The low V-notch impact toughness is a notable limitation of the PBT/PA6 blend. In this study, we maintained a fixed PBT/PA6 ratio of 50/50 while varying the proportion of PP in the given blend at levels of 0%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% neat PP. The results from the unnotched impact toughness tests for the PP/PBT/PA6 blends showed favorable outcomes. Specifically, the impact toughness of the PP/PBT/PA6 samples progressively increased with the rise in PP content. Initially, the toughness dropped from 10.13 kJ/m² in the 0% PP sample to 8.6 kJ/m² in the 70% PP sample, before increasing gradually from 8.6 kJ/m² in the 70% PP sample to 17.45 kJ/m² in the 90% PP sample to 17.45 kJ/m² in the 90% PP sample, which represents an increase of about 72% relative to the 0% PP sample. These positive results demonstrate that the addition of PP significantly enhances the impact toughness of the blend compared to formulations without PP.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, receiving recognition from over half of the UN member states, the majority of the European Union, Council of Europe and NATO member states, as well as the most industrialized states in the global economic forum. However, Kosovo did not receive recognition from Serbia, China, Russia, India, certain states with diplomatic grievances with the USA, communist dictatorial states like North Korea, and five EU member states, including Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Spain. This article focuses on Spain’s possibilities and reasons for recognizing Kosovo or not. Using qualitative methodology, five university professors—two from Madrid, one from Barcelona, and two Kosovar professors, one from the University of Pristina and the other from the University of Winchester, England—were interviewed with open-ended questions in November-December 2023. The research identified opportunities and reasons for Spain’s hesitation in recognizing Kosovo, including Spain’s domestic context, historical relations with the Western Balkans and the newly formed countries after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, as well as the European and international political context. The research results show that Spain has been hesitant to recognize new states quickly, not only in the case of Kosovo, due to the context of autonomist aspirations within Spain and reluctance to draw parallels between Kosovo and Spain’s autonomous regions.

This study addresses the critical issue of employee turnover intention within Malaysia’s manufacturing sector, focusing on the semiconductor industry, a pivotal component of the inclusive economy growth. The research aims to unveil the determinants of employee turnover intentions through a comprehensive analysis encompassing compensation, career development, work-life balance, and leadership style. Utilizing Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory as a theoretical framework, the study hypothesizes that motivators (e.g., career development, recognition) and hygiene factors (e.g., compensation, working conditions) significantly influence employees’ intentions to leave. The quantitative research methodology employs a descriptive correlation design to investigate the relationships between the specified variables and turnover intention. Data was collected from executives and managers in northern Malaysia’s semiconductor industry, revealing that compensation, rewards, and work-life balance are significant predictors of turnover intention. At the same time, career development and transformational leadership style show no substantial impact. The findings suggest that manufacturing firms must reevaluate their compensation strategies, foster a conducive work-life balance, and consider a diverse workforce’s evolving needs and expectations to mitigate turnover rates. This study contributes to academic discourse by filling gaps in current literature and offers practical implications for industry stakeholders aiming to enhance employee retention and organizational competitiveness.

The increased awareness of the environmental effects of petroleum based plastics has stimulated the coffee price emergence of biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA). In a bid to increase the sustainability of PLA agricultural residues of animal feeds (corn stover, rice straw, and soybean hulls) have been explored and examined as reinforcing fillers to PLA composites. The consideration of such applications is suitable to the goals of the circular economy as it recycles low-value agricultural products. The current review critically evaluates lately carried out life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on PLA composites that have implemented such waste fillers with the full focus being on their environmental performance as well as methodological consistency. The review shows that these fillers have a potential of reducing the amount of greenhouse emission, energy usage, and other environmental effects, compared to pure PLA. However, unevenness in LCA methodology, especially in functional units, the system boundaries, and impacts categories obstructs direct LCA comparisons. The 1997 State of the Market report also has limited options of feedstocks and the lack of appraisals in the socio-economic front, so the overall sustainability analysis is restricted. Some of the remaining limitations that can be critical are to have generalized LCA frameworks, extended exploration of waste-based fillers, as well as combination of techno-economic analysis and social impact. Future inquiries ought to devise design considerations that would optimize both the functional characteristics and the performance of the environment and improve the reliability of sustainability measures. This review is evidence to the potential of agricultural waste reinforced PLA composites in the progress towards environmentally friendly materials and the need of integrative evaluation in the sustainable maturation of bioplastics.

Developing countries have witnessed a rise in infrastructure spending over the past decades; however, infrastructure spending in most developed countries, particularly the US, continues to decline. As a result, in 2021, the US Congress passed a Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which invests $1 trillion in the country’s infrastructure every year. Using the principal component analysis and VAR estimation, we analyzed the impact of infrastructure (transportation and water, railway networks, aviation, energy, and fixed telephone lines) on economic growth in the US. Our findings show that infrastructure spending positively and significantly impacted economic growth. Additionally, the impulse response analysis shows that shocks to infrastructure spending had positive and persistent effects on economic growth. Our results suggest that infrastructure investment spurs economic growth. Based on our findings, sustained public spending on transport and water, railway networks, aviation, energy, and fixed telephone lines infrastructure by the US government will positively impact economic growth in the country. The study also suggests that policies that promote infrastructure spending, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) passed by the US Congress, should be enhanced to boost economic growth in the US.