura de muestreo, el & aacute;rea de la isla tambi & eacute;n mostr & oacute; un efecto directo positivo sobre la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica, lo que sugiere mecanismos asociados al & aacute;rea m & aacute;s all & aacute; de diferencias en la completitud del muestreo. La estructura qu & iacute;mica a nivel de comunidad mostr & oacute; una d & eacute;bil tendencia a la sobredispersi & oacute;n, lo que sugiere que las especies tienden a ser qu & iacute;micamente m & aacute;s dis & iacute;miles a sus vecinas de lo esperado por azar. S & iacute;ntesis. Nuestro estudio muestra que el establecimiento de islas de & aacute;rboles dentro de plantaciones de palma aceitera puede aumentar la diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica a trav & eacute;s de la regeneraci & oacute;n natural. Las islas de mayor tama & ntilde;o sostienen una mayor diversidad de especies y mayor diversidad fitoqu & iacute;mica, subrayando el papel del & aacute;rea en la restauraci & oacute;n. Estos hallazgos son importantes para avanzar en la comprensi & oacute;n del papel de la fitoqu & iacute;mica en la recuperaci & oacute;n de los ecosistemas y para orientar pr & aacute;cticas de restauraci & oacute;n que bus

Aim/Purpose Contemporary higher education faces critical challenges in simultaneously developing science process skills and digital competency within rapidly evolving technological contexts. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Arduino-IoT integrated 3C-STEMLAB (Creative, Collaborative, Communicative STEM Laboratory) environments in enhancing dual competency development among undergraduate physics education students. Background Despite growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of Arduino and IoT separately in STEM education, limited research examines how integrated Arduino-IoT environments can simultaneously develop science process skills and digital competency through structured pedagogical frameworks, particularly in resource-constrained university contexts in emerging economies. Methodology A 16-week cluster-randomized controlled trial with a convergent-parallel mixed-methods design was conducted involving 60 undergraduate physics education students from four Indonesian public universities in Jambi Province. The experimental group (n=30) engaged with Arduino microcontrollers and Firebase cloud connectivity within a six-phase 3C-STEMLAB framework, while the control group (n=30) received conventional laboratory instruction. Quantitative data were collected using validated Science Process Skills Assessment (alpha=0.92), Digital Competency Scale (alpha=0.94), and 3C-STEMLAB Integrated Competency Scale (alpha=.94). Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and student artifact analysis. Contribution This research provides comprehensive empirical evidence for the development of dual competencies through technology-enhanced collaborative learning environments, offering a validated pedagogical framework for integrating Arduino-IoT technologies with systematic instruction in scientific process skills in resource-constrained higher education settings. Findings ANCOVA results revealed that experimental participants demonstrated significantly superior performance with large effect sizes across all primary outcomes: science process skills (d=1.31, p<0.001), digital competency (d=1.28, p<0.001), 3C integrated competency (d=1.28), and Arduino-IoT collaboration proficiency (d=1.18, p<0.001). Qualitative analysis identified five interconnected themes: authentic technological mediation of scientific learning, enhanced peer collaboration through IoT connectivity, digital identity formation in STEM research contexts, persistent cloud-based research communities, and integrated mastery through creative problem-solving. Recommendations for Practitioners Recommendations for Researchers University educators should implement the systematic, six-phase 3C-STEMLAB progression, emphasizing creative foundation-building, collaborative planning, and communicative implementation, while ensuring adequate faculty preparation, technical infrastructure, and institutional support for dual competency development in undergraduate laboratory courses. Future research should investigate cross-disciplinary 3C-STEMLAB extensions, equity and access considerations across diverse institutional contexts, and the integration of industry partnerships while examining optimal technology integration models for different educational settings and learner populations. Impact on Society This research demonstrates that Arduino-IoT-integrated 3C-STEMLAB environments can effectively transform undergraduate science laboratory instruction, preparing students for contemporary STEM careers requiring both technological competency and scientific inquiry skills while addressing critical workforce development needs in emerging economies. Future Research Priority directions include cross-cultural replication studies, longitudinal investigations of competency retention, optimization of teacher preparation, and assessment of scalable implementation models across diverse resource contexts.

The invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), has become a major constraint to sweet corn (Zea mays subsp. saccharata S.) production in Indonesia, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. This study evaluated the field performance of an integrated IPM package combining sweet corn and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) intercropping with foliar eco-enzyme application compared with a sweet corn monoculture. Because the experiment involved two primary treatments, the study aimed to demonstrate the overall effectiveness of the integrated system rather than isolate the individual contributions of each component. Field trials were conducted from April to September 2025 under comparable agroecological conditions with five replicated plots per treatment. The integrated system significantly suppressed pest populations; specifically, by 6 weeks after planting (WAP), plant infestation reached 88

Although Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of economic activity and inclusive growth in Indonesia, and recent data from Jambi Province reveal a disconnect between robust post-pandemic recovery and meaningful poverty reduction. While regional GDP climbed from 0.99% to 6% between 2020 and 2024, poverty declined only slightly, highlighting persistent inequality. This study addresses this gap by examining, for the first time in the context of Jambi Province, how e-commerce adoption mediates the link between Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs’) quality and the achievement of economic growth, innovation, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 9. Using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) on data from 250 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the findings reveal that improvements in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs’) quality alone do not drive growth or reduce poverty unless they are accompanied by the effective adoption of e-commerce. This integrated approach, combining Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs’) capacity, digital transformation and regional Sustainable Development Goal outcomes, offers new empirical evidence and practical recommendations for emerging economies. Despite a sectoral and regional focus, the framework and results are generalizable to similar contexts. Future research should expand into additional sectors and regions, and adopt longitudinal analysis to validate and enrich these findings.