Muhammad Ghozali^1,2, Yenny Meliana², Widya Fatriasari³, Petar Antov⁴, Mochamad Chalid^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 1963-1976, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.026060

Abstract Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) starch is considered an important renewable, biodegradable, and eco-friendly polymer, which is derived from agricultural by-products and residues, with great potential for the development of biocomposite materials. This research was aimed at investigating the development of TPS biocomposites from A. pinnata palm starch using an extrusion process. Palm starch, glycerol, and stearic acid were extruded in a twin-screw extruder. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of TPS showed that the starch granules were damaged and gelatinized in the extrusion process. The density of TPS was 1.3695 g/mL, lower than that of palm starch, and the addition of… More > Graphic Abstract

Joel Koti^1,2,*, Crespin P. Yabi³, Mohamed Gibigaye¹, Anne Millien², Christophe Petit²

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.18, No.5, pp. 1469-1482, 2022, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2022.021902

Abstract In tropical areas, palm oil production generates significant amounts of waste, including palm kernel shells. The use of this waste in the civil engineering sector, presents a very challenging task. In the present study, the production of lateritic soil (A-2 in GTR classification and A-7-6 (9) in HRB classification) reinforced with palm kernel shells is considered. In order to improve their performances, these materials are mixed using the Fuller’s parabolic law. Moreover, experimental tests are used to characterize the physical and mechanical geotechnical properties of the lateritic soil. After characterizing the matrix (i.e., lateritic soil) and the inclusions (i.e., palm… More >

Fatima Zohra Elhilali, Hicham Fihri-Fassi^*

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.18, No.5, pp. 1285-1292, 2022, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2022.021803

Abstract In order to mitigate the risks stemming from the utilization of mineral and synthetic organic substances, consensus exists in the literature that additional efforts should be devoted to the identification of adequate equivalent natural (ecological) materials. This work presents the outcomes of a preliminary study where the physical, mechanical, chemical and thermal properties of natural fibers have been considered. Initially, areca, and materials such as Moroccan doum and jute are considered. As a case study, a brake pad based on natural fibers is critically assessed. More >

Muhammad Jamil Hussain¹, Ahmad Shaoor¹, Suliman A. Alsuhibany², Yazeed Yasin Ghadi³, Tamara al Shloul⁴, Ahmad Jalal¹, Jeongmin Park^5,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.72, No.3, pp. 5327-5343, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.025953

Abstract In this research work, an efficient sign language recognition tool for e-learning has been proposed with a new type of feature set based on angle and lines. This feature set has the ability to increase the overall performance of machine learning algorithms in an efficient way. The hand gesture recognition based on these features has been implemented for usage in real-time. The feature set used hand landmarks, which were generated using media-pipe (MediaPipe) and open computer vision (openCV) on each frame of the incoming video. The overall algorithm has been tested on two well-known ASL-alphabet (American Sign Language) and ISL-HS… More >

LONGJU QI^1,2,#, XIAOYING XU^3,#, BIN LI^4,#, BO CHANG⁵, SHENGCUN WANG², CHUN LIU², LIUCHENG WU², XIAODI ZHOU⁴, QINGHUA WANG^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 989-998, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018014

Abstract Excessive fat ectopically deposited in the non-adipose tissues is considered as one of the leading causes of myopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in palmitate (PAL)-incubated H9c2 cells (lipotoxicity-induced cell injury model). Cell viability of PAL-treated cells was determined by MTT assay, and apoptotic regulators were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis, in the absence or in the presence of DHA, respectively. Expression levels of miR-133b and Sirt1 were also evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting examination. PAL decreased the viability of H9c2 cells and enhanced the expression of apoptotic genes.… More >

Vignesh Sekar^1,*, Se Yong Eh Noum¹, Azma Putra², Sivakumar Sivanesan¹, Kok Chun Chin¹, Yi San Wong¹, Dg Hafizah Kassim³

Sound & Vibration, Vol.55, No.4, pp. 343-352, 2021, DOI:10.32604/sv.2021.014916

Abstract This paper presents the development and performance of micro-perforated panels (MPP) from natural fiber reinforced composites. The MPP is made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) reinforced with Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber (OPEFBF). The investigation was made by varying the fiber density, air gap, and perforation ratio to observe the effect on the Sound Absorption Coefficient (SAC) through the experiment in an impedance tube. It is found that the peak level of SAC is not affected, but the peak frequency shifts to lower frequency when the fiber density is increased. This phenomenon might be due to the presence of porosity… More >

Mohamed Esmail Karar^1,2, Omar Reyad^1,3,*, Abdel-Haleem Abdel-Aty⁴, Saud Owyed⁵, Mohd F. Hassan⁶

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.69, No.3, pp. 4095-4111, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.019059

Abstract Smart precision agriculture utilizes modern information and wireless communication technologies to achieve challenging agricultural processes. Therefore, Internet of Things (IoT) technology can be applied to monitor and detect harmful insect pests such as red palm weevils (RPWs) in the farms of date palm trees. In this paper, we propose a new IoT-based framework for early sound detection of RPWs using fine-tuned transfer learning classifier, namely InceptionResNet-V2. The sound sensors, namely TreeVibes devices are carefully mounted on each palm trunk to setup wireless sensor networks in the farm. Palm trees are labeled based on the sensor node number to identify the… More >

Tetti Novalina Manik^1,2,*, Sulung Apria Nuki², Nur Aini Fauziyah¹, Mashuri¹, Mochamad Zainuri¹, Darminto^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.9, pp. 1647-1660, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016089

Abstract The performance of oil palm trunk wastes from Banjarbaru of South Kalimantan was improved with the help of chemical modification in a two-step treatment. The first was formalization with formaldehyde solution with varying pH, and the second was impregnation with melamine-formaldehyde resin under 5 bar pressure for an hour. In these processes, the samples were cured at 120°C for 10 min and then dried in an oven at (103 ± 2)°C in order to attain a moisture content of less than 6%. These treatments improved the physical properties (density, moisture content, and volume swelling), mechanical resistance, dynamic-mechanical and acoustic performance… More > Graphic Abstract

Syed Waheedullah Ghori^1,*, G. Srinivasa Rao²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.7, pp. 1283-1292, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.014987

Abstract Date palm fiber (DPF) and kenaf fiber were reinforced in epoxy having various fiber loading 40%, 50%, and 60% by weight. These hybrid samples were manufactured by hot press technique and then characterized for tensile, impact, and morphological behavior to evaluate the ratio of fibers in the hybrid composites; the addition of kenaf improved the tensile properties, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the interfacial bonding of fiber/matrix, and dispersion and void content in composites. Impact test studies reflected the effect of natural fiber with epoxy, level of stress transfer from matrix to reinforced material, and reinforced material’s role in absorbing… More > Graphic Abstract

Budhi Priyanto^1,2,*, Retno Asih¹, Irma Septi Ardiani¹, Anna Zakiyatul Laila¹, Khoirotun Nadiyyah¹, Bima Romadhon³, Sarayut Tunmee⁴, Hideki Nakajima⁴, Triwikantoro¹, Yoyok Cahyono¹, Darminto^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.6, pp. 1087-1098, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.014466

Abstract A simple, highly reproducible, and environmentally friendly method is a considered approach in generating renewable energy materials. Here, hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C) films have been successfully prepared from palmyra liquid sugar, employing spin-coating and spraying methods. Compared with the former method, the latter shows a significance in producing a better homogeneity in particle size and film thickness. The obtained films have a thickness of approximately 1000 to 100 nm and contain an sp² hexagonal structure (~70%) and sp³ tetrahedral configuration (~30%) of carbons. The introduction of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) as dopants has created the local structural modification of… More > Graphic Abstract