Jurnal MIPA dan Pembelajarannya

Mathematical Problem-Solving Strategies of Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers in Solving Contextual Problems

Refni Adesia Pradiarti — 2026-07-08

This study aims to describe the mathematical problem-solving strategies employed by pre-service elementary school teachers in solving contextual problems based on Polya's problem-solving stages. The study adopted a qualitative approach with a descriptive research design. The participants consisted of 32 students from the Elementary School Teacher Education Program at Sunan Gresik University who completed a mathematical problem-solving test. Three participants were purposively selected to represent high-, moderate-, and low-ability groups. Data were collected through a contextual mathematical problem-solving test, semi-structured interviews, and documentation of the participants' written work. Data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that participants in the high-ability group successfully completed all stages of Polya's problem-solving process systematically, employed appropriate strategies, and accurately interpreted the results within the given context. Participants in the moderate-ability group were able to perform the mathematical procedures correctly but experienced difficulties in reflecting on and interpreting their solutions. Meanwhile, participants in the low-ability group encountered difficulties from the initial stage of understanding the problem, resulting in the use of inappropriate strategies and solutions that did not adequately address the problem requirements. These findings suggest that the ability to understand contextual situations, select appropriate strategies, and reflect on the solution process are key factors distinguishing the mathematical problem-solving performance of pre-service elementary school teachers.

Association Of Resistin and Adiponectin Levels with Physiological and Inflammatory Parameters in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Wasit Province, Iraq

Nada Hameed Ajam AL-Badri — 2026-07-13

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the whole body with the presence of constant inflammation at the joints and increased levels of inflammatory mediators while not maintaining normal metabolic homeostasis. The adipokines, such as resistin and adiponectin, secreted by adipose tissue, have been identified as important modulators of inflammatory and immune responses. Their involvement in the RA pathophysiology is not fully understood, especially in Middle Eastern populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of resistin and adiponectin in the serum of Iraqi women with RA who live in Wasit Province, Iraq, and determine their correlation with inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, ESR, TNF-α, and IL-6), lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, and LDL-C), and complete blood count (CBC) parameters (Hb, WBC, platelet count, MCV, MCH, and MCHC). The case-control study was carried out at Al-Kut Teaching Hospital and some private clinical laboratories in Al-Kut city, which comprised 60 women with RA (mean age 42.3 ± 8.7 years) and 30 healthy female controls (mean age 40.1 ± 7.9 years). The levels of serum resistin and serum adiponectin were measured using ELISA. Standard laboratory procedures were used to measure inflammatory markers, lipid profiles, and CBC. The Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) was used to measure disease activity. Serum resistin was significantly elevated in RA patients (18.6 ± 5.3 ng/mL) compared to controls (7.2 ± 2.1 ng/mL; p<0.001), while adiponectin was significantly reduced (8.4 ± 3.7 vs. 15.9 ± 4.2 μg/mL; p<0.001). Resistin correlated positively with CRP (r=+0.74), ESR (r=+0.68), TNF-α (r=+0.71), IL-6 (r=+0.66), and DAS28 (r=+0.69). Adiponectin inversely correlated with the same parameters. Dyslipidemia (increased LDL-C, triglycerides, decreased HDL-C) and hematological abnormalities were noted in RA patients. Resistin and adiponectin are significantly dysregulated in Iraqi women with RA and closely approximate disease activity and systemic inflammatory load. These adipokines could serve as potential complementary markers for disease severity and metabolic complications of RA.

Essential Oil-Induced Downregulation of Aflatoxin Biosynthetic Genes in Aspergillus Flavus: A Natural Strategy for Reducing Crop Contamination

Intesar Ali Mezeal — 2026-07-13

Background: Aspergillus flavus is an important aflatoxigenic fungus associated with contamination of maize, wheat, peanuts and other stored crops. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a highly toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolite, and its biosynthesis is controlled by clustered structural and regulatory genes, including aflR, aflS, aflD, aflM, aflP and aflQ. Objective: This study evaluated the inhibitory effects of cinnamon, clove and thyme essential oils on A. flavus growth, AFB1 production and relative expression of selected aflatoxin biosynthetic genes under controlled in vitro conditions. Methods: An aflatoxigenic A. flavus isolate was exposed to essential oils at 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 µL/mL. Radial growth inhibition was determined on potato dextrose agar, while mycelial dry weight and AFB1 production were evaluated in yeast extract sucrose broth. AFB1 was quantified by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Relative expression of aflR, aflS, aflD, aflM, aflP and aflQ was determined by RT-qPCR using β-tubulin as the reference gene and the 2^-ΔΔCt method. Results: The results showed a concentration-dependent decrease in fungal growth, biomass and AFB1 production. Cinnamon oil produced the strongest inhibition, reducing radial growth by 54.3% and AFB1 production by 81.7% at 1.00 µL/mL. Clove oil reduced AFB1 by 73.4%, whereas thyme oil reduced it by 65.2% at the same concentration. RT-qPCR analysis showed downregulation of all tested biosynthetic genes, with aflR and aflD showing the most consistent suppression. Cinnamon oil reduced aflR expression to 0.24-fold and aflD expression to 0.19-fold compared with the untreated control. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that essential oils, particularly cinnamon and clove oils, reduced AFB1 production through both growth inhibition and transcriptional suppression of key aflatoxin biosynthetic genes. These results support the use of plant-derived essential oils as natural anti-aflatoxigenic agents in strategies aimed at reducing crop contamination.

Mathematical Literacy of University Students in Solving Higher-Order Thinking Skills (Hots) Problems in Advanced Geometric Transformations

Lailatul Adinda Fitria — 2026-07-15

This study aimed to analyze the mathematical literacy of university students in solving Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based problems on geometric transformations in an Advanced Mathematics course. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, involving six participants selected through purposive sampling to represent high-, medium-, and low-ability groups. Data were collected using a written HOTS-based mathematics test and analyzed following the data analysis model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings indicate that students' mathematical literacy can be classified into three categories: (1) accurate and appropriate visual representations, (2) inaccurate visual representations, and (3) absence of visual representations. Students in the high-ability category successfully demonstrated all indicators of mathematical literacy, including problem comprehension, solution strategy development, mathematical representation, visualization, and logical reasoning. Students in the medium-ability category exhibited partial understanding but still experienced conceptual misunderstandings and weaknesses in visualization. In contrast, students in the low-ability category were unable to integrate symbolic and visual representations effectively and demonstrated deficiencies across nearly all mathematical literacy indicators. These findings suggest that visual representation is a key factor in successfully solving HOTS-based geometric transformation problems. Therefore, mathematics instruction should be designed using contextual, visual, and HOTS-oriented learning approaches to enhance university students' mathematical literacy.