Tensile and Flexural Properties of Grass/Epoxy Composites

The applications of synthetic fibrecomposites in industry are very significant especially in aerospace and automotive sector due to their excellent properties and low density. However, concern for environment has caused people to start looking forward to use natural fibre as reinforcement in composite. One of the natural fibres that need to be extracted its competency as the reinforcing component is grass (ImperataCylindrica). Grass is an invasive plant that grows at a disturbed area. The inexpensiveness and the abundance source of grass in this country has made is the potential candidate to be studied. In this research, the effects of length of5 %wt. discontinuous reinforcements (10, 15 and 20 mm)on tensile and flexural properties of grass/epoxy composites are investigated. The plates were produced manually by using hand stirring technique. The curing process was done at room temperature of 25°C for 24 hours without compression pressure. Then, tensile and flexural test was conducted with the crosshead speed on 20 mm/min. From the test, the mechanical properties of the composites are increasing with the fibre length. Besides, it is found out that the optimum fibre length of grass to reinforce the epoxy is 20 mm with the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus of 22.03 MPa, 1.38 GPa, 51.68 MPa and 4.77 GPa respectively. Besides, the addition of grass reinforcement in epoxy (GE20) shows the most significant effect in the flexural modulus of the composites where it increases approximately by 39 %

Tensile and Flexural Properties of Grass/Epoxy Composites

The applications of synthetic fibrecomposites in industry are very significant especially in aerospace and automotive sector due to their excellent properties and low density. However, concern for environment has caused people to start looking forward to use natural fibre as reinforcement in composite. One of the natural fibres that need to be extracted its competency as the reinforcing component is grass (ImperataCylindrica). Grass is an invasive plant that grows at a disturbed area. The inexpensiveness and the abundance source of grass in this country has made is the potential candidate to be studied. In this research, the effects of length of5 %wt. discontinuous reinforcements (10, 15 and 20 mm)on tensile and flexural properties of grass/epoxy composites are investigated. The plates were produced manually by using hand stirring technique. The curing process was done at room temperature of 25°C for 24 hours without compression pressure. Then, tensile and flexural test was conducted with the crosshead speed on 20 mm/min. From the test, the mechanical properties of the composites are increasing with the fibre length. Besides, it is found out that the optimum fibre length of grass to reinforce the epoxy is 20 mm with the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus of 22.03 MPa, 1.38 GPa, 51.68 MPa and 4.77 GPa respectively. Besides, the addition of grass reinforcement in epoxy (GE20) shows the most significant effect in the flexural modulus of the composites where it increases approximately by 39 %

Modeling Debt And Equity Crowdfunding Based On Murabahah, Musharakah And Mudarabah: Trust And Awareness

Crowdfunding become one of the most effective alternatives for raising funds, although it is not a new phenomenon in developed and developing countries but seems to be new in Nigeria. As such, the study aims to propose Shariah framework that addresses conventional debt and equity crowdfunding, instead, using Murabaha as debt, Mudarabah and Musharakah as equity model and further measure the level of awareness and trust towards behavioural intention towards crowdfunding in Northern Nigeria. The sample was collected from 2730 purposively selected and used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for data analysis. Findings, revealed that the proposed structural framework of crowdfunding proved to enhance entrepreneur vision for raising investment fund based on Shariah-compliant in Northern Nigeria. Further indicates, lack of awareness and inappropriate use of internet platform resulted in perceived entirely irrelevant investment opportunities and developed fair to invest online.  Practical implications: The paper provides awareness and trust on how to improve debt and equity-based crowdfunding for a fundraiser and successful funding a business structure based on Shariah compliant. Originality/Value: the study makes significant contribution towards propose Shariah framework of crowdfunding in Nigeria, and it provides awareness and trust to Nigerian Muslims entrepreneurs as in line with Shariah-compliant.JEL Classification: E4, O31, O3

The Influence of Socio-Economics on Travel Behavior of Public Transportation in Malaysia

This paper explores the influence of socioeconomics on travel behavior among public transport commuters to increase modal share. A face-to-face survey was carried out, and 904 usable questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS. The findings showed that level of education strongly influences travel behavior while there is not much difference in gender, age, income, and occupation. However, the categories in the groups provide good information relating to travel behavior. Suggestions and recommendations are provided to help the public transport service provider setting more strategic plans to encourage more individual riders to switch to public transport and sustain existing users. Keywords: Socio-economics, travel behavior, public transport eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i17.283

Inclusive Entrepreneurship Model for Person with Disabilities: A Critical Reflection

Persons with Disabilities are one of the marginalized communities that struggle economically and socially. Entrepreneurship has been considered one of the best options; however, PWDs are struggling in their business journey. The study investigates factors of the inclusive entrepreneurship model of Persons with Disabilities through their reflection. A focus group semi-structured interview was conducted with ten selected PWDs based on their entrepreneurship experience. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings show that psychological issues and social discrimination are major entrepreneurship obstacles. Therefore, entrepreneurship programs for PWDs should be more disabled-friendly and focus on their physical and emotional needs

The impact of FDI inflows on R&D activities in developing countries: a panel data analysis

This study investigates the impact of FDI inflows on R&D activities in 48 developing countries for the 1996-2013 periods. The results based on the system Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator show that FDI inflows tend to discourage R&D activity in developing countries. Additionally, there is evidence that R&D activity benefits from import and stronger legal protection

Financial integration - growth nexus: a quantile regression analysis

Our study aims to examine the role of economic development in moderating the relationship between international financial integration and economic growth, and we find that international financial integration has a positive impact on economic growth by and large. However, the growth impact of international financial integration does not exist in countries where economic development is too low or in highly developed countries. This suggests that policy makers, especially in developing countries, should ensure the presences of capabilities in order to gain from the financial market integration. The method involves a quantile regression technique on cross-sectional data of 73 countries

Phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of banana flower of Musa x paradisiaca

Frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lowered risk of cancer, heart disease, hypertension and stroke. This has been attributed to the presence of various forms of phytochemical and antioxidants in the foods. Pisang Nipah (Musa x paradisiaca) was analysed in this study for its tannin, flavanoid, alkaloid, total phenolic content and antioxidant activities. Quantitative estimation of tannin, flavanoid and total phenolic were analyzed by uv-visible spectrophotometer, while saponin and alkaloid were analyzed by gravimetric method. Current study shows that banana flower contains crude chemical constituents of tannin(7.83%) flavanoid(0.16%) saponin(1.43%) alkaloid(1.56%) and total phenolic(2.98%). The antioxidant activity of the flower extracts was determined using the 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The study shows potent antioxidant activity in banana flowers, of which the ethanol extract demonstrated much stronger antioxidant activity than water extract with the IC50 value of 29.75mg/ml and 1.52mg/ml, respectively. Increasing the concentration of the extract resulted in reducing the colour of DPPH solution. This study shows that antioxidative activities of banana flower may be a potential source of natural antioxidants with similar characteristics to the synthetic antioxidant, butylated hyroxyanisole (BHT). Keywords: Banana flower, Musa x paradisiaca, phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, DPPH radical scavenging

Foreign direct investment and economic growth: the role of democracy

This study investigates the growth-effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 67 developing countries covering from 1984 to 2016, with a special emphasis on the role of democracy. The empirical results obtained from generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation demonstrate that democracy plays a crucial role in moderating the positive effect of FDI on output growth. The results are robust to several alternative measures of democracy and FDI. This suggests that the marginal effect of FDI on growth depends on the level of democracy such that countries which promote democratic institution benefit more from FDI inflows. The finding is consistent with the growing view that the growth-effect of FDI depends on other intervening factors in the host countries

OXIDATIVE CHANGES AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION DECLINE IN AGING RATS

Objective: This study aims to show that impairment of cognitive function occurred during aging is related to increased oxidative stress. Methods: A total of 36 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups: Young (3 months), middle (14 months), and old age groups (18 and 23 months). Rats were killed and blood was collected for the measurement of oxidative stress which includes deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde [MDA] levels). Cognitive function of rats was measured through open-field experiments, Morris water maze (MWM), and object identification. Results: Increased DNA damage and MDA levels were found in middle age and old rats compared to young rats (3 months old, p<0.05). There was an increase in anxiety with age as indicated by the increased production of fecal boli and decreased activity of grooming and rearing. For the navigation test, older rats took a long time to search for the hidden platform compared to young rats. In the probe test (spatial memory test 24 h after the last training), the middle- and old-age groups spent less time at the quadrant compared to the young age group. Conclusion: There is a decline in cognitive function with increased oxidative stress in aging rats