Performance of particleboard with palm kernel cake as filler

Particleboard is a common product of wood industry. Usually, the particleboard is used as a component of furniture manufacturing or part of building construction. In the production of particleboard, wood glue or binder is applied to form hard bonded particles. The usage of melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin as a binder in particleboard production is widely practised. Due to low solid content and the cost of MUF resin, some particleboard manufacturers are adding filler to increase the solid content and to reduce the cost of binder. For example, industrial-grade wheat flour and palm shell powder are commonly used as filler. The performance of wood products is significantly affected by the type of filler used due to the compound composition. Therefore, a study conducted in this work is to investigate the performance of MUF resin-based particleboard produced with palm kernel cake powder as filler. Palm kernel cake (PKC) was chosen due to the protein content that might help in the binding strength and the reduction in free formaldehyde in the wood product. The investigation was conducted by the preparation of particleboard in laboratory with various curing time and quantity of MUF resin and filler used. The performance properties of particleboard such as water absorption (WA), thickness swelling (TS), modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) of design expert software was used for the experimental design and optimization. The results shown that there is some effect of filler on the performance properties particleboard produced. The optimized or targeted performance also can be identified via design expert software

Microcredit, Technology Adoption and Economic Development of Rural Household

The main objective of this study is to investigate either Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) microcredit has led to the technology adoption and increase of rural household economy, particularly in household monthly income among its participants. This study was conducted in Melaka based on a sample of 200 participants. The findings of the study show that the AIM microcredit had a significant impact on technology adoption and increased the participant household monthly income in Melaka. The findings suggest that AIM microcredit is still relevant and plays an important role in increasing rural household monthly income, inculcate entrepreneurship among women and reduced poverty. Therefore, the Malaysian government should enact the relevant policies and give supports to enhance the effectiveness and outreach of microcredit

Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Foam Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid Solution

Metal-free, nitrogen-doped carbon foam is utilized as a model non-precious electrocatalyst system to investigate the role of nitrogen in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the absence of iron contamination. This graphene-like foam displays relatively high activity for the ORR in acid, despite being proven free from transition-metal impurities. The onset potential is 0.85 VRHE, the mass activity is 2.8 A/g at 0.6 VRHE, and the current density is −4.0 mA/cm2. The maximum electron transfer number is calculated to be 3.6, revealing that a 4-electron pathway is possible in nitrogen-doped carbon, even in the absence of transition-metal coordination sites. The excellent electrochemical activity is attributed to the large surface area (700 m2/g), improved conductivity after graphitization, and the relatively high proportion of tertiary (graphite-like) nitrogen

Log-convexity and log-concavity of hypergeometric-like functions

We find sufficient conditions for log-convexity and log-concavity for the functions of the forms $a\mapsto\sum{f_k}(a)_kx^k$, $a\mapsto\sum{f_k}\Gamma(a+k)x^k$ and $a\mapsto\sum{f_k}x^k/(a)_k$. The most useful examples of such functions are generalized hypergeometric functions. In particular, we generalize the Tur\'{a}n inequality for the confluent hypergeometric function recently proved by Barnard, Gordy and Richards and log-convexity results for the same function recently proved by Baricz. Besides, we establish a reverse inequality which complements naturally the inequality of Barnard, Gordy and Richards. Similar results are established for the Gauss and the generalized hypergeometric functions. A conjecture about monotonicity of a quotient of products of confluent hypergeometric functions is made.Comment: 13 pages, no figure

Development of Distraction Risk Index (DRI) Among the Intrastate Bus Driver in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Bus services is one of the main public transport chosen by the people all around the world especially in the big city such as Kuala Lumpur. However, the safety of the passenger of the bus services become main concern among the researchers due to increasing number of accidents among the bus services. Some researcher found that, the major factor of the accidents involving bus services was caused by the bus driver distraction. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop the Distraction Risk Index (DRI) among the intrastate bus driver. This research will only focus on the intrastate bus driver in Kuala Lumpur. Survey which adapting the Hampton University Transportation Centre Bus Driver Distraction Survey was used and distributed to 215 intrastate bus drivers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was found that there were four sources of distraction which classified as very high risk which were condition of the bus, traffic congestion, drivers’ welfare and drivers’ health. Findings of this research can be used as a platform for future improvement for the performance of the intrastate bus services. This research also can provide assistance to future researchers to design and provide solution to overcome sources of distraction

Evolution of plasticity-based wear damage in gross sliding fretting of a Ti-6Al-4V non-conforming contact

This paper examines the evidence for a plasticity based wear mechanism in the fretting wear of Ti-6Al-4V. Driven by near-surface plastic strain accumulation, the generation of wear debris evolves from coarse metallic debris towards loose fine oxide debris generating W-shape wear scar. The overall wear effect however, is less pronounced at the later stages of wear due to a reduced propensity for plastic deformation in the contact associated with wear induced contact pressure reduction. The evidence suggests that the high wear rate at the early stages of a fretting test are due to debris = generation associated with gross plasticity whilst at the later stages, lower wear is associated with less plasticity accumulation

THERMAL ANALYSIS AND MICROSTRUCTURAL STUDY OF POROUS β-TiNb INCORPORATED WITH TiH2 POWDER VIA LOW-COST PROCESSING ROUTE

In the development of Ti-based alloy bio-implant material, Titanium Hydride (TiH2) which is commonly used as a pore former agent has become one of the new approaches of starting material via powder metallurgy processing route with the aim of low-cost production in the fabrication of Beta-typed Titanium Niobium (β-TiNb) alloy. However, the thermal behaviour of TiNb alloy by TiH2 substitution is still not well understood. Thus, in the present work the compacted of Ti and Nb mixture was subjected to thermal analysis via differential thermal analysis (DTA) and dilatometry to evaluate thermal events existed during sintering process. It was found that the overall reaction had undergone four-step processes; the first two steps were subjected to the dehydrogenation process whereas the last two steps corresponded to the formation of TiNb alloy. In addition, the β phase of TiNb exhibited better appearance at 1200°C sintered temperature which was supported by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis

Patterned hydrophobic gas diffusion layers for enhanced water management in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Flooding of the cathode due to water accumulation is one of the biggest limiting factors in the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). This study therefore attempts to solve this issue by fabricating gas diffusion layers (GDLs) with differently patterned hydrophobic regions. The GDLs in three different patterns (triangular, diamond, and inverted-triangular) were prepared by brushing a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) solution onto commercial carbon papers through a mask and tested in PEFCs. The patterned GDLs results in superior performance in all cases compared to a uniformly PTFE-treated GDL. Notably, the oxygen transport resistance is significantly reduced, indicating that the water accumulation in the cathode is avoided. This is attributed to the patterned hydrophobicity gradient providing distinct pathways for water and oxygen. The GDL with triangular patterning displays the highest peak power density, due to the fact that the untreated less hydrophobic region is in direct contact with the cathode outlet in this case, facilitating the removal of excess liquid water. Overall, the study confirms that the GDLs with patterned hydrophobicity could be used to enhance the performance of commercial PEFC systems by facilitating water management, potentially leading to improved efficiency and durability

Blockchain Applications in Smart Sustainable City Context—A Systematic Mapping Study

The advancement in blockchain applications in the smart sustainable city infrastructure is evaluated in this paper through a comprehensive mapping review. The evaluation is carried out by posing four research questions that address current developments in blockchain technology in the context of smart cities and point out areas where additional study is needed. This study also includes a scoping of blockchain applications in a smart city context to highlight the obstacles to incorporating blockchain technology into smart city infrastructure. Finally, some suggestions for overcoming the problems of incorporating blockchain technology with smart city infrastructure are offered. This research will help researchers and policymakers gain a better understanding of blockchain applications in smart cities