Advanced Oxidation Processes of Amoxicillin Based on Visible Light Active Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst

Environmental consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic have attracted attention due to the excessive use of antibiotics which lead to the release of the drug's residue, such as amoxicillin (AMX), into the environment. In this work, an advanced oxidation process based on a visible, active N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst was carried out to eliminate AMX. Nitrogen with different initial doping concentrations (15, 30, 45% w/w) was doped into TiO2 by the sol-gel method. The characterization technique such as XRD, FTIR, UV-SRS, and SEM-EDX revealed that nitrogen with 30% doping concentration improved the TiO2 response in the visible region, attributed to the lower band gap energy (2.97 eV). In the photodegradation processes, the TiO2-N (30%) photocatalyst possessed higher AMX degradation than undoped TiO2 for both UV and visible light irradiation. In an aqueous solution, the degradation percentage of AMX by TiO2-N (30%) was 68.5 and 84.12%, while the degradation percentage of AMX by TiO2 was 38.7 and 78.01% under visible and UV light, respectively. © Kusuma Putri Suwondo et al.

Achievement Motivation and Learning Behavior of Students During COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender Differences

This study aimed to describe and compare the achievement motivation and learning behavior based on male and female students in Indonesia. Respondents have involved 902 female high school students and 637 male high school students using the cluster random sampling technique. Data were collected using a scale of achievement motivation and learning behavior with has a validity coefficient of items in the range of 0.362 to 0.724, and each had Cronbach’s alpha reliability of 0.811 and 0.866;data analyzed by descriptive and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed significant differences in the level of achievement motivation and learning behavior of male and female students. Female students showed better achievement motivation and learning behavior than male students. This study discussed by compare between several countries and recommends the need for guidance and counseling services to increase achievement motivation and student learning behavior based on gender differences. © 2022, Pegem Egitim ve Ogretim Dergisi. All Rights Reserved.