Critical-sized bone defects exceed the body's natural healing capacity and often require scaffold materials to support bone regeneration. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is widely used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility; however, its osteoconductive performance and mechanical robustness are limited when used alone. To address these limitations, hydroxyapatite (HA) was incorporated into PVP fibers and fabricated into electrospinning scaffolds. PVP/HA composites were prepared at PVP:HA weight ratios of 100:0 (A), 80:20 (B), 60:40 (C), and 40:60 (D), and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), porosity testing, and in vitro degradation in simulated body fluid (SBF) over 21 days. Among all compositions, the 40:60 scaffold (Sample D) showed the most favorable structural features, exhibiting the smallest average fiber diameter (326 ± 95 nm), the highest porosity (86.03%), and an increased crystallinity. In SBF, Sample D displayed controlled degradation, with weight loss increasing from 20.55% (day 7) to 61.06% (day 21). Overall, increasing HA loading improved scaffold microstructure and degradation behavior, suggesting that the 40:60 PVP/HA composition offers an optimal balance for electrospinning scaffold design toward bone tissue engineering applications.
This study examines the professional identity development of Indonesian pre-service English teachers during a short-term international teaching internship in Southern Thailand, specifically exploring how participants perceived themselves as becoming "different persons" through this intercultural experience. Although existing research has established the role of intercultural encounters in shaping teacher identity, limited attention has been directed toward understanding how brief yet intensive overseas teaching placements contribute to emerging professional identities through processes of reflective meaning-making. Employing a collaborative narrative inquiry approach, the study analyzed written reflective narratives and semi-structured interview data collected from six Indonesian pre-service English teachers. The analysis focused on how professional identity construction unfolded through participants' everyday intercultural classroom experiences. The findings reveal that participants experienced substantial shifts in professional self-understanding, evidenced by expanded intercultural awareness, negotiated emotional and pedagogical challenges, and the development of adaptive teaching practices in response to unfamiliar classroom norms, multilingual interactions, and local school expectations. Critically, identity development did not result from intercultural exposure alone but emerged through sustained, reflective engagement with intercultural encounters throughout the internship period. This study contributes to the field of English language teacher education by highlighting the pedagogical and affective value of short-term international teaching internships and underscoring the necessity of structured intercultural preparation, guided reflection, and robust institutional support in fostering pre-service teachers' professional learning.
Balancing exceptional multifunctional performance with mechanical robustness in micro-nano composite films remains a significant challenge for practical applications. In this work, a superhydrophobic coating reinforced with micro-CaCO3 and nano-ZnO particles was fabricated through a versatile single-step brushing method. The optimized EP/PDMS@micro-CaCO3/nano-ZnO coating achieved a water contact angle (WCA) of 173.54 degrees +/- 2.53 degrees and a sliding angle (SA) of 1.50 degrees +/- 1.12 degrees. Owing to its carefully engineered micro-nano hierarchical structure, the coating exhibited outstanding friction coefficient reduction efficiency of 76.2% and mechanical durability Furthermore, the coating demonstrated superior anti-pollution properties, self-cleaning capability, substrate versatility, thermal stability, and anti-icing performance. Electrochemical evaluations revealed that the coating provided corrosion protection efficiency exceeding 99% in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, indicating substantially enhanced corrosion resistance. The results demonstrate that the modified CaCO3-ZnO modified CaCO3 nanoparticles do not merely function as surface roughness generators but actively reinforce the polymer matrix by enhancing interfacial bonding and suppressing nanoparticle pull-out during mechanical abrasion. The incorporation of PDMS further contributes to stress absorption while maintaining low surface energy, enabling sustained superhydrophobicity under repeated mechanical, chemical, and thermal exposure. This study provides new mechanistic insight into the durability of CaCO3-based superhydrophobic coatings and shifts the focus of superhydrophobic coating design from short-term repellency performance toward durability-driven material engineering. The findings offer a viable strategy for developing robust superhydrophobic coatings suitable for marine atmospheric corrosion protection applications. The intrinsic properties of micro-CaCO3/nano-ZnO particles, along with their highly ordered assembly within the coating, present a promising and effective strategy for the design and fabrication of multifunctional, all-in-one composite films.
Mathematics learning in elementary schools has been a challenge to teachers and to students in lower grades due to the nature of the subject and the need to build a strong understanding base. The strategies applied by the teachers can be an important factor to help the students understand the subject of mathematics more effectively and impactfully. This article aims to discuss the strategies applied by the teachers to help the third-grade students of Muhammadiyah Terpadu Elementary School Ponorogo understand the subject of multiplication and division while also mentioning the supporting and hindering factors encountered during the process. This research applied a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach to collect the information. Information collection was carried out through interviewing the three math teachers of the third-grade students as the main participants, while observations were also carried out to directly witness the math learning process among the students. Information analysis was carried out through the application of the following steps: data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results revealed that the educators used different strategies to improve students' understanding of the material, including the use of educational aids, interactive learning games, and individual strategies to assist students who had difficulties with their understanding. The factors that supported students' learning of multiplication and division include educational aids, teachers' support, and apperception to motivate students to recall previous lessons. The factors that hinder students' mastery of multiplication and division skills include: 1) lack of interest to memorize, 2) gadgets' dependency, and 3) students' peers. From the findings of the research, it can be concluded that the use of different strategies and students' involvement in the learning process can improve their understanding of multiplication and division skills among third-grade students. Effective strategies used by teachers play a significant role in creating a more meaningful and enjoyable experience of learning mathematics among elementary school students.
The different atomic percentages of Fe and Ti during the solidification process and their influence on the local atomic structure of ferrotitanium alloys have been investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. To examine the material's atomic characteristics, we perform the calculation of the radial distribution function (RDF) and structure factor S(q) at 300 K. The results show that variations in atomic composition lead to differences in the formation of local structures. The body-centered cubic structure becomes increasingly prominent when the Fe content is higher than the Ti content. In contrast, the hexagonal close-packed structure decreases in occurrence as the Fe composition increases. Furthermore, the RDF obtained in this study shows that increasing Fe content leads to a decrease in the positions of the first, second, and third peaks, indicating changes in the local atomic density. In contrast, the structure factor S(q) exhibits the opposite trend, where a higher Fe atomic percentage relative to Ti results in larger first, second, and third peak positions.
