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Recently, because of the rising population, carbon overloading, and environmental distress, human beings have needed to increase awareness and responsibility for the reduction of agricultural waste. The utilization of agricultural waste as a filler material in reinforced polymers is a fascinating discovery. This review paper attempts to study the physical, mechanical, and thermal behavior of rice husk (RH) as a fiber for reinforcing various synthetic polymers, based on recent studies, conducted between 2017 and 2021. It also highlights that advanced modification techniques could further improve the performance of composites by tailoring the physical and chemical substances of the fiber or matrix. The thermal properties, including flame-retardance and thermal behavior, are also discussed. The characteristics of the fiber–matrix interaction between RH and the polymer matrix provide essential insights into the future-ready applications of this agricultural waste fiber. The way forward in researching RH polymer composites is finally reviewed.

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They were once called the baby boomers, born between 1946 to 1964, but now aged above 50 years old, they contribute to the increasing number of elderly population in Malaysia. Age classification for elderly people varies between countries but commonly pre-elderly people is defined as those aged between 50 to 64 years old while those aged more than 64 years old fall in elderly category. In Malaysia, it is projected that the elderly population will make up for 10% of the total population or 3.4 million by year 2020. Without effective and comprehensive healthcare system, the healthy lifestyle of this elderly population can be affected thus prohibiting them to return to their premorbid function. In this study, the health status of pre-elderly and elderly community residing at an Elderly Care Center in Selangor, Malaysia is assessed. In overall, 12 male occupants (4 elderly and 8 pre-elderly people) aged 50 years and above were interviewed to obtain data on their sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, hand functionality and hand strength measurements. The overall sample mean (standard deviation) age are 63 (8) years. The mean (standard deviation) for BMI is 20.26 (2.73) kg/m 2 that falls in the normal category despite the visible nutritional deficiencies sign and symptoms on their physical body and facial. The mean (standard deviation) of handgrip measurements is 12.47 (6.69) kg, which is quite low but reasonable due to ageing factor.

Although the effect of voids on the mechanical properties of composite failures has been well researched, their effect on the failure mechanisms has not been well characterised. This study investigated the effect of the void content on the flexural strength of carbon/epoxy composites and to explain in terms of the failure mechanisms. The results showed that a 2% increase in void content reduced the flexural strength by 12.7%. Using optical microscopy, X-ray tomography and acoustic emission it was found that voids had no effect upon compression crack initiation but were found to influence the initiation and propagation of delaminations. A combination of in-situ acoustic emission and X-ray tomography proved to be a powerful tool in providing evidence of the failure mechanisms.

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