No abstract

Nanocomposites based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE), containing 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 wt% of nanoalumina, were prepared by melt-mixing at 125°C and hot melt-pressing to thin polymer film at 125°C. To enhance the interfacial interaction between alumina and LDPE, alumina surface was treated with silane which acts as coupling agent. The effects of alumina additions to the structure and morphology of LDPE matrix were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The mechanical behaviour of nanoalumina-reinforced LDPE composite was studied using tensile tests, flexural tests, and impact tests. The interfacial adhesion between nano alumina particle and LDPE matrix was investigated. The result showed that the reinforcement performance of nano alumina to LDPE matrix was attributed to the interfacial adhesion between nanoparticle and polymer matrix. The addition of 1 wt% nano alumina has successfully enhanced the mechanical properties of LDPE material.

This article describes how because of the rapid expansion of digital and online ‘bizscapes,' and ‘bizapps' resulting in small and medium-scale agribusinesses adopting and using online entrepreneurial technology innovations, information and communication technology has great potential to enhance the performance and efficiency of agribusinesses. The urge to understand factors that affect information technology innovations adoption and use by small and medium agribusinesses prompted this study, which involves the designing of a modified research model based on UTAUT perspective to determine the influence of cognitive, management characteristics and organizational structure factors on technology adoption. Factor analysis yielded a fit structural model, which was used to test the hypotheses. The article found performance expectancy, SMEs management creativity and innovativeness and SMEs organizational size significantly influence technology innovations use. This paper concludes that performance expectancy, management characteristics and organizational size affect technology adoption among agribusinesses critically.

Since the rising to notoriety of the present "genre" of malicious content peddled as "fake news" (mostly over social media) in 2016 during the United States" presidential election, barely three years until Nigeria"s 2019 general elections, fake news has made dangerously damaging impacts on the Nigerian society socially, politically and economically. Notably, the escalating herder-farmer communal clashes in the northern parts of the country, ethno-religious crises in Taraba, Plateau and Benue states and the furiously burning fire of the thug-of-war between the ruling party (All Progressives Congress, APC) and the opposition, particularly the main opposition party (People"s Democratic Party, PDP) have all been attributed to fake news, untruth and political propaganda. This paper aims to provide further understanding about the evolving issues regarding fake news and its demonic impact on the Nigerian polity. To make that contribution toward building the literature, extant literature and verifiable online news content on fake news and its attributes were critically reviewed. This paper concludes that fake news and its associated notion of post-truth may continue to pose threat to the Nigerian polity unless strong measures are taken. For the effects of fake news and post-truth phenomena to be suppressed substantially, a tripartite participation involving these key stakeholdersthe government, legislators and the public should be modelled and implemented to the letter.