The effects of cost of living and household dependency on household debt and its composition in Malaysia

The past decade has witnessed a notable increase in household debt across countries, which raises concerns on its impact on social and economic aspects. Although household debt plays an important role in supporting the economy to grow, a continuous rise in the debt level may bring serious economic consequences. Hence, understanding the potential factors that contribute towards the significant rise in the debt level is useful for policy implications. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the cost of living and household dependency on household debt and its composition in Malaysia where the roles of income level, interest rates and housing prices are the control variables. By using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) modelling approach, this study revealed that in the long run, income level, housing prices and old age dependency have positive influences on both total household debt and mortgage debt while an inverse relationship was observed on the effects of interest rates, cost of living and young age dependency on both types of debt. This finding is also similar to the case of consumer debt except for the role of housing prices which exhibit a negative relationship. This study also discovered that in the event of any short-term deviation in the household debt model the mortgage debt will adjust faster compared to the consumer debt, which may be due to risks associated with mortgage debt which is typically lower since it is secured with assets and thereby any short-term deviation will be easily adjusted. Finally, the inclusion of the structural break in the debt model revealed that the break effects are significant in all the models and thereby support the importance of considering their presence in the analysis to prevent biased estimation

Mapping the Plastic Waste Research Landscape: A bibliometric analysis of the interdisciplinary nature of plastic waste research

The purpose of this study was to explore a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on plastic waste. A systematic literature search was conducted using the Scopus database to retrieve articles published between 2011 to 2022. The bibliometric indicators used such as the number of publications, citations, and collaboration networks. The study revealed 2735 articles on plastic waste were published. India and China were the most productive countries in terms of publication output. The analysis identified a strong network of collaborations among researchers. Several limitations were also identified. This study provides insights for future research and recommendations for policymakers. Keywords: plastic waste; sustainability; bibliometric eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER and cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v8iSI15.510

Corrosion mechanisms of 304L NAG in boiling 9M HNO3 containing Cr (VI) ions

In this research, the mechanisms of end-grain corrosion of 304L NAG tubes in boiling 9M HNO3-containing Cr (VI) ions are reported to sustainably manage the corrosion of nuclear fuel reprocessing plant components. Specific heat treatments were applied to as-received specimens to produce phosphorus and/or sulphur intergranular segregation. End-grain corrosion on heat-treated specimens and the effect of a Cr (VI) concentration on a 304L NAG tube (as-received) were investigated. It has been reported that an increase in Cr (VI) ions leads to the acceleration of end-grain corrosion due to high electrochemical potential. After systematic heat treatments on the 304L NAG specimens, it is concluded that the primary causes of heat-induced end-grain corrosion are phosphorus or sulphur segregation to the grain boundaries. The key findings of this research are highly significant in terms of understanding the corrosion mechanisms and controlling the end-grain corrosion of NAG steel in boiling HNO3 environments. This research will help to sustainably reduce power plant maintenance costs and will have a significant impact on the delivery of long-term, clean, secure, and tenable energy

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NOISE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM FOR DOMESTIC GENERATORS

Increase in demand for standby power sources and disruption in power supply has increased the use of generators manifold for domestic and industrial consumers leading to objections on their use concerning noise pollution. The work presented here aims to focus on how generator set noise is propagated, controlled and reduced to a limit as defined by domestic laws. The presented work is in fact a feasibility of a simple and effective design of an acoustic enclosure for portable generators aims at reducing the radiated noise. This effort is a multi-disciplinary work that comprises acoustics, heat transfer and material science. Heat generation and requirement of cooling air leads to a heat transfer model with internal forced convection. The design is a balance of noise control and thermal management. Noise generating areas have been identified and conventional passive noise control techniques have been used to control and reduce the noise. Acoustic barriers and insulation are used to control the noise propagation at its transmission path. In the conclusion comparison and results of noise are plotted using sound measuring techniques and devices as well as the thermal profiles of cylinder head are compared with and without canopy

Predictive and prognostic modelling and simulation of coating failures due to corrosion and mechanical failures

This research presents analytical and mathematical modelling of coating failures within industrial components, structures, mobile assets and systems due to corrosive degradation and mechanical fracture. These failures lead to serval surface problems, therefore contact mechanics and electrochemistry approaches incorporating induced residual stresses have been adopted to develop a comprehensive solution for the prediction prognostic of such failures. Experimental study of film cracking and its propagation into substrates, interfacial transient behaviours and film-substrate system has been conducted. A parallel study of corrosive degradation to include cathodic delamination, cathodic blistering and tribo-corrosion of films has been conducted. Experimental and analytical studies of induced residual stresses within the coating and their effects on failure mechanisms and propagation have been completed. A detailed investigation of elastic mismatch at the interfacial contact and interfacial crack tip field has been performed and a complex stress intensity factor is presented. Mathematical derivation of oscillatory singularity, mode mix and interfacial fracture criterion to include adhesion are presented. This paper presents novel mathematical modelling incorporating interfacial crack propagating, diffusion of corrosive species and cathodic blistering for prediction and prognoses of coating failures

In Silico and In Vivo : Evaluating the Therapeutic Potential of Kaempferol, Quercetin, and Catechin to Treat Chronic Epilepsy in a Rat Model

Recently, alternative therapies are gaining popularity in the treatment of epilepsy. The present study aimed to find out the antiepileptic potential of quercetin, catechin, and kaempferol. In vivo and in silico experiments were conducted to investigate their therapeutic potential. 25 mg/kg/day of pentylenetetrazole was administered for 4 weeks after epilepsy was induced in the rats; this was followed by the behavioral studies and histological analysis of rat brain slices. Binding affinities of kaempferol, quercetin, and catechin were assessed by performing in silico studies. Kaempferol, quercetin, and catechin were found to have the highest binding affinity with the synaptic vesicle 2A (SV2A) protein, comparable to standard levetiracetam (LEV). The mRNA levels of SV2A, as well as the expression of TNF, IL 6, IL 1 beta, NFkB, IL 1Ra, IL 4, and IL 10, were investigated using qPCR. Our results indicate for the first time that SV2A is also a transporter of understudied phytoflavonoids, due to which a significant improvement was observed in epileptic parameters. The mRNA levels of SV2A were found to be significantly elevated in the PF-treated rats when compared with those of the control rats with epilepsy. Additionally, downregulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and upregulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokines were also noted in the PF-treated groups. It is concluded that kaempferol, quercetin, and catechin can effectively decrease the epileptic seizures in our chronic epilepsy rat model to a level that is comparable to the antiepileptic effects induced by levetiracetam drug.Peer reviewe

Failure Detection within Composite Materials in System Engineering Applications

This paper introduces essential key attributes of composite materials with a focus on carbon fibre (CF), followed by a description of common failure modes and proceeds to an investigation of stiffness of continuous CF laminates of 4-ply and 7-ply epoxy resin in pre-preg and wet layup. The three-point flexural test was performed with a Zwick Z010 machine, and the findings are presented. Continuing to real world failure scenarios and moving onto novel concept methods of live failure detection including scope for wood composites. Showing that early design considerations and further research can lead to advantages for system engineering

Modelling the determinants of Malaysian household debt

This paper explores the determinants of household debt composition in Malaysia.By utilizing the bound test and auto regressive distributed lag modelling approach, findings of this study reveals that in the long run period, a change in income level, housing price and population would have a positive impact on mortgage debt while rise in interest rates and cost of living would exert a negative influence.In addition, findings of this study supported that the household uses the debt as a substitute for income to finance the rising consumption because of a higher living cost.Findings of this study could provide some guidance to policymakers in controlling the mounting debt level and help in realizing the nation economic goals