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The pulp and paper making industry is looking for new main raw material based on its physical, chemical and morphological characteristics. Currently in this industry, bagasse is the most useful raw material in pulp and paper industry. The objective of this study is to determine its suitability for pulping. Acacia auriculiformis is a fast-growing tree normally found in Indonesia and Australia. Acacia auriculiformis leaf contains of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. The range of lignin content in Acacia auriculiformis is 19%-20%. The hemi-cellulose and lignin contents was removed by soda-pulping process using different concentrations as followed; 3%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. In order to determine the optimum pulping conditions for Acacia auriculiformis craft paper, several tests were conducted such as apparent density, tear test, tensile strength test and moisture absorption. It was found that the Acacia auriculiformis fibre treated with 3% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions gave good tear test of the paper. For apparent density test, the best concentration of NaOH used for treating Acacia auriculiformis pulping is at 15%. From the study, the optimum concentration of NaOH in treating Acacia auriculiformis fibre is at 5% for best result in tensile strength. Hence, from the overall tests, 5% concentration of NaOH is the optimum value. From the findings, Acacia auriculiformis fibre has a potential to be used in paper making and food packaging industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has found that core discipline areas continue to be taught separately as school subjects with little or no integration [1]. However, students' immersion in authentic, integrated STEM education in "rich" cross-curricular tasks is an aspirational way of learning. Using a Makerspace approach, the researchers created a community of experts, comprising pre-service teachers, through workshop training sessions. They then provided opportunities for school students to apply their subject knowledge to create hands-on, engaging artifacts influenced by an integrated STEM approach and Maker influence. This paper examines the experiences of primary school students who participated in a STEM-based project. A model of reflective identity formation was used to support the hands-on learning of pre-service teachers in Australia and Indonesia. The Wigglebots project engaged 385 primary school students from Australia and Indonesia, emphasizing their technological and scientific skills and knowledge by tasking them with creating a 'wiggle bot.' Following the completion of the project, the students were asked to complete a survey that gauged their confidence, engagement, and ability to identify and apply scientific knowledge. The results revealed that the Makerspace hands-on approach successfully engaged the students in STEM education. Moreover, all the surveyed students successfully created the bots and collaborated efficiently in groups mentored by pre-service teachers. Groups of students in Australia reported engagement at slightly lower levels than the Indonesian students; however, the Australian students were more able to represent and explain the underpinning science concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education for children with special needs, especially with mild intellectual disabilities, has not received much attention from researchers and practitioners. The education of intellectual disabilities children also has the same right to develop according to the needs of the times as regular children's education in general. The changing and evolving needs of the times should also be followed by changes in the curriculum used, considering that one of the learning goals in special schools for intellectual disabilities children is to make the children who can live independently. In special schools for intellectual disabilities children in Indonesia, mathematics learning is combined with other lessons to discuss specific themes in everyday life. Based on an extensive literature search on the mathematics curriculum in special schools for intellectual disabilities children, this paper aims to review the literature involving two things: (1) mathematics education curriculum in special schools for intellectual disabilities children in Indonesia, and (2) mathematics curriculum in special education in Australia and Singapore. A view is also provided. This paper concludes that: (1) learning in special schools for intellectual disabilities children in Indonesia uses thematic learning where mathematics learning is focused on its usefulness in everyday life, (2) numeracy is the focus of education in Australia, not least for intellectual disabilities children, and learning Mathematics for mild intellectual disabilities children in Singapore includes the concepts of numbers, spaces, arithmetic procedures, problem solving and measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]