Determinants of information technology adoption among Malaysian farm-based enterprises

Information technologies (ITs) have been employed in various fields of human endeavour especially to engender socio-economic development. One key sub-sector in which the adoption of ITs is increasingly becoming critical in Malaysia is the farm-based (agri-based) enterprises. However, previous studies have suggested that a number of factors influences the adoption of ICT by enterprises, especially small and medium firms. This study was prompted by the need to determine the factors that influence the adoption of IT among farm-based enterprises. A pre-test study was conducted with 50 IT-using entrepreneurs selected from five farm-based firms that were selected using systematic random sampling from a population of 500 farm-based entrepreneurs (selected from 50 farm-based firms) in Selangor, Malaysia. The study applied modified Entrepreneurial Event Model (EEM) theory with System Support and Readiness and Perceived Benefits as independent variables, while IT Adoption was the dependent variable. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analyses. The findings revealed that System support and readiness and Perceived benefits are the critical factors that determine IT adoption and that most of the enterprises (M = 3.81, SD = 1.00) adopted basic entrepreneurial ITs while a number of them (M = 3.68, SD = 1.23) adopted advanced entrepreneurial ITs. The limitations of the study include the size of the sample. Recommendations for effective application of IT into practical usage for farm-based enterprises development were included

Moringa oleifera seeds as natural coagulant for water treatment

Developing countries and third world countries are facing potable water supply problems because of inadequate financial resources. The cost of water treatment is increasing and the quality of river water is not stable due to suspended and colloidal particle load caused by land development and high storm runoff during the rainy seasons especially in a country like Malaysia. During the rainy seasons the turbidity level increases and the need for water treatment chemicals increase as well, which leads to high cost of treatment which the water treatment cannot sustain. As a result, the drinking water that reaches the consumer is not properly treated. Therefore, it is of great importance to find a natural alternative for water coagulant to treat the turbidity. It has been found that Moringa oleifera is the best natural coagulant discovered yet, that can replace aluminium sulphate (Alum) which is used widely all around the world. The study is focusing in Moringa oleifera seeds to find the active constituents which are responsible about the coagulation mechanism and improving the coagulation property. This will help in producing this alternative locally as Moringa oleifera is grown in Malaysia and other tropical countries and can be of great benefit for water treatment

Optimization of Water Treatment Parameters using Processed Moringa oleifera As a Natural Coagulant for Low Turbidity Water

Moringa oleifera is a natural coagulant which can be used for water treatment in tropical developing countries. This study presents the results of production of natural coagulant from processed Moringa oleifera with simple technique (oil extraction, salt extraction, and microfiltration with 0.2 μm). The optimization study on physical factors was carried out for coagulation-flocculation process. Low initial turbidity water samples (synthetic and river water) were used with turbidity less than 50 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The response surface methodology (RSM) was used, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to validate the developed regression model. The residual turbidity obtained was 4.514 NTU for synthetic water and 1.598 NTU for river water by applying the optimum conditions of 40 rpm (low speed), mixing time of 41 minutes, and Moringa oleifera dosage of 0.75 mg/L

Magnetohydrodynamics flow past a moving vertical thin needle in a nanofluid with stability analysis

In this study, we intend to present the dynamics of a system based on the model of convective heat and mass transfer in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow past a moving vertical thin needle in nanofluid. The problem is formulated in mathematical form by using Buongiorno’s model with the modified boundary condition. The transformed boundary layer ordinary differential equations are solved numerically using the bvp4c function in MATLAB software. The effects of the involved parameters, including, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, magnetic field, mixed convection, needle size and velocity ratio parameter on the flow, heat and mass transfer coefficients are analyzed. The numerical results obtained for the skin friction coefficients, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number, as well as the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are graphically presented and have been discussed in detail. The study reveals that the dual solutions appear when the needle and the buoyancy forces oppose the direction of the fluid motion, and the range of the dual solutions existing depends largely on the needle size and magnetic parameter. The presence of the magnetic field in this model reduces the coefficient of the skin friction and heat transfer, while it increases the coefficient of the mass transfer on the needle surface. A stability analysis has been performed to identify which of the solutions obtained are linearly stable and physically relevant. It is noticed that the upper branch solutions are stable, while the lower branch solutions are not

Linkages between political brand image, affective commitment and electors loyalty: the moderating influence of reference group

The research in elector' loyalty to party brand was still fragmented, isolated and under research. This research aims to investigate the relationship between party brand image and elector loyalty to party brand, as well evaluate the mediation role of elector' affective commitment in primary relationship in line with social exchange theory and the role of the moderating influence of utilitarian reference group (tribe) in accordance with social comparison theory, to fill these gaps in marketing literature and to address the mixed findings in the previous studies.87 survey swere obtained from electors toward party brand in Jordan context using systematic random sampling method.The data were analyzed using SPSS and PLS-SEM techniques.Result shows that there is a positive relationship in direct and indirect paths, whereas, no support for the moderator hypothesis.Ultimately, the study introduced a number of recommendations and set of directions for future research

Copy-move forgery detection: a survey on time complexity issues and solutions

As the image processing especially image editing software evolve, more image manipulations were possible to be done, thus authentication of image become a very crucial task. Copy-move forgery detection (CMFD), a popular research focus in digital image forensic, is used to authenticate an image by detecting malicious copy-move tampering in an image. Copy-move forgery occurs when a region in an image is copied and paste into the same image. There were many survey and review papers discussed about CMFD robustness and accuracy yet less attention was given to performance and time complexity. In this paper, we attempts to highlight the key factors contribute to the time complexity issue. Before that, the CMFD processes were first explained for better understanding. The trends of tackling those issues are then explored. Finally, numbers of proposed solutions will be outlined to conclude this paper

Numerical solution of boundary layer flow over a moving plate in a nanofluid with viscous dissipation: A revised model

Model of boundary layer flow over a moving plate in nanofluid with viscous dissipation effect is revisited. A new boundary condition is applied with the assumption that there is no nanoparticle flux at the surface. The nanoparticle volume fraction on the boundary is passively control rather than active control and this makes the model more realistic. A similarity transformation is introduced to reduce the governing non-linear partial differential equation into ordinary differential equation. The ordinary differential equations are computed numerically through numerical method namely Runge-Kutta Felhberg (RKF) technique. Validations of the result has been made by comparing the present results with results from the previous studies. In this study, it is found that the presence of viscous dissipation contributes to an increase in temperature profile. In addition, it is observed that an increment in Brownian motion parameter produce negligible effect on temperature profile. Furthermore, both nanoparticle concentration and temperature profile intensify with an increase of thermophoresis parameter

Effects of Current Density and Deposition Time on Corrosion Behaviour of Nickel-based Alloy Coatings

Corrosion of fasteners is an on-going issue and stainless steel 304 (SS304) is prone to this destructive process. One method to mitigate corrosion is electrodeposition of Co-Ni-Fe nanoparticles.  This paper studied the effects of deposition time and current density on corrosion behaviour of Co-Ni-Fe coated SS304 bolt. Co-Ni-Fe ternary alloys were electrodeposited onto SS304 bolt in 15, 30, or 45 minutes by using current density of 28, 35, 42 mA/cm2. Combinations of these parameters produced 9 samples. These samples were electrochemically tested by a potentiostat using open circuit potential (OCP) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP). The samples were also characterised in terms of surface roughness and thickness of the coatings by using 3D surface metrology system. The OCP value decreased when deposition time was increased. All sample synthesised in 30 minutes had a more stable OCP curve. PDP curves exhibited active behaviour without passivation region. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) of T15 samples was more anodic than T30 and T45 samples. The corrosion current density (Icorr) of all samples fluctuated. Sample synthesised in 30 minutes using 42 mA/cm2 had the lowest corrosion rate. It was found that the surface roughness influences the corrosion behaviour in which a lower surface roughness tends to produce coating with better corrosion performance. Current density had small effect on the thickness of coating, whereas the tendency of a thickness to increase was obvious for deposition time

Effects of Current Density and Deposition Time on Corrosion Behaviour of Nickel-based Alloy Coatings

Corrosion of fasteners is an on-going issue and stainless steel 304 (SS304) is prone to this destructive process. One method to mitigate corrosion is electrodeposition of Co-Ni-Fe nanoparticles.  This paper studied the effects of deposition time and current density on corrosion behaviour of Co-Ni-Fe coated SS304 bolt. Co-Ni-Fe ternary alloys were electrodeposited onto SS304 bolt in 15, 30, or 45 minutes by using current density of 28, 35, 42 mA/cm2. Combinations of these parameters produced 9 samples. These samples were electrochemically tested by a potentiostat using open circuit potential (OCP) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP). The samples were also characterised in terms of surface roughness and thickness of the coatings by using 3D surface metrology system. The OCP value decreased when deposition time was increased. All sample synthesised in 30 minutes had a more stable OCP curve. PDP curves exhibited active behaviour without passivation region. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) of T15 samples was more anodic than T30 and T45 samples. The corrosion current density (Icorr) of all samples fluctuated. Sample synthesised in 30 minutes using 42 mA/cm2 had the lowest corrosion rate. It was found that the surface roughness influences the corrosion behaviour in which a lower surface roughness tends to produce coating with better corrosion performance. Current density had small effect on the thickness of coating, whereas the tendency of a thickness to increase was obvious for deposition time